GOT LIVE IF YOU WANT IT - PART I
July 19, 2009 – 10:44 amHe was shot dead outside his apartment. His death sparked a worldwide mourning, never imagined at the time.
Click on the panels for a better view or to download artwork.
JOHN LENNON
Listen To This… [Vigotone VT-175-7 3CD]
The last real John Lennon album. After years of looting the vaults of his Beatles demos for tracks for his solo albums, by 1974 the cupboard was bare. He had to write some new songs. He had a new girlfriend in May Pang and a drinking buddy in Nilsson to spar with and so Lennon went south and wrote and recorded what would become Walls And Bridges. He also drank a lot.
To Elton John’s credit, he had the right ears to spot a hit. Elton told John, Whatever Gets You Through The Night was a Number One. Lennon couldn’t believe it, after so many years in the desert. He took a bet that he would perform live with Elton should “Whatever” become a hit. It was to be Lennon’s final live performance at Madison Square Garden.
Other highlights of Walls And Bridges include some pretty harrowing moments with Scared, an impossibly personal vocal from the ex-Beatle and two mellow tunes in Going Down On Love and the contemplative Old Dirt Road. He also claimed inspiration from Sinatra when he penned Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down And Out). Possibly imagined as an outtake from Sinatra’s gloomy Capitol albums. Lennon was himself in a drinking and marital crisis with a new girl and bitter fights with Yoko.
It was left to Italian bootlegger, Vigotone, to release a 3CD set compiling the sessions and mixes for Walls And Bridges in 1994. Since then, no official attempt has been made to remember this great album. Remember it was a Number 1 album on Billboard on November 16, 1974, 35 years ago.
Quality is mixed on this, some excellent stereo quality and some listenable home demos. Some fans have found the third disc of home demos a fun listen but most will enjoy the rehearsals and alternate takes. As far as we know, none of these tracks have had an official release in this mix/form.
- The Little Chicken 
Note: Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (these are high quality MP3s - sample rate of 192 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.
These tracks are no longer available for download. Kindly email us at [email protected] if you want to download them at a later date.
Disc 1
Record Plant Rehearsal, July 13, 1974.
Track 101. Steel And Glass
Track 102. Going Down On Love
Track 103. Move Over Ms L
Track 104. Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradise)
Track 105. Beef Jerky
Track 106. Scared
Track 107. Old Dirt Road
Track 108. Bless You
Track 109. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Track 110. Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down And Out)
Alternate takes and rough mixes from July 1974
Track 111. Move Over Ms L
Track 112. Bless You
Track 113. Beef Jerky
Track 114. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Track 115. What You Got
Track 116. Move Over Ms L
Track 117. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Track 118. (It’s All Da-da-da-Down To) Goodnight Vienna/Under The Influence
Disc 2
Record Plant Remix Sessions, July 21, 1974
Track 201. Bless You
Track 202. Move Over Ms L
Track 203. Scared
Track 204. Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradise)
Track 205. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Track 206. Going Down On Love
Track 207. Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down And Out)
Track 208. Whatever Gets You Through The Night/Executive Privilege
Track 209. What You Got
Track 210. What You Got
Track 211. What You Got
Track 212. Old Dirt Road
Track 213. Steel And Glass
Record Plant Monitor Mixes, July 1974
Track 214. #9 Dream
Track 215. Old Dirt Road
Track 216. Steel And Glass
Disc 3
Home recordings 1973-1974
Track 301. #9 Dream
Track 302. #9 Dream
Track 303. Move Over Ms L
Track 304. Move Over Ms L
Track 305. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Track 306. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Track 307. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
Track 308. What You Got
Track 309. What You Got
Track 310. Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradise)
Track 311. Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradise)
Track 312. Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down And Out)
Track 313. Going Down On Love
Track 314. Going Down On Love
Track 315. Going Down On Love
Track 316. Going Down On Love
Track 317. Steel And Glass
Track 318. Improvisations/The Boat Song
THE SESSIONS
Jim Keltner - drums
Klaus Voorman - bass
Jesse Ed Davis - guitar
Nicky Hopkins - piano
Ken Ascher - piano, keyboards
Arthur Jenkins - percussion
Eddie Mottau - acoustic guitar
Harry Nilsson - vocals
The Little Big Horns - Bobby Keys, Steve Madaio, Howard Johnson, Ron Aprea and Frank Vicari
*could be on Menlove Avenue
The last official John Lennon was a collection of demos called John Lennon Acoustic. Buy it here.
8 Responses to “GOT LIVE IF YOU WANT IT - PART I”
This is a terrific collection for Lennon fans. Been around a while but nice to see here. One note: Vigotone’s numerous bootlegs were actually made by an American in a southern state. He was eventually caught and jailed for his bootlegging.
By Belmo on Jul 19, 2009
I can’t help but think some of this came out on Menlove Ave. Looks very familiar.
By Tom on Jul 20, 2009
Hello Tom
Thanks very much for your comments. Readers are welcomed to contact us if they have further information.
By bigozine2 on Jul 20, 2009
Great stuff, man. Thanx to the Deggo what was busted, for his brave efforts.
By Timmy on Jul 20, 2009
Superb stuff!
Thanks
By Rochacrimson on Jul 21, 2009
@Tom: If you only would have waited with your comment until next week or so.
By walter on Jul 22, 2009
The ease of transfer to my iTunes file: all YOU folks at the Big O are incredible! Many Many thanks- Lennon boots, good ones, are hard to find. You’ve filled some holes in my catalog of outs: Good Job there.
When I’m able to send some kind of a donation I will.
Cheers & Thanks,
platterpile
p.s.
do ‘ya have any Tommy Bolin
live thats good quality? There’s
an elusive one!
By John P McNea III on Jul 23, 2009
please bring back john lennon rare and unreleased & outtakes
By DboY on Nov 13, 2010