(The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection) Ben Urish, Ken Bielen-The Words and Music of John Lennon-Praeger (2007) Read Online Free

he was a Beatle but never recorded for release by them, or recorded and
    unissued at the time of their breakup, were returned to, and therefore will be
    discussed at the appropriate place in Lennon’s post-Beatles chronology.
    During his time as a member of The Beatles, Lennon did not really col-
    laborate musically with other recording artists until The Beatles as a function-
    ing unit was coming to an end and Lennon began his personal and artistic
    partnership with Yoko Ono. There are two brief exceptions to this, and both
    involve Paul McCartney.
    The first also involves another rock group from Great Britain, The Rolling
    Stones. Members of both groups had known each other for some years, and
    Lennon and McCartney had given The Rolling Stones a song they had com-
    posed called “I Wanna Be Your Man,” though The Beatles later recorded
    and performed it as a vocal feature for Ringo Starr. Supposedly, observing
    Lennon and McCartney at work on the song had inspired Keith Richards and
    Mick Jagger to begin composing as well.11
    In 1967 Lennon and McCartney added harmony vocals to The Rol ing Stones’
    single “We Love You.” Even though their voices are easily noticed and the public
    knew of their contribution at the time, the single peaked at number 50.
    Once The Beatles set up Apple Records and began building a stable of art-
    ists other than themselves to record for that label, they were involved to vary-
    ing degrees in the activities of some of their artists. One group Lennon took
    particular interest in he named Grapefruit, after a book of Ono’s. Lennon
    and McCartney produced a track from their album Around Grapefruit titled
    “Dear Delilah” although Terry Melcher was officially credited. The produc-
    tion is clean and energetic, but nothing out of the ordinary. Oddly, another
    song on the album, “Lullaby,” sounds very much like a Lennon composition,
    and Lennon must have liked it. When Ono copyrighted a batch of Lennon’s
    home tapes in preparation for the Lost Lennon Tapes radio show, she mistak-
    enly, though understandably, included a version of “Lullaby.”12 The group’s
    bass player George Alexander wrote the song. The group had a small hit with
    “Dear Delilah,” but Lennon did not produce another artist besides himself
    or Ono until Bill Elliot and the Elastic Oz Band in 1971.
    2
     The Bal ad of John and Yoko, 
    Late 1968 to Early 1970
    While it is well known that The Beatles recorded together until early in 1970
    and were a contractually bound entity until 1975,1 various sources have posed
    the questions of and answers to when, how, and why The Beatles broke up.
    All agree, however, that it was a slow and fractious process. Some date the
    band’s split as the end of the last tour late in 1966. Others mark the group’s
    dissolution at the death of their manager Brian Epstein in August 1967. Still
    others select the period when their two-record album The Beatles (known
    as the White Album) was nearing completion and Lennon began his artistic
    collaborations with his soon-to-be wife, conceptual and performance artist
    Yoko Ono.
    The validity of this interpretation is open to question, but certainly Lennon’s
    creative energies were directed toward non-Beatles projects, and his artistic
    sensibilities were modified and redirected. It would seem unfair however to
    blame Ono, as used to be fashionable, for the demise of The Beatles by pull-
    ing Lennon away from them. That scenario obscures and ignores other issues
    impacting the dynamic of The Beatles, such as George Harrison’s maturing
    talent, among many other factors. Just as important is that it ignores the fact
    that Lennon’s impulses were constantly changing, and, if anything, collabo-
    rating with Ono refreshed and reinvigorated his work.
    Two Virgins
    Without the other Beatles, Lennon appeared in a supporting role in the film
    How I Won the War (1967). The film was directed by Richard Lester, who had
    also