One of the earliest "re-imagined" albums I ever did was this one. From the beginning, I found John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's songs on Double Fantasy to be incompatible. This is ironic because Yoko's songs are in response to John's so theoretically they should fit. But their styles are so different that it's pretty jarring to go from "Starting Over" to "Kiss Kiss Kiss" and then back and forth.
When Milk and Honey was released in 1984, it provided an opportunity to have enough of Lennon's songs from his 1980 recording session to make one complete album.
SIDE A
1. (Just Like) Starting Over
2. I Don't Want to Face It
3. Borrowed Time
4. Nobody Told Me
5. Clean Up Time
6. Watching the Wheels
SIDE B
1. I'm Stepping Out
2. Woman
3. I'm Losing You
4. Forgive Me My Little Flower Princess
5. Dear Yoko
6. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
I kept the same song that opens Double Fantasy but then arranged the rest differently to fill out the album. I placed the songs that were mostly about Yoko and Sean on the second side.
All these tracks are from the original albums. I didn't include demos or remixes. I also didn't include the version of "I'm Losing You" with Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick. I like that version slightly more, but Lennon's "1, 2, 3, 4" count in the middle makes it sound like a rehearsal rather than a completed track.
"Beautiful Boy" has similar opening notes as "Starting Over" and I thought that made for a good way to end the album.
The result? In my opinion, this is far and away a better album than either Double Fantasy or Milk and Honey.
I created the cover using a photo of John in the studio in 1980 and then just added the words. I decided to use this photo because it shows him back at work after a five-year layoff. I can't be the only one who thinks this cover looks like Donald Fagen's The Nightfly. It's pure coincidence.
Great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI agree with the clash of John vs Yoko styles. I've played with this on and off over the years and could never come up with anything I was completely happy with. My biggest obstacle is always the Milk and Honey tracks. I don't like the mixes and the vocals are reference vocals at best with way too much reverb and other effects on them. Might be time for another try.
ReplyDeleteI know what you're saying. I also get tired of hearing the count-ins on the tracks, and tried to snip them off on a couple with passable results.
DeleteI like this; I've done something similar myself last year, an album I called Between the Lines, named for a rumored 1976 Lennon LP. Here's what I had: (M&H tracks edited to remove count-ins)
ReplyDeleteSide A
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (Stripped Down)
I'm Stepping Out
Cleanup Time (Stripped Down)
Nobody Told Me
I Don't Wanna Face It
I'm Losing You (Anthology w/ Cheap Trick)
Forgive Me (My Little Flower Princess)
Side B
(Just Like) Starting Over (Stripped Down)
Watching the Wheels (Stripped Down)
Woman (Stripped Down)
Dear Yoko (Stripped Down)
Borrowed Time
Help Me to Help Myself (outtake from 2000 release of DF)
Grow Old with Me (Anthology w/ George Martin orchestra)
My attempt could rival Plastic Ono Band in its rawness and emotion and Imagine for its majesty, though your take on this is still really good; maybe in this reality, the Beatles agree to re-do "Grow Old with Me"?
I thought about using the stripped down versions, but decided that this was Yoko revisionism. She had disagreements with producer Jack Douglas, but I don't think John did. But I can imagine your version works well also. Thanks
DeleteSpeaking of Yoko, I had been wondering; is it possible to make an album out of her Double Fantasy tracks? Put them side by side, they only make an extended play rather than a full album. And even if we included the six minute "Walking on Thin Ice" (the last song John ever recorded in his lifetime), that's still around 25-30 minutes. I try to avoid overlapping with Season of Glass, which was recorded after his unfortunate demise. As for the Milk and Honey tracks? My assumption is that they were newly recorded in 1983.
DeleteYeah, it's my understanding that Yoko's songs on "Milk and Honey" are either new compositions or rewritten ones. But maybe you can take her tracks from both albums and collect them as a double EP?
Delete