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10.45pm
Reviewers
29 August 2013
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Picked this up at a 2nd hand store yesterday – it is in pristine condition 
I passed it by at first, thinking it was another album or hits compilation, which of course it isn’t. I must say it looks impressive; with some unusual packaging, an interesting booklet (around 60+ pages) and intriguing tracklist.
What are the thoughts on the set from those of you who have had it for a while?
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
11.09pm
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Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Its a very enjoyable box. I didn’t know a lot of Johns outtakes and demos before it came it so for that reason it was an eye opener and there are some really enjoyable, and in my opinion, better versions contained than on the official releases, for instance the outtakes from Mind Games and Walls And Bridges (the sparseness of the numbers really helps).
The demo take 4 of Real Love is the highlight of the box for me along with the outtake of One Day At A Time (I hate the production and the vocals on the LP) and I love Be My Baby left over from the Rock ‘N’ Roll sessions, the way the song builds up with the instruments at the beginning is fantastic and John’s vocal
.
It would have been better if we had gotten more details of the songs in the notes but overall this is one of the Yoko sanctioned releases that is impressive.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
1.52am
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline ^ Thanks for the links and comments – really whetted the appetite.
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
10.09am
31 March 2008
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IIRC when it came out it got mixed reviews and didn’t sell too well. I think most Lennon fans are happy with the albums, rather than endless outtakes and alternative versions.
There’s some good stuff on there, but for some reason I prefer the Lost Lennon Tapes, which you can get via BitTorrent sites. There was quite a bit that I’d never heard before, and to listen to the gestation of songs like (Just Like) Starting Over was really fascinating. Lennon Anthology didn’t really have that option.
I wrote a big ol’ feature on the Lennon Anthology, if you’re interested: https://www.beatlesbible.com/p…..anthology/
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12.44pm
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline Joe said
IIRC when it came out it got mixed reviews and didn’t sell too well. I think most Lennon fans are happy with the albums, rather than endless outtakes and alternative versions.
There’s some good stuff on there, but for some reason I prefer the Lost Lennon Tapes, which you can get via BitTorrent sites. There was quite a bit that I’d never heard before, and to listen to the gestation of songs like (Just Like) Starting Over was really fascinating. Lennon Anthology didn’t really have that option.
I wrote a big ol’ feature on the Lennon Anthology, if you’re interested: https://www.beatlesbible.com/p…..anthology/
Thanks – I read the article when I realised just what the box was (and nice work btw). Having had the original albums since release, though with a hiatus between selling my LP collection and buying the remastered CDs, I’m enjoying both the albums and the idea of going behind them a little; it’s easy to get a little overdosed on the better known tracks and I am enjoying venturing off the beaten track.
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
1.14pm
Reviewers
29 November 2012
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I got this box set when it was released. It’s pretty damn good. I hadn’t listened to it in probably 10 years before I dug it out again a few months ago, and I’d forgotten how much I’d enjoyed it…apart from the little spoken bits with Yoko 
The bit where Sean is singing Beatles songs as a little kid and John is trying (and having trouble) to remember who sang what and what album it was on, always cracks me up.
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1.16pm
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1 May 2011
Offline 
Listening to Take 4 of Scared which is in the box and where John signs
Hatred and jealousy, gonna be the death of me
I guess I knew it right from the start
Sing out about love and peace
Don’t wanna see the red raw meat
The green eyed goddamn straight from your heart
you can hear it all in his voice that he means what he sings.
The released version has so much layered on top whereas the song stripped of it all is so much more powerful.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.18pm
1 December 2009
Offline I know very little about this collection. Is the entire thing previously unreleased recordings, or is it a combination of new and old – like, are all the familiar POB titles alternate takes, for example?
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
4.32pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline None of the tracks are the released album versions so no overlap (unless you already have the Lennon Acoustic album which was released after the Anthology) but some of them were available on bootlegs. Think The Beatles Anthology – tho thankfully without the cut and paste concoctions. It’s a mixture of home demos, pastiches, live recordings, dialogue (normally quite short), and studio outtakes (some similar to the released versions but not the same).
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
7.11pm
1 December 2009
Offline Thanks for the information! I was all prepared to complain for the 79th time about record companies that screw the consumer by releasing 4-disc boxes that mix the new unreleased stuff with old stuff any fan already owns.
GEORGE: In fact, The Detroit Sound. JOHN: In fact, yes. GEORGE: In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miracles. JOHN: We like Marvin Gaye. GEORGE: The Impressions PAUL & GEORGE: Mary Wells. GEORGE: The Exciters. RINGO: Chuck Jackson. JOHN: To name but eighty.
11.30pm
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline vonbontee said
Thanks for the information! I was all prepared to complain for the 79th time about record companies that screw the consumer by releasing 4-disc boxes that mix the new unreleased stuff with old stuff any fan already owns.
It’s worth checking out the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J….._Anthology
Being in a Ringo run at the moment – it’s interesting to see demo versions of “I’m The Greatest” and “Goodnight Vienna” there along with all sorts of other interesting looking tracks. This one looks to be about 2 months away in terms of getting around to listening to it – but I’m glad I snapped it up at the 2nd hand store – too many other CDs have gotten away when I dithered.
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
1.09am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline trcanberra said
vonbontee said
Thanks for the information! I was all prepared to complain for the 79th time about record companies that screw the consumer by releasing 4-disc boxes that mix the new unreleased stuff with old stuff any fan already owns.It’s worth checking out the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J….._Anthology
Being in a Ringo run at the moment – it’s interesting to see demo versions of “I’m The Greatest” and “Goodnight Vienna” there along with all sorts of other interesting looking tracks. This one looks to be about 2 months away in terms of getting around to listening to it – but I’m glad I snapped it up at the 2nd hand store – too many other CDs have gotten away when I dithered.
There is also a John demo of Cookin’ out there (which Ringo recorded for Rotogravure).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..xe-7_Q80-g
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
8.38pm
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline I was just looking at the box to see if it had the Lennon track “Angel Baby” and then saw I need to have the remaster of Rock n Roll to get it. While I appreciate not wanting too much duplication, this remaster bonus thing being the only way to get it really irks me. I already had the original, plus a 4CD compilation (Gimme some Truth), and a 4 CD Anthology with unreleased stuff, and now I have to track down an out of print remaster to get it – they couldn’t even include it on the latest remasters?
==> trcanberra and hongkonglady - Together even when not (married for those not in the know!) <==
4.05pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline trcanberra said
I was just looking at the box to see if it had the Lennon track “Angel Baby” and then saw I need to have the remaster of Rock n Roll to get it. While I appreciate not wanting too much duplication, this remaster bonus thing being the only way to get it really irks me. I already had the original, plus a 4CD compilation (Gimme some Truth), and a 4 CD Anthology with unreleased stuff, and now I have to track down an out of print remaster to get it – they couldn’t even include it on the latest remasters?
Get it off youtube and save yourself the hassle and cost.
Doubt many folks know (I didnt until recently) but the outtake of ‘I’m Losing You ‘ was edited, thankfully the full take was issued at the time on a two-track promo.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.27pm
18 April 2013
Offline Angel Baby is on the Menlove Ave . album.
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11.49pm
14 June 2016
Offline I’ve always wondered why they haven’t taken to the John Lennon Anthology like they have the Beatles Anthology, and while listening to it again I have the hunch that it’s this and things like this that prevent the reissue.
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1.11am
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline William Shears Campbell said
I’ve always wondered why they haven’t taken to the John Lennon Anthology like they have the Beatles Anthology, and while listening to it again I have the hunch that it’s this and things like this that prevent the reissue.
It’s clearly John taking the piss but no doubt someone would get deeply offended and demand every copy be burned and an official retraction from John the only way the matter could be settled.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
5.07am
14 June 2016
Offline Demos like that are why I love John so much. Wasn’t intended for release but his personality is on full show.
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7.13am
14 June 2016
Offline Timothy said
Demos like that are why I love John so much. Wasn’t intended for release but his personality is on full show.
That may be true but it damages the cloudlike, dreamy image that they like to have for John, and then also what mmm said, so they’re not gonna reissue it. It’s great if you can get a hold of an older copy of the JLA though.
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It's ya boi! The one and only Billy Shears (AKA Paul's Replacement)
"Sometimes I wish I was just George Harrison" - John Lennon
8.13am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline I think it depends if, at some stage, we get a Deluxe covering the Double Fantasy /Milk And Honey sessions, @William Shears Campbell. I would think that would include a Home Demos disc or two. There’s a lot of good stuff on the 7-disc Home Demos ’75-’80 bootleg for it not to be revisited.
It should also be remembered that a slightly less profane alternate demo was included on the Homes Tapes disc that came with the Signature Box in 2010, which would seem to suggest it was still considered fine as a bit of a naughty interlude in 2010.
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