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12.02am
19 September 2010
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As you all know, John came back to the Biz with Double Fantasy , shared with Yoko. But after less then two months, he’s killed. So, is Double Fantasy a Fitting Farewell? I say it was. It showed the world all aspects of his personality, including his love of Yoko (who decided to share the album with her? Obvious she felt she could only get listened to with John.) But, I’m more likely to turn to Milk And Honey ‘s John songs, to be honest. (Kiss Kiss Kiss is the worst song ever. But, he still had so much to do. So, fitting farewell or are you thinking it wasn’t a farewell, and certainly not fitting?
As if it matters how a man falls down.'
'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.
3.14am
1 May 2010
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I think it is. but I'll have to listen it again while I'm not working to give you a more complete opinion.
Here comes the sun….. Scoobie-doobie……
Something in the way she moves…..attracts me like a cauliflower…
Bop. Bop, cat bop. Go, Johnny, Go.
Beware of Darkness…
3.32am
23 January 2011
Offline I think Double Fantasy sounds more like a beginning than an ending, and I am sad that we couldn't hear more of John's evolution as a songwriter and human being. He seemed to be getting his mojo back during this time. I admit to liking a lot of the songs off Milk And Honey better than some of the Double Fantasy songs. I'm pretty sure I have never listened all the way through a single Yoko song. Just because this album holds some of her more tolerable vocals doesn't mean they are good. Similarly, I get choked up listening to Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy), so sometimes I have to skip that one. I love Watching The Wheels and the stripped down version of I'm Losing You. In fact, I've listened to the stripped down version more than the original. I love feeling like John is talking to ME, not into a machine and then to me. I know some people think it is blasphemous to change the original, but I don't really care. Variety is the spice of life.
17
"You can manicure a cat but can you caticure a man?"
John Lennon- Skywriting by Word of Mouth
12.30pm
19 September 2010
Offline Well, I had to listen to Yoko. NOT A GOOD IDEA. (I just got the vinyl yesterday). But DFSD is enjoyable, but not the true version. It’s John’s Let It Be Naked.
As if it matters how a man falls down.'
'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.
5.55pm
1 May 2010
Offline I think it’s fitting for who John was as a person. I’ve never really thought about this too much, but think about how hard John worked to get Yoko some respect. She always had at least a b side and I think it’s been mentioned somewhere that he put more time into her stuff than his own. I don’t think John gets enough credit for doing that…think of any other musician that’s done something like that, much less someone of John’s calibur. Paul put a lot of time in with Linda, but it’s still not the same.
So giving Yoko half of the album, like her stuff or not, I think is the best example of showing John’s true spirit and how big of a heart he had.
But from a song perspective certainly he would have gotten better, but I absolutely love his demos from around that time, so the finished products don’t really matter that much to me.
I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine
9.32pm
Reviewers
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1 May 2011
Offline Not for me. It was Johns comeback after retirement, presenting to the world a new more relaxed John who was content with his past, happy with the present, and looking forward to the future.
To me it was a first step, a toe in the water.
DFSB shows how great a singer John was but its not a better album. Agree with it being Johns Let It Be Naked.
And i avoid Yoko's so-called singing. Have tried to listen to her but cant get far without reaching for the self destruct button.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
5.06am
13 November 2009
Offline I like some of her songs on this album. Kiss Kiss Kiss – if she wants you to feel uncomfortable, well mission accomplished Yoko. But I'm happy to listen to Moving On and Darling Boys .
Mostly, I see it as a good start, but just leads to more frustration as to what could have been.
Count me as a fan who prefers the stripped down version.
Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! So much to know!
6.58am
14 October 2009
Offline I remember buying it the day it came out (I'd already heard 'Starting Over' as the single on the radio) and to my horror I was a tad disappointed with DF. John was (still is) my ultimate hero and I was so excited that he was back, but it didn't hit me with that WOW factor, but…………I very rarely get a new album from anyone I like and instantly love it, so it wasn't that bad. The more I played it the more I loved it, but then of course, it took on a different meaning not long after which completely clouded any judgement.
Today I still love it and I really like the Stripped version too…….and having read the book “Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy ” I've got to appreciate it even more. That was a terrific read.
"If we feel our heads starting to swell.....we just look at Ringo!"
2.53pm
31 March 2008
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That is a brilliant book, one of the best Lennon books out there IMO.
Can buy me love! Please consider supporting the Beatles Bible on Amazon
Or buy my paperback/ebook! Riding So High – The Beatles and Drugs
Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
8.51am
13 April 2011
Offline Interesting point, but I don't really think it was a “fitting farewell” since he was his .. their .. comeback album – a new beginning as epitomised by Just Like Starting Over (ironically the last track to be made for the album, I believe).
John and Yoko work well on the whole album together too. I love the way I'm Losing You and I'm Moving On go together.
Kiss Kiss Kiss is pretty bizarre but it's Yoko at her most accessible at that time and fitted in well with the new wave dance stuff that was coming up in the US (Blondie, B-52s et al).
Hard Times Are Over … ?? How ironic an album closer was that???
I don't get such a kick out of SD version, in fact tracks like Starting Over suffer a little IMHO, and don't add much to the Yoko tracks. That said, I love the new version of Every Man Has a Woman … which is more a kind of total remix. There voices mix together so well and it's just so …… sexy if you know what I mean!
Must get that book…
8.43pm
12 January 2013
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The better Double Fantasy .
I wasn’t sure to put this in the album section or not but, I put it here.
Before you start saying things like “Yoko’s not a bad person.” or “Give Yoko a chance.” I’m not a Yoko hater, I just prefer my Lennon albums, with all Lennon songs. So what I’ve done is I mixed Milk And Honey with Double Fantasy , with one outtake from the past year Real Love .
1. Real Love
2. Cleanup Time
3. I’m Stepping Out
4. Nobody Told Me
5. Woman
8. (Just Like) Starting Over
9. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
10. Dear Yoko
12. (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess
13. Borrowed Time
14. I Don’t Want to Face it.
So what do you think, do you like them the way they are or do you like my version.
The Incedibly True Story THat Never Ends. By Sam.
Best Friend: WHat are you listening to
Me: The Beatles
Best Friend: Go Figure
5.09am
14 December 2009
Offline I know meanmistermustard really enjoys combining the John halves of those two albums (while discarding the Yoko halves) and thinking of it as one album, so you’re not alone in that respect. Me, I’ve never heard “Milk & Honey” aside from the two singles (“Nobody Told Me” and “Stepping Out”) so I can’t really offer my opinion. But it sounds good to me in theory, even though I’ve got no problems with much of Yoko’s music.
By comparison, I love both of their Plastic Ono Band LPs, and I can’t imagine I’d be as fond of either one if they were each released independently as half-and-half albums with each alternating tracks. (I do occasional wish it was all released as a double album, however!)
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
9.53am
Reviewers
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1 May 2011
Offline Yip. Im not a fan of Yokos voice in the slightest.
Ive put all the tracks together under the Double Fantasy title in itunes but just followed the running orders of both albums.
Not sure where everything would go, certainly an intriguing idea to create a definitive album than just have the two stuck together.
I would still open with Starting Over as i think the bells and upbeatness of the track along with DF being Johns so-called comeback album works very well, plus it was the lead-off single. Grow Old With Me would end it as im not sure the sound quality of the track would work elsewhere without breaking the flow.
Real Love would definitely be included, the piano demo take 4 which was included on John’s Anthology. Such a beautiful fragile demo and there are plenty more John recorded which could have still featured proudly on the ’98 Anthology.
But then where would I’m Stepping Out go, its such a good opener on Milk And Honey ? Before Grow Old With Me ? Switch the two? Treat it as a vinyl and open side 2.
I would ditch Dear Yoko by the way. Or create Autoskip, a feature that upon hearing the intro immediately jumps to the next track. Not wanting to remove all traces of Yoko but the song sucks. There is the John only vocal version on Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him but i’d be rummaging elsewhere first. There must be something else in the vaults.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
1.23pm
12 January 2013
Offline He could have brought back one of his demos from the past five years such as Free As A Bird or I Don’t Want to Lose You (also known as Now And Then .)
The only song that I haven’t Heard on there was Dear Yoko, guess I chose the right song to not listen to.
I agree with you on the album openings, I was just no thinking about specific order.
Side One
- (Just Like) Starting Over
- Real Love
- Nobody Told Me
- I’m Losing You
- I Don’t Want to Face it
- Woman
- Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
Side Two
- I’m Stepping Out
- Free As A Bird
- Now And Then
- (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess
- Borrowed Time
- Cleanup Time
- Watching The Wheels
- Grow Old With Me
The Incedibly True Story THat Never Ends. By Sam.
Best Friend: WHat are you listening to
Me: The Beatles
Best Friend: Go Figure
2.34pm
18 April 2013
Offline Considerations of whether one likes Yoko aside, I still think that to change the album that way is to go against John’s wishes, since he always insisted that Yoko be given equal time and refused to have it any other way. In my opinion, it is even worse than taking all the Paul songs off of a Beatles album, because the John and Yoko albums were written specifically as “heart plays” where the songs were a dialogue between each other.
To each his own, though.
"If you're ever in the shit, grab my tit.” —Paul McCartney
2.39pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Taking the White Album down to one disc goes against the Beatles wishes as does cutting up the Yellow Submarine album or any of the albums probably pre Rubber Soul and altering them – and they werent that chuffed with the US cutting up their albums and selling them as something else.
Selling a ton of crap on the back of his name and milking his music and legacy for every penny possible would no doubt go against Johns wishes but Yoko does it and Sean goes along with it.
So i can live with mucking about with Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey .
That sounds catty – im not pissed at you or anything. All written cheerily.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
2.42pm
18 April 2013
Offline Yoko can keep milking that Lennon tit as far as I’m concerned. I like having more stuff. Looking forward to the book of John Lennon ‘s art that is supposed to come out later this year.
And I like “Dear Yoko.” It makes me somehow think of John as a ghost watching over Yoko.
"If you're ever in the shit, grab my tit.” —Paul McCartney
2.46pm
18 April 2013
Offline meanmistermustard said
Taking the White Album down to one disc goes against the Beatles wishes as does cutting up the Yellow Submarine album or any of the albums probably pre Rubber Soul and altering them – and they werent that chuffed with the US cutting up their albums and selling them as something else.Selling a ton of crap on the back of his name and milking his music and legacy for every penny possible would no doubt go against Johns wishes but Yoko does it and Sean goes along with it.
So i can live with mucking about with Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey .
That sounds catty – im not pissed at you or anything. All written cheerily.
I didn’t take it that way. But I’m always up for a good cat fight. 
"If you're ever in the shit, grab my tit.” —Paul McCartney
2.50pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline I wouldnt mind so much if we got stuff that was decent but Imagine toothpaste and all kinds of other crap, Instant Karma selling cars, 40 trillion compilations that include the same 10 songs over and over with another 6 album tracks we all have already and a new 67 second edited home demo all for the bargain price of £8.99, and horrid looking outfits no one with a single brain cell would be seen dead in.
Yoko selling a book of Johns Art doesnt make up for it.
Apple give us either crap we dont want or nothing at all 99% of the time.
Yoko gives us crap we dont want 99% of the time.
Paul is kind of giving us what we want with the new album, touring and the reissues (yet they taking an eternity and we’ll all be dead by the time its finished if not bankrupt).
No idea whats happening with George, hopefully an archive release is in the planning but that seems a pipedream.
Ringo is about to begin touring.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
4.24pm
18 April 2013
Offline They don’t sell Imagine toothpaste here (that I’m aware of), but I might try it!
"If you're ever in the shit, grab my tit.” —Paul McCartney
