Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon (CD - 2005)
UPC: 00094634039123
As low as $17.49 from DeepDiscount.com
Artist: John Lennon Label: Capitol/EMI Records Genre: Oldies - Rock 'N' Roll
Album Description: Personnel: John Lennon.Photographers: Ivor Sharp; Ian MacMillan; Spud Murphy ; Bob Gruen; Peter Fordham.Arranger: John Lennon.Although 2005's WORKING CLASS HERO: THE DEFINITIVE LENNON covers a lot of familiar ground, including all of John Lennon's best-known hits, i... read more Personnel: John Lennon. Photographers: Ivor Sharp; Ian MacMillan; Spud Murphy ; Bob Gruen; Peter Fordham. Arranger: John Lennon. Although 2005's WORKING CLASS HERO: THE DEFINITIVE LENNON covers a lot of familiar ground, including all of John Lennon's best-known hits, it's hard to complain when the material is so amazing. In fact, the most striking thing about this two-disc set is how Lennon continued to produce so many consistently strong tunes in the shadow of all the immortal classics he penned with the Beatles. The truth, however, is that Lennon's solo material is nakedly confessional, honest, and emotionally riveting in a way his Beatles' work seldom was. WORKING CLASS HERO represents these qualities admirably by showing Lennon at his most anguished ("Cold Turkey") and reflective ("Watching the Wheels"), alongside moments of pure joy ("(Just Like) Starting Over") and aching poignancy ("Love"). Lennon the outraged rebel ("Gimme Some Truth") is balanced by Lennon the wistful idealist ("Imagine," "Give Peace a Chance"), with the collection hitting all points in between. So while it's not full of surprises or essential material for hardcore Lennon fans who already own his solo albums, this 38-song compilation does offer a well-assembled overview of his finest moments. There sure hasn't been a shortage of John Lennon compilations over the years, but there hasn't been a new collection since 1997's Lennon Legend and there haven't been any two-CD sets covering his entire career -- until 2005's Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon, that is. Released on October 4, 2005, this surely was intended as a tie-in to the Broadway show Lennon: The Musical, but it wound up appearing ten days after the musical concluded its disastrous run. Even if the show did tank, it provided the occasion for this strong collection. Working Class Hero may tread familiar territory -- not only does it have all the usual suspects, from "Instant Karma" to "(Just Like) Starting Over," it has them in a sequencing that feels familiar, even it doesn't correspond to any specific previous release -- but that's fine, because it provides a rather thorough overview of Lennon's best-known solo songs. In many cases, these are often his best, but there are surely some great songs missing here, particularly because the comp emphasizes material with a slight romantic bent or songs that play into the myth of St. John (meaning, mixed alongside the hits there are plenty of songs about Yoko and being a father, and rockers are given short shrift). But these are minor complaints: anybody who wants a succinct yet comprehensive compilation of most of Lennon's solo best should be satisfied with this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize
Album Description
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Personnel: John Lennon. Photographers: Ivor Sharp; Ian MacMillan; Spud Murphy ; Bob Gruen; Peter Fordham. Arranger: John Lennon. Although 2005's WORKING CLASS HERO: THE DEFINITIVE LENNON covers a lot of familiar ground, including all of John Lennon's best-known hits, it's hard to complain when the material is so amazing. In fact, the most striking thing about this two-disc set is how Lennon continued to produce so many consistently strong tunes in the shadow of all the immortal classics he penned with the Beatles. The truth, however, is that Lennon's solo material is nakedly confessional, honest, and emotionally riveting in a way his Beatles' work seldom was. WORKING CLASS HERO represents these qualities admirably by showing Lennon at his most anguished ("Cold Turkey") and reflective ("Watching the Wheels"), alongside moments of pure joy ("(Just Like) Starting Over") and aching poignancy ("Love"). Lennon the outraged rebel ("Gimme Some Truth") is balanced by Lennon the wistful idealist ("Imagine," "Give Peace a Chance"), with the collection hitting all points in between. So while it's not full of surprises or essential material for hardcore Lennon fans who already own his solo albums, this 38-song compilation does offer a well-assembled overview of his finest moments. There sure hasn't been a shortage of John Lennon compilations over the years, but there hasn't been a new collection since 1997's Lennon Legend and there haven't been any two-CD sets covering his entire career -- until 2005's Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon, that is. Released on October 4, 2005, this surely was intended as a tie-in to the Broadway show Lennon: The Musical, but it wound up appearing ten days after the musical concluded its disastrous run. Even if the show did tank, it provided the occasion for this strong collection. Working Class Hero may tread familiar territory -- not only does it have all the usual suspects, from "Instant Karma" to "(Just Like) Starting Over," it has them in a sequencing that feels familiar, even it doesn't correspond to any specific previous release -- but that's fine, because it provides a rather thorough overview of Lennon's best-known solo songs. In many cases, these are often his best, but there are surely some great songs missing here, particularly because the comp emphasizes material with a slight romantic bent or songs that play into the myth of St. John (meaning, mixed alongside the hits there are plenty of songs about Yoko and being a father, and rockers are given short shrift). But these are minor complaints: anybody who wants a succinct yet comprehensive compilation of most of Lennon's solo best should be satisfied with this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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