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Post by rbortega on Oct 15, 2014 11:22:34 GMT -5
Are there any particular solo original songs you would have liked to have seen John Lennon perform live in concert that he never did? I would have been curious to see him perform some tracks from Walls and Brides (besides Whatever Gets You Thru The Night). Some examples would be "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" and "Old Dirt Road".
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Post by John S. Damm on Oct 15, 2014 21:52:19 GMT -5
I always thought "Mind Games" would have been awesome live but only if John had a symphony orchestra backing him. Then he'd have no excuse not to do "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "A Day In The Life!"
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Post by joshferrell on Oct 17, 2014 12:25:40 GMT -5
1981 tour that never was
1. I saw her standing there 2. woman 3. whatever get's you through the night 4. lucy in the sky 5. blue suede shoes 6. Money 7. I call your name 8. Mind Games 9.watching the wheels 10. I am the walrus 11. strawberry fields 12. imagine 13. come together 14. eight days a week 15. day tripper 16. help 17.A hard days night 18. Dear Yoko 19.beautiful boy 20.Starting over encore: 21. I want you (she's so heavy) 22. a day in the life 23. she's a woman (based on him jamming on it in 1980)
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Post by John S. Damm on Oct 17, 2014 23:24:30 GMT -5
I would give everything I ever owned to see such a John Lennon concert.
Truth is a 1981 tour would have been John and Yoko but that would have been okay.
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Post by joshferrell on Oct 18, 2014 17:58:22 GMT -5
I think that maybe "Kiss Kiss Kiss", "Walking on thin ice", "I'm your angel" "Ever man has a woman to love him" and "Beautiful Boys" may be her songs on the concert...
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Post by Panther on Nov 1, 2014 11:36:15 GMT -5
It would have been okay if Yoko had opened for him. Say, 6 or 7 'songs'.
But if she'd alternated her songs with his, as on the LP, it would have been disastrous. Likewise if she'd sung backing vocals.
But actually, I don't think Yoko would have wanted to go center-stage in the 80s. In the early 70s, everything 'far out, man!' was sort-of "in", like having a Japanese conceptual artist who couldn't sing whatsoever onstage supporting one of rock's greatest-ever artists. Even though most people hated it, it was something taken seriously. But by the early 80s, this kind of thing (not to mention bringing the wife onstage) was very "out". Also I think Yoko had lost interest in stage performance by then. Not to mention they had a small kid to take care of.
I don't think there's any chance a 1981 tour would have taken place. John was not bowled over, by most accounts I've seen, of the reception to Double Fantasy, and I don't think he felt confident enough, or thought he had enough new songs, to go play live. He talked the talk, but I don't think he was ready to walk the walk.
I suspect the second 80s' album -- 'Milk and Honey' or whatever it was going to be called -- circa 1982 or so, might have prompted John to the stage if it had been very successful.
The thing about John is, he just wasn't very interested in live performance -- his own, or those of his favorite artists.
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Post by Joe Karlosi on Nov 1, 2014 13:47:11 GMT -5
It would have been okay if Yoko had opened for him. Say, 6 or 7 'songs'. But if she'd alternated her songs with his, as on the LP, it would have been disastrous. Likewise if she'd sung backing vocals. But actually, I don't think Yoko would have wanted to go center-stage in the 80s. In the early 70s, everything 'far out, man!' was sort-of "in", like having a Japanese conceptual artist who couldn't sing whatsoever onstage supporting one of rock's greatest-ever artists. Even though most people hated it, it was something taken seriously. But by the early 80s, this kind of thing (not to mention bringing the wife onstage) was very "out". I think just the opposite. When DOUBLE FANTASY was first released, Yoko drew acclaims for her songs on the album, which were more "current" sounding than John's were (and I agreed). Yoko went on to have a big club dance hit with "Walking on Thin Ice".. thus, I think her performing songs off DF, at least, would have went over reasonably well. Well, Yoko did tour on her own in the early '80s. The day he died, he told RKO radio he thought it would be "fun", and he "would be happy to go out there", just so long as they could do it in the spirit of the album, where they would be accepted as JohnandYoko and enjoy the performances. By all accounts, John was happy with the album and its reception, which had really only been out something like 3 weeks, before he passed. I think, based on John's excited rejuvenation at this time, he might have toured under those conditions. John's own words on that excited last afternoon were: "This time they're ready for us!"
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Post by stavros on Nov 1, 2014 17:42:39 GMT -5
Yes in those last interviews John gave he did seem energised again with a very positive vibe. He was definitely over the bitter break up of the Beatles. He was even calling "Woman" - the "Beatle" song. And what a great Beatles song it would have made.
He even issued an affidavit stating that the Beatles were going to work together again on the "Long & Winding Road" (Anthology) project.
But I got the feeling John wanted to prove to the world that he was back first. So I think at some time in the early 1980s, had fate not dealt it's deadly hand, then John would have decided to be right back in the public eye. Or at least some kind of live events. The Double Fantasy album was dropping down the UK charts as the chill of winter began in 1980. But make no mistake if John had turned up on a British TV show like "The Old Grey Whistle Test", or a few high profile Chat Shows, also singin a few numbers then his star would have risen to the top once again. Ironically by then Yoko's tracks sounded more contemporary than John's.
Lene Lovich had enjoyed a huge hit here in Britain just a year before with a very Yoko influenced "Lucky Number"
So even if we didn't get a full concert I'd have loved a live TV set from John of 'Woman', 'Watching the Wheels' and then perhaps 'Come Together' or 'Help' as a nod to his Beatles days.
The 1980s were an awkward period for Paul. Ringo got totally Thomas the Tanked. George virtually disappeared until the latter half of the decade (although he came back with one of his most commercially successful albums).
So it's so sad that John didn't make it as it was all set up for a John Lennon revival in that first half of the 1980s.
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Post by Panther on Nov 2, 2014 2:58:20 GMT -5
I agree that John was over The Beatles and had a positive vibe in 1980. But I don't think he would have toured in 1981, and maybe never. I mean, think about it -- a month after the album has been released (and no plans to tour yet), and John is using vague language in the conditional like it "would" be fun. This means he has no plans. And if you don't have plans a month after the LP comes out, you're not touring.
Had he lived, I think he would have eventually done some live work in the 80s, but it would have been small, one-off kind of things to test the waters. I just can't see John touring during that big-hair MTV decade. I mean, if he didn't tour at all for the entire 70s, when he was more popular and didn't have to raise a kid, why would he suddenly do an about-face in the 80s? John had very little interest in live performance.
I do think, though, that he would have become more visible in the early 90s -- the alt. rock period. Sean would be hitting high school, so John would be freed-up, and I could see him doing MTV unplugged or something like that. By then, too, sound systems were so much better, and John could have afforded the best musicians to help him out, and really fill-out the sound.
Hard to say what Yoko's role would have been in all this (that is, assuming they'd have stayed together!). I don't know, I can't see John and her performing together in the 80s/90s in the same way they had 10 years earlier. A lot of this would have depended on John's level of confidence, which itself would have depended a lot on the success of his records.
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