CD LENNON WALLS AND BRIDGES QUAD
JOHN LENNON: WALLS AND BRIDGES QUAD MIXES 3 CDS
This 3 CD set has the 4 channel mixes of this album - each channel has its own tracks which makes for very interesting listening!
Each has unique sounds, vocals and instrument placement! sound quality is excellent and sounds GREAT! If you love this album,
you will love these mixes! #9 Dream, Surprise Surprise, Steel and Glass, Beef Jerky - a few of the best for hearing NEW things.
DISC ONE:
Going Down on Love (3:54)
01 Channel One
02 Channel Two
03 Channel Three
04 Channel Four
Whatever Gets You thru the Night (3:28)
05 Channel One
06 Channel Two
07 Channel Three
08 Channel Four
Old Dirt Road (Lennon, Harry Nilsson) (4:11)
09 Channel One
10 Channel Two
11 Channel Three
12 Channel Four
What You Got (3:09)
13 Channel One
14 Channel Two
15 Channel Three
16 Channel Four
DISC TWO:
Bless You (4:38)
01 Channel One
02 Channel Two
03 Channel Three
04 Channel Four
Scared (4:36)
05 Channel One
06 Channel Two
07 Channel Three
08 Channel Four
#9 Dream (4:47)
09 Channel One
10 Channel Two
11 Channel Three
12 Channel Four
Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox) (2:55)
13 Channel One
14 Channel Two
15 Channel Three
16 Channel Four
DISC THREE:
Steel and Glass (4:37)
01 Channel One
02 Channel Two
03 Channel Three
04 Channel Four
Beef Jerky (3:26)
05 Channel One
06 Channel Two
07 Channel Three
08 Channel Four
Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out) (5:08)
09 Channel One
10 Channel Two
11 Channel Three
12 Channel Four
Ya Ya (Robinson, Dorsey, Lewis, Levy) (1:06)
13 Channel One
14 Channel Two
15 Channel Three
16 Channel Four
I'm a big fan of "Walls and Bridges" and rate it amongst Lennon's best solo works. Yes he was coming out of his "Lost Weekend", but that's the whole point, while there's darkness on the album, reflecting his lows at the time, his optimism carried him through, the whole painting a picture of an artist caught between the angels and devils, with the angels just about winning.
This extensive bootleg selection makes an excellent companion to the official release, topped and tailed by two spoken radio-spots for the album, reflecting not only his returning good humor, but also his belief in the music.
Tracks 2 - 11 are near-masters, usually just missing orchestration, a horn section or even the contribution of Elton John.
I was surprised to learn that Ringo's hit cover of the Platters' "Only You" was almost a note-for-note cover of this demo, plus I've always liked the gonzo title track to Starr's "Goodnight Vienna", with the demo here tracking its origins back to the old unreleased Beatles track "What's The New Mary Jane".
Tracks 12-19 are solo demos, not unnaturally lacking some dynamism, but certainly not commitment, particular a fragile, fraught version of "Going Down On Love", while in "#9 Dream", he perhaps reveals a source by quoting from Thunderclap Newman's "Something In The Air" before ending up safe and sound with his slight children's song "Mucho Mungo", later covered by Harry Nilsson.
Tracks 20 and 21 fall somewhere in between the former two categories, being more than demos but less than out-takes.
Some tracks though, are conspicuous by their absence, like "Scared" and in particular the best track on the original album (and JL's own favourite) set-closer "Nobody Loves You When You're Down And Out" although from the evidence here, I dread to think how harrowing it might sound in the raw.
Unlike the earlier-recorded "Rock And Roll" sessions, there are no signs of drunken debauchery here and the prognosis is definitely good, Lennon was definitely on the way back as these interesting and entertaining, (if for fans only) recordings bear out.
Walls and Bridges Promo Radio Spot 1:01
Rehearsals, Rough Mixes, Outtakes, July 1974
2 Whatever Gets You Thru the Night 3:29
3 Steel and Glass 4:15
4 Going Down On Love 3:58
5 Beef Jerky 3:15
6 Only You (for Ringo) 3:14
8 Surprise, Surprise 2:34
8 #9 Dream 4:40
9 Old Dirt Road 4:52
10 Bless You take 1 5:20
11 Goodnight Vienna (for Ringo) 2:56
Demos, Jan-June 1974
12 Move Over Miss L. 1:50
13 What You Got 3:18
14 Going Down On Love 4:07
15 Surprise, Surprise 3:12
16 Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 2:51
17 #9 Dream 2:08
18 Steel and Glass 1:45
19 Mucho Mungo (for Harry) 3:27
More Rehearsals, 14 July 1974
20 Bless You take 3 3:44
21 Whatever Gets You Thru The Night 3:48
22 "Walls and Bridges" Track Run Down 1:56
