John Lennon, Yoko Ono – Milk And Honey (1984/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 36:50 minutes | 742 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital bookletGenre: Pop Rock | Label: © Yoko Ono Lennon , Capitol Records , Calderstone Productions | Source: HDTracks
Recorded: August–December 1980, 1983 at Hit Factory, A&R Studios & Sterling Sound, New York, New York, & The Automatt, San Francisco
Milk and Honey was released in 1984, nearly four years after John Lennon’s death. It was created by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the last months of Lennon’s life, during and following the sessions for Double Fantasy. The album was assembled by Yoko Ono, and features a number of songs presented in their demo form.
The sessions for 1980’s Double Fantasy were supposed to yield two albums, the second to be released at a future time, but Lennon’s assassination tragically halted the project in its tracks. A bit over three years later, Yoko Ono issued tapes of many of the songs planned for that album under the title Milk and Honey, laid out in the same John-Yoko-John-Yoko dialogue fashion as its predecessor. Not unexpectedly, it’s a rougher, less polished product, lacking the finishing touches and additional takes that Lennon most likely would have called for. Nevertheless, Lennon’s songs at this point in their development were often quite strong, tougher than those on Double Fantasy in general, and the ad libs and studio chatter that might not have made the final cut give us more of a glimpse of Lennon’s delightfully quirky personality. “Nobody Told Me,” the advance single off the album, is a rollicking, quizzical piece of work, maybe the best thing to come out of John’s 1980 sessions, despite the unfinished-sounding transition to the chorus. “Borrowed Time,” another single, is a thoughtful, sparely worded meditation on growing older attached to a Caribbean beat. Yoko’s contributions, while not as strong as John’s, are surprisingly listenable — the reggae-based “Don’t Be Scared,” in particular — and more current in texture, and her lyrics do tend to answer John’s songs. As the album comes toward the close, the tone turns sentimental, culminating with one of John’s loveliest tunes, “Grow Old With Me,” as presented on a home-recorded cassette in lieu of a studio recording. The ironies of this song and some of the other Lennon material are obviously poignant in the light of the cruel events of December 8, 1980; that and the fact that these songs haven’t been as exposed as much as those on Double Fantasy lead some to prefer this sequel. –Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist:
1. I’m Stepping Out 04:06
2. Sleepless Night 02:34
3. I Don’t Wanna Face It 03:22
4. Don’t Be Scared 02:45
5. Nobody Told Me 03:34
6. O’Sanity 01:07
7. Borrowed Time 04:29
8. Your Hands 03:04
9. (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess 02:28
10. Let Me Count The Ways 02:17
11. Grow Old With Me 03:09
12. You’re The One 03:55
Personnel:
John Lennon – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Yoko Ono – vocals
John Tropea – guitar
Earl Slick – guitar
Howard Johnson – horn
Jimmy Maelen – percussion
Elliott Randall – guitar
Gordon Grody – vocals
Billy Alessi – vocals
Bobby Alessi – vocals
Pete Cannarozzi – synthesizer
Andy Newmark – drums
Paul Griffin – drums
Neil Jason – bass
Arthur Jenkins – percussion
Tony Levin – bass
Steve Love – guitar
Hugh McCracken – guitar
Wayne Pedziwiatr – bass
George Small – keyboards
Peter Thom – vocals
Ed Walsh – keyboards
Kurt Yahjian – vocals
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