THIS Thursday is the second anniversary of the death of John Lennon. Since he was slain outside his New York apartment block on December 8, 1980, Lennon has rarely been out of the public eye.
Sales of his records reached their highest levels in the days following his death, and more Recently with the "relaunch" of The Beatles, 20 years after .the release of their first hit Love Me Do., Now available is a new compilation of Lennon's post-Beatle work. The John Lennon Collection (EMI) has 17 songs that more than anything show why he was the most prolific writer of the Fab Four.
Give Peace a Chance, Imagine, Happy Xmas (War is Over), Power to the People, Instant Karma, Woman and current x single Love are all included.
However, the exclusion of Cold Turkey, anything from Sometime in New York City, and another track from his best album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band — possibly Mother or Working Class Hero — is disappointing, especially when six numbers are included from his last LP, Double Fantasy.
It was on the two latter albums -mentioned above that the musical partnership of Lennon and Yoko Ono came into its own.
Affliced with the blame for breaking up the Beatles, who had discontinued working as a unit before she came on the scene. Yoko was always given th e hard est task of being a "Beatle wife," suffering a continuous barrage of verbal har-assement from the media, the fans and the other Beatles.
Now a closer look at Yoko the person is available with the publication of The Ballad Of John And Yoko (Michael Joseph), £6.95).
Put together by the editors of Rolling Stone, the book through previously published articles and interviews in the magazine looks at the lives and thoughts of the two.
What overrides all else in the book is their devotion to one another —including John's "lost weekend" when they split for 18 months but always kept! in cor tant telephone contact and tHeir unfailing fight for peace. Their methods in this campaign were sometimes considered naive; sending acorns of peace to world leaders; John returning his MBE to the Queen because of Britain's; involvement in the Nigeria-Bialra war, its support of the USfin Vietnam, and against his latest record Cold Turkey slipping down the charts, But they both knew that their "media pall" could be used to try to change some of the things that were happening in the world.
The book shows that Yoko's influense on John was a positive one, and as an artist she was ahead of her time,
In 1980, during a visit to a Bermuda disco to check out the latest musical developments, Lennon heard the B52's Rock Lobster, and immediately said that they were doing whai Yoko did ten years previous; listening to Hazar O'Connor, Lena Lovich and 1 Toyah shows that others also followed.
Ballad is essential reading with some historic pictures, especially those by Rolling Stone photographer Annie Liebovitz, .some of which were taken 'I on the morning of Lennon's death.
Part of the royalties from this book will go to The Foundation on Violence in America, a non-profit making organisation whose aim it is to "facilitate a noticeable, meaningful and sustainable reduction in hand-gun violence in the US," better late than never.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono: 'We want our son to grow up free of racism sexism or any other ism.'
