Menlove Ave
Roundly pilloried at the time of its 1986 release as a posthumous barrel-scraping,Menlove Avenueis actually a much more complicated proposition. While it's true that the album's 10 tracks are merely outtakes from Lennon's troubled 1974-1975 studio sessions, the music here is fairly enlightening and occasionally even excellent. The five songs originally recorded forRock 'N' Rollare admittedly pretty awful; it's no wonder that these soggy versions of "Angel Baby" and "To Know Her Is to Love Her" didn't make it onto the album, or that John fobbed "Rock and Roll People" off onJohnny Winterinstead of releasing it himself. But the second half rescues five greatWalls and Bridgescuts from the over-produced murk of their "official" versions, and the results are nothing less than sublime. Recommended to hardcore Lennonists with a soft spot forWalls and Bridges; everyone else should probably avoid it.--Dan Epstein