Acoustic
John Lennon was celebrated for the ornate and avant-garde adornments he brought to theBeatles, but he also at times responded to a powerful impulse to strip his music to its raw essence. Indeed, Lennon would have flourished in the unplugged era, when the nakedness of his best lyrics and the cutting directness of his astonishing voice would have been in the fore. Since John never got around to doing an acoustic collection, the task has fallen toYoko Ono, who's pulled together 16 skeletal Lennon tracks, including seven previously unreleased selections. Of particular note are riveting newly surfacedPlastic Ono Banddemos of "Well Well Well," "God," and "My Mummy's Dead," and a harsher-than-the-electric version of "Cold Turkey." Three early '70s live recordings and a smattering of later demos flesh out the collection. The booklet includes lyrics, tablature, and chord diagrams, though the liner notes are unfortunately skimpy. --Steven Stolder