An Apple a Day

Photos by Allen Tannenbaum 

November 26, 1980 

In the Hit Factory with John and Yoko

 Photos by Kishin Shinoyama  September 18, 1980  (although I also have these labeled as September 14, I think the 18th is the correct date.   Please let me know if you know differently)

Double Fantasy: A Heart Play

 

September 15, 1980 

The aftermath

John Lennon was taken from us 38  years ago tonight.   A day doesn't go by that I don't think about John.   I try to always enjoy the music he gave us while he was here (and the new Imagine set has been a great way to celebrate John's music recently), but I can't help but wonder what more he could have given us if he hadn't been so violently taken from us in 1980.     That idea hit me really hard this year when Paul's new album was released.     I tried to be excited about the new Paul item, but I felt a little angry and bitter that John didn't get the chance to release anything new since Milk & Honey in 1984.   

It doesn't surprise me that after John was killed, fans got together to mourn.   It also doesn't surprise me that stores sold out of the new Double Fantasy album or that new fans got to know John and the Beatles after his death.   

So here we are on yet another December 8, and I hope all of you who also love John and appreciate his music, take a small amount of your busy Saturday to celebrate the life of John Lennon. 

The band's all here

A rare find today....

John signs copies of Double Fantasy in his Dakota office.   I wonder who these were for and where they are today....

John Lennon The Bermuda Tapes Ap: A Review

If you are a John Lennon fan with an ipad and haven't done so already, it is well worth getting the "John Lennon Bermuda Tapes" app.   This interactive app tells the story of John Lennon's  June 1980 sailing trip to Bermuda and how he came to write the songs that appeared on his album, "Double Fantasy."

If you choose the "Tell the Story" portion, then you are part of the action, getting to swipe and move your finger along the screen to allow things to happy while you hear John and other insiders tell the story of sailing to Bermuda.    It moves onto hearing about John discovering the B-52's and how "Rock Lobster" sounded like Yoko and his reaction to the song and interviews with three members of the B-52's are included.    There is a section where you hear John talk about coming up with the name "Double Fantasy" and while he is telling the story, you can "plant" your own flower and take a snapshot of it.

Here is the snap of the flower I made on the ap

But the best part by far is the music of John Lennon.    The app has what looks like cassette tapes of John Lennon's Bermuda demos.  It is sort of neat because the cassette player feature can rewind, fast forward and when you are done listening, you hit "eject."    These songs won't be anything new to Lennon fans.   I heard them on bootlegs many years ago and I am pretty sure most of them have been commercially available.    However, they are still great to hear.   I think my favorite is the demo for "Watching the Wheels" that has Fred Seaman banging on a pot in the background.      There also are the hand-written lyrics to the songs for you to view, which I always love to see.

Overall this is a really amazing app and for $4.99 (all of which goes to a charity that fights hunger) it is well worth getting (if you have an ipad).   My #1 concern with the app is that there will be a day in the future when an ipad app will be obsolete and the interviews and package will be gone forever.  


To purchase "John Lennon the Bermuda Tapes" go to the Apple App Store and search for it.   Enjoy!

Double Fantasy

This story is very sweet and knowing what we know now, it is very sad.   The part that got me the most when John Lennon says, "Well, I'm just getting started."     These autographs are currently up for auction on Heritage Auctions.  

What a great honor it was to meet a living legend. My mother Kathleen was a fan of The Beatles since they came to America in 1964. Her favorite Beatle was John Lennon. She missed her chance to attend their concert at Convention Hall in 1964, but did get to see them live at John F. Kennedy Stadium on her 22nd birthday on August 16, 1966. My uncle Johnny paid for her ticket as a birthday present. I was only 3 years old at the time and stayed home with my grandmother. My mom influenced my appreciation for The Beatles, especially John Lennon. Growing up with my mom always playing their records and talking about them was awesome and made me a true devout fan. Even though The Beatles were no longer together, they were very relevant to me. John's voice was the voice of The Beatles. He was the leader and founder of the most influential name in music history. We learned that John Lennon had been living in New York City for years and that he was friendly and approachable with his fans seeking autographs and to meet him. When his album Double Fantasy came out, my mother went to Sam Goody in the Neshaminy Mall to purchase it. My mom and I really liked "(Just like) Starting Over". I loved the song "Woman" off the album the best. My mother's greatest wish was to meet John Lennon. With full intentions of having John autograph the Double Fantasy LP, we took the simple 2 hour journey from Philadelphia to Manhattan to the Dakota Apartment Building at 1 West 72nd Street. It was December 2, 1980, just 6 days before the unbelievable happened. We waited outside along with at least one other fan and it wasn't long before John & Yoko emerged from this gothic architectural design sporting big hats. Yoko was wearing huge sunglasses and I remember John had on tinted glasses with a translucent yellow frame. This moment was surreal for the both of us. When my mother spotted them she shouted "Hi John!" in low volume, John said "Hi!" back as if he knew us as well as we knew him, very down to earth. As we walked closer toward him and Yoko my mother nervously but carefully tore the original shrink wrap at the front of the cover so John could sign. She asked would he please sign the album for her and he said "Sure" and my mom asked him "Could you put "To Kathy with a K?" and John being upbeat said "Sure I can!" and so he dedicated it "For Kathy, love, John Lennon". He added a cartoon drawing of his face as well as added the year "1980". Then I handed him a piece of paper to autograph and he did plus added "80". I said to him I love all your albums, you're a musical genius". And John said "Yeah!"? "Well, I'm just getting started!" after signing John said "Thanks". It was a brief encounter but a beautiful dream come true. My mother & I ate at a little Italian restaurant called Tony's just a few blocks away. After meeting John my mom was really excited. I remember leaning the album against the wall on the table we sat and I told our waitress that we'd just met John Lennon and she said, "Oh, cool, I see him in the neighborhood all the time, seems like a nice guy. What can I get ya?"