12/8/1980: John Lennon died

[MrPryck2U]

On 12/8/1980, I'm sure many of you remember that that was the day John Lennon was shot and killed by that huge fuckin' asshole, Mark David Chapman. It's been 27 years since that fateful day in history. The world would never be the same. Thankfully, John's music and memory will live forever.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

. May he continue to rest in peace.

 

[namkcuR]

Can we not call Chapman an asshole? I'm not defending the guy, but calling him names doesn't add anything to the thread. In the two or three 12/8 anniversary threads I've made, I've always refused to type his name. It's not about him. It's about Lennon.

That said, he was/is arguably the greatest rock star there ever was.

A Hard Day's Night
Any Time At All
I'll Be Back
No Reply
Eight Days A Week
Help!
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Ticket To Ride
Norwegian Wood
Nowhere Man
In My Life
I'm Only Sleeping
She Said She Said
And Your Bird Can Sing
Tomorrow Never Knows
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite
A Day In The Life
I Am The Walrus
Strawberry Fields Forever
All You Need Is Love
Dear Prudence
Happiness Is A Warm Gun
Come Together
I Want You(She's So Heavy)
Because
Across The Universe
Revolution
Imagine
Jealous Guy
Oh My Love
Working Class Hero
Love
Mother
Instant Karma
Real Love
Happy XMas(War Is Over)
Mind Games
Dream #9
etc.

 

[Zoots]

John Lennon RIP.

No longer riding on the merry go round

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

No longer riding on the merry go round

I've always liked that song .

Excellent list there, namkcuR.

Angela

 

[angelordevil]

He died much too early, but lives on in some of the greatest music ever made.

 

[intedomine]

Liverpool should be renamed Lennongrad

 

[LMP]

Not to be confused with Leningrad, comrade.

Seriously though, Jai Keru Deva Ohm Lennon.

 

[babyman]

I think that another sadly part of it, is that the main reason of his killing is still not said...........no one puts out of my head that there were "some secret people" involved in it. Chapman was an executor of someone else's will..............

 

[intedomine]

I think that another sadly part of it, is that the main reason of his killing is still not said...........no one puts out of my head that there were "some secret people" involved in it. Chapman was an executor of someone else's will..............

Or just a mad man, but who knows. Such a senseless killing, either way.

RIP Johnny....he is still much loved, even by those who were born after his death.

 

[MrPryck2U]

I'm calling John's killer an asshole because that's what he is. He will go down in history as that. Just like John will go down as one of the greatest song writers ever.

 

[lazarus]

Even if you know them, read 'em again, the flipside to John's Imagine testament, which I find equally important and inspiring:


GOD

God is a concept by which
we measure our pain
I'll say it again:
God is a concept by which
we measure our pain
I don't believe in magic
I don't believe in I-ching
I don't believe in Bible
I don't believe in Tarot
I don't believe in Hitler
I don't believe in Jesus
I don't believe in Kennedy
I don't believe in Buddha
I don't believe in Mantra
I don't believe in Gita
I don't believe in Yoga
I don't believe in Kings
I don't believe in Elvis
I don't believe in Zimmerman
I don't believe in Beatles
I just believe in me...and that's reality

The dream is over
What can I say?
the dream is over
Yesterday
I was the dream-weaver
But now I'm reborn
I was the Walrus
But now...I'm John
and so dear friends
you'll just have to carry on
The dream is over.

 

[DevilsShoes]

Huge Lennon fan, I think he was the definitive rock star. Everything about him was so iconic, the voice, the wit, the granny glasses, he's been much replicated by countless rock stars since his death but never bettered, he was a true orignial.

Eccentric and off the wall but always entertaining, he led such a wild life: naked album covers, peace protests, bed in's, followed by the FBI, affair with May Pang, the whole Lost Weekend era and finally re-united with Yoko, its amazing how much he packed into such a relatively short life.

Oh and Plastic Ono Band and the Imagine albums prove he was still capable of genuinely great things outside of The Beatles.

 

[one4u2]

I can't believe its 27 years it feels like yesterday


Lennon

 

[lazarus]

Oh and Plastic Ono Band and the Imagine albums prove he was still capable of genuinely great things outside of The Beatles.

As do Mind Games, Walls & Bridges, and even the two reunion albums with Yoko, which have some of his best pop work.

None of them are masterpieces, but like much of Dylan's albums from the mid 70's to the late 80's, all have some great songs worthy of the genius who recorded them.

 

[U2girl]

Oh and Plastic Ono Band and the Imagine albums prove he was still capable of genuinely great things outside of The Beatles.

The sum is bigger than the parts was true for that band too.

RIP to one half of an amazing songwriting team and the biggest band.

 

[lazarus]

You're really giving Yoko and Klaus Voorman a little too much credit.

Does your defense of Paul stretch that far you have to claim collective effort with The Plastic Ono Band?

No.

The Wings was much more of a collaborative effort, toward the realization of some serious 70's mediocrity.

 

[corianderstem]

Can we not turn this into a Paul-bashing thread? It's possible to praise Lennon (or mourn him) without dragging the other guy into it.

It's hard not to wonder what Lennon might have done. Were his last albums indicative of what future music might have been like? Would he have collaborated with his sons?

I know sometimes I roll my eyes at how much god-like status Lennon is awarded, but I'm so sorry he's gone.

 

[martha]

I have a picture sleeve 7" copy of Just Like Starting Over, b/w Kiss Kiss Kiss.

I'll mail it to whoever wants it.

 

[Lila64]

R.I.P. John

 

[U2girl]

You're really giving Yoko and Klaus Voorman a little too much credit.

Does your defense of Paul stretch that far you have to claim collective effort with The Plastic Ono Band?

No.

The Wings was much more of a collaborative effort, toward the realization of some serious 70's mediocrity.

Just to clarify if this is meant for me, I was referring to the Beatles, not Plastic Ono Band or Wings.

 

[lazarus]

Then your post implies that I was implying Lennon's solo band(s) were collaborative, and I don't know where you'd get that from.

I agree with you, though, in that The Beatles were even greater than the sum of their great works. Lennon's solo work is spotty, but the bright moments are almost completely because of him and him alone.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

RIP John. I can't believe it's been that long.

 

[MrPryck2U]

On the 15th anniversary of John's death, my friend and I visited Strawberry Fields in NYC's Central Park. We sang songs and drank warm beverages allegedly sent from Yoko. It was an amazing gathering to say the least. Later in the evening, we made our way over to the place where John was shot. Like many others, it was tough visiting the spot. I took a few moments to take in the environment and then moved on. I was 8 years old when John died and from that day forward John was always going to be a part of me and if I'm ever a dad, I will make sure my kids know about him.

 

[U2girl]

Then your post implies that I was implying Lennon's solo band(s) were collaborative, and I don't know where you'd get that from.

I was only replying to Devil's shoes post on his solo work being as good as Beatles songs.

He probably got to that closer than anyone of them solo with Imagine and Give peace a chance though.

(It's hard to speculate how much John did in Plastic Ono Band or how much Paul did in Wings.)

 

[lazarus]

To me, Wings sounds like a "band". McCartney wrote most of the songs himself (possibly cowriting with Linda on some?), but there's certainly a lot more instrumentation and arrangement than what you find on Lennon's stuff, which for the most part has a bit rougher quality to it. I don't mean to say that Wings is overproduced, but the sound was more substantial. Having said that, I still think that overall the output of Wings was rather mediocre, esp. compared to many of the other bands around at the time.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Well, this thread was supposed to be a forum to air thoughts on the death of John Lennon 27 years ago. Not a debate on John and Paul's post-Beatles musical output. But, since you've started a discussion, I'll just add that, indicative of their respective personalities, John's production was more raw and unpolished while Paul's production was poppier and less edgy.(ie, radio friendly) Paul was a notoriously huge herbsman, so that always endeared him to me anyway.