Evidence shows that blokes who prefer Paul over John are nancy boys - although they get more attention from the ladies. But as I reach the age in which John was killed on December 8, 1980, that theory has been bypassed by a confirmation: Lennon was a fab singer with a voice reeking of
life.
Marking the 70th birth anniversary of Lennon in October, EMI/Apple released most of his solo albums in remastered form. Here's my take on the eight 'new' CDs.
John's voice is more clear in many songs, but in many cases, the dampening of the music doesn't make the tracks better. But hey, it's a great excuse to rummage in the Lennon vault again.
I've skipped the new compilation of his singles, Power To The People, that includes tracks like Cold Turkey, Happy Xmas (The War is Over) and Instant Karma! that aren't in the albums. I'm also not writing about the 11-CD John Lennon Signature Box Set of which CD No. 11, Home Tapes contains demos including One of the boys and India, India. There are reasons why they were meant to be in a cupboard.