Cons: Yoko should have let John sing all of the songs
The Bottom Line: Double Fantasy was the best collaboration between John Lennon and Yoko Ono. What a shame Mark David Chapman decided to take Lennon from us!
pmills1210's Full Review: Double Fantasy [Remaster] by John Lennon/Yoko Ono
At the end of the Capitol CD release of "Double Fantasy," John Lennon says to his wife, Yoko Ono, "Well, here we are again, just your average people strolling through the park." It's too bad that really wasn't the case, or else we still might be enjoying new songs from a man whose assassination remains as senseless today as it did over twenty years ago.
I was about to turn 21 when it happened. I was hanging out with a couple of friends, fooling around with a tape recorder, as we enjoyed doing, performing comic skits in an attempt to emulate what we were seeing weekly on "Saturday Night Live" and "SCTV." While taking a break from the recording, the mother of one of my friends came and announced that John Lennon had been shot. Many a stunned football fan had heard the news from Howard Cosell while watching "Monday Night Football." Nobody could believe that anyone would want the former Beatle dead, but Mark David Chapman pulled the trigger that ended John Lennon's life. December 8, 1980, is as sad a day to rock fans as August 16, 1977, or February 3, 1959. All are days music suffered a devastating and permanent hit.
"Double Fantasy" had just hit the record stores in the weeks prior to Lennon's death. Fans of his music had eagerly awaited the LP release (which was one of the early releases of the Geffen label, which originally issued this title), as it had been the first collection of new Lennon songs since "Walls And Bridges" six years earlier (an album of cover songs and an anthology LP did follow "Walls And Bridges," though). In retrospect, it's easy to say that the album should have been all John Lennon. Previous joint ventures between John and Yoko, such as "Two Virgins" and "The Wedding Album" could be charitably described as eccentric or self-indulgent. However, Ono did develop as a songwriter during their marriage, and that became clearer with each collaboration. While she's no John Lennon, Yoko Ono, thankfully, is no Linda McCartney. Ono, at least, learned from her husband. One of her "Double Fantasy" songs, "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him," was also recorded by John, and later released on a Yoko Ono tribute CD.
The original album spawned three top ten hits, all for John. His tunes dealt with love, pain, reconciliation, and contentment out of the public eye - all of which are based, in some way, on the later years of the Lennon-Ono marriage. Sadly, it would take his death to give John Lennon his biggest hit of the post-Beatles years, "(Just Like) Starting Over." It spent the last week of 1980 and the first four weeks of 1981 at the top of the charts. It's a fifties-style love song, complete with doo-wops, about a person grateful to be reunited with a love. The second single, "Woman," which reached #2 for three weeks, is an apologetic ballad that compares in beauty and optimism to, perhaps, his most beloved solo record, "Imagine." Also included on this release is a companion piece, "Beautiful Boy," dedicated to his son, Sean.
The third single, the #10 hit "Watching The Wheels," was featured in last year's movie, "Wonder Boys." The song obviously had a different meaning for Michael Douglas's character, Grady Tripp, who had a long battle with writer's block and other issues. In the context of John Lennon, it's about a man learning the pleasures of being out of the spotlight. "No longer riding on the merry-go-round," he sings to us, "I just had to let it go." You can hear the contentment in Lennon's voice and in his quieter, but still rocking, style.
Other songs showcase the uptempo side of Lennon. "Cleanup Time" is a song of role reversal, exemplified in the lyrics, "The queen is in the counting home/ Counting out the money/ The king is in the kitchen/ Making bread and honey." It shows Lennon as a rock 'n roll daddy and - to use his terminology - househusband. "Dear Yoko" is a celebration of John's love for his mate. "I'm Losing You" recalls a more serious and angry side of Lennon, exemplified in such such songs as "Working Class Hero." In "I'm Losing You," though, Lennon directs the anger at himself for his own indiscretions. The wail of guitars helps to provide a song with its edge.
"Help Me To Help Myself" is the new Lennon track on the Capitol release. Obviously a home recording, it features John at the piano (complete with comic remarks), singing about a man who seeks help in reconciling his relationship. He plans to make it work, and requests divine guidance with his efforts. Such recordings were the basis for the Beatles' songs "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" (Incidentally, "Real Love," as recorded by Lennon, first appeared on the soundtrack of "Imagine: John Lennon").
"Double Fantasy" shows Yoko as a musical soulmate and respondent to John. Many of Yoko's tracks are heartfelt responses, both positive and negative, to John's contributions. The album plays out like a mini-musical based on their relationship. "Beautiful Boys" is a response to "Beautiful Boy," reminding both men in her life to remember to allow and appreciate a woman's touch in their lives. "I'm Moving On" is a response to "I'm Losing You," and is based, in part, on John and Yoko's 18-month estrangement. "Give Me Something" is the other side of "Cleanup Time," explaining that the housework is fine, but real warmth in the housework is not there. John's contentment is often countered with discontent. Yoko's delivery on the latter two tracks is complemented by edgy guitar work.
Yet, Ono also shows she can create songs with sensitivity. "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him" answers "Dear Yoko" with compassion. "Why do I roam," she sings, "when I know you're the one." It's no wonder John recorded this own version. He was as able to put his own spin to the song as the makers of "Wonder Boys" put to "Watching The Wheels." "Hard Times Are Over" is a song about the hard road to reconciliation that is rewarding. A gospel chorus adds a nice touch.
"Walking On Thin Ice," first released as a single by Ono in 1981, has now been added to the "Double Fantasy" CD. Recorded, in part, on the night Lennon lost his life, it's a song about how our actions often belie our words. A piano and synthesizer add a haunting tone to lyrics like, "I gave you my knife/ You gave me your life." Even though the song failed to reach the Top 40, it did provide Ono with her biggest single success.
"Double Fantasy" marked the first collaboration between Lennon and Ono since their 1972 album, "Sometime In New York City." With every passing collaboration, Ono grew as a songwriter, crafting tunes with simple, universal messages, just like her husband. Like every one of their joint efforts, "Double Fantasy" has a problem - Yoko's voice. It's proof that just because someone can carry a tune, they shouldn't necessarily try to reach a mass audience with it. Sometimes, Ono sings too softly. At other times, she's too operatic in her delivery. When she adds screaming to her vocals, it's simply grating. Yoko Ono never had a voice suited to the music that made her husband famous. It's great that Lennon invited Ono to be a part of his albums, but when it came to the vocals, he always should have sung the lead.
"Double Fantasy" may make a number of personal statements about Lennon and Ono, but they wisely took their feelings and translated them into songs to which many could find relevance. To answer the critics who told Lennon, "You're no longer on the ball," he answered with an album and first single that were already strong sellers at the time of his tragic passing. Both became best sellers in the wake of that passing. "Double Fantasy" was a welcome comeback for one of rock's most revered artists. Sadly, John Lennon would not be around for a curtain call.
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