Comments on: Double Fantasy

By: Teddy Salad

Teddy Salad — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 13:21:45 +0000

You mirrored my opinion very well. We all anticipated it greatly in 1980 and it was pure joy to hear something new from John. As you mentioned, tragedy elevated it beyond it’s true “strength.” I rarely listen to it anymore, maybe once every three or four years, generally around 8 December if I’m feeling wistful.

By: manteau

manteau — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 07:20:13 +0000

I bought my copy of DF on November 22nd 1980 in London, where I was staying at the hotel to perform at schools prom at the royal Albert hall along with 199 choir singers. I couldn’t play the album cause I had no turntable to play it at the time, I had to wait for a few days for my first full listen. I’d already purchased the single released in October, and I loved it. It had been long expected to have John back on the merry-go-round again and he was hinting at a world tour to be scheduled in 1981. My grief on December 9th only equalled my happiness to have him back after 5 years. It’s hard for me to be clear headed about this album, Ok never mind the Yoko tracks, they were quite good actually ( if we compare with what she had already produced at the time ), and 7 songs by John after 5 years was a slight disappointment, but what songs! I ‘ve recently listened to the stripped version of DF, and it’s even better! trouble is, today same as after 9th December 1980, I can’t help but drifting in time some 36 years before. there definitely was a before and an after. Obviously and so sadly, the album huge success was clearly related to the murder, and therefore forever linked to it, at least for millions of people…if you haven’t listened to the stripped version from 2010 ( I think ) give it a listen, it’s worth it.

By: Jack

Jack — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 22:32:47 +0000

Indeed there is a clear example of this in the movie ‘Let it Be’ where joins appears to be pretending to write the lyrics of ‘across the universe’ on the hoof when in fact he had recorded a version of this song more than a year previously.

By: Aaron Clausen

Aaron Clausen — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 22:35:50 +0000

There’s some good material here, even some of Yoko’s songs are fairly listenable. But in general, when compared against Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and even Walls and Bridges, it’s pretty pedestrian. The sole exception is Losing You, which carries the signature of John’s ascerbic side. Double Fantasy’s greatness comes from the tragedy that too soon followed its release. Like Sgt. Pepper, it’s reputation is as much about the historical context as about the songs.

By: Graham Paterson

Graham Paterson — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 09:53:55 +0000

Six weeks or so ago when I made my comments on Double Fantasy, it was remiss of me to not mention I’m Losing You. It is one of the best songs on the album. Great lead guitar and Lennon’s lyrics and vocals are great.

By: David (from Peru)

David (from Peru) — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 22:14:42 +0000

I’ve just posted a video on YouTube with a mix between Imagine and Watching The Wheels (the Double Fantasy Stripped Down version). Both songs are great and share many (harmonic) similarities, so I said “It’s easy if you try”, worked for 8 hours straight with Audacity and made this little mixed version (WtW as the backing track + Imagine vocals). Hope you can check it out! It is at: /watch?v=HrIsTWyMNQg

By: Graham Paterson

Graham Paterson — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 11:26:45 +0000

In late 1980 the news that John Lennon was releasing a new album after a hiatus brought massive anticipation. I remember hearing (Just Like) Starting Over on the radio and loving it. That song Woman, Watching The Wheels,Clean Up Time and the utterly poignant and sad,(for obvious reasons), Beautiful Boy are great songs. I got this album the following March after Lennons tragic death for my birthday. No wonder Paul McCartney picked Beautiful Boy as a Desert Island Disc. So much hope and renewal cruelly taken away weeks after its release.

By: Hammer 109

Hammer 109 — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 18:44:04 +0000

There are songs on this album I love as much as any of Lennon’s works. Not crazy about “Clean Up Time,” which is heavy handed and kind of abrasive. But “Starting Over,” “Watching the Wheels,” “Dear Yoko,” “Woman” and, of course, “Beautiful Boy,” are all great. Lennon really puts his heart into these lyrics. Yoko’s songs also work for me for the most part. She tones it down just enough but they are still interesting. Ah, John. Almost 35 years later and we still miss you so much.

By: GK

GK — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 18:33:40 +0000

“Its hard to listen to this album without thinking of when it came out, and then being left with it after he died, it has so many memories.
In the summer of 1980, I saw a photo of John and Yoko coming out of the Hit Factory in New York in the newspaper. Not been seen hardly for 5 years, and there he is, “cool” as you like with a brief case and hat. A new album on the way after people saying he would never record again…..
Hearing the lead single “Just Like Starting Over” which got some mixed reviews, hearing it for the first time was great anticipation! I got the album on release, “Clean up time” (the only JL track from DF not on the John Lennon Collection) is a good “funkyish” guitar track, with great lines like “no friends and yet no enemies”. “I’m losing You” was a personal favourite, great vocal, good track, biting lyrics all the way through,”Beautiful Boy” is a classic, always moves me as a song.”Watching the Wheels” was class in 1980, and still sounds so after so many years. I never liked the “Dear Yoko” track, thought it was a little corny…….”Woman” was and is beautiful, a mature Lennon track.
These were and are matched with the Yoko tracks that sounded very upfront on production, and I read a review at the time that said they were more advanced than John’s.”Kiss Kiss” was on the b side of “Starting Over”, a strong track, I like “I’m Moving On”, “Beautiful Boys” has good lyrics, linking in John at 40 and Sean at 4, and the dangers of “Boys toys” and “war mongering” (could apply to today couldn’t it?). There are one or two others that were emotive at the time, but less so now.
The new cd has the “Help me to help myself”,demo, an undiscovered little “gold nugget” from John…..full of premonition…..
The sadness with what happened to JL, quite apart from the personal tragedy, was the fact that JL still had more songs, he would have developed as he got older, not to say he would have got better, just different, and no less interesting.
Sonically, “Double Fantasy” (still a great title!) sounds fantastic!”

By: kezron9

kezron9 — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 06:23:11 +0000

Agree 100% Julian. Wish it didn’t take him 5 years to figure out whatever he realized on that sailing trip, life is sweet, cherish it.

By: Julian

Julian — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:04:32 +0000

Well, John tended to exaggerate a lot in interviews, so he might say that all the songs SUDDENLY came to him in Bermuda, but the truth of the matter is he has been working on them for a while. What’s sudden about it is that in Bermuda John finally decided to take those demos to the studio and make an album. Suddenness is true but in a slightly different way.

By: kezron9

kezron9 — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 00:37:29 +0000

Hey why did John claim to have lost his muse? Is he meaning that he didn’t have the urge to release music? I read the books by his assistant Fred Seamen and the tarot advisor Charlie Swan ( John Green) and they claim he lost his muse also basically quoting John. But I’ve heard the great demos from 76-80. Mostly the ones from 79-80 ended up on DF. But many of the songs are in rough from, but the melody and music is almost the same on double fantasy. Also the song topics are basically there too with many of the lyrics being present also on the demo. I think in Bermuda he fully completed these song but I dont consider that losing your muse just lack of motivation. Any with input? Many of the demos are on youtube and are fantastic.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:35:39 +0000

Thanks for pointing out the typo. I’ve corrected it now.

By: Papa Frog

Papa Frog — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:21:03 +0000

This website lists a Grant Hunderford on horns, specifically trumpet. A good friend of mine is his nephew and the name is hunGerford, not hunDerford. You can see his information here:
http://www.music.ucsb.edu/NEW_MUSIC_SITE/FacultyPages/Hungerford.htm
I thought this deserved a correction, thank you.

By: Tweeze

Tweeze — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:08:59 +0000

I don’t play this album because it takes me right back to that time and then I have to relive it. I had just retired for the evening and my phone rings. My mother, so very aware of my total idolization of the Beatles and, especially, John, was on the other end, “I just heard some news that John Lennon was shot.” All I could think was, “Why would anyone want to do that?” I flipped on my radio and that was the only thing on the news, “John Lennon is dead.”
I had plans to visit New York in January of ’81 to do exactly what I’d been wanting to do since the mid ’60s – go meet John – just shake his hand. Then this – it must be some kind of cosmic joke. Even until today I am entirely stunned. This bothered me – indeed – but then a recording source in Louisiana had informed me that John and Paul had been social of late and were, indeed, considering seriously working together though not necessarily in a Beatle capacity. That possibility alone, and I like to think it was true, makes this album harder to listen to.
I wasn’t terribly impressed with John’s work here but it wasn’t embarassing either. I’m one of the apparently rare people who like Yoko’s work, though there are times when she probably shouldn’t sing. “Woman” edges very nicely toward early Beatles’ in atmosphere while “Dear Yoko” ends up sounding like what John should have been doing on the rest of the album – letting it hang loose and having fun. “Every Man Has A Woman….” is the one that is the hardest for me to shake. The melody is peculiarly haunting and, on this version, John and Yoko’s harmonies work very well. Interesting lyrics here.