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John Lennon: Walls and Bridges

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Apple Records
Released: 1974.10.04
Time:
 46:02
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): John Lennon
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.johnlennon.com
Appears with: The Beatles
Purchase date: 2014
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Going Down on Love (Lennon) - 3:54
[2] Whatever Gets You thru the Night (Lennon) - 3:28
[3] Old Dirt Road (Lennon/Nilsson) - 4:11
[4] What You Got (Lennon) - 3:09
[5] Bless You (Lennon) - 4:38
[6] Scared (Lennon) - 4:36
[7] #9 Dream (Lennon) - 4:47
[8] Surprise, Surprise [Sweet Bird of Paradox] (Lennon) - 2:55
[9] Steel and Glass (Lennon) - 4:37
[10] Beef Jerky (Lennon) - 3:26
[11] Nobody Loves You [When You're Down and Out] (Lennon) - 5:08
[12] Ya Ya (Robinson/Dorsey/Lewis/Levy) - 1:06

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


John Lennon - Arrangements, Vocals (Lead, Harmony & Background), Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Whistling, Percussion, Production

Plastic Ono Nuclear Band:
Ken Ascher - Electric Piano, Clavinet, Mellotron
Jim Keltner - Drums
Arthur Jenkins - Percussion
Nicky Hopkins - Piano
Klaus Voormann - Bass
Bobby Keys - Tenor Saxophone
Ron Aprea - Tenor Saxophone
Jesse Ed Davis - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Guitar
Eddie Mottau - Acoustic Guitar

The Philharmonic Orchestra - Strings and Brass
Ken Ascher - Orchestral Arrangements, Conductor

Little Big Horns:
Ron Aprea  - Alto Saxophone
Bobby Keys - Tenor Saxophone
Frank Vicari - Tenor Saxophone
Howard Johnson - Baritone & Bass Saxophone
Steve Madaio - Trumpet

Julian Lennon - Drums on [12]
Elton John - Piano & Harmony Vocals on [2], Hammond Organ & Background Vocals on [8]
Harry Nilsson - Backing Vocals on [3]

The 44th Street Fairies:
Joey Dambra - Background Vocals on [7]
Lori Burton - Background Vocals on [7]
May Pang - Background Vocals on [7]

Shelly Yakus - Engineer
Jimmy Iovine - Overdub Engineer
Roy Cicala - Remix Engineer
May Pang - Production Coordinator
Roy Kohara - Art Direction
Bob Gruen - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Walls and Bridges is the fifth studio album by John Lennon, issued on 26 September 1974 in the United States and on 4 October in the United Kingdom. Written, recorded and released during his 18-month separation from Yoko Ono (June 1973–January 1975), the album captures Lennon in the midst of his "Lost Weekend". Walls and Bridges was an American Billboard number one album and featured two hit singles "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" and "#9 Dream", the first of which was Lennon's first number one hit in the United States as a solo artist, and his only chart-topping single in either the US or Britain during his lifetime. The album was certified silver in the UK, and gold in the US.



Walls and Bridges was recorded during John Lennon's infamous "lost weekend," as he exiled himself in California during a separation from Yoko Ono. Lennon's personal life was scattered, so it isn't surprising that Walls and Bridges is a mess itself, containing equal amounts of brilliance and nonsense. Falling between the two extremes was the bouncy Elton John duet "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night," which was Lennon's first solo number one hit. Its bright, sunny surface was replicated throughout the record, particularly on middling rockers like "What You Got" but also on enjoyable pop songs like "Old Dirt Road." However, the best moments on Walls and Bridges come when Lennon is more open with his emotions, like on "Going Down on Love," "Steel and Glass," and the beautiful, soaring "No. 9 Dream." Even with such fine moments, the album is decidedly uneven, containing too much mediocre material like "Beef Jerky" and "Ya Ya," which are weighed down by weak melodies and heavy over-production. It wasn't a particularly graceful way to enter retirement.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music Guide



In the period that separated the recording of Mind Games from the release of Walls and Bridges, John Lennon went to war with himself. Long known as his lost weekend, the era is marked by his drunken cavorting in Los Angeles with fellow songwriter Harry Nilsson, his messy recording sessions with troubled producer Phil Spector, and a Yoko Ono-sanctioned — but nonetheless flagrant — affair with his personal secretary May Pang. For certain, this was not Lennon’s finest hour, at least when it is viewed from the perspective of his public persona.

Yet, amidst all of the chaos that surrounded him, Lennon was searching for ways to put his life back on track. He reestablished a connection with his son Julian, and he began to examine the reasons for the collapse of his relationship with Yoko Ono. He also reopened the lines of communication with his pals in The Beatles. Once Spector disappeared with the master tapes that eventually became Rock ’n‘ Roll, Lennon returned to New York City and poured his heart and soul into the recording sessions for Walls and Bridges. The outing paved the way for his reunion with Ono. In fact, following the birth of their son Sean in October 1975, Lennon left the industry to became a devoted parent and husband.

In hindsight, Walls and Bridges fits rather neatly into Lennon’s canon, serving as a perfect prelude to his 1980 comeback effort Double Fantasy. After all, where the latter set traced the actual rediscovery and renewal of his love for Ono, Walls and Bridges painted a portrait of his tormented, troubled soul and his desire to discover the things that were important to him. Much as its title suggests, it examines the walls that can divide two people as well as the bridges that can reconnect them.

Within the music on Walls and Bridges, Lennon makes numerous overtures to his former band mates. At times, the guitar tones used on the effort seem to emulate George Harrison’s style, while the horn-splattered arrangements draw upon those that Harrison and Spector had concocted for All Things Must Pass. Elsewhere, Lennon pays homage to Paul McCartney by incorporating recognizable portions of Drive My Car and Let Me Roll It into Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradise) and Beef Jerky, respectively.

The bulk of Walls and Bridges, however, is devoted to addressing the loneliness that Lennon felt during his separation from Ono. Right out of the gate, on the opening track Going Down on Love, he makes a plea for help as he begins to realize what he has lost. With Elton John’s assistance, he tries to push aside the emptiness via Whatever Gets You through the Night, but ultimately, Lennon is left to wander in solitude down the dusty paths of Old Dirt Road, wishing for a second chance. He subsequently pledges his love and outlines his regrets on Bless You, shows his vulnerability by acknowledging his jealous heart on Scared, and is haunted by Ono and Pang during #9 Dream.

Although it wasn’t a perfect album, Walls and Bridges was, in many ways, a return to form for Lennon. He had set aside his political viewpoints in order to script a song cycle that was deeply personal. For the most part, it didn’t musically capture the same level of intimacy as Plastic Ono Band had, which explains why it so often is overlooked within his canon. Nevertheless, Walls and Bridges remains an important endeavor; when combined with Plastic Ono Band and Double Fantasy, it provides insight into Lennon’s state of mind as well as the messiness of human existence

John Metzger
The Music Box, April 2011, Volume 18, #4
 

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