Walls And Bridges

Like most of the John Lennon solo albums, you have to ask yourself whether an album more than 30 years old is worth getting. Well, that all depends upon whether you value your nostalgia. Impartially, I'd have to say that besides the songs, Wall & Bridges actually provides some interesting Lennon developments which might be worth you checking out.

John Lennon: Walls And Bridges

Firstly, the studio band which handles most of the instrumentation has an interesting composition in that besides:

drums                   Jim Keltner
bass                      Klaus Voorman
guitar                    Jessie Ed Davis &
keyboards             Ken Ascher

...Lennon also employs:

acoustic guitar       Eddie Mottau
piano                    Nicky Hopkins &
percussion            Arthur Jenkins

...on most tracks and a horn section on about half of them. Even stranger, Lennon sounds entirely at ease with the ensemble and the whole project still carries a light feeling of bonhomie.

That continued to the original vinyl release sleeve, which came with a glossy booklet including lyrics & his boyhood color drawings, plus two folding panels on the back cover that created different Lennon portraits*. In fact, Walls and Bridges is probably the happiest and healthiest, solo Lennon ever sounded, despite being recorded while separated from Yoko and his well-publicised drunken buffoon behavior, reported in the world press.

And now to the music:

Well, like 1973's Mind Games, there are a number of competent tracks...

Walls And Bridges TV commercial

...but only three that retain my interest.

Firstly the slight Whatever Gets You Through The Night which got to Number 1 as a single but I think that had more to do with co-vocalist Elton John, who could do no wrong at that time.

Nevertheless, it's uptempo, fun and I remember being thrilled at the time to hear John Lennon seeming to have some fun for once.

Whatever Gets You Through The Night appears to be an ode to May Pang, Lennon's assistant-turned-lover during his time apart from Yoko Ono and while it's not romantic, I suppose a #1 single is something to be remembered by! Good for you, May (see below). 

The second track of interest is Bless You is a stupendous sounding ballad with cringingly awful lyrics that are almost as embarrassing as the love songs for Yoko on Mind Games. However, there's no doubt in my mind, it sounds great!

The third (and best) track is #9 Dream a dreamy floating apology (I believe) to George Harrison, one of those songs that hints at meaning, rather than saying anything literally. Jesse Ed Davis plays some pretty George-like guitar and the highlight is the gentle faux-language chant which, when you hear it, you can't get out of your head.

#9 Dream became Walls And Bridges' second hit single, eventually reaching (you guessed it) #9 in the USA!

Unfortunately, all the other tracks are workmanlike but hardly inspirational, with the possible exception of Steel & Glass, a bitter letter to former hero & manager Allen Klein. It's only memorable in its similarity of "feel" to Imagine's How Do You Sleep, the attack on McCartney, which Klein had suggested a few lyrics to and which Lennon had used.

Though the Walls And Bridges songs aren't high quality, I do occasionally play the album, sometimes to hear the Lennon voice but more often than not to hear his production and expanded band. It's a good indication of the direction he might have been moving in if he hadn't gone back to Yoko. It's AOR, yeah, but it's crisp, clear and surprisingly mature.

John Lennon: Walls And Bridges

"...I find Walls And Bridges one of Lennon's best solo albums because his vocals are probably his strongest during his post-Beatle period. His voice is clear and has significant range and he sounds very upbeat in a lot of his songs...care free (from) the weight of Activism and...(enjoying) doing the album..." Amazon reviewer Daniel Hurley

"...Forget what you've heard - from the opening bars of Going Down On Love you can tell this is a new, and vastly improved listening experience. Sure, Yoko's tinkering with the album cover and her creepy addition of her name whispered during John's fervent love song to May Pang is a bit much but all is forgiven when you actually hear how great this re-release sounds.

When Walls and Bridges was originally released, most criticism focused on how impersonal and produced it sounds - I must confess it's hard to see that now. Each song strikes me as very personal, from Scared to #9 Dream to Nobody Loves You. John is clearly writing about his own experiences, from his sorrow to transitive sexual joy, to his attempts to drown out both, to his still-strong bond with Yoko..." Amazon reviewer Todd and In Charge 

"...I will just make a quick comment on the remastering. It is well worth the upgrade! I just did an A/B comparison, and the detail, especially at the higher frequencies, is like night and day. I always thought the mix for Whatever Gets You Through The Night (both LP and original CD release) sounded like it was coming through a telephone. It's greatly improved here, as are all the other tracks..." Amazon reviewer Stephen Strange 

"...Walls And Bridges is a good album when you're stoned..." youtuber kirkenbunken

N.B. the remastered version of Walls & Bridges now contains:

• the LIVE John Lennon / Elton John version of Whatever Gets You Through The Night
• an alternate version of Nobody Loves You &
• an interview with Bob Mercer

May Pang's book, Loving John, about her love affair with John Lennon during 1973-4 has been  maligned and dismissed by the John & Yoko publicity machine but to me it rings true. To me, May's John certainly sounds like the child-man who made that music in L.A. during the mid 1970s but of course, you will have make up your own mind on that.

May Pang: Loving John

 "...To believe or not to believe - well, the more you read on John's life the more disbelief befalls you...Here is the account of a woman who was put in a most ridiculous position. Yoko sends May (then her employee) off to be John's lover. First off, if this alone doesn't convince you who wore the pants and made the rules at the Dakota, nothing will. John obeys, May ends up in love with John, and it sounds as though the feelings were mutual..." Amazon reviewer Realistichysteric

"...The book is a wonderful account of May's 18 months with John, their relationship, the recording sessions, and the inevitable but tragic breakup in which John goes back to Yoko and breaks with everything in his life, including May...his music pals and his music..." Amazon reviewer Katie Hickox