John Lennon And Yoko Ono Double Fantasy on 180g LP

Five years in the making, Double Fantasy is such an uplifting album, even on the less upbeat songs. Ultimately, following John’s murder three weeks after it was released, it has become something of a requiem for his forty years on earth, during which time he become more famous than just about anyone on the planet. Any artist that has created a body of work as rich and varied and revered as John Lennon constantly feels the weight of critical anticipation upon them, especially when they are about to launch a new work. But for John, who had retired from the public gaze following the birth of his and Yoko’s son, Sean, in 1975 that sense was intensely magnified.

John decided what he most wanted in the world was to be simply a father, a dad, content to retreat into domesticity at the family’s apartment at the Dakota in New York City. As John sings in his love song to Sean, "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)," “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” Well he proved that life was what happens when you take control, instead of allowing those outside of the family to dictate your existence; as John goes on to explain in the autobiographical, "Watching The Wheels."

Ahead of the album’s release Geffen released the opening track, "(Just Like) Starting Over" backed by Yoko’s "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss," the erotic second song on the record, as a single. John’s song is redolent of his Rock ‘n’ Roll album, in that it pays homage to the vibe of the music that helped shape him. The single reached the top 10 and following John’s murder it went on to top the Billboard Hot 100. The album’s songs are sequenced throughout, as a dialogue between John and Yoko and it’s a cool concept. The juxtaposition between, "I’m Losing You" and "I’m Moving On" in particular works extremely well, as does John’s beautiful "Woman," one of his most gorgeous melodies, topped off with one of his most openly romantic lyrics; It became the second single from the album and it too topped the Hot 100. Yoko’s "Beautiful Boys' is equally sensuous and highlights the innovative musical oeuvre that she had made her own.

In 1982 Double Fantasy won Album of the Year at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards. Seven years later it was ranked at No. 29 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. Double Fantasy focuses on three central themes – the couple’s love for one another, love for Sean and domestic life together. It is therefore both poignant and ironic that the record ends with Yoko’s "Hard Times Are Over." Written as far back as 1973, and about John and Yoko’s fight to kick a drug habit, the song finishes with the words, “And I’m smiling inside, You and I walking together ’round the street corner, hard times are over.”

Of course the album was not written in the knowledge of what was to happen on December 8, 1980 and that is what makes Double Fantasy such an emotional requiem. From the intensity of ‘being a Beatle’ for a decade, to the challenges of pursuing a solo career, when some critics feeling it to be their duty to find fault, to being under investigation by the FBI, to their life being always under public scrutiny, John and Yoko had come through it all. John Lennon – one of the greatest songwriters of his and just about any other generation… and a loving husband and father, as this album, so beautifully, lets us hear.

1.  (Just Like) Starting Over 

2.  Kiss Kiss Kiss 

3.  Cleanup Time 

4.  Give Me Something 

5.  I'm Losing You 

6.  I'm Moving On 

7.  Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) 

8.  Watching the Wheels 

9.  Yes, I'm Your Angel 

10. Woman 

11. Beautiful Boys 

12. Dear Yoko 

13. Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him 

14. Hard Times Are Over