Menlove Ave.

Menlove Ave. is a 1986 compilation album by English rock musician John Lennon. It is the second posthumous release of Lennon's music (after Milk and Honey), having been recorded during the sessions for his albums Walls and Bridges and Rock 'n' Roll. Menlove Ave. was released under the supervision of Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow.

Menlove Ave.
Compilation album by
John Lennon
Released3 November 1986
RecordedLate 1973, July–August 1974, October 1974
GenreRock
Length42:20
LabelParlophone/EMI
ProducerJohn Lennon, Phil Spector
John Lennon chronology
Live in New York City
(1986)		 Menlove Ave.
(1986)		 Imagine: John Lennon
(1988)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]
MusicHound[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

Background

The first side of the LP comprises session outtakes from the Rock 'n' Roll sessions with Phil Spector in late 1973, apart from "Rock and Roll People", which is from the Mind Games sessions.[6] The remainder features rehearsal recordings in mid-1974 for Walls and Bridges.

The song "Rock and Roll People" was originally recorded and released on Johnny Winter's seventh studio album John Dawson Winter III.

The title refers to Lennon's childhood home, 251 Menlove Avenue, in Liverpool. Menlove Avenue is a long road in South Liverpool, part of the Liverpool ring road. While it is mainly residential, it is also a primary route: the A562. It also passes Woolton Village where Lennon and Paul McCartney first met.

Yoko Ono's liner notes mention that "John's American rock roots – Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Phil Spector – are evident in these tracks. But what I hear in John's voice are the other roots of the boy who grew up in Liverpool, listening to 'Greensleeves,' BBC Radio and Tessie O'Shea."

Album cover

The artwork for the release was effected by artist Andy Warhol, just months before Lennon's death in 1980.[7] It was later used as the cover for the 2005 compilation album Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon.

Reception and aftermath

Though Menlove Ave. included previously unreleased material of John Lennon, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom. It did manage to reach number 127 in the United States, making it Lennon's least-successful album. Menlove Ave. was issued on CD in 1987, and remains available from Capitol Records in that format.[8]

Side 1, tracks 3–5 appeared as bonus tracks on the 2004 remastered version of Rock 'n' Roll. The song "Here We Go Again" was included on the 2006 soundtrack album The U.S. vs. John Lennon and 2010 box set Gimme Some Truth.

The album is the only one of Lennon's not available on music streaming platforms.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Here We Go Again"John Lennon, Phil Spector4:50
2."Rock 'n' Roll People"Lennon4:21
3."Angel Baby"Rosie Hamlin3:42
4."Since My Baby Left Me"Arthur Crudup3:48
5."To Know Her Is to Love Her"Spector4:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Steel and Glass"Lennon4:10
2."Scared"Lennon4:17
3."Old Dirt Road"Harry Nilsson, Lennon3:53
4."Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)"Lennon4:29
5."Bless You"Lennon4:05

Notes

  • Side 1, tracks 1 and 3–5 were recorded in late 1973.
  • Side 1, track 2 was recorded mid-1973 for, but left off of Mind Games.
  • Side 2, tracks 1–5 are mid-1974 rehearsal recordings for Walls and Bridges.

Personnel

References
  1. Menlove Ave. at AllMusic
  2. "Blender – All Things Blender, All in One Place". Blender. Archived from the original on 10 September 2005.
  3. Christgau, Robert (31 March 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  4. Gary Graff & Daniel Durcholz (eds), MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink Press (Farmington Hills, MI, 1999; ISBN 1-57859-061-2), p. 667.
  5. "John Lennon: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  6. Calkin, Graham. "Mind Games". Jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  7. "10 Album Covers Designed by Andy Warhol". Complex Networks. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  8. "Menlove Ave". Amazon. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
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