Video: 'John Lennon - Rock 'N' Roll (Full Album)' (13 tracks)
(Thursday, October 31, 1974, 2:00-8:00 p.m. EST; during recording sessions for Rock ‘n’ Roll) — Former Beatle John Lennon wrapped up recording sessions for his sixth solo studio album, Rock ‘n’ Roll today at Record Plant (East) recording studio in New York City.
Located at 321 W 44th St., the studio saw Lennon complete the final overdubbing phase of the album, a collection of cover songs from the late 1950s and early 1960s.
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Recording Rock ‘n’ Roll was a long and troubled process, spanning an entire year.
Initial sessions, produced by Phil Spector in October 1973 at A&M Studios, were followed by Lennon’s own production work at Record Plant (East) this month.
The project faced significant setbacks, including Spector disappearing with the session tapes after a car accident, leaving the recordings unrecoverable until Lennon began working on his Walls and Bridges album.
Video: 'ANGEL BABY. (Ultimate Remix, 2020) - John Lennon.'
Legal challenges also complicated the album’s release. Lennon was embroiled in a lawsuit with music publisher Morris Levy over a copyright infringement claim tied to The Beatles’ “Come Together.”
As part of the settlement, Lennon was required to include three Levy-owned songs on Rock ‘n’ Roll.
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Despite Walls and Bridges being released first, which featured one of Levy’s songs, Levy sued Lennon over delays in releasing Rock ‘n’ Roll.
In addition to the 13 tracks recorded for the album (including “Be-Bop-a-Lula,” “Stand By Me,” “Medley: Rip It Up/Ready Teddy,” “You Can’t Catch Me,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” “Do You Want to Dance,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Slippin’ and Slidin’,” “Peggy Sue,” “Medley: Bring It On Home to Me/Send Me Some Lovin’,” “Bony Moronie,” “Ya Ya,” and “Just Because”), another four recordings were released when the album was re-issued in 2004 (including “Angel Baby,” “To Know Her Is to Love Her,” “Since My Baby Left Me,” and “Just Because (Reprise)”).
Video: 'John Lennon - Since My Baby Left Me'
The first three of those bonus tracks had been released on the 1986 compilation album Menlove Ave., along with “Here We Go Again.”
The album’s cover photo, taken by Jürgen Vollmer during The Beatles’ early days in Hamburg, Germany, adds a nostalgic touch to the project.
The photo depicts Lennon in a doorway with three blurry figures walking past him in the foreground. Those figures are George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Paul McCartney, all four members of The Beatles at the time.
Video: 'Just Because Reprise 2004'
Rock ‘n’ Roll would become Lennon’s last solo album project during his lifetime. After its release in February 1975, Lennon took a hiatus from the music industry to focus on raising his son, Sean.
He would return to music in 1980 with Double Fantasy, a joint album with his wife, Yoko Ono, marking a celebrated comeback just before his assassination later that year.
