Label: GMVS 10011 Released in 2004 Sleeve notes This DVD looks at the life & times of John Lennon. In this programme, using rare footage we spotlight John Lennon; his life prior to and beyond the disintegration of the beatles and the quintessential events that helped to shape and define the man and his beliefs. We also examine the role of the people who influenced his life and helped him to combine the immense popularity of his music to platform and publicise the 'Love and Peace' message to a world-wide audience. Lennon has touched a generation with his musical genius and the simple message of 'Love and Peace' that not even a deranged 24 year old with a gun and a desire to be infamous has been able to silence. The impact that Lennon's life, his message and his untimely death has had in the years since his assassination continue to reverberate around the world. But do the dark and tragic events of the recent past and the fears for mankind's future draw us closer to the simplicity of his message or in this ever complex world are we becoming more distanced? There is also additional footage of John and Yoko's infamous 'Peace and Love bed-in' held in a Toronto Hotel bedroom just months before the sweet Toronto Concert was performed. John Lennon Biography In his remarkable lifetime, John Lennon and The Beatles achieved spectacular worldwide fame. No band before or after them has come close to the level of success and popularity that they attained. With his sometimes poignant, sometimes playful, and always compassionate lyrics, Lennon touched more than just his own generation. He and his band have influenced many generations to come. Born in England in 1940, Lennon was a child of the second World War. As a young boy, Lennon lived in Liverpool primarily under the care of his aunt Mimi. Lennon's father had abandoned the family, and his mother Julia was unable to care for her son properly. She would later die in a car crash, and became a frequent subject of Lennon's song-writing. After a stint at Liverpool College of Art, Lennon formed a group called the Quarry Men with three boyhood friends, a group that would later become The Beatles. Throughout the 1960s, Lennon and his bandmates, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and song-writing partner Paul McCartney had an extraordinary influence on rock and roll. Together with McCartney, Lennon wrote dozens of instant classics which lost none of their power in the decades that followed. These songs are so well known that their melodies and lyrics are recognized instantly all over the world. After meeting eccentric artist Yoko Ono in 1968, and separating from his wife Cynthia Powell, Lennon became increasingly active in peace efforts and began a successful career a solo artist. On his own, he released many wildly popular albums, the most well-known of which being Imagine. The shooting of John Lennon on December 8th, 1980 shocked and horrified the entire world. He was gunned down outside his home in New York City by Mark David Chapman, a crazed fan from Honolulu. The Beatles' song "Come Together" predicted with uncanny accuracy what would happen in the days that followed — the world truly came together in grief. John Lennon is notable for more reasons than would fit in a book, and it is hard to boil his life down to a few paragraphs. However, his greatest achievement was probably bringing The Beatles to such a level of popularity that their musical message of peace and love permeated the entire culture, affecting individuals across the globe. In early 1969, Yoko Ono and John Lennon celebrated their honeymoon by staging a "bed-in" for peace in Amsterdam. Reportedly, after being shot as Lennon was in a New York hospital, The Beatles song "All my Loving" began playing over the hospitals P.A. system. The reaction to the shooting was immediate— in fact, before Lennon's death was even announced, a crowd of horrified fans had gathered in the hospital's courtyard, some praying on their knees. Comments I think the first part of this disc is very, very sad as it is made up of a number of US TV stations news sections telling and giving details of John Lennon's murder. I don't think this is available anywhere else. In the section that follows you see and hear Mark David Chapman, John Lennon's murderer, giving his account etc. Who wants to know and who cares? The guy is a murderer and I think hearing him talk about it is just rubbish and a complete waste of time.
© 2007 David Laurie