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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Going Down On Love (2010 - Remaster) |
| 2. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night (2010 - Remaster) |
| 3. Old Dirt Road (2010 - Remaster) |
| 4. What You Got (2010 - Remaster) |
| 5. Bless You (2010 - Remaster) |
| 6. Scared (2010 - Remaster) |
| 7. #9 Dream (2010 - Remaster) |
| 8. Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox) (2010 - Remaster) |
| 9. Steel And Glass (2010 - Remaster) |
| 10. Beef Jerky (2010 - Remaster) |
| 11. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out) (2010 - Remaster) |
| 12. Ya Ya (2010 - Remaster) |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The careful burnishing of John Lennon's daunting legend usually obscures one telling fact: the former Beatle endured a long and troubling artistic slump in the mid-'70s. Indeed, his five-year retirement/househusband phase may have been one of the shrewdest career moves he ever made. Cut in Los Angeles during his prolonged "lost weekend" estrangement from Yoko Ono, Walls and Bridges too often sacrifices the sublime for the ridiculous--that is, when it's not being altogether superfluous. Still, "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," Lennon's boisterous collaboration with Elton John, scored him his first No. 1 record as a solo artist, and compelling tracks like "Steel and Glass," "Going Down on Love," and "#9 Dream" belie the artistic genius Lennon was literally drowning in copious rounds of Brandy Alexanders during the period. --Jerry McCulley
Product Description
1974 'lost weekend' album newly remastered from original tapes
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Upon Yoko booting John out of the house in 1973, Lennon spent his so-called "lost weekend" in Los Angeles with various boozy mates until reuniting with Mrs Lennon late in '74. The phrase "lost weekend" is misleading though, because if John was at a low ebb personally, he was productive artistically, making an album of rock'n'roll covers and this seriously underrated set, "Walls and Bridges".
Spending his time in L.A. where the sun always shone and the wine always flowed, this album is John's most "American", with a stack of sax, brass and strings fleshing out the sound, more than a hint of a soul swagger and a warm, mellow west coast production. The musical arrangements and production style contrast markedly with the lyrical content, which dwells on feelings of loneliness and loss. The opening track "Going Down on Love" for example, with its laid back funk and cool sax, includes lyrics such as "You know I'm drowning in a sea of hatred".
Other titles like "Scared" and "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out") add to the expressions of cynicism and desire to recapture something missing in his life. Yoko for a start, perhaps. And a longing for a renewed sense of direction generally. He sounds happiest when he escapes into the other-worldly realms filled with memories of better times evoked on "Old Dirt Road" and most famously on "#9 Dream". That sense of searching and yearning carries over to the album's artwork, depicting a number of John's paintings from primary school days.
The most famous song here is "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night". The story goes that Lennon agreed to play live with Elton John if this single reached no.1, little thinking it would. But it did, and Elton John introduced a surprise guest to his audience later that year. This reissue of "Walls and Bridges" includes their live performance of "Whatever Gets You Through The Night". That's great but our friends at EMI are not being as generous as they'd like you to think. At that show John also performed "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "I Saw Her Standing There", which have surfaced on bootlegs in the past so why not here now?
"Walls and Bridges" is, then, not only a document, a diary almost of a turbulent time in John Lennon's life. It is also a collection of high quality, emotionally charged and mostly sad songs given a deceptively lush setting. That's California for you I suppose. Ignore the "lost weekend" dismissals, this is Lennon in great musical if not personal shape.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
After initially disliking this album and feeling it was inferior to Mind Games (i was 13 at the time), I filed it away for over 30 years. Now, after hearing the remastered cd this week I have completely revised my opinion.... For me it now ranks as a major piece of work and is up there with the best of Lennons solo output. Supported by first class musicians - jim keltner (drums) klaus voormann (bass), Nicky Hopkins (piano) Bobby Keys (sax)- there are several songs that easily rank with anything off Imagine and Plastic Ono Band i.e. Going down on love, Scared, Bless you, #9 Dream, Nobody loves you when you are down and out...The remaining songs are all strong, even the instrumental Beef Jerky is enjoyable. Lennon is in fine voice - his vocals, especially in Scared and Nobody Loves you .. send shivers as his best work does..
Recommended
Recommended
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
It is inappropriate to rate a Lennon album other than at the level of enjoyment perhaps. Certainly not comparitively, i.e better,as good as or not as good as Imagine, the album which tends to be the yardstick for his other albums to match up to. Walls and Bridges is a certain mood album, early morning music, as the NME described it. The mood is certainly not uplifting, how could it be with songs such as Going Down on Love, Scared and Nobody Loves You? These are strong but doleful songs. However, No 9 Dream is pure Lennon and harks back to his Walrus and Lucy creativity. The opening bars lead into an ethereal, vocal and melodically enchanting experience. The album is worth purchasing for this song alone, I never tire of not just listening to it but being carried away by it. Steel & Glass is Lennon at his best vocally. Few, if any rock singers, could hold a note for as long and as emotionally felt as Lennon does. Even the fade out humming is laden with emotional content. A major criticism of mine is the smothering of a brilliant voice with layers of instruments. Nobody Loves You should be a classic Lennon accoustic guitar number, but his unfortunate lack of confidence in the quality of his voice is drowned out instead by heavy handed brass and fiddle sections. Elton John adds spice to the two jaunty tracks that he appears on, and Harry Nilson is a wise partner on the bluesy, laid back Old Dirt Road. All in all, it is a mood album albeit excellent one, and stands apart from his other albums because of this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Walls And Bridges
This is not one of J.L.'s better releases. However it is still worth listening to, and having in a collection.
Published 1 month ago by P. J. Stevens
Walls And Bridges
Title : Walls And Bridges
Released 1974
Highest chart position. UK 6 USA 1
All songs written and composed by John Lennon, except "Old Dirt Road", by John Lennon... Read more
Released 1974
Highest chart position. UK 6 USA 1
All songs written and composed by John Lennon, except "Old Dirt Road", by John Lennon... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Raymond Porter
Creative Wall
Sorry to be a party pooper, but to me ,this is a pretty ordinary album. To much Slick L.A, muso type backing, and in most case's Lennon just doesn't have any good ,memorable... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. G. O' Carroll
John's best.
This is a great John Lennon album. Good songs, not TO personal and LESS therapy than some other releases.
He was se rounded by good musicians. Read more
He was se rounded by good musicians. Read more
Published 9 months ago by daniel dewaele
Lennon rocks
I bought this CD of 'Walls and Bridges' to replace a cassette that no longer plays. What a joy to hear it again. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Judi Moore
remastered walls and bridges
There isnt much to say about this release except that the album is brilliant. And of course its a classic. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ms. M. Potter
For the purist
The remastered version of W&B has weakened in particular the rich drumming in #9 Dream especially the drumbeat link to the second part of the song. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Davie
One of John's Best
Hailed at the time by one Richard Starkey MBE as 'the best album this year by anybody', Walls and Bridges is a fine effort, with some great material and musicians. Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2008 by Geoffrey Millar
Better with hindsight
I remember buying this album when it first came out and thinking that it was "OK" - noot great, just OK. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2006 by "smccar"
A Masterpiece
One of the three untouchable peaks of Lennon's solo career (with POB & Imagine), W&B is a nearly perfect blue eyed soul album. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2005
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