as it's now been thirty years since we lost him. Both Lennon's life, work, and the aftermath of his sick slaying have affected me deeply.
Tributes seemed to come in from everywhere in the last week, from countless websites to Paul McCartney performing "A Day In the Life/Give Peace a Chance" on "Saturday Night Live." One album of John's that didn't really get the praise it deserves, even in
retrospect, is John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)--that stripped-down, "primal scream" release is now forty years old. "God," "Mother," "Isolation," "Working Class Hero"...it's still my favorite post-Beatles record by any of them.
Now there's the roots of '70s punk--before the New York Dolls or even Nick Drake's acidic folk album Pink Moon (1972). Practically every song cuts deep, and the ones that don't are plaintive and beautiful indeed. I continue to miss Mr. Lennon's work.