The Top 5 Albums That John Lennon Listed As His Favorites

John Lennon reveals his favorite albums that he can’t live without. The Beatles’ frontman and songwriter John Lennon shares his 5 albums of all time.

John Lennon, whose full name was John Winston Ono Lennon, was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England and died December 8, 1980, in New York, New York, U.S. He was the leader or co-founder of the British rock band The Beatles, an author, songwriter and graphic artist, a solo recording artist, and he worked with Yoko Ono on recordings and other art projects.

The famous singer, songwriter, and peace campaigner John Lennon is still one of the most important and well-known people in the history of popular music. He is influenced music and pop culture as a famous band The Beatles member. He left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of millions of fans worldwide.

It was John Lennon‘s thoughtful songwriting, with its moving lyrics and new melodies, that made The Beatles such a huge hit and helped continue their legacy. Songs like “Imagine,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “Across the Universe” show how well Lennon could combine personal reflection with important ideas like love, peace, and social responsibility.

The Beatles were mostly Paul McCartney, who was good at pop music, and John Lennon, an outcast rock and roll revolutionary. But as a cultural disruptor, The Beatles always had Lennon’s mark.

In music, two examples are the honest melody he added to Smokey Robinson’s “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” in 1964 and the honest “I used to be cruel to my woman” bridge he added to Paul McCartney’s song “Getting Better” in 1967. Also, John Lennon played the part of the honest troublemaker in culture.

All four of The Beatles members were funny and sarcastic. But only John Lennon would have said, “We are more popular than Jesus now. America had teenagers and everywhere else just had people.”

The Billboard Hot 100 chart had 25 number-one songs by Lennon. The record that sold the most copies, Double Fantasy, won the Record of the Year Grammy in 1981.

Lennon won the Brit Award that year for significantly contributing to music. In 2002, BBC History surveyed people to choose the 100 Greatest Britons. Lennon came in at number eight. Rolling Stone named him the 38th-best artist of all time and the fifth-best singer. The Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame made him a member in 1997.

In addition, a few days ago, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr released their new The Beatles song called “Now and Then,” powered by AI technology.

Look at John Lennon‘s favorite albums that he can’t live without below!

Contents

John Lennon’s Favorite Albums That He Can’t Live Without

The Beatles‘s famous frontman and songwriter, John Lennon, has shared his respect for other musicians, too. And Lennon picks his favorite albums he can’t live without. Regardless, he loves to listen to different genres but also loves pop-rock, blues, folk, alternative rock, and classical rock musicians, particularly those who influenced him in his musical career.

Which music albums does John Lennon listen to?

“The White Album” – The Beatles
“Animal Tracks” – The Animals
“Resurrection” – The Big Three
“Little Richard” – Little Richard
“Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits” – Buddy Holly

1. “The White Album” – The Beatles

“The White Album,” which is called “The Beatles,” is the most famous album by the famous British rock band. This album, which came out in 1968, was very different from what the Beatles had done before. It included a lot of different types of music, from rock and pop to folk, blues, and experimental sounds.

With a different range of songs, including famous ones like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Blackbird,” and “Helter Skelter,” “The White Album” showed how brilliant and talented the Beatles were as a whole. The album’s use of different sound patterns, unusual song structures, and complicated lyrical themes showed how the band was still changing and not wanting to be limited by traditional musical rules.

There are a total of 30 songs on the album, with 19 of them having been composed in March and April of 1968 at a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India. There, the only Western instrument accessible to the band was the acoustic guitar; several songs stayed acoustic on The Beatles and were recorded alone or only by part of the band.

The album’s production style resulted in a sound that was more restrained and less dependent on studio creativity than their previous efforts following 1966’s Revolver. The Beatles also went against the grain of popular music by sticking rigidly to a single genre throughout each song.

The Fab Four returned to London’s EMI Studios at the month’s end of May in 1968 and didn’t leave until the middle of October. Disputes arose amongst the four band members during these sessions due to artistic disagreements and John Lennon’s new companion, Yoko Ono, whose presence constantly undermined the Beatles’ policy of not allowing wives or girlfriends in the studio.

Ringo Starr took off two weeks in August to deal with personal issues after producer George Martin unexpectedly took time off and engineer Geoff Emerick abruptly quit in the middle of a recording session. Those similar disagreements continued the following year, eventually leading to the band’s breakup.

John Lennon shares why he likes The Beatles’ “The White Album” as one of his favorite albums he can’t live without:

“I was always very respectful about Mick and the Stones, but he said a lot of sort of tarty things about the Beatles, which I am hurt by, because you know, I can knock the Beatles, but don’t let Mick Jagger knock them. We were four guys… I met Paul, and said, ‘You want to join me band?’ Then George joined and then Ringo joined. Paul wanted it to be more a group thing, which really means more Paul. So he never liked that album [The White Album].

What we’re trying to do is rock ‘n roll, ‘with less of your philosorock,’ is what we’re saying to ourselves. And get on with rocking because rockers is what we really are. You can give me a guitar, stand me up in front of a few people. Even in the studio, if I’m getting into it, I’m just doing my old bit… not quite doing Elvis Legs but doing my equivalent. It’s just natural. Everybody says we must do this and that but our thing is just rocking. You know, the usual gig. That’s what this new record is about. Definitely rocking.”

2. “Animal Tracks” – The Animals

British rock band The Animals‘ 1965 album “Animal Tracks” shows how raw and bluesy their sound was and how they interpreted American R&B and blues hits.

Include songs like “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “Baby Let Me Take You Home,” and the famous “Boom Boom.” “Animal Tracks” showed how the band could give old blues songs a new lease on life by adding a distinct British Invasion edge. Moving arrangements on the record, Eric Burdon’s moving singing, and the band’s tight instrumental playing all stand out.

3. “Resurrection” – The Big Three

The Big Three were a Liverpool-based Merseybeat band. Their 1963 version of “Some Other Guy” and close ties to The Beatles made them famous. The Big Three‘s 1964 album “Resurrection” was a turning point in the British beat and folk scene of the 1960s. Known for combining folk and rock styles in a way that sounds good together.

With songs like “Some Other Guy” and “By the Way,” “Resurrection” showed that the band could combine traditional folk rhythms with the new rock sounds of the time. John Hutchinson passed away on April 12, 2019. He, Gustafson, and Griffiths are all in the movie about the band Some Other Guys.

John Lennon explains why he likes The Big Three’s “Some Other Guy” as one of his favorite albums he can’t live without:

“I would like to make a record like ‘Some Other Guy.’ I haven’t done one that satisfies me as much as that satisfied me … I’m not being modest. I mean, we’re still trying it.”

4. “Little Richard” – Little Richard

The first record by the groundbreaking rock and roll star Little Richard, called “Little Richard,” came out in 1958. Little Richard helped form the sound and spirit of rock and roll with his powerful singing, lively stage presence, and flashy personality.

Along with classic hits like “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Rip It Up,” the artist’s high-energy performances, catchy rhythms, and passionate singing on the album “Little Richard” secured his position as a pioneer in the early rock and roll and rhythm and blues genres.

Little Richard is the second record by American singer Little Richard. It came out in July 1958, ten months after Richard said he quit rock and roll to become a minister. Like his first album, it’s mostly made up of A-sides and B-sides that have already been released. Several of them reached the top of Billboard’s Rhythm & Blues and Hot 100 lists.

Nine of their twelve songs made it to the top of the charts in the US. These included “Lucille,” Richard’s fourth million-seller, “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” the rock and roll classic “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” and “The Girl Can’t Help It,” which was the title song for the movie of the same name.

John Lennon explains why he likes Little Richard’s “Little Richard” as one of his favorite albums he can’t live without:

“The new record was Little Richard’s ‘Long Tall Sally.’ When I heard it, it was so great I couldn’t speak.

You know how you are torn. I didn’t want to leave Elvis [Presley], but this was so much better. We all looked at each other, but I didn’t want to say anything against Elvis Presley, even in my mind. How could they both be happening in my life?”

5. “Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits” – Buddy Holly

The “Chirping” Crickets, Buddy Holly, and That’ll Be the Day are Buddy Holly’s three original records. The 1996 album Greatest Hits is a collection of songs from those albums. It has the number one hit “That’ll Be the Day” and the top ten hits “Peggy Sue” and “Oh, Boy!”

In “Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits,” the famous rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly collects his most popular songs. The record, after Holly died in 1967, also showed off his groundbreaking contributions to the rock and roll genre. It captured the spirit of his unique sound and his huge influence on the direction of modern music.

Featuring songs like “Peggy Sue,” “That’ll Be the Day,” and “Everyday,” “Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits” showed off Holly’s unique singing style, catchy tunes, and creative way of writing songs. Holly’s music remained with people of all ages because it had a unique mix of rockabilly, country, and R&B elements.

John Lennon describes why he likes Buddy Holly’s “Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits” as one of his favorite albums he can’t live without:

“I remember the old rock songs better than I remember my own songs. If I sat down in a room and just started playing, if I had a guitar now and we were just hanging out singing, I would sing all the early and mid-’50s stuff — Buddy Holly and all. I remember those. I don’t remember the chords or the lyrics or anything of the Beatles stuff. So my repertoire is that. I still go back to the stuff The Beatles performed before they wrote, you see. I would still enjoy doing it.

So the last five or six tracks. Which sound completely different if you ever check the album out — were all done in about four days, you know. Two a night, like ‘Peggy Sue’ and others I really knew backwards. It cost a fortune in time and energy and it was the most expensive album I ever made.”

What are your thoughts on John Lennon‘s favorite albums that he can’t live without? Let us know in the comment section!