Cheap Lennon Legend - The Very Best of John Lennon (Jewel Case) (DVD) (John Lennon) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lennon Legend - The Very Best of John Lennon (Jewel Case)

If you happily open the DVD at this holiday season and think it would be cool to go first to "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," you will hear the anti-war song originally released in December 1971. Depending on your point of view, the song was either intentionally ironic, or, blindly idealistic. This music-video version contains footage from the present day (including the aftermath of 9/11/01 in New York City) and it is intensely painful to watch. The 2003 spin on the original message ("war is over if you want it") says that "even though you may really, really want it, war is not over." Try finding that sentiment on a Hallmark card!

You may not feel like watching the remainder of the DVD. But, if you do are very, very brave and choose to continue, you will find track after track of reworked images of John and Yoko edited to the beat of the music. You may get pretty sick of watching the happy couple captured for eternity in endless images repeated on screen.

There are some gems on the DVD, however. Lennon's last live performance in 1975 is captured on film as he performs "Imagine" at a black-tie gala. And, Lennon's wit and wisdom is alive and kicking in the upbeat "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" which has been transfored into a video with kick-ass animation.

A far better DVD value is "Concert for George" -- one of the best filmed rock concerts ever. With 5.1 surround sound, the audio is quite simply astonishing. The flawless performances of Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Billy Preston and others are loving tributes to Harrison's range and depth as a songwriter. An unforgettable appearance by Monty Python gave this a PG-13 rating when it was released in theaters. This DVD is a must-have for all who lived during The Beatles era, especially since it is impossible to envision ever again having all these legendary musicians on the same stage.

Actually, 4.5 stars..What happened?
First, it's hard to write a review after the great one Mark Jones did. A few pointers I wanted to point out having the "John Lennon Video Collection" on Laserdisc. I don't understand why Yoko messed with the original videos. All The videos from "Milk And Honey" are sadly replaced with what I feel inferior versions. Not the versions we all remember that comforted us after John's life was taken. The one thing I DID like was that they fixed the audio speed for "Slippin' & Slidin'". It was way too fast on the video collection. If you don't have the Video collection..track it down! It's worth keeping. Yoko oh Yoko, you messed it up again. Not to say there is some great footage here!

What Ever Gets You Through Yoko¿
It would get 5 stars were it a product of Apple™/EMI™ and put together by the remaining former Beatles and Sir George Martin. But it's really about Yoko making more money off of her dead husband's efforts.
Rhetorically speaking, what truly bothers me though, is the sudden interest in a music artist after he or she passes away. Look back, if you're old enough (I'm in my 50's), and be gut-ugly honest with yourself. Prior to Lennon's murder, Lennon's music was hardly of great interest to anyone at that time. No one cared. He was being a house husband and claiming "happiness and joy" of that fact. He hadn't really recorded anything of note (no pun) except during his so called year-long "lost weekend" when he recorded a few solos, did some work for Ringo and Harry Nilsson[sp?].
The rest of the time - if Ms. Mai Pang is to be believed - he was in drunken stupors and blackouts. He finally returns to NYC to be killed the following year. But he did cut two more LP's, the last of which was "Milk and Honey "Featuring Yoko" and you can tell as a layperson listener, but especially as a musician, the music was not finished and/or "polished" when it was released to a crowd clamouring for anything "LENNON". And voilá instant interest in John Lennon, the "tormented" musician and man, the ONE great BEATLE. Thank goodness anyway that those "inbetween" tracks from the last two LP's were not included in this one of many instruments to make a buck off of a deceased man's back.
John Lennon was good, he was absolutely brilliant in many cases, but this bit of marketing you can safely pass on (unless maybe you're a collector). The "Greatest Hits" album by John is very good, better than "Legend" and a better buy. You can get all the home movies and news reels from "Imagine: John Lennon". Make your own QuickTime®™ version of "Legend" and come out ahead.