While nothing compares to the Imagine documentary, there is one CD that every Melbourne / Space Coast real estate owner who appreciated classic rock should possess, 2004’s John Lennon Acoustic. After all, it is pure beauty, as the former Beatle strips his music to its raw essence.  Since John never actually got around to releasing an acoustic collection, his wife, Yoko Ono, has taken on the task of offering the public sixteen John originals, made up of two live performances in 1971, one in Ann Arbor and the other in The Apollo.  Though many of these tracks have been previously available on 1998’s Beatles Anthology box set, the CD includes seven previously unreleased selections, including three live tracks from the early 70s. 

Acoustic comes with a booklet that includes John’s lyrics, tablature, and chord diagrams.  There is a memorable quote from the ex-Beatle under a photograph and John and his son, Sean, on the inside cover; “A dream you dream you dream alone is only a dream.  A dream you dream together is reality.”

The 45-minute running time hints at who the album is really aimed at, the Beatles’ baby-boomer generation.  While the quality is at times raw, the material is poetic, and the tracks have a way of growing on listeners with each time the CD is heard Acoustic is melodic, and the songs are homespun.  Melbourne / Space Coast luxury homeowners agree that John would have flourished in the unplugged era.

Perhaps the best song is “Love,” a gorgeous alternate version of the single off John’s first solo album.  The tender ballad consists of an uncomplicated, but an exquisite piano line.  John once referred to the song as a composition he considers as memorable as anything ever recorded with the Beatles.  There is also a clenched, grunge-like guitar in “Well Well Well,” but the acoustic version is neither new nor special to John fans.  “Look at Me” revolves around John’s acoustic guitar, opposed to a piano.  The origins date back to 1968 when he was writing material for the White AlbumThe song is filled with warmth, tempered by John’s confessions of deep uncertainty.  “Look At Me” was written when John was in the process of leaving his first wife for Yoko. It is the story of a mortal man who acknowledges that his only true existence is in the eyes of his lover.

The nursery-rhyme melody of “My Mummy’s Dead” explains John’s pain of never knowing his mother on a personal level.  The simple and straight-forward lyrics are enough to put a lump in any listener’s throat. Illegal drugs have always been synonymous with rock and roll stars.  Yet the subject was rarely addressed in popular music thirty-five years ago.  When John decided to conceive a healthy child in August of 1969, he became determined to quit using heroin as an artistic indulgence.  The former Beatle wrote a song about the process.  “Cold Turkey” is John’s personal document of the painful process of breaking the addiction by abrupt abstinence. Two physical symptoms of stopping heroin use are clammy skin and goose-bumps; hence the song title.  When the Fab Four rejected the song, John was forced to record “Cold Turkey” as a solo project later that year.

If John Lennon Acoustic isn’t in your home for sale in Melbourne / Space Coast, maybe it is time to order it.

About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty:

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty serves 19 counties throughout Florida with over 40 locations and approximately 1,800 Sales Professionals. The full-service brokerage company, founded in 1999, is a subsidiary of Lennar Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and is a franchise member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ network, one of the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name. The company offers residential and commercial services as well as seasonal rentals, property management, REO & Foreclosures, corporate relocations, referral services, title, home service plans, and personal concierge services. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty ranks in the Top 10 in the network among 42,000 Sales Professionals, 1,200 offices throughout 47 states. The company is the overall No. 1 fundraiser for The Sunshine Kids Foundation, having generated more than $3.37 million since 2001. Visit www.BHHSFloridaRealty.com.

Florida Realty News
Florida Realty News
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WCI Communities, has over 39 locations and more than 1,650 real estate sales professionals and team members serving 17 counties throughout Florida.
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