The album John Lennon said had a “jinx” on it
When The Beatles emerged in the early 1960s, they quickly transformed the music industry, symbolising a blossoming youth culture which prioritised a newfound sense of freedom and experimentation in all facets of life, from music to style and modes of thinking.
The Beatles went through their own metamorphosis in a short space of time, rising to become the biggest band in the world. Dominating the airwaves of countless countries and spawning Beatlemania, the Fab Four, as they were affectionately known, shaped popular music like no one else. In less than a decade, they went from a mop-topped boyband to long-haired rockers influenced by the burgeoning hippie movement and non-Western sounds.
The band dissolved in 1970 after creative differences caused rifts between the members. However, as a result of the split, each musician went on to hone a solo career, although some were considerably more successful than others. For example, George Harrison, whose astounding contributions to The Beatles were often undervalued by the other members, proved his songwriting talents with 1970’s All Things Must Pass, arguably one of the greatest solo Beatles albums.
John Lennon, one of the band’s primary songwriters and vocalists, experienced varying degrees of success as a solo artist, often choosing to collaborate with his wife, experimental artist and musician Yoko Ono. He released his first solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, in 1970, which was co-produced by Phil Spector. Released to mixed reviews, it fared better than its companion album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, which was slated by most critics.
Lennon consistently released solo albums throughout the decade, although in 1975, his final effort as a solo artist, Rock ‘n’ Roll, was potentially a warning of bad things to come. He referred to the album as possessing a “jinx”, with countless incidents tarnishing its production.
The album was a covers record, and Lennon was forced to include three tracks owned by Morris Levy’s company, Big Seven Music, after he sued Lennon for copyright regarding a line used in ‘Come Together’. Working with Spector, things quickly fell apart as the producer allowed copious amounts of alcohol to be consumed in the studio.
Spector also took the master tapes back to his home, much to Lennon’s surprise. Then, chaos ensued as the producer went missing, eventually ending up in a coma following a car accident. However, before his absence, Spector’s erratic behaviour affected the creation of the album, given that he once shot a gun inside the studio while dressed as a surgeon.
Meanwhile, Lennon was going through his temporary separation from Ono, although he later stated in Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon that their split was “a failure”. To make matters more stressful, Levy continued on Lennon’s case, releasing Roots: John Lennon Sings the Great Rock & Roll Hits from the session demos without Lennon’s permission.
Talking to Rolling Stone, Lennon revealed: “It started in ’73 with Phil [Spector] and fell apart. I ended up as part of mad drunk scenes in Los Angeles, and I finally finished it off on me own. And there was still problems with it up to the minute it came out. I can’t begin to say, it’s just barmy, there’s a jinx on that album.”
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