After some special posts, one for Stephen Stills' birthday, I am returning to my alphabetical list of albums. This is the last CD I have by John Lennon. This 1997 single disc Best of compilation is really perfect. "Lennon Legend" subtitled "The Very Best of John Lennon" certainly lives up to it's subtitle.
Contained here are all his solo singles (even the ones released after his death) along with a few choice album tracks. Sure there are other good songs in his solo catalogue but this is the best of it.
After Lennon's first two solo albums, his remaining albums had a cobbled together and sometimes tossed off feel. A few great tracks then some stuff he was just playing around with. This grabs many of the best moments from "Walls and Bridges," "Mind Games," and "Milk and Honey." Also included are songs like "Cold Turkey," "Give Peace a Chance," "Instant Karma," and "Happy Xmas" which never appeared on any album.
All four Beatles solo work actually had the same feel, a handful of great songs then the rest of the album was devoted to forgettable songs. Each of the four had at least one excellent album though. So their solo catalogues are prime arenas for compilations.
As I said before this is an excellent compilation showcasing Lennon's best solo work. It follows basically chronological order, but when it does move songs around it is with good taste and for good effect. The sound is strong and the booklet contains many candid photographs and very brief information about each song.
I believe this compilation went out of print in 2010 when Lennon's entire catalogue was re-released in honor of what would have been his 70th birthday. Now the only compilations available are well packaged box-sets or a shorter compilation. The albums "Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine" are must haves but if there is one Lennon compilation to seek out it is this one.
