Author: wamdines

Bruce Soord will release a vinyl edition of his self-titled debut solo album on May 30, marking its 10th anniversary.

The 10-track title will be available in pearl blue vinyl after being remastered at half speed at Abbey Road Studios.

Soord says: “2015 feels like yesterday, although a very different yesterday. My twin boys were 7 years old; my daughter, who is now 6, yet to be. I had just taken the jump to become a professional musician. And like many ‘professionals’ in the music industry, I was broke.

“Listening to this record takes me right back – the familiar patterns of everyday life, ‘he odds of making any kind of real success out of my music, while languishing in my studio in my home town of Yeovil. Buried here.”

He adds: “But there is one song on this record that probably says everything I ever wanted to say. Field Day Part 2 will forever have a special place in my heart.”

Soord’s label, Kscope, note: “In contrast to the expansive, cinematic soundscapes of The Pineapple Thief, Bruce Soord revealed a more introspective and organic side to his songwriting.”

Pre-order now the album now.

Bruce Soord: Bruce Soord

1. Black Smoke
2. Buried Here
3. The Odds
4. A Thousand Daggers
5. Born In Delusion
6. Willow Tree
7. Field Day Part 1
8. Field Day Part 2
9. Familiar Patterns
10. Leaves Leave Me

When it comes to Music From ‘The Elder’ by Kiss, it seemed like a good idea at the time. But in the years since it was released in 1981, it’s become a polarizing topic for fans.

Gene Simmons was quick to address the topic when it came up during a recent conversation that will be featured on the UCR Podcast. “I have to take full responsibility,” he says. “I was in L.A. at the Beverly Hills Hotel and at the time, I was acting in movies and stuff like that. I thought had an idea for a movie called The Elder. On hotel stationary, I started writing out a story [about] when the earth was young, they were already ancient and so on. And in every age and every time, a hero was born. That kind of mythic fantasy quality.”

“Bob Ezrin came by because he was going to produce that record. There was a change in the band. Peter Criss was no longer in the band and Eric Carr came in,” he continues. “Ace [Frehley], you know, he was sometimes there and sometimes not. We just started talking generally about songs and what kind of record should we do and all of that. Ezrin happened to see my notes for The Elder and he said, ‘Oh, I like this. How about we do a concept record where the songs mirror that?’ He contacted Christopher Makepeace, an actor who was coming off a movie called My Bodyguard, about a kid in school getting beaten up and he befriends this big guy who protects him. We also had an English actor, Ian McKellen.”

READ MORE: 10 Things That Went Wrong With Kiss’ ‘Music From ‘The Elder”

The record “took shape in drips and drabs,” as Simmons recalls, while Frehley, in his telling, resisted participating in the recording process the way it was planned out. “He refused to go to Canada, right outside of Toronto [where portions of the album were being recorded]. He wanted to stay home and record because he had a studio. We were making copies of 24-track masters and sending them to Ace. It was a very disjointed kind of record.”

How He Feels About ‘Music From ‘The Elder” Now

In conversation with Simmons, it doesn’t feel like his opinion on Music From ‘The Elder’ has changed much after more than four decades. As he can see now, elements of their approach would be repeated as the group continued to make music. “What I can say about [Music From ‘The Elder’] is it was not an honest record, because we were trying to do something different,” he says. “And by the way, Carnival of Souls had the same thing [happening]. Before you start writing those songs, let’s try for this. It’s not what we do naturally. And some people like it and some people don’t. But it was not an honest record in terms of it being a deviation on purpose before the fact.”

There are a few songs that he feels positively about and he mentions one specifically. “I like ‘I,’ which is an anti-drug song,” he points out. “I don’t need to get wasted, it only holds me down, because I’ve got a will. I’ve got a will of my own and the balls to stand alone, because I believe in me. [So I like that one] and one or two other songs, but generally, it was a different kind of record.”

Listen to Kiss’ ‘I’

The planned film version of Music From ‘The Elder’ never came to fruition, though Simmons maintained a desire to see it through. Author Seb Hunter began pre-production on an independent film based on The Elder concept in 2011, but the endeavor remains unreleased. More recently, the band issued a comic book version of the story in 2016 and in December of 2024, Todd Kerns (Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators) and Zach Throne (Jerry Cantrell) assembled a group they dubbed The Elder Band to perform the album in full at the annual Kiss Cancer Goodbye benefit.

Whatever the future might hold for The Elder, Simmons himself will be back on the road beginning in May. The Gene Simmons Band is set to kick off a month’s worth of dates May 2 in Peachtree City, Georgia. They’ll also perform at the annual Sturgis Festival later this summer.

John Lennon released a trio of experimental records before the dawn of the ’70s, but his solo legacy really began after the Beatles split.

There would be just 10 short years before an assassin’s bullets cut short his life and solo career. Fewer than 10 proper songs emerged after that awful day, first on 1984’s gold-certified Milk and Honey and then on posthumous collections like 1986’s Menlove Ave. and 1998’s Anthology.

So, the balance of his 72-song solo career happened in an incredibly short amount of time. Lennon released six albums over five years through 1975, beginning with 1970’s Plastic Ono Band, but 1975’s Rock ‘n’ Roll didn’t include any new songs. Double Fantasy arrived just weeks before Lennon was gunned down in 1980.

READ MORE: Top 10 Beatles Guitar Solos Not By George Harrison

His best-selling album, 1971’s multi-platinum Imagine, was followed by the gold-selling Mind Games in 1973 and Walls and Bridges in 1974. Only 1972’s newsy, overtly political Some Time in New York City sold fewer than a half million copies in the U.S. – and it still nearly broke the Top 10 in Lennon’s native U.K.

We surveyed it all in the following list, which ranks all 72 John Lennon solo songs. The only tracks that have been left aside are covers, meandering Frank Zappa jams, experimental sounds and the pointless “Nutopian International Anthem” – which is, after all, only a few moments of dead silence.

No. 72. “My Mummy’s Dead”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

We all grieve in our own unique ways. But this was just creepy.

 
No. 71. “Beef Jerky”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

This loose jam preceded the main album sessions. It’s only a friendly pastiche, with references to George Harrison‘s “Savoy Truffle” and Paul McCartney‘s “Let Me Roll It.”

 
No. 70. “John Sinclair”
From: Some Time in New York City (1972)

One of just two songs on Some Time in New York City where Lennon didn’t share a writing credit with Yoko Ono, “John Sinclair” underscores the problem with this album’s determined focus on the news of the day. Decades later, Sinclair has probably been forgotten by most – well, except some trusty Wikipedia editor.

 
No. 69. “The Luck of the Irish”
From: Some Time in New York City (1972)

His heart was in the right place. Lennon clearly felt a kinship with his distant Irish relatives during contemporary clashes between the British Army and protestors in Northern Ireland. That led to not one but two songs on this theme for Some Time in New York City. Neither added much to the debate.

 
No. 68. “Scared”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

Lennon was reaching for the kind of raw emotion that made Plastic Ono Band such a statement of purpose. He didn’t get there with the too-repetitive “Scared.” A hard-living period away from Ono, dubbed the Lost Weekend, was taking its toll.

 
No. 67. “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
From: Some Time in New York City (1972)

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” dealt with an issue of more historical relevance than the rest of this spotty LP, but Lennon didn’t construct the best vehicle for his message. He was having trouble reconciling his own stance as “The Troubles” continued: “If it’s a choice between the IRA or the British army, I’m with the IRA,” Lennon said back then. “But if it’s a choice between violence and non-violence, I’m with non-violence.”

 
No. 66. “Angela”
From: Some Time in New York City (1972)

This instantly dated song, written in support of Black Panther follower Angela Davis after she’d been arrested in connection to the murder of a California judge, started in a much different place: The original demo was called “JJ” and followed the tribulations of a woman who “couldn’t get laid at all.” Davis had already been acquitted before the LP arrived.

 
No. 65. “Well Well Well”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

Amid a struggle to make sense of the loss of his mother and his band, the complicated politics of the day and a serious drug habit, Lennon decides to scream it out.

 
No. 64. “God Save Oz”
From: Anthology (1998)

Another song where you’ll need Google. In 1971, an underground London newspaper called Oz was facing obscenity charges. Lennon recorded this obscure single in support of their defense fund, but then erased his guide vocal over issues with his label. The Anthology set finally restored it.

 
No. 63. “Attica State”
From: Some Time in New York City (1972)

Another Lennon song that’s too rooted in its moment.

 
No. 62. “I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier”
From: Imagine (1971)

Lennon began sessions for Imagine on a tear, recording this rather unlistenable anti-war screed and the rumbling “It’s So Hard” before settling into a more pop-focused frame of mind.

 
No. 61. “Oh Yoko!”
From: Imagine (1971)

Lennon took inspiration from childhood favorite Lonnie Donegan’s “Lost John” while playing guitar during the Beatles’ early 1968 sabbatical with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi – then completed this tribute to Ono a few years later with a uniquely Lennon-esque lyrical approach: Everything happens in the middle.

 
No. 60. “Dear Yoko”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)

Lennon returns to familiar ground with another song explicitly dedicated to Ono, just as he had almost 10 years before on Imagine. Guitarist Hugh McKraken made key contributions as they completed the music, adding four different harmonicas.

 
No. 59. “You Are Here”
From: Mind Games (1973)

Lennon reached out to Ono with “You Are Here” despite being on the cusp of a turbulent 18-month separation. Turning Rudyard Kipling’s “East is East and West is West” adage on its ear, he plaintively argues (hopes?) that the twain indeed shall meet again.

 
No. 58. “Move Over Ms. L”
From: Anthology (1998)

The only stand-alone b-side of Lennon’s career was paired with a cover of “Stand By Me” in 1975 after he removed the song from the running order of Walls and Bridges. “Move Over Ms. L” was originally set to appear between “Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” and “What You Got” on Side Two.

 
No. 57. “Steel and Glass”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

Lennon never confirmed who he was referring to in “Steel and Glass,” though the popular working theory was Allen Klein, his erstwhile late-Beatles-era manager. “For sure, it isn’t about Paul,” Lennon once confirmed before adding in a typical verbal joust, “and it isn’t about (one-time Catwoman) Eartha Kitt.”

 
No. 56. “It’s So Hard”
From: Imagine (1971)

There’s a whiff of tragedy in that typically muscular sax solo from R&B ace King Curtis. He collaborated with Lennon in July 1971 and was stabbed to death that August, just before Imagine arrived.

 
No. 55. “Rock ‘n’ Roll People”
From: Menlove Ave. (1986)

After years of attempts in the early-’70s, Lennon ended up giving this song away to Johnny Winter for 1974’s John Dawson Winter. A Lennon version wouldn’t arrive until six years after his death, combining portions of two takes recorded in August 1973.

 
No. 54. “Remember”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

Lennon dug out the melody from an unrecorded song called “Across The Great Water” during sessions around his 30th birthday, then the rhythm section of Ringo Starr and Klaus Voorman caught an aquifer-deep groove. The take went to a staggering eight minutes, so Lennon found a choice spot and cut it off with a perfectly placed explosive sound effect.

 
No. 53. “Intuition”
From: Mind Games (1973)

Lennon doesn’t usually do sunny optimism. The rather saccharine “Intuition” hints at why.

 
No. 52. “What You Got”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

An answer song to Little Richard‘s “Rip It Up,” which Lennon would later update for 1975’s Rock ‘n’ Roll. Except this is from the viewpoint of someone who’s become so detached from their partner that they somehow now dread the weekend.

 
No. 51. “Woman Is the N—– of the World”
From: Shaved Fish (1975)

As Lennon shed his youthful chauvinism, he kept coming back to something Ono had said not long after they met in 1968 – and that phrase became the controversial title of this song.

 
No. 50. “Only People”
From: Mind Games (1973)

Lennon is trying for a clarion call toward change, but “Only People” is no anthem. The lyrics are a bit mixed up, too.

 
No. 49. “Cleanup Time”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)

Lennon had a chuckle with new producer Jack Douglas about how their generation was getting cleaned up. Then it occurred to him that the idea applied to his life as a househusband, too.

 
No. 48. “I’m Stepping Out”
From: Milk and Honey (1984)

This light-filled song was the first attempted when sessions got underway for Double Fantasy, Lennon’s comeback record after time spent raising his son, Sean. Unfortunately, Lennon never finished the song – and the early take included on the posthumous Milk and Honey is clearly only a rough draft.

 
No. 47. “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)”
From: Mind Games (1973)

Lennon reworked an earlier idea titled “Call My Name” to complete one of the saddest, most painfully open songs about his faltering relationship with Ono. The Lost Weekend starts as “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)” concludes.

 
No. 46. “(Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess”
From: Milk and Honey (1984)

Maybe this was for Yoko Ono. Maybe it was for May Pang, Lennon’s mistress during his mid-’70s romantic pause with Ono. What separates “(Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess” from earlier sentiments like “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)” is that lithe little groove.

 
No. 45. “Bless You”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

This always sounded like a needed exhale on a sonically overstuffed album. Lennon, then in the midst of his raucous phase away from Yoko Ono, probably needed one in real life, too. Giving himself a moment of introspection, Lennon returned to his estranged wife – though, at this point, only in dreams.

 
No. 44. “One Day (At a Time)”
From: Mind Games (1973)

“One Day at a Time” sets a tone of duality that plays out elsewhere on Mind Games with songs like “You Are Here.” As Ono drifted further and further from Lennon, he tried to reach out through song. The real world kept getting in the way.

 
No. 43. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”
From: Shaved Fish (1975)

“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” started as the theme of a quixotic anti-war billboard campaign during the Vietnam era, then become an unlikely modern holiday standard. Oddly enough, it failed to chart upon release.

 
No. 42. “Meat City”
From: Mind Games (1973)

The wild-eyed rocker “Meat City” was made all the more surprising by its placement at the end of such a contemplative album. As the track careens to a halt, Lennon can be heard saying, “Who is that – who is that and why are they doing those strange things?”

 
No. 41. “Here We Go Again”
From: Menlove Ave. (1986)

Not much came out of Lennon’s ruined sessions with a whacked-out, gun-toting, now deeply paranoid Phil Spector. They managed to co-compose the leftover but could only salvage three Spector-produced songs for Lennon’s Rock ‘n’ Roll album. “Here We Go Again” wouldn’t surface until after Lennon’s death.

 
No. 40. “Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out)”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

Exiled on the other side of the country from Yoko Ono, Lennon finally opened himself to the fear of isolation he once angrily confronted on Plastic Ono Band. But without the closed-fist bravado that marked Lennon’s recordings of five years before. Instead, he submits to the emotions sparked by endings.

 
No. 39. “Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)”
From: Mind Games (1973)

Though it appeared on Mind Games, this song grew out of a 1971 demo that heralded Lennon’s bumpy ride toward more radical politics. “Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)” was broadly topical and very sharp witted, however, and that couldn’t be more different than what later arrived on Some Time in New York City.

 
No. 38. “Borrowed Time”
From: Milk and Honey (1984)

The island influences on this posthumous U.K. Top 40 single reflect its roots in a trip to Bermuda that Lennon took before sessions began for Double Fantasy. Reggae and ska had been major influences earlier his career, but Lennon and his bandmates were still struggling to capably replicate those sounds on this unfinished version. A deranged murderer made sure he never would.

 
No. 37. “Whatever Gets You thru the Night”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

At this point, Lennon’s flinty solo career hadn’t yet produced a No. 1 single. He broke the spell with a song inspired by a cribbed phrase from TV – this time after channel surfing into a late-night evangelist. Lennon’s friend Elton John was so confident the song would hit that he made a now-famous bet that led Lennon to an historic concert performance.
 

No. 36. “Tight A$”
From: Mind Games (1973)

Lennon cuts loose a little after the temporal didactics of Some Time in New York City. It seems T-Rex helped him get there.

 
No. 35. “Old Dirt Road”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

Lennon’s Lost Weekend shenanigans with Harry Nilsson sometimes came to a very bad end. Even the album they produced together during this era, Nilsson’s Pussy Cats, has its share of questionable moments. Then there’s “Old Dirt Road.” Lennon didn’t think much of this Nilsson co-written deep cut, but it’s a delightful little reverie. Nilsson must’ve thought so, too: He recorded his version for 1980’s Flash Harry, the last studio LP released in Nilsson’s lifetime.

 
No. 34. “Crippled Inside”
From: Imagine (1971)

What if Lennon had recorded Plastic Ono Band while still in the teenaged thrall of rockabilly. You’d have “Crippled Inside.”

 
No. 33. “I Know (I Know)”
From: Mind Games (1973)

As Lennon’s relationship with Ono began to falter, he offered a mea culpa in song not unlike “How?” and “Jealous Guy” from Imagine. Curiously, he also might have been reaching out to someone else with whom he was estranged: Paul McCartney debuted his new band Wings with 1971’s Wild Life, and the track list included a song called “Some People Never Know.” The opening riff on “I Know (I Know)” also strongly resembles “I’ve Got a Feeling” from the Beatles’ Spector-produced Let It Be.

 
No. 32. “Give Peace a Chance”
From: Shaved Fish (1975)

Lennon subsequently made an ill-advised detour into more stringent politics, brushing aside the easy brilliance of more suggestive songs like this one. (“It wasn’t like ‘You have to have peace!’” he told David Scheff. “Just give it a chance.”) He was joined by a cast of dozens on the second-to-last day of his 1969 bed-in for peace in Montreal.

 
No. 31. “Hold On”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

As tough and scarred and fragile as Plastic Ono Band could be, Lennon cracked the curtains here and there for a few badly needed shards of sunlight in the gloom.

 
No. 30. “Going Down on Love”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

As with “Surprise, Surprise” from elsewhere on Walls and Bridges, “Going Down on Love” started out much differently. Early versions matched the gritty stripped-down honesty of 1970’s Plastic Ono Band. Then Lennon started adding parts, most notably a tough little horn section. A song that was once this bleak exploration of the drama surrounding his love life was transformed – in sound, anyway. A check of the lyric sheet confirms that a directionless Lennon was standing at the very edge of an emotional abyss.

 
No. 29. “New York City”
From: Some Time in New York City (1972)

Lennon put down the daily paper and put away the activist bromides long enough for a pretty awesome Chuck Berry-inspired ode to his new hometown.

 
No. 28. “Cold Turkey”
From: Shaved Fish (197t5)

Lennon descended into heroin addiction during the White Album era, only clawing his way back after the Beatles were thudding to a halt. His harrowing journey is depicted on Lennon’s second solo single.

 
No. 27. “Mind Games”
From: Mind Games (1973)

What if “I Am the Walrus” had an anti-war thread running through it? You’d have the title track from Mind Games, as Lennon tosses off Lewis Carroll-ish references to “druid dudes” and “mind guerillas” while railing against the ongoing conflict in Vietnam. Lennon’s careful balance of fantasy and message likely helped this single into the U.S. Top 20.

 
No. 26. “Grow Old With Me”
From: Milk and Honey (1984)

Also written during Lennon’s vacation in Bermuda, “Grow Old With Me” was based on a poem by Robert Browning. Ono had challenged Lennon to write the song after she used a sonnet by the poet’s wife Elizabeth Barrett Browning as inspiration for “Let Me Count the Ways.” Lennon created a rough demo but they were up against a holiday deadline for the release of Double Fantasy, so he left it aside. “Grow Old With Me” would go through a radical shift by the time it was finally released. Instead of looking ahead to a sweetly romantic future, this felt like a devastatingly sad message of lost devotion.

 
No. 25. “I’m Losing You”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)

There’s a crunchy, kinetic sizzle here, with Lennon looking back at his own alcohol-induced mid-’70s dumbassery. Along the way, we get a deeper sense of how his muse returned, as Lennon began trying to find balance between his vibrant, angry yang to his bread-making house-husband yin.

 
No. 24. “How Do You Sleep?”
From: Imagine (1971)

Half of the Beatles took part in this savage assault on McCartney, as Lennon made biting references to “Yesterday,” Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and McCartney’s solo hit “Another Day.” So, is “How Do You Sleep?” a low point in their very public post-split bickering? Or one of Harrison’s coolest-ever turns on the slide? Answer: yes.

 
No. 23. “I Don’t Wanna Face It”
From: Milk and Honey (1984)

The track begins with the smeared sound of a tape machine engaging, perhaps the most powerful reminder that Milk and Honey includes the incomplete, posthumous recordings of a murdered genius. Sadness melts away, though, as Lennon works in antithesis, throws away a bit of ageless wisdom and acts a little silly. The result is a half-chiseled monument to creative rebirth.

 
No. 22. “Look at Me”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

With its searching questions (“who am I supposed to be?,” “what am I supposed to do?“), this leftover from the Beatles’ White Album era was a match fit for Lennon’s first proper solo album.

 
No. 21. “Nobody Told Me”
From: Milk and Honey (1984)

Nostalgia had everything to do with this song’s posthumous Top 20 finish, and not just because fans missed the late Lennon. His familiar call-and-response approach (“there’s always something happening, but nothing going on … everybody’s smoking but no one’s getting high”) drew a straight line back to the wordplay whimsy of Lennon’s late-Beatles period.
 

No. 20. “Out the Blue”
From: Mind Games (1973)

Lennon provided a peek into the mounting panic that surrounded his fracturing relationship with Ono on this often-overlooked ballad: “I was born just to get to you. Anyway I survived, long enough to make you my wife.” He completed things with soaring strings that sounded like a sadder, more honest version of Phil Spector’s cloying arrangement for “The Long and Winding Road.”

No. 19. “Isolation”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

“Isolation” is the flipside of “God,” as Lennon admits deep insecurity surrounding his new post-Beatles existence. At one point, everyone but Starr drops out, and his insistent cadence feels like it’s mimicking Lennon’s terrified arrhythmia.

No. 18. “Imagine”
From: Imagine (1971)

Lennon himself actually nailed it: This song is “anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic – but because it is sugarcoated, it is accepted.”

 
No. 17. “Power to the People”
From: Shaved Fish (1975)

“Power to the People” provided another preview of the more political bent heard on Some Time in New York City – but with an approach that was similar to his contemporary demo of “Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple).” These weren’t determinedly newsy songs, and they boasted huge, hooky choruses that leveraged universal themes. Unfortunately, this song’s theme was already a bit passe, even though Alan White‘s doggedly aggressive rhythm moves everything along. Lennon later acknowledged that “Power to the People” probably arrived about a decade too late.

 
No. 16. “Working Class Hero”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

Perhaps because it’s sparked by a Bob Dylan-esque three-chord call for a revolution in thought, Lennon’s sharply ironic asides (“if you want to be a hero well just follow me“) are often lost. It’s a shame because this populist message clearly meant a lot to Lennon, as he did hundreds of takes over several days at Abbey Road. Frustrated with the results, Lennon inserted the “tortured and scared you for 20-odd years” verse from a different take to complete “Working Class Hero.”

 
No. 15. “God”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

In the album’s most important statement, Lennon blithely pushed aside fallen idols – from Dylan to religion to his old band – flatly declaring that “the dream is over.” He was moving on: After naming and then discarding all of those earlier talismans, Lennon concluded with a quiet affirmation of his love for Yoko Ono.

 
No. 14. “Oh My Love”
From: Imagine (1971)

Lennon takes a moment between excoriating empty-suited politicians and ex-bandmates to lay bare his tender affections for Ono. “Oh My Love” was the only song on Imagine where she initially earned a co-songwriting credit, though Ono’s name was later added to the title track, too.

 
No. 13. “Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

One of the first songs attempted for Walls and Bridges, “Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” might find Lennon at his most carnal. It’s certainly Lennon in one of his happiest moments. Ironically, the earliest demos were dark ruminations, almost like a ’50s lost-love ballad. (Lennon later cited “Little Darlin'” by the Diamonds as an inspiration.) Now overcome with lusty desire, he makes an improvised vocal reference to the Beatles’ “Drive My Car” as “Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)” fades.

 
No. 12. “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)

There’s no getting away from the awful headlines that followed – no separating this, even decades later, from Lennon’s fate. He’ll always be 40. So, when Lennon whispers “Good night, Sean, see you in the morning,” it’s like a cold hand closing around any fan’s heart.

 
No. 11. “How?”
From: Imagine (1971)

A song that thematically wouldn’t have felt out of place on Plastic Ono Band, “How” revealed a similar depth of self-doubt and fear, but presented things – like much of the Imagine project – in a sleeker, more approachable way. That doesn’t mean it was boring: Lennon’s jolting syncopations smartly echo his own insecurities.

 
No. 10. “Love”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

Lennon deftly paints a mirror-image portrait of two lovers responding to one another, in one of his simplest, most touching lyrics. Interestingly, Phil Spector – not Lennon – plays the similarly elliptical piano part. “Love” actually started out as a guitar-based demo.

 
No. 9. “Gimme Some Truth”
From: Imagine (1971)

Originally tried during the sessions that produced Let It Be, “Gimme Some Truth” melds Lennon’s love of witty banter with a knack for the excoriating take down. As he rails against the hypocrisy and villainy of the day, George Harrison can be found brutally sawing on his guitar.

 
No. 8. “Woman”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)

Lennon so rarely returned to core approaches from the Beatles era that it gave new gravitas to rare nostalgic returns like 1974’s unabashedly psychedelic “#9 Dream.” But no Lennon solo song ever had the throwback pop smarts of “Woman,” Lennon’s first posthumously released single. He knew it, too. While recording his vocals, Lennon mused: “I feel like I’m still in the f—ing Beatles with this track.”

 
No. 7. “Mother”
From: Plastic Ono Band 1970

Lennon switched from guitar to piano as he worked out this tortured wail for his missing parents, with Starr providing a smartly economical and fill-free rhythm that only added to the lyric’s stabbing emotion. Lennon recorded the shredding finale in single-line takes to save his voice. His pain is simply excruciating.

 
No. 6. “Jealous Guy”
From: Imagine (1971)

One of the most covered Lennon tracks, “Jealous Guy” has been reinterpreted more than 100 times — most notably by Roxy Music, who had a huge U.K. hit with it just after Lennon’s murder. And yet this song still completely belongs to its author, who sang with an unmatched fragility here over an atmospheric music bed.

 
No. 5. “Watching the Wheels”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)

Lennon was clearly still attempting to come to terms with things as they were – with middle age, with a settled life, with love and work and parenthood. How long could it have been before he was ready to push back, and hard? Unfortunately, we never got to hear his next great rock record.

 
No. 4. “I Found Out”
From: Plastic Ono Band (1970)

Lennon unleashes a series of kill shots aimed at politicians, drugs, religion (“from Jesus to Paul“), parents, society – you name it – and Starr’s rugged cadence boldly echoes every rebuke.

 
No. 3. “(Just Like) Starting Over”
From: Double Fantasy (1980)

Lennon hadn’t sounded this openhearted since the early days with the Beatles, neither musically (there’s a welcome nod to the music of his youth) nor lyrically (as he looks unabashedly forward). That sense of renewal, when taken in context, can begin to feel like a huge letdown. Don’t let it. This is joy, sheer joy.

 
No. 2. “#9 Dream”
From: Walls and Bridges (1974)

Lennon never sounded more like his creative apex with the Beatles in 1967 than he did here. But that certainly wasn’t the intention. In fact, the original demo – simply titled “So Long” – was based on a contemporary string arrangement he’d written for Harry Nilsson’s cover of “Many Rivers to Cross” from Nilsson’s 1974 LP Pussy Cats. Still, the narcoleptic mysticism of “#9 Dream” – Lennon said “ah bowakawa pousse, pousse” actually came to him in a dream – would have fit right in on Sgt. Pepper’s or Magical Mystery Tour – and that’s no small thing.

 
No. 1. “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)”
From: Shaved Fish (1975)

Lennon felt certain that he had a hit as soon as this song was completed, so much so that (in keeping with its theme) he was determined to rush “Instant Karma!” out to the general public. The song was written, recorded and released over a period of just 10 days. Lennon would subsequently boast, in only a slight exaggeration, that he “wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch and we’re putting it out for dinner.” Despite that short timeline, it somehow became timeless: “Instant Karma!” was the first Beatles solo song to sell 1 million copies in the U.S.

How an Old Beatles Song Connected David Bowie With John Lennon

Janey Roberts 8 minutes ago

Feature Photo: Stefan Bollmann, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

​Spiritbox, originating from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, was publicly established in October 2017 by vocalist Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Mike Stringer. Both LaPlante and Stringer were previously members of the metalcore band Iwrestledabearonce but departed to pursue greater artistic freedom, leading to the formation of Spiritbox. The band’s lineup was later completed with the addition of drummer Zev Rose and bassist Josh Gilbert.​

The band’s discography includes several releases that have significantly contributed to their rising prominence in the metal scene. Their debut self-titled EP, Spiritbox, was released in 2017, followed by the Singles Collection EP in 2019. In 2021, they unveiled their debut full-length album, Eternal Blue, which debuted at number 13 on the US Billboard 200, marking a notable achievement for the band. Continuing their momentum, Spiritbox released the Rotoscope EP in 2022 and The Fear of Fear EP in 2023. Their second studio album, Tsunami Sea, was released on March 7, 2025.​

Spiritbox has garnered attention with several successful singles that have resonated with both fans and critics. “Holy Roller,” released in 2020, became one of their most notable tracks, showcasing their ability to blend aggressive metal elements with melodic undertones. Other significant singles include “Blessed Be,” “Constance,” and “Circle With Me,” each contributing to the band’s reputation for dynamic and emotionally charged music.​

Throughout their career, Spiritbox has received several nominations recognizing their impact in the heavy music scene. They were nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year at the 2022 Juno Awards, and their album Eternal Blue was nominated for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year at the same awards. Additionally, they received a nomination for Best International Breakthrough at the 2022 Kerrang! Awards and were nominated for Best Heavy Record at the 2022 Libera Awards for Eternal Blue.​

The band’s appeal within the music industry stems from their innovative fusion of various metal subgenres, including metalcore, progressive metal, and djent, combined with electronic elements. This eclectic approach, coupled with LaPlante’s versatile vocal delivery—ranging from melodic singing to intense screaming—has captivated a diverse audience. Their willingness to experiment and push genre boundaries has solidified their status as a forward-thinking act in modern metal.​

Beyond their musical endeavors, Spiritbox has engaged in collaborations that highlight their versatility and willingness to explore different musical landscapes. In 2022, they collaborated with electronic artist Illenium on the track “Shivering,” blending metal and electronic music elements. Additionally, they released the experimental EP Rotoscope in June 2022, showcasing their ability to evolve and adapt their sound.​

Spiritbox’s journey from their formation to their current status exemplifies a band that has steadily built a dedicated fanbase through innovative music and strategic use of digital platforms. Their commitment to artistic integrity and evolution continues to resonate with audiences, positioning them as a significant force in the contemporary metal scene.

Complete List Of Spiritbox Songs From A to Z

1. 10:16 – Spiritbox EP – 2018
2. A Haven with Two Faces – Tsunami Sea – 2025
3. Angel Eyes – The Fear of Fear – 2023
4. Aphids – Spiritbox EP – 2018
5. Belcarra – Singles Collection – 2019
6. Black Rainbow – Tsunami Sea – 2025
7. Bleach Bath – Singles Collection – 2019
8. Cellar Door – The Fear of Fear – 2023
9. Circle with Me – Eternal Blue – 2021
10. Constance – Eternal Blue – 2021
11. Constance – Single – 2020
12. Crystal Roses – Tsunami Sea – 2025
13. Deep End – Tsunami Sea – 2025
14. Electric Cross – Singles Collection – 2019
15. Eternal Blue – Eternal Blue – 2021
16. Everything’s Eventual – Spiritbox EP – 2018
17. Fata Morgana – Tsunami Sea – 2025
18. Halcyon – Eternal Blue – 2021
19. Holy Roller – Eternal Blue – 2021
20. Holy Roller – Single – 2020
21. Hurt You – Eternal Blue – 2021
22. Hysteria – Rotoscope EP – 2022
23. Jaded – The Fear of Fear – 2023
24. Keep Sweet – Tsunami Sea – 2025
25. No Loss, No Love – Tsunami Sea – 2025
26. Perfect Soul – Tsunami Sea – 2025
27. Perennial – Singles Collection – 2019
28. Ride the Wave – Tsunami Sea – 2025
29. Rotoscope – Rotoscope EP – 2022
30. Rule of Nines – Single – 2019
31. Secret Garden – Eternal Blue – 2021
32. Sew Me Up – Rotoscope EP – 2022
33. Silk in the Strings – Eternal Blue – 2021
34. Soft Spine – Tsunami Sea – 2025
35. Sun Killer – Eternal Blue – 2021
36. The Beauty Of Suffering – Spiritbox EP – 2018
37. The Mara Effect, Pt. 1 – Spiritbox EP – 2018
38. The Mara Effect, Pt. 2 – Spiritbox EP – 2018
39. The Mara Effect, Pt. 3 – Spiritbox EP – 2018
40. The Summit – Eternal Blue – 2021
41. The Void – The Fear of Fear – 2023
42. Too Close / Too Late – The Fear of Fear – 2023
43. Trust Fall – Singles Collection – 2019
44. Tsunami Sea – Tsunami Sea – 2025
45. Ultraviolet – The Fear of Fear – 2023
46. We Live in a Strange World – Eternal Blue – 2021
47. Yellowjacket – Eternal Blue – 2021

Albums

Spiritbox EP (2018): 7 songs

Singles Collection (2019): 5 songs

Eternal Blue (2021): 12 songs

Rotoscope EP (2022): 3 songs

The Fear of Fear EP (2023): 6 songs

Tsunami Sea (2025): 11 songs

Check out our fantastic and entertaining Spiritbox articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com

Complete List Of Spiritbox Band Members

10 Spiritbox Songs We Love

Read More: Artists’ Interviews Directory At ClassicRockHistory.com

Read More: Classic Rock Bands List And Directory

Complete List Of Spiritbox Songs From A to Z article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2025

About The Author

Janey Roberts

More from this Author

Janey Roberts lives in Chelsea, London. She has worked for various British musical publications writing album and concert reviews. Originally from Balboa Park, San Diego, Janey brings an international cross cultural perspective to rock journalism.

We’re officially a quarter of the way through the year! 2025 has got off to a pretty strong start so far as new metal releases goes with the likes of Spiritbox, Killswitch Engage, Jinjer and Wardruna all releasing albums in recent weeks, but there’s still plenty more to come with new albums from Ghost, Babymetal, Lord Of The Lost and more lined up on the calendar.

And that’s to say nothing of new bands to discover, of course! Much as we did last month, we’ve hunted high and low, far and wide to find you some of the most exciting new sounds around as we enter April.

You can hear the latest releases from those bands in our massive playlist below, but read on to (possibly) discover your new favourite band. So stick ’em on, and have an excellent month!

Grima

“For more than half half the year, our home is covered in snow. The majestic yet desolate mountains and forests paint powerful landscapes. That cold, raw beauty finds its way into our sound,” explains Vilhelm, regarding the compelling natural muse behind Grima, the project he began with his twin brother, Morbius, more than a decade ago.

From the use of regional Russian folk instrumentation (such as the sorrowful-sounding bayan accordion), to the wearing of remarkable phellem masks, to the band’s evocative album artwork and snow-forest fixations of their music videos, Grima have devoted themselves wholesale to the Siberian vistas of their surroundings. Even the name Grima has come to represent a malign forest deity conjured by the twins to reign over their mystical world.

“Our music is performed as a ritual, and the audience becomes part of the ceremony,” says Vilhelm. “Our costumes, our aesthetics, they alter our existence, allowing us to channel dark Siberian art. The album covers and videos help us to convey these images remotely, extending the essence of our music and its lore.”

“Grima symbolises the dark, rebellious spirit of the forest, where nature is predominantly hostile to human presence and activity,” Morbius elaborates. “An unwelcome visitor may face punishment if they don’t treat the forest temple with respect.”

With latest album Nightside, the brothers cloak Grima’s dominions in an extra layer of obsidian, escalating levels of dread and sorcery.

“Nightside explores the forest’s nocturnal side – its inhabitants and mystical entities,” states Vilhelm. “It tells of lost souls wandering tangled paths, tales of Grima’s most devoted servants, who collect skull trophies from the bodies of the dead. The album is full of stories of those who found their final rest in the taiga.” Spencer Grady

Nightside is out now via Napalm. Grima tour the UK from May 25.

Sounds Like: Melancholic black metal instilled with the frostbitten essence of the taiga
For Fans Of: Wolves In The Throne Room, Drudkh, Panopticon
Listen To: Flight Of The Silver Storm

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Catch Your Breath

Mainstream metalcore has never been bigger, thanks to the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Sleep Token and Spiritbox. Catch Your Breath’s debut album, Shame On Me, sees the Texans aiming to be part of the next wave. Originally released in 2023, it offers a swaggering collection of riff-driven anthems that aren’t afraid of a catchy hook, while last year’s deluxe edition added dreamy pop and urgent rave to their sonic arsenal in Good In Goodbye and Ghost Inside The Shell respectively.

“It’s kinda all over the place, but that’s what I like about it,” says vocalist Josh Mowery, adding the band listened to Halsey, Banks and Demi Lovato while recording. “You need to look outside of metal for inspiration, otherwise the scene is going to eat itself.”

Lyrically, the album is a cathartic purge of repressed feelings. “All the songs come from a very real place,” Josh explains.

At first, he was worried about being too direct about his own turbulent upbringing because he “didn’t want it to feel ‘woe is me’”, but he found strength in using that pain to create something empowering.

“I was let down, neglected and abandoned, but at the same time, I created this music because of that,” he reasons.

The album bounces between fury and reflection. “Every bit of anger is usually caused by sadness of some kind. We wanted to stay true to that,” Josh adds. “But if someone is singing about being pissed off, you want to feel it.”

As well as blowing up on streaming services – they have over 2.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify – Catch Your Breath have spent the past year stealing the spotlight while supporting the likes of Dayseeker and Breaking Benjamin. Now their sights are set on Europe with their own headline run.

“Music brings people together – we want to celebrate that,” says Josh, who’s determined to turn each gig into heavy metal karaoke. “A lot of our songs are about things that would usually be hard to talk about, but we do it to show people they’re not alone. We want to prove you can be more than your trauma.” Ali Shutler

The Deluxe Edition of Shame On Me is out now via Thriller Records. Catch Your Breath tour the UK from April 8.

Sounds Like: Poptastic metalcore with plenty of bite For Fans Of: Bad Omens, Poppy, Spiritbox
Listen To: Dial Tone

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Church Tongue

Hardcore might have a reputation for lyrical aggression and righteous anger, but that’s certainly not the case with Church Tongue’s incredible new EP, You’ll Know It Was Me. Instead, frontman Mike Sugars has written six “songs about love” for his band’s latest release. Themes range from Mike embracing sobriety to the deep adoration he feels for his wife and his mother. It’s all very sweet.

“That’s the challenge: to make really heavy music but to embrace this feeling of pure love,” he says. “I’ve been making this brutal, beatdown music for a decade now. So, I’m a bit older, more comfortable in myself, and I love my mom! Why should I feel embarrassed by that?”

You’ll Know It Was Me is a sublime slab of pummelling, destructive hardcore. It grinds, blasts and is thoroughly chaotic, guests like Deafheaven’s George Clarke, Twitching Tongues’ Colin Young and Initiate’s Crystal Pak adding extra screams and howls.

“We aimed high with our guest spots,” recalls Mike. “It was a dream to get all of them. We’re just a little band, and to get these artists that we’re such big fans of to say yes to us, it’s just incredible.”

You’ll Know It Was Me is Church Tongue’s first release in four years, and it’s worth the wait. The delay was because guitarist Nicko Calderon found himself swept up in a tide of activity surrounding his axe duties in breakout hardcore stars Knocked Loose.

“We are really proud of what Nicko’s done,” explains the vocalist, swelling with pride. “He’s got his own fanbase now, so we might have a few more eyes on us, but we’re our own thing and we’re all really committed to this band, no matter who shows up.” Stephen Hill

You’ll Know It Was Me is out now via Pure Noise.

Sounds Like: Being smothered in a crushing bear hug, by an actual bear
For Fans Of: Knocked Loose, Poison The Well, Renounced
Listen To: The Fury Of Love

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Mélancolia

Mélancolia are a band destined to divide opinion. Not only do they play a pimped-up take on deathcore – itself a genre with as many critics as adherents – they do so with a style, swagger and visual flair not often seen in these breakdown-laden depths.

“I need visual representation or it just doesn’t do it for me,” explains frontman Alex Hill. “Too often I will scroll past bands that all look the same with their black hoodies. I’ve always wanted a strong image that matches the music.”

That image is culled equally from horror movies and underground industrial clubs, while the music mixes those pummelling deathcore grooves with nu metal undertones, electronic embellishments and a spatter of Cradle Of Filth.

“Dani Filth is like the magnum opus of high screams and there’s an artistry in how he creates a world for his band,” Alex nods.

The Melbourne-based newcomers presented their vision on their debut full-length, HissThroughRottenTeeth. It’s a concept album that the singer describes as being about “a deity that was thrown out from the afterlife and condemned to live in the mortal realm, with all the knowledge of being a deity but none of the power”. It’s a twisting, churning descent through personal hell that uses horror as allegory.

“There’s definitely dramatisation, but I think I create characters that are a catalyst to explain emotions, scenarios and feelings that I’ve had and experiences that I’ve gone through in life,” explains the frontman.

Mélancolia hit UK shores supporting death metal legends Suffocation this month, and Alex suggests you get there early if you’re going.

“We put on a show sonically,” he says. “We’ve got the heaviness and the evil moments, but visually you’re not going to see a band like us in this genre. Love us or hate us, you will remember us.” Paul Travers

HissThroughRottenTeeth is out now via Nuclear Blast.

Sounds Like: Cerebral celluloid splatter set to deathcore riffage and blackened screams
For Fans Of: Suicide Silence, Ice Nine Kills, Cradle Of Filth
Listen To: HissThroughRottenTeeth

Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones recalled how he managed to steal musical equipment from David Bowie the night before the last-ever Ziggy Stardust concert in 1973.

Versions of the story have been passed around for decades. However, in a recent interview with The Guardian, Jones corrected some myths and explained what happened when he later owned up to Bowie and Spiders drummer Woody Woodmansey.

Confirming he hadn’t liberated items from trucks outside London’s Hammersmith Odeon, Jones said, “It was on the stage! They played two nights, and after the first night, they left all the gear up.

READ MORE: Who Are the ‘Big 4’ of Punk Rock?

“I knew the Hammersmith Odeon like the back of my hand – I used to bunk in there all the time. I was like the Phantom of Hammersmith Odeon!

“It was about two in the morning … there was no one there other than a guy sitting on the fourth or fifth row, asleep; he was snoring. It was dead silent. I tiptoed across the stage and I nicked some cymbals, the bass player’s [amplifier] head … and some microphones. I got Bowie’s microphone with his lipstick on it!”

He got away in a stolen minivan, but Bowie soon discovered who had committed the crime. When asked if he ever admitted it, Jones said, “I kind of did, on a phone call … he thought it was funny.

How Steve Jones Made Up for Stealing Spiders Drummer’s Gear

“Actually, I don’t think I nicked anything off him; I don’t think the microphones were his. The only ones I felt bad for were Woody and [bassist] Trevor Bolder.”

Jones described the unusual circumstances in which he admitted to Woodmansey what he’d done. “He came on my radio show a few years back, and I thought I’d tell him live, when we were on the air. … I was like, ‘I’ve got to make amends to you, Woody, I nicked some of your cymbals. What can I do to make it right?’

“He goes, ‘I don’t know – give us a couple of hundred bucks.’ I think I gave him $300, so he was well happy!”

Punk Rock’s 40 Best Albums

From the Ramones to Green Day, this is musical aggression at its finest. 

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

With the first few months of 2025 behind us, it’s not too early to look backward a bit at some of our favorite releases of the year so far.

Among those who have put out new albums were some veteran artists — Ringo Starr, Neil Young and Jethro Tull — plus albums from newer acts like Dirty Honey, the War and Treaty and Envy of None.

Below, UCR staff note the best album they’ve heard this year so far.

Allison Rapp: I’ve been a fan of Larkin Poe for years now, so usually I’m tuned in to their new releases, but somehow I completely missed their new album, Bloom, that came out in January. In February, I happened to turn on Sirius XM’s Tom Petty Radio station and heard “Easy Love Pt. 1.” The rest of the album is just as robust — Rebecca and Megan Lovell have only gotten sharper in the studio. (I must give an honorable mention to Ringo Starr’s new country album, Look Up, which coincidentally features Larkin Poe on a couple of tracks.)

Bryan Rolli: It’s rare these days to hear a live album that hasn’t been doctored into oblivion, but Dirty Honey proudly bucks that trend on Mayhem and Revelry with a raucous 16-song set that lives up to its name. Culled from the North American and European legs of their Can’t Find the Brakes tour, Mayhem captures the California quartet’s infectious blues-rock boogie, with Marc Labelle’s elastic vocals and John Notto’s razor-sharp guitar solos front and center. Notto proudly informed UCR that the band did no overdub sessions for the album, but it would be a disservice to describe Mayhem and Revelry as “warts and all.” That would imply flubs instead of the tasteful improvisation and ad-libbing on display here — evidence of Dirty Honey’s road-worn chemistry and seemingly inevitable path to world domination.

Nick DeRiso: Jason Isbell recorded Foxes in the Snow without his usual backing band, the 400 Unit, and outside of a marriage that turned into a muse. What’s to become of Isbell’s career without that spark? This is the sound of figuring that out. There’s introspection about what it all means, even what his own old songs now mean, but he’s also become angrier and more lyrically impulsive. Isbell has been stripped bare, and you hear it everywhere on this new album. He’s never had more main-character energy. The results are often cathartic, and sometimes a little jarring, but Foxes in the Snow is a grower. It draws us in more deeply with each spin.

Matthew Wilkening: For years now, new Melvins music has largely arrived in two different orbits. About once a year you’ll get a “proper” full-length album from the group, almost undoubtedly featuring an outside collaborator, a lineup change or some clever twist on the songwriting or recording process. (The upcoming and excellent Thunderball, arriving April 18, is a perfect example.)

Then, a few times a year you’ll be alerted to the opportunity to purchase a new Melvins EP, frequently created in collaboration with another band, on extremely limited edition vinyl or via $5 CD. These EPs fly under the radar and are not to be found on streaming services. The most recent finds the band teaming up with grindcore legends Napalm Death for the six-song Savage Imperial Death March EP.

Truth be told, Napalm Death’s a bit stronger brand of coffee than I’d seek out on my own, but this record rips your head off quite nicely, and the true collaborative nature of the project means fans of either band who aren’t as familiar with the other already have one foot in the door and a great chance to expand their musical horizons.

Matt Wardlaw: Dream Theater reunited with co-founder Mike Portnoy in 2023 and put out their first record with the drummer in more than a decade earlier this year. While that sentence is exciting enough, Parasomnia is also a really, really good album. Openly embracing nostalgia, the record stylistically draws from a little bit of everything in the Dream Theater trick bag, yet still feels collectively like a fresh step forward. In short, Parasomnia is proof that sometimes you can go home again. Fans of their classic work and albums like Images and Words and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence will enjoy this latest chapter.

2025 Rock Tour Preview