JOHN LENNON, ROCK N ROLL AND THE ROOTS ALBUM & THE BOOK ABOUT THE ALBUM’S SORDID ORIGIN!
THIS POST IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE WRITER AND AUTHOR, IVOR DAVIS! WE WILL MISS YOU, IVOR!
When John Lennon was on his so-called Lost Weekend, he had expressed a desire to return to his musical roots in paying tribute to the artists of his youth that had given him the inspiration to pursue a musical career. Wonder if he could have foreseen what that decision would mean to him on both a personal and legal nature.
John and May Pang travelled to California after arrangements were made for John to record an oldies album with legendary record producer, Phil Spector!
I wish someone would do an exhaustive book about the Spector/ Lennon oldies sessions as it seems there are endless stories about the party-like disorganized atmosphere that were often clouded in chaos and drunken behavior. Often there as many as 26 musicians on a track. Wish I knew which musicians played or sang as backing vocalists on particular specific tracs. Lists have been provided in some excellent books like Chip Madinger’s, but I would love to see an entire book devoted to all of the surrounding stories and the history and details of the sessions contained in a single volume.
John apparently attempted to co-write two songs with Phil Spector around the time of the oldie’s sessions. John has acknowledged Phil writing the unused middle portion of “Mucho Mungo” which John did not like and ended up not using and instead combined his piece of the song with a Harry Nilsson piece called “Mt. Elga” to finish the song off for Harry’s Pussy Cats album. The other track which Spector was given a co-songwriting credit for, was called “Here we Go Again”. Don’t quite see how that song would have fit in on an oldies album and maybe that is why it sat in the vaults until it eventually was issued on the Menlove Avenue album compiled by Yoko which also featured a few more of the unused Phil Spector session tracks on that album!
ROOTS: I remember picking up a copy of the Roots album at a Beatles convention. The reasons as a collector that I wanted it was that it featured at that point two unissued tracks that were not to appear on the official Rock ‘n’ Roll album, “Angel Baby” and “Be My Baby”. In addition, the Roots album featured longer versions of several of the songs than the Rock ‘n’ Roll version of the album did which for a completist collector was precious despite the poorer sound quality and the bad cover choice for the Roots album which was designed for a TV advertising marketing by the people who worked for notorious music publisher, Morris Levy!
Despite its poorer sound quality and the sordid history surrounding the album’s release as a collector. I am happy to own a copy because of the story surrounding it being issued! Sometimes a collector can have an odd rationale or justification for explaining their individual collecting decisions!
This is the album that Morris Levy released that was deemed to be an illegal release because EMI/ Capitol owned the rights to release Lennon material as John was under contract to Capitol. John had given a poor-quality reel to reel tape to Levy as they were trying to work out an arrangement to satisfy Levy’s claims about John possibly infringing Chuck Berry’s rights on “You Can’t Catch Me” with his “Here Come Old Flat-Top” line on the song “Come Together”!
THE ROOTS ALBUM:
Holy Grail! John Lennon Roots (AUTHENTIC & how to tell) – Rare Beatles Vinyl Update
The back cover of the Roots Album – You may have noticed but Levy did not even acknowledge the songs composers on the track listing on the back cover! The songwriting composers are also not listed on the vinyl as well! Didn’t Levy realize he was also inviting legal trouble on that front?
JAY BERGEN AND HIS WONDERFUL BOOK ABOUT THE LITIGATION SURROUNDING THE ROOTS ALBUM AND THE MORRIS LEVY LAWSUIT!
Many people may be aware that John was being litigated for the line he borrowed from Chuck Berry that he used for the Beatles song “Come Together”. He had apparently taken (borrowed) the line Here Come Old Flat Top from the Chuck Berry number called “You Can’t Catch Me”. The music publisher that administered the number for Berry was none other than Morris Levy. Morris worked out a verbal arrangement with John whereby he would record a specific number of songs that Levy published, which of course would translate into $$$$ for Levy.
That began a back-and-forth disagreement and continuous exchange between Lennon and Levy which eventually led to Levy releasing an unauthorized Lennon recording of Spector session tapes that John had given him. John did not have the legal authority to allow Levy to release the recordings as he was under contract to Capitol Records and he would have to secure their permission for such an album to be released. Additionally, the sound quality of the tape was substandard Lennon and did not measure up to the sound quality he would normally allow to be officially released. All of the fascinating details to this story and the litigation that ensued is detailed in Jay Bergen’s wonderful book, Lennon, The Mobster & The Lawyer.
AMAZON US:
AMAZON UK:
The Amazon Book Description:
Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story Paperback – May 1, 2022
by Jay Bergen (Author), Bob Gruen (Photographer)
“Before John Lennon retreated peacefully into private life in 1975, he fought a major legal battle that went under the public radar.
Just as his Rock ‘n’ Roll oldies album hit the market, Morris Levy, the Mob-connected owner of Roulette Records, released Roots, an unauthorized version of the same record. Levy had used rough mixes of John’s unfinished Rock ‘n’ Roll recordings-and claimed the former Beatle had verbally agreed to the arrangement. The clash led to a lawsuit and countersuit between Levy and Lennon.
Attorney Jay Bergen, a partner in a prestigious New York City law firm, represented John in this epic battle over the rights to his own recordings. Millions of dollars were at stake.
Jay tells the intimate story of how he worked closely with John to rebut Levy’s outrageous claims. He also recounts how John explained his recording process in poetic, exacting terms before a judge who knew little about the Beatles and John’s solo career.
Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer catches the high drama of the courtroom skirmishes in this previously untold story. It also paints a detailed personal picture of John and his world in 1975-76, when he was soon to have a new son and went into happy seclusion to be a husband and father.”
THE BOOK THAT TELLS THE STORY BY JOHN”S ATTORNEY – JAY BERGEN:
Praise on the back cover of Jay Bergen’s book!
One of the Phil Spector numbers that appeared on the Spector Session tapes that appeared on Roots was “Angel Baby”, which was one of John Lennon’s favorite oldies. It must be noted that the version that appears on the link below was Sean Lennon’s remix of the song and it is not the poor sound quality the song that was issued on Levy’s version appearing on the Roots album.
ANGEL BABY. (Ultimate Remix, 2020) – John Lennon.
One of the few still unissued Session tapes that appears on YouTube: John’s version of the Ronettes song, “Be My Baby”!
A 2016 BOOK ABOUT MORRIS LEVY FROM AUTHOR RICHARD CARLIN
I just purchased this book about the music publisher that reportedly had mob ties and look forward to reading it
AMAZON US:
Amazon.com : MORRIS LEVY
AMAZON UK:
Godfather of the Music Business: Morris Levy (American Made Music Series): Amazon.co.uk: Carlin, Richard: 9781496805706: Books
Godfather of the Music Business: Morris Levy (American Made Music Series) Hardcover – 30 April 2016
by Richard Carlin (Author)
The Amazon Description of the book:
“This biography tells the story of one of the most notorious figures in the history of popular music, Morris Levy (1927-1990). At age nineteen, he co-founded the nightclub Birdland in Hell’s Kitchen, which became the home for a new musical style, bebop. Levy operated one of the first integrated clubs on Broadway and helped build the careers of Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell and most notably aided the reemergence of Count Basie. In 1957, he founded a record label, Roulette Records. Roulette featured many of the significant jazz artists who played Birdland but also scored top pop hits with acts like Buddy Knox, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Joey Dee and the Starliters, and, in the mid-1960s, Tommy James.
Stories abound of Levy threatening artists, songwriters, and producers, sometimes just for the sport, other times so he could continue to build his empire. Along the way, Levy attracted “investors” with ties to the Mafia, including Dominic Ciaffone (a.k.a. “Swats” Mulligan), Tommy Eboli, and the most notorious of them all, Vincent Gigante. Gigante allegedly owned large pieces of Levy’s recording and retail businesses.
Starting in the late 1950s, the FBI and IRS investigated Levy but could not make anything stick until the early 1980s, when Levy foolishly got involved in a deal to sell remaindered records to a small-time reseller, John LaMonte. With partners in the mob, Levy tried to force LaMonte to pay for four million remaindered records. When the FBI secretly wiretapped LaMonte in an unrelated investigation and agents learned about the deal, investigators successfully prosecuted Levy in the extortion scheme. Convicted in 1988, Levy did not live to serve prison time. Stricken with cancer, he died just as his last appeals were exhausted. However, even if he had lived, Levy’s brand of storied high life was effectively bust. Corporate ownership of record labels doomed most independents in the business, ending the days when a savvy if ruthless hustler could blaze a path to the top.”
The Chuck Berry Song published by Levy where John Lennon borrowed a line from:
John Lennon’s song which uses that line:
Come Together (Live / Ultimate Mix)
I personally believe John Lennon attempted this very short cover version from his Walls and Bridges album as a jab at Morris Levy, it features John Lennon’s son Julian then a 12-year-old on percussion. I believe Levy owned the rights to Ya Ya and Lennon and his son did a very brief jam of the number!
A few YouTube postings about Levy’s alleged mob involvement:
Morris Levy & How the Mob Ran Pop Music in the ’60’s
Mafias Involvement in the Music Industry | Morris Levy with Michael Franzese
A TOMMY JAMES BOOK ABOUT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND MORRIS LEVY:
Just purchased this book about the life of pop recording star Tommy James and his own personal encounters with Morris Levy!
AMAZON US:
AMAZON UK:
The Amazon Description:
Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells Hardcover – 16 Feb. 2010
by Tommy James (Author), Martin Fitzpatrick
“Everyone knows the hits—“Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” They are nuggets of rock and pop history. However, few know the unlikely story of how these hits came to be..
Tommy James was discovered in 1966 at the age of nineteen, and was pursued by every record mogul in New York until, inexplicably, every offer but one quickly disappeared. James soon found himself in the office of Morris Levy at Roulette Records, where he was handed a pen and ominously promised “one helluva ride.” Morris Levy, the legendary “godfather” of the music business, needed some hits and Tommy would provide them.
Me, the Mob, and the Music tells the intimate story of the relationship between the bright-eyed, sweet-faced blonde musician from the heartland and the big, bombastic, brutal bully from the Bronx, who hustled, cheated, and swindled his way to the top of the music industry. It is also the story of this swaggering, wildly creative era of rock ‘n’ roll when payola and the strong-arm tactics of the mob were the norm, and the hits kept coming.”
I bought a copy of the book signed by musician Tommy James which is shown below.
THE END RESULT FOR JOHN LENNON & THE SPECTOR OLDIES SESSIONS RESULTED IN TWO ALBUMS: ROCK ‘n’ ROLL & MENLOVE AVENUE
John re-recorded many of the songs he had recorded at the Spector sessions and used a much smaller set of musicians and recorded the Rock n’ Roll album in NY following the release of Walls and Bridges. A few songs from the Spector sessions were included on the album. John used an old photograph taken by his German friend, Jurgen Vollmer for the cover and reminded his followers that “they should have been there.”
Back cover of the recording:
John Lennon says goodbye to the music business in 1975 with this earlier Spector session tape. This is the longer unedited version where he says hello to the other three ex-Beatles which someone posted on YouTube!
John Lennon just because complete
Yoko Ono was posthumously to release John’s Menlove Avenue album which featured a few Spector session tapes on side 1 including To Know her is To Love Her, Since My Baby Left Me and Angel Baby which was a song that appeared on the Roots album. It was later remixed by Sean with a much clearer sound on the Gimme Some truth collection. The other side of the album featured rehearsals for some of the Walls and Bridges songs.
The album cover choice by Yoko for Menlove Avenue was done by none other than Andy Warhol. The album opener also featured the only official co-written song by John Lennon and Phil Spector called “Here We Go Again” which reportedly was recorded around the same time as the Spector session tapes on the West Coast.
Yoko used three unused Spector session tapes on the Menlove Avenue album. Since My baby Left Me, To Know Her is to Love Her, and Angel Baby. Not absolutely sure that John had planned to use the Here We Go Again track that he had written with Spector on the oldies LP unless the title was going to reference going back and reminiscing!
John Lennon – Menlove Ave – Since My Baby Left Me
To Know Her Is To Love Her – Menlove Ave.
One of the Roots tracks which was to later appear officially on the Menlove Ave LP and later a superb sounding version on the collection of Lennon tracks called Gimme Some Truth featuring a great remix by Sean Lennon
ANGEL BABY. (Ultimate Remix, 2020) – John Lennon.
Some of the demos played on the Lost Lennon Tapes that someone posted on YouTube demonstrate some of the concerns discussed earlier on this blog piece revealing John’s ability for creative decisions. He thought Nilsson’s piece to finish the song outweighed original Spector’s contribution to the song.
John was not completely satisfied with the original middle section of the song
John Lennon – Mucho Mungo (Demo) [Restored 2025]
The Nilsson middle on the released version of the song from Pussy Cats was John’s choice to complete the song!
Harry Nilsson – Mucho Mungo / Mt. Elga (Audio)
The demo of the co-written with Spector Here We Go Again
John Lennon – Here We Go Again (Acoustic)
The Spector version from Menlove Avenue
Here We Go Again – Menlove Ave.
Back cover of the LP:
Encourage you to check out the books mentioned in this blog post. It will demonstrate that the music industry can also have a much darker side than the positive results we hear after we purchase a musical piece from our favorite artists that we admire so much.
A question to ponder is will Sean Lennon one day get around to producing a detailed box set of the Spector/ Rock ‘n’ Roll sessions and are there any unissued tracks still left in the can?
The marvelous job Sean Lennon did on Angel Baby bodes well for such a possible future release!
Be healthy and be happy!
Buzz
Our Featured Book About John Lennon and The Quarrymen
Just Like Starting Over: John Lennon and The Quarrymen
When John Lennon and his group The Quarrymen stepped onto the back of a wagon in Rosebery Street on 22nd June 1957, Charlie Roberts borrowed a camera and took a few photos of the event. It was just a group of friends having fun at a street party.
