PRELUDE:
Recently a good friend of mine on the internet named Anthony had a discussion with me about all of the fantastic, unreleased John Lennon songs that we both heard on the Lost Lennon radio series and on YouTube but these songs never had a studio professional treatment until three of them were finished by the remaining Beatles, of course I refer to Free as a Bird, Real Love, and the #1 UK release of Now and Then. Anthony and I had a discussion of hoping that Sean would eventually consider a family project of finishing up the best of his dad’s still unreleased compositions to gift the world with studio productions of the many wonderful songs that John left behind.
I Invited Anthony to write the letter and I invite you to read the exquisite letter that Anthony wrote, welcoming the latest Lennon addition to the family, Aurelius, to the world, and explaining to Sean a project that he hopes he will consider one day when he has the time. Enough of my dissertation. Here is the exquisite letter of my internet friend, Anthony:
THE LETTER:
Dear Sean,
Congratulations Dad (and Mom). What a joyful time in your lives and one that is certain to inspire the proud parents.
As lifelong fans, it is our hope you might someday consider a project that would mean a great deal to millions of people around the world: an album built around some of your father’s unfinished demos.
For so many of us, John’s music has never really belonged to the past. We grew up with it. We fell in love to it, raised families with it playing in our homes, turned to it during difficult times, and celebrated better days with those songs somewhere in the background. In a very real sense, generations of fans have grown up alongside the Lennon family. After all these years, the love still burns remarkably strongly.
The extraordinary work that was done with “Now and Then” reminded us that an unfinished recording does not necessarily have to remain unfinished forever. In the right hands, and approached with sensitivity and respect, an old voice can reach across the years without losing the humanity that made it matter in the first place.
Perhaps somewhere in the Lennon archives are a few more fragments—unfinished songs, home recordings, melodies, lyrics, or ideas—that John never had the opportunity to complete. We can think of no one better than you to decide whether any of them deserve another life. Not as an attempt to recreate John Lennon, which no one could ever do, but as a loving conversation between generations.
And now you and Charlotte have welcomed little Aurelius into your family. Parenthood has a wonderful way of changing our sense of time: suddenly the past, present, and future seem to sit together in the same room. Aurelius will grow up surrounded by an extraordinary artistic legacy, but more importantly, by the family behind that legacy. Who knows? Perhaps one day he, too, will find his own way of making music and adding another chapter to a remarkable family story.
Of course, this may not be the moment for such a project. These are the days of diaper changes, nighttime feedings, very little sleep, and discovering the incomparable joy of simply being Mom and Dad. The tapes can wait.
But someday, should the idea speak to you, imagine what might be possible. With some of the world’s most gifted musicians and producers only a phone call away—and with your own remarkable musicianship and understanding of your father’s work—you would certainly have some interesting choices to make.
There is no need to manufacture nostalgia. John already left us more than enough. But if there are still a handful of songs waiting quietly in a box somewhere, perhaps they deserve to be heard.
And perhaps we are not quite finished listening.
With affection, gratitude, and enduring love for the music,
Lennon Fans Forever
LENNON DEMOS
Now that the beautiful letter by Anthony has expressed the viewpoint of many fans, we wanted to take this opportunity to demonstrate some of the Lennon demos that have appeared on YouTube, being attempted by various musicians:
Anthony, YouTube has proven that there are more than just a few scraps remaining. The following links from YouTube reflect several people attempting to finish up some of John’s demos with their own vision of what a studio sounding track might sound like. Some of them are noticeably better than others, but they all deserve a listen to envision or determine what the final finished product might have sounded like if it was ever brought to the studio! Some of these YouTubers deserve a medal for their efforts in my opinion.
This blog post does not represent an encouragement or sanction of these YT recordings only that they do exist on YouTube, giving the Lennon family a possible prime incentive to put together the project being suggested at the beginning of this post directly under the Lennon family tutelage and direction!
Many of these attempts are excellent and makes fans wonder, “I wonder what a finished studio production sanctioned by the family would actually end up being?” Peter Jackson – this is one helluva project for you, dear sir!
Do most fans think that a project like this should be attempted by the family or should things be simply left alone?
Two excellent attempts:
A song John apparently wrote about playwright Tennessee Williams sometime in 1974/75!
John Lennon – Tennessee (Memories) (Unreleased 1970s Dakota Demo) – Fan made (Not AI)
A potential song begun as a Lennon jam during the Get back sessions:
The Beatles – Watching Rainbows (Finished)
A cover from 1969: Could some of the unfinished music from the Get Back Sessions be made into finished songs?
The Beatles – Maybe Baby (1969 Demo With Completed Vocals) – YouTube
Was impressed with these:
The Beatles – India, India (Finished)
Two more Lennon jams during the Get Back sessions!
The Beatles – Mad Man (Finished)
The Beatles – Suzie Parker (Finished) [Mashup]
Another cover:
The Beatles – Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (1963 BBC Saturday Club Recreation)
More:
John Lennon’s Unreleased ‘Real Life’ Demo – My Full Instrumentation Version
India India John Lennon cover with John Lennon singing!
You saved my soul John Lennon Cover Happy Birthday 2023
John Lennon – Illusions (Not for Love Nor Money) [Fan Arrangement / 2026]
The Happy Rishikesh song cover with John Lennon Not AI
John Lennon – She Is a Friend of Dorothy (Unreleased 1970s Dakota Demo) – Full Band Recreation
John Lennon – Mucho Mungo (1976 Home Demo Enhanced) | Real Instruments Over John’s Original Vocal
My Take on John Lennon’s Hidden Gem: Here We Go Again (Demo Cover)
The Beatles – Brian Epstein Blues (Finished)
By the way this list is not fully comprehensive as there are many more hone demos that were heard in the Lost Lennon tapes!
Based on the Beatles performance of a jam during Let it Be
Another demo by a source who seems to produce quality stuff on YouTube
Solitude John Lennon Demo. Not AI. Fan Made
TWO EXCELLENT ARTISTS WHO HAVE COVERED JOHN’S UNRLEASED MATERIAL IN THEIR OWN CDS:
LOS ESCARABAJOS: A Spanish group who produced a cd called Lennonphile
Los Escarabajos – Lennonphile (The Album That John Could Never Record) – YouTube
PAMELA DAVIS: A very talented musician who teaches music put together a wonderful CD called Dear John an exciting collection of her interpretations of some of John’s as of then unreleased material
Dear John (A John Lennon Tribute) – YouTube
More samples:
John Lennon – My Life Demo (Re Imagined)
John Lennon’s Lost 1970 Demo “I Promise” Cover Not AI
Sally and Billy-Help me to help myself Music only John Lennon demos. New 2024
John Lennon & Bob Dylan Mashup – Serve Yourself + Gotta Serve Somebody (Not AI)
The Beatles – Help Me To Help Myself (Finished)
The Beatles – All I Want Is You (Finished)
John Lennon – You Saved My Soul (restored demo)
® John Lennon – “Memories” (AI Completed Version of Unreleased Demo)
Post Beatles John Lennon: Just Because (1973) (unreleased Lennon song) new 1st time heard in Stereo
John Lennon – One Of The boys (unreleased song) [Remastered 2023]
John Lennon – Dear John (RARE Demo Remixed 2024)
John Lennon – Memories (unreleased song) [Remastered 2023]
John Lennon – Not for love or money (unreleased Song)
John Lennon – Whatever Happened To (unreleased song) demo circa 1978 [Remastered 2023]
John Lennon – Mirror On The Wall (GENERAL CRACKERS) demo ca. 1977 [Remasted 2023]
John Lennon – Cookin’ (in the kitchen of love) [AI Remaster]
John Lennon – Mucho Mungo (Demo) [Restored 2025]
I’m In Love (early recording) – The Beatles
1963 John Lennon Demo (Bad to Me)
Different version of this one:
The Beatles: What Goes On (Demo)
More covers:
John Lennon – You send me (unreleased 1979 Cover)
Dream Lover / John Lennon from album ROCK “N” ROLL SESSIONS
John Lennon – Dream Lover / Stay
Bits and Pieces:
The Beatles/John Lennon: Hold On, I’m Coming [Unreleased Demo]
9 – JOHN LENNON – Say it Again – (rare demo)
JOHN LENNON – ‘A CASE OF THE BLUES’: The Extremely Rare Unreleased Dakota Song In Its Entirety!
John Lennon – Gone from this place (unreleased Song) **Restored 2024**
The final word is from Paul:
Paul McCartney’s Unreleased Song About John Lennon called “John’s Boots”
Questions: Based on what you have heard on the YouTube samples provided on the post, what are your favorite numbers and why? Would you like to see a couple of final studio albums put together by the Lennon family finishing the incomplete numbers and taking the finished numbers and giving them a full studio production with backing vocals, where applicable, and guest musicians to play and sing along with John, perhaps some of his musical friends that survive could lend a contributing hand to the recordings. Peter Jackson could help like he did with Now and Then to bring John’s special voice to the forefront of the possible releases!
A special thank you to Anthony, a very special person indeed, for his wonderful letter to Sean! I hope he hears you and agrees that this is a good idea!
Be happy and healthy!
Buzz
John Lennon – Making The Case For Genius
Postscript to Ponder:
Don’t let the recent historical and cultural revisionists tell you who John Lennon was, as only he truly knew! Personally, I will always see him as a troubled but beautiful genius who invited us all to reflect about our own lives!
My friend Anthony sums it up perfectly when he states:
Too many to choose just a few favorites. I would prefer if the ones done with The Beatles be released separately from the ones that are Lennon solo numbers, but honestly I would gladly buy them in any format they were released in.
Good day everyone… if John was Here Today … my deepest intuition tells me that he would not want his unfinished work sitting in a dusty digital vault. He gave us everything. We honor his legacy by continuing to give his love away to the world. Thank you to the Beatles Bookstore for starting this conversation.
Watching Rainbows.. already impressive .. and finished!