# I heard a John Lennon demo tape today on a classic rock station **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232 "2003-02-10T23:29:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/1 "2003-02-10T23:29:27Z")
Here in the bay area, on 98.5, there’s a DJ by the name of Greg Kihn, who can be alternately annoying and informative. He’s a musician himself, and likes to pepper his broadcast with name-dropping. He will also occasionally play rare bits and pieces he has collected, as well as live recordings he has made himself. This morning, without explaining where he got it, he played a demo tape made in November of 1966, of John Lennon singing in his living room and accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar. The song was a new one he had just composed - _Strawberry Fields_. This was the tape he apparently played to Paul McCartney to get started on fleshing the song out. I can’t describe how jaw-droppingly perfect this humble little recording was. It was virtually in the same form as was eventually produced for the public, only much simpler and spare. Sometimes it takes stripping a classic song down to its basic form to re-appreciate its genius. The ability to write a hauntingly beautiful melody seems to me to be the most mysterious art in the world - I can’t understand how someone can do it, the way I can basically understand how a painting is done or a book is written. And John Lennon had this art in spades, not that it’s news to anyone. ::still breathless:: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/2 "2003-02-11T00:07:06Z")
That came from _Anthology 2_ after having been on numerous bootlegs for years. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/3 "2003-02-11T00:16:50Z")
Thanks, Mr. Blue Sky. I Amazoned that right away and now Anthology 2 is on my Amazon Wish List. All the other tracks look fascinating, too. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/4 "2003-02-11T00:45:37Z")
Then you’ll love “Because”. It’s just the vocal track with the music stripped away. The Beatles recorded a three-part harmony (John, Paul, & George) and then overdubbed it twice giving us a nine-part harmony. ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/5 "2003-02-11T03:25:38Z")
Greg Kihn of “The Breakup Song” fame? Cool…glad to see he’s working. One of my earliest girlfriends (back in 6th grade or so) was the niece of his drummer. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/6 "2003-02-11T05:31:45Z")
The version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on Anthology 3 may have a similar effect. ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/7 "2003-02-11T09:09:21Z")
Question for the bootleg fans out there: I was informed awhile back that a vinyl Beatles boot of 16 or 17 different versions of “Strawberry Fields” was in circulation for awhile. I frequent rare record shows (usually bootleg markets) on occasion and haven’t ever seen it for sale, so, does this rarity in fact exist? ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/8 "2003-02-11T10:10:23Z")
**Keith Berry** , I have two such rarities in MP3 format, I guess you could call them pirate versions of bootleg albums.😉 One is called _The Alternate Magical Mystery Tour_, released by “Walrus” records. Side 2 includes about 14 different takes and mixes of “Strawberry Fields.” The other is _Strawberry Lane_, released by “Silent Sea Productions.” The entire album consists of out-takes, sound samples, false starts and various mixes of “Strawberry Fields” and “Penny Lane” (mostly “Strawberry Fields” stuff). This one is a real gem which traces the development of “Fields” from John’s acoustic demo through the finished product. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-a-john-lennon-demo-tape-today-on-a-classic-rock-station/154232/9 "2003-02-11T12:35:23Z")
Look for a book called Not For Sale. It gives an extensive list of Beatles bootlegs.