# John Lennon - Did he ever tour or do one-off shows as a solo artist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252 "2010-01-24T18:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/21 "2010-01-25T07:14:05Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I was referring to John’s lack of touring as a waste of talent. He spent a lot of years in his NY apartment. I’m not familiar with a lot of John’s solo work because it didn’t get much airplay. _Imagine_ got massive airplay because of his murder. > > I’m not knocking his music. I grew up in the 70’s and just don’t recall hearing much about him except the bed-ins and other stunts he pulled with Yoko. His studio recordings may have been really good. \ I’m inclined to agree with what I think you’re thrusting at, which is: John was the better (or cooler sounding/looking/acting or whatever) Beatle than Paul, but that Paul had a better knack for writing hit songs than John did in the aftermath of the Beatles breakup. Or something… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/22 "2010-01-25T12:58:11Z")
He also dabbled in music production- he produced Harry Nilsson’s ‘Pussy Cats’ in 1974. Unfortunately, it marks the lowpoint of Harry Nilsson’s voice (a ruptured vocal cord) and did some work with other people. In addition to ‘Whatever Gets You Through the Night’ and ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ with Elton John, he also appeared on David Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’ on two tracks (‘Fame’ and ‘Across the Universe’) in 74-75. But there was an immigration battle in there, the ‘Lost Weekend’, heavy drug use and ‘House Husbanding’ in the middle there…so he just didn’t seem to get out there too much the last six years or so. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/23 "2010-01-25T16:28:29Z")
I believe everything has been mentioned except the _Rock and Roll Circus._ This was a series of two concerts, performed before an invited audience, in Dec. 1968. It was organized by the Rolling Stones and was going to be made into a BBC special, but was deep-sixed by the Stones, reportedly because they were dissatisfied with their performance relative to some of the other acts. (It was finally released in 1996, and I must say I don’t know what the Stones’ problem was. I think they were fantastic.) Guest artists included the Who, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull (at the time, the absolute acme of feminine pulchritude), Taj Mahal, and the Dirty Mac, a one-off supergroup consisting of John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell. The Dirty Mac performed “Yer Blues” and a piece that has received the fitting title of “Whole Lotta Yoko”. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Rolling\_Stones\_Rock\_and\_Roll\_Circus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_Rock_and_Roll_Circus) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/24 "2010-01-25T16:32:26Z")
There was also an ill-advised John/Yoko album where Yoko screeched and Yelled throughout. Her idea of performance art. :rolleyes: I “think” that was the one where they were on the cover naked. They did several albums and may have been a different one. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/25 "2010-01-25T16:47:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There was also an ill-advised John/Yoko album where Yoko screeched and Yelled throughout. Her idea of performance art. :rolleyes: I “think” that was the one where they were on the cover naked. They did several albums and may have been a different one. You mean [Unfinished Music:Two Virgins?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Virgins) (NSFW) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/26 "2010-01-25T17:00:39Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I believe everything has been mentioned except the _Rock and Roll Circus._ (It was finally released in 1996, and I must say I don’t know what the Stones’ problem was. I think they were fantastic.) Even though Brian Jones was there in body only, and everyone was completely worn out, the Stones’ set was pretty damn good. One theory on why they didn’t release the film is that The Who’s performance of “A Quick One” was even better, and that Mick and Co. didn’t like the idea of being upstaged in their own film. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/27 "2010-01-25T17:03:49Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > You mean [Unfinished Music:Two Virgins?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Virgins) (NSFW) That’s the one. 😉 Been awhile since I saw that much hair down there. 😃 Wiki doesn’t mention the screaming, but Life with Lions sounds like the infamous Yoko track. This link is safe for work. > **[Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_Music_No.2:_Life_with_the_Lions)** > > Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions is the second of three collaborative experimental albums of avant-garde music by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in May 1969 on Zapple, a sub label of Apple. It was a successor to 1968's highly controversial Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, and was followed by the Wedding Album. The album peaked in the United States at number 174, 50 places lower than the previous album. The album, whose title is a play on words of the BBC Radio show Life with... > [@](#): > > The album opens with an extended and improvised recording entitled “Cambridge 1969”, recorded on 2 March at Cambridge University, before a live audience. The piece consists of Yoko Ono’s vocalisations accompanied by electric guitar feedback from John Lennon. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/28 "2010-01-25T18:25:02Z")
**Two Virgins** came out in 1968, while the Beatles were still together. I remember hearing a lot about its cover and how it was covered in paper. Then this album came in that was all white and had “The Beatles” stenciled on it . . . . Also, I wouldn’t call McCartney’s Wings “a modest band of semi-pro musicians.” It contained Denny Laine, who was the original leader of The Moody Blues (and who sung their first hit) and Denny Seiwell, who had already been a drummer for John Denver, Billy Joel, and other groups. When they started touring, they added Henry McCollough, who had played with Joe Cocker. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/29 "2010-01-25T18:33:31Z")
Wings became a very good band. I still listen to their albums. This was the early bit I referred to earlier. It’s pretty cool that Paul was able to return to his roots and tour informally for awhile. > **[Paul McCartney and Wings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_%28band%29)** > > Paul McCartney and Wings, often billed simply as Wings, were a British rock band formed in 1971 in London by Paul McCartney, formerly of the Beatles, on vocals and bass, his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, Denny Laine, formerly of the Moody Blues, on guitar and vocals, and Denny Seiwell on drums. They were noted for their commercial successes, musical eclecticism, and frequent personnel changes. They went through three lead guitarists and four drummers. The core trio of the McCartneys and L... > [@](#): > > In late 1971, McCartney added ex-Spooky Tooth guitarist Henry McCullough, a native of Northern Ireland, to the line-up of Wings and returned to touring, mounting an impromptu tour of U.K. universities and later a tour of small European venues (with the group driving around in a van), playing no Beatles numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/30 "2010-01-25T18:38:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > That’s the one. 😉 Been awhile since I saw that much hair down there. 😃 > > Wiki doesn’t mention the screaming, but Life with Lions sounds like the infamous Yoko track. > This link is safe for work. > [Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinished_Music_No.2:_Life_with_the_Lions) [The beginning of “Cambridge 1969”.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag5hRh50mv0) Time to listen to _Metal Machine Music_ to get that screeching out of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/31 "2010-01-25T19:04:10Z")
I saw him on TV once in the 1970s where he performed with his band. It was a special called “Salute to Sir Lew [Grade].” The only thing I remember about it was that he and the rest of his band seemed to be wearing maskes on the back of their head and neck. Now what was that all about? ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/32 "2010-01-25T19:15:08Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Even though Brian Jones was there in body only, and everyone was completely worn out, the Stones’ set was pretty damn good. Although Brian was near the end of his rope at that point, he did manage to turn in a very nice slide guitar performance on “No Expectations”, as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252/33 "2010-01-26T04:06:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Paul went back to his roots. He formed a modest band of semi-pro musicians and called it Wings. The first couple years he had a ball touring England. I saw a documentary on the BBC. They’d pull into a college and ask the student affairs director if they could play. Naturally no one turned him down. Actually I remember Paul being on a call in program and being asked about “Power Cut”, a track off _Red Rose Speedway_. He said it was about the first Wings tour. It got that name because a coal strike at the time meant the power would often be shut off. A number of colleges would refuse to host Wings concerts: some didn’t believe it was Paul, some didn’t have power, and one didn’t want to interrupt finals week(!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-lennon-did-he-ever-tour-or-do-one-off-shows-as-a-solo-artist/526252.md?page=1)