Erika (June 9, 2007)

Now THIS is the John Lennon we know and love, back from wherever he was since "Imagine" in 1973. Although I'm not a big fan of the single "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night," there are some great songs on this album, such as "What You Got," "Scared," "No. 9 Dream," and "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)."

Bruce Beatlefan (February 26, 2006)

For most people reading this, the story is well known--the separation from Yoko, the riotous "Lost Weekend" with notable L.A. degenerates such as Harry Nilsson and Keith Moon, John Lennon swirling down the downward spiral until Yoko takes him back...as an elixir for a faltering marriage this causes me to raise my eyebrows (and it sure didn't do much for poor May Pang), but as the impetus for John to write great music this is unbeatable. Walls and Bridges is John Lennon's greatest post-Beatles album; here we have John at his emotionally expressive peak. The desparation ("What You Got"), resignation ("Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out"), self-loathing ("Steel and Glass"), humor ("Sweet Bird of Paradox"), naked fear ("I'm Scared"), and unconquerable love ("Bless You") all ring true with excellent music and convincing performances. Add to this the beautiful and hypnotic "#9 Dream" and the rocking "Beef Jerky" with the other tracks and you have an album which is extremely satisfying. Man, that photograph of the beleaguered John...I never would have recognized him!

chacho (July 28, 2005)

a drip into a man's feelings and emotions of anguish and desperation.
walls and bridges does exactly that, builds up the walls and then finds the bridges to get to the other side. john lennon was a master of living and resolving his problems. dream sweet dream..he once said.

John (July 16, 2005)

A nice rebound after two disappointing efforts in a row. An enjoyable listen. Maybe slightly overproduced, but that would be nitpicking. Songs dealing with Yoko and John's mistress May Pang made for an interesting glimpse into his life at the time. Includes the #1 Whatever Gets You Through The Night with a guest appearance by Elton John. It's classic Lennon thrugh and through. The other real standout is the beautiful No. 9 Dream. A solid comeback album for John.

Oki Doki (July 13, 2009)

This is a magnificent Cd. Made in John's "long weekend" with May Pang.
Jon Lennon was a character and his songs stay with you, they linger in your mind when you wake from deep sleep. CD arrived asfely and smoothly.
Henk B.

One of Lennon's best solo releases (December 10, 2008)

If you were to buy three of the best John Lennon solo albums, Walls & Bridges would be one of those albums (the other being the Plastic Ono Band and Imagine). We find Lennon in an introspective mindset reflecting on his life at the time, including his "lost year" with Harry Nilsson. The production is full, his vocals are great and the songs are all solid. BnB Beatles Depot

it's great, but not as good as I was hoping it'd be (July 30, 2008)

I don't know about this album. Many of the songs just don't connect with me in the same way the ones from Imagine and Mind Games do. Many of the songs feel like they were just slapped on here to give the public more of John Lennon's excellent music, which makes sense because he IS one of the best singer/songwriters of all-time, but it's disappointing the quality of the music isn't a bit higher. I'd say the highlights would be the mysteriously beautiful "Bless You", the funky "What You Got", the jazzy "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night", the highly unusual and dreamy "#9 Dream", and the instrumentally pleasing "Beef Jerky". So yeah, I still like the album a lot, but it could have been the best thing ever.

The SOUL of John Lennon (June 20, 2007)

How one approaches this disc depends on what you think of when you hear the name "John Lennon". If your idea of Lennon is the politically naive, misinformed "pseudo-Messiah" some people try to make him out to be, then listen to MIND GAMES. If your idea of him is the "kitty"-whipped, emaciated shadow who groaned out vapid tunes like "Nobody Told Me" and "Wheels", then you would be happier listening to DOUBLE FANTASY on continuous loop. However, if your idea of John Lennon is that of the former Beatle who got into the music business because he liked the work of Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard, then take a listen: THIS ALBUM KICKS SOME MAJOR BOOTY!

In 1973, Lennon was separated from Yoko Ono and found himself collaborating with music producer, Phil Spector. Spector was famous for his "wall of sound" and he brought to this disc, his trademark brass horns and strings; leaving solidly placed at the foundation,drums that repeatedly asserted themselves to skew the album toward the R+B side of the musical spectrum.Lest you think Spector's wall eclipsed Lennon, it was John's power as a songwriter, and on this occasion, as a VOCALIST that made this album a triumph! On this "rekkid", John Lennon did some of the best singing of his entire career!

Tortured lyrics dominate this album, but instead of lame-o impressions of Bob Dylan, John sang in his own style, the kind to which we have grown accostumed to hearing in some of the best Beatle tunes. John was alienated from his wife, uncomfortable with his celebrity and just plain mad at the world! Still, he never lost his sense of humor and so, grim songs like "Goin' Down on Love" and "Nobody Loves You" are balanced by little ditties such as "Old Dirt Road" and "Whatever Gets You Through the Night", the latter tune was a duet with Elton John that became a #1 hit! The hypnotic "#9 Dream" is here, featuring a cameo by Lennon's girlfriend of the time, May Pang, as well as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written, "Bless You".Listen for 10-year old Julian Lennon on "Ya,Ya" and shudder as John seems to predict his own death in the nightmarish, "Scared".

Where does this album stand in the Solo-Lennon canon? As an oddity but a delightful one that anticipates the Punk-Soul sound of groups like Brand Nubian or Girls Versus Boys. Finally, no matter what else one may think about this disc one thing cannot be denied: YOU CAN DANCE TO IT, GOL' DANG, IT! How many other "post-Beatles" Lennon albums can you say that about? Not many.

One of Lennon's best... (May 9, 2007)

I absolutely love this CD. Not for the sole fact that it is John Lennon's, but for the music itself. This has to be one of my favorite CD's by him. The Song "surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)" is one of the greatest songs on the album. I highly recommend this CD.