Walls and Bridges (Remastered)

iTunes Review

John Lennon struck back in 1974 with Walls and Bridges, an album written and conceived during his 18-month “lost weekend” in Los Angeles. While the album certainly bears its scars (“Scared,” “Going Down On Love,” “Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out)”), it's also typical of Lennon’s nature, a resilient album of strong musicianship and flawless execution. Even at his most personal and pained, Lennon has always maintained an impeccable, often startling, sense of professionalism. “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night,” his duet with Elton John, is a pure neurotic party anthem highlighted by the honking sax of Rolling Stones’ sideman Bobby Keys. “#9 Dream” is the requisite piece of utopian pop that Lennon mastered throughout the ‘70s, lushly orchestrated and hauntingly sad in its optimism. Add in the bitter determination of “Steel and Glass” alongside casual throwaways such as “Ya Ya,” with teenaged son Julian on drums, and the instrumental “Beef Jerky,” and there rested the self-portrait of the man until his 1980 comeback.