5 star music, but this is a one star collection!

OK bear with me. Before you look at the one star, read the review.

John Lennon's genius is put to ill use in this collection. There is no attempt at chronology, the liner notes...wait, what liner notes! There is an abysmal idea of sequence, I mean "Cold Turkey is a phenomenal song, but making it the last cut? Why? Couldn't they find something a bit more uplifting? This is a slapdash effort and probably put together just to cash in. Lennon's legacy deserves better.

Genius that doesn't go away with time

At the time of this writing some 120 used copies of this album were up for sale here in Amazon for as little as $0.99. Why would anyone on his/her right mind get rid of this fabulous collection, I can only speculate about, because simply put, this compilation of John Lennon music has every single by the musical genius from Liverpool that became a hit in his lifespan (and even after his death).

To this day, almost 25 years after his murder, all his music seems ageless. It sounds as fresh as ever, and it still makes me sad: to realize such a talent was lost... When I listen to songs such as "Love", "Woman" (the first song I have an actual memory of having listened to over and over on the radio) and "Beautiful Boy" (a song I love to dedicate to my own son), I feel torn between the void that he left, and the joy and peace his songs bring to my heart as well.

Instant Karma!

I have always been an admirer of John Lennon's work as both a member of the legendary band The Beatles as well as a solo artist. I am not what I would consider a big fan but I always had a high respect for John's work as a songwriter/singer. He was quite prolific. I bought "The John Lennon Collection" a few years ago. I hadn't listened to the cd in awhile until recently. I was amazed by how well songs like "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", "#9 Dream" and "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" has hold up in over twenty years. I must admit I have soft spot for John's ballads in particular. Phil Spector's production on some of the songs adds such an amazing lush sound that I don't hear in a lot of music nowadays. I don't think there will ever be a song as beautiful and poignant as "Imagine". They lyrics, the music, and Phil Spector's production was the perfect combination and the results is a timeless song that I can never tire of. But even in songs like "#9 Dream" which wasn't produced by Phil has such a gorgeous airy, lush pop sensibility which almost moves me to tears because it is such a beautiful song. Political minded songs like "Give Peace A Chance" and "Happy Xmas(War is Over)" seems more relevant today than ever. "The John Lennon Collection" is a nice reminder to what music lost over twenty years ago. The songs still holds up very well and remains as relevant as they were back in the '70s. Music needs more artists like John Lennon.