We may never seen an end to the deluge of Beatles-related products hauled from the vaults, but given that one of the recurring features of John Lennon's solo career was to strip it down, the compiling of Acoustic--a series of unplugged demos, live tracks, and home recordings compiled by Yoko Ono ??? actually makes a weird kind of sense. A seething home take on "Working Class Hero" threatens to eclipse the original, its bitter sentiments somehow magnified by the intensity and intimacy of the recording, while a run-through of "Cold Turkey", played on tight, brittle strings, sounds authentically tortured, Lennon's voice hitting a pained, almost animalistic quaver. There's more interesting stuff in the shape of two live tracks, "The Luck of the Irish" and "John Sinclair", recorded at a rally in Ann Arbor in 1971 staged in support of Sinclair ??? the notorious White Panther and MC5 manager jailed for possession of marijuana. Three newly discovered demos of Plastic Ono Band numbers, "Well Well Well", "God", and "My Mummy's Dead" should keep the Lennon completists happy, and unusually, the booklet contains not just lyrics, but chords as well ??? perfect for the aspiring learner. --Louis Pattison

I feel I have to stick up for this album a little bit, I really like it and find it a great addition to both my John Lennon collection and my music collection in general.

The album is a collection of well-known Lennon songs recorded either from live venues, recording studio rehearsals or home recordings. This gives a new angle of classics such as Imagine, Love and Watching the Wheels but it???s also a great opportunity to revisit those little know album tracks like ???My Mummy???s Dead???

It???s an easy accusation to claim that the album has only been released as a money spinning idea and I dare say that there is an element of this about the package. But that said it???s still a fine album and for those who haven???t littered their collections with bootleg versions then it makes a fine addition.

The John Lennon's Acoustic is a good cd. Every Lennon fan should have one, because is a great mix of hits of the boss.
The quality of this cd isnt good, there are songs recordered in studio without prepare them, and sometimes, if you listen a lot of times, probably you can say: no more, break to my ears... but, still, is a good CD with the real-John Lennon singing.

The little CD booklet that comes with this CD is wonderful. Not just listings and a few details but lyrics to all the songs with the guitar chords shown as well. The pictures are rare and unusual and well done.

The CD on the other hand is a rag bag of different quality recordings and different acoustic textures. Perhaps it's the way Lennon plays his acoustic knowing it would likely end up an electric part. Individually the tracks are mastered fine but as a CD listening experience it's unpleasant.

I have to declare an interest - I am a Beatles/Lennon fanatic, so in truth I'd buy anything Yoko chooses to release.

However, I wonder who this is targeted at? Most of this stuff is widely available on bootlegs, and despite the blurb, the studio wizardry does little to improve the sound, but rather changes it with phasing and echo.

The inlay material is a bit naff too - lyrics sprinkled with guitar chords, and chord tabs for the beginner! There are some nice pics though.

In its favour, this CD shows how strong Lennon's songwriting was, as without exception, the songs sound good in the simple acoustic setting.

In summary, one for the fans, probably not for the casual listener who quite liked Lennon Legend. But let's face it, the man was a genius, sadly missed, and maybe we should be grateful for any scraps of new material that Yoko chooses to put out - I know I am.