John Robertson
L'Arte e la Musica di John Lennon

“Relax, this is not another book about the Beatles”. Thus begins John Robertson's monograph.

Usually, when discussing Lennon's work, the focus is on the period from 1962 (the start of the Beatles' discography) to 1971 (the year “Imagine” was released). After 1971, attention shifts from his art to discussions of his appearances with a beret, or Yoko Ono, the birth of his second child, his voluntary seclusion, and his death. But, as the author says, “Lennon created art for 23 years (1957 - 1980)”. This volume discusses, though not always with the same depth, all the artistic work John did in those 23 years.

Robertson obviously pays a certain amount of attention to the early works (prior to 1962), not shying away from labeling them as “amateurish” or appreciating them when necessary.

Then the discussion moves to the “roaring years” (1962 – 1965), where readers will witness the enormous amount of work done by the Beatles, prompting the author to say: “In an era where a song and a video require months of hard work, it's difficult to understand the stress the Beatles were under during these two years”.

Being a serious critic, you will not find disdain for the early works (up to “Help!”), nor the frenzied adulation common today. Pay close attention to the exegesis of the lyrics of “Help!” and the critique of “You Have Got To Hide Your Love Away”.

Between 1964 and 1965, Lennon published a couple of books that are analyzed here, both for the wordplay and the drawings.

Then it moves on to “Rubber Soul“, “the first real Beatles album”. The reviews of the song lyrics on this album are very well done, especially “Girl”. Then comes “Revolver”. You cannot help but appreciate the detailed analysis of the making of “Tomorrow Never Knows”, which is, in my opinion, more beautiful than that in Ian MacDonald's book, and do not overlook “Rain” for the innovations it brought to recording techniques.

Then comes the story of “Strawberry Fields”: splendid - although I do not at all agree with the author's opinion that this song is “a narcotic madness”.

Then “Pepper”. This book is truly useful for learning what Lennon said about the album in the 70s.

Very well done is the analysis of the trip to India, when John, alone with himself, had to face his demons – as can be seen in the chilling “Yer Blues”.

Of course, in a book about Lennon, one cannot avoid talking about Yoko Ono, and why John was so drawn to her.

The description of the White album songs is somewhat superficial. Just one adjective (“beautiful”) for “Dear Prudence”, and a few lines for “Happiness is a Warm Gun”, which “forced them to sweat like they did once when they no longer had anything to prove”.

The period of “Let It Be”, which “would deserve a book, boring, but still a book”, is treated briefly: one can surmise Robertson wants to quickly start talking about the solo Lennon.

However, his period of the “bed-in for peace” is well-treated, where the author caustically notes: “Without any sense of the ridiculous, he began to play the prophet of things he cared nothing about. He, with his exaggerated nature, dove headfirst into it”.

The famous 1970 “Rolling Stone” interview is also mentioned, when “he spewed insults at McCartney in every direction”.

I leave to you the excellent analysis of the solo albums, to which Robertson dedicates a great deal of energy.

The famous 1973 weekend is also discussed, when John decided to leave Yoko Ono, almost choosing to return to the Beatles, something he was considering doing again in 1975.

Then the birth of his second son and his personal rebirth.

Finally, the death – occurring in a period of great optimism, when John felt happy and enthusiastic like a kid.

The sincere passion and competence of the author have produced an excellent book, very dense, sometimes even too much so. More pages and better chapter division were needed to let the reader “breathe” a bit more.

I recommend it. Even if you don't love Lennon but are just a fan of the Beatles, you won't regret it because, beyond the most pleasant reading, you'll find information (on the 1962 - 1970 period) not even present in Ian MacDonald. It is not a perfect masterpiece, but it is still a masterpiece. I would like to conclude like this. If we want to find a moral in this book, I would say it is this: Lennon, despite being a lazy idler, was never an amateur when he got down to work. It was difficult to bring him into the studio, but once there, it was hard to get him out – as was his all-or-nothing character. He was a “very lazy perfectionist”. This is why his output almost always leaves a deep sense of respect for the author - whether we like him or not. As Robertson says: “What he did, despite the disparity of the results, was never done half-heartedly”.