But I just had to post this. From one of my new readers, 1938 Music, comes this absolute gem that I had never heard a thing about until two days ago. Seems that Ono, McCartney, Harrison and Starr were not the only ones to take a Lennon vocal and build a whole song around it, a la The Beatles Anthology songs Free As A Bird and Real Love.
One half of Cheap Trick and bassist Tony Levin got together in the late 90s to put out this kick ass little rave up of Lennon's I'm Losing You.
I dug Cheap Trick as a kid and still think they rock, and what can you say about Tony Levin? His work with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel alone rank him up at the top, top of my bass player list of greats.
These guys are a really weird combo, much less adding John flipping Lennon to the mix. But somehow, it works!
Enjoy.
Update: I guess this song, with this lineup, was recorded during the Milk and Honey sessions and came out on Lennon's Anthology set, which I own. D'uh! The liner notes credit Cheap Trick's Tom Peterssen on bass, but it's Levin for sure. The video, however, is indeed from the late 90s. I mean, look at Rick Nielsen's crazy goatee! Thanks to Bob K and Don Capone for straightening me out!
12 comments:
Tony Levin - King Crimson, the first two albums of that line up with Below in the 80s just were great. I wonder if they are still buried in my vinyl collection... I must look.
While the video might be late 90s I believe the audio is an alternate version that these guys actually cut with Lennon for the Milk and Honey sessions. This version (if I'm hearing it right) was first released on the Lennon Anthology. But yes, this version certainly has more power than the version that Lennon released on M&H.
By the way, Levin played bass on all(?) of the tracks on both Milk and Honey and Double Fantasy.
Yep, this version is from Lennon Anthology. I love this version, it's a lot heavier. Thanks for posting. I can't believe there was a Lennon video I hadn't seen.
Bob K and Don, I stand corrected! Thanks for the clarity here.
Further On, I totally agree with you on those King Crimson albums. I am not a big fan of that band except for those three albums with Levin, Bruford, Belew and Fripp. They are all on CD, so go get 'em! My favorite one of the three is Discipline. the other two are Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair.
I'll chime in on the love for the Fripp/Belew/Levin/Bruford edition of King Crimson. What a band! Three great albums. And years later when they added two more members (who's names escape me right now) they continued to make great albums.
Am I the only one who hears echoes of them in the latest Radiohead album?
Another intesting Cheap Trick / Lennon factoid. Bun E Carlos played drums on Double Fanatasy in 1980.
Really? I thought Andy Newmark played drums on Double Fantasy. maybe Bun E played on all of Yoko's songs! I wouldn't know, because I skipped them all!
Very nice song that I had not heard before. Nice to hear Tony Levin, who can play some very way out things on bass, just laying down a totally fat bass groove. I used to own the 3 King Crimson albums mentioned in the other replies, but they have long since dissappeared from my collection. May have to check them out again. I have also heard, and liked very much, Tony Levin with Liquid Tension Experiment (him and 3 guys from Dream Theater in a complete jam session) and another album called Black Light Syndrome with Terry Bozzio and Steve Stephens, another nice piece of instrumental rock.
Finally, interesting to see Bun E Carlos playing traditional grip with the right hand. Not something you see very often (if at all..).
Just checked the Bun E carlos interview in Modern Drummer...he played on "I'm Losing You"
...which comes full circle to the video in your post. I thought he had played on the album version but it looks like. as bob k pointed out, he was just part of this alternate cut.
Ooh yes, I've always loved Lennon's Cheap Trick-ified version of "I'm Losing You." Great stuff! It's too bad it was scrapped -- Double Fantasy would have been a heavier rock album if they played on all the rest too. Supposedly Nielsen and Carlos also played on a version of one of Yoko's tunes from the same session, I think it was "I'm Moving On." I've yet to hear that one. CT also plays a version of "I'm Losing You" on their live album "Silver," btw...
I have never seen this video. I bet John would have loved it. Good to see Rick Neilson and Bun E. Carlos doing something outside Cheap Trick witch I have never seen either. Tony is a great musican. Great stuff all the way around.
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