John Lennon
"3000 Miles From Liverpool"
SUNN Records
SUNN-020
2014
"This collection represents the most complete and/or upgraded available material of John Lennons preproduction sessions and performances for The Sir Lew Grade TV special and promo video appearances on The Old Grey Whistle Test.
All tracks have been phase corrected and Track 6 has been speed-corrected. Tracks 10 & 11 appear for the first time in upgraded quality. As an added Bonus DVD of John's performance on Lew Grade is included courtesy of our good friend MCP." - apesrfools
Notes
In 1969 Grade and ATV Music Publishing bought a majority share in Northern Songs, the company established by Brian Epstein which owned nearly all of the Beatles' catalogue. After a fierce battle, Grade and ATV won control of the company while controlling any other songs written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon between 1964 and 1971.
(George Harrison and Ringo Starr broke from Northern Songs prior to Grade's acquisition.) ATV would retain control of Northern Songs until 1985, when the company sold the songs to Michael Jackson.
In 1975 John Lennon appeared at the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in New York City, recording an appearance for the ATV / ITC TV special “Salute to Sir Lew Grade: The Master Showman.”
John’s appearance is part of a related settlement arising from a publishing dispute over material co-written by he and Yoko Ono. For tonight’s show, John, sporting a pair of dark round-lensed glasses, appears with his long hair pulled back from his face, and he is dressed in a bright red jumpsuit covered with
zippers.
John plays acoustic guitar on Slippin’ and Slidin’, Stand By Me, and Imagine. He is backed by the eight-piece band, Etcetera, who rather strangely are wearing face masks attached to the back of their heads.
When asked about the masks, John says: “It was a sardonic reference to my feelings on Lew Grade’s personality!” Etcetera is actually the band BOMF, which stands for “Brothers of Mother Fuckers,” a name still visible on their drum during the
performance. John returns at the end of the show to take a bow along with the rest of the cast, and this time he is dressed in a more formal blue shirt and white trousers, along with his trademark cap and scarf. The 52-minute videotaped show is first shown in America on June 13, 1975, with the UK TV screening taking place a week later. Both versions cut John’s performance of Stand By Me. This turned out to be John Lennon’s last live public performance.