John Lennon Bootlegs

Imagine
A GREAT alternate version of John's most famous song-Imagine.
420K, 3:07,9 min

Free as a Bird
This is the original piano version that became the Grammy winning, first Beatles song in 24 years. 410K, 3:30,7 min

Real Love
THE EXTREMELY RARE AND COVETED REAL LOVE DEMO THAT THE NEW SONG WAS MADE AROUND!!! Need I say more?
445K, 4:22,4 min

Puttin' on the Style
YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS ONE!!! This clip was recorded at the Woolton Village Fete in 1957 on THE EXACT DAY JOHN FIRST MET PAUL! The entire tape was recently sold at auction. The sound quality isn't wonderful, but it's of extreme historical importance. This is also the earliest known recording of John Lennon.
39.2K, 0:20,0 min

Life Begins at 40
John recorded this country western style number in "The Dakota Country Western Club".
305K, 2:36,7 min

Mirror, Mirror
A very pretty, sad Dakota home demo recorded at the piano-like most all of his Dakota demos. This song, like most all of the Dakota demos could have, and should have been used as third "new" Beatles songs.
304K, 2:36,3 min

Child of Nature
An Esher demo recorded after his trip to India. It's to the same tune that will later become Jealous Guy. This is the ENTIRE song, not just the clip that other pages have.
306K, 2:37,4 min

What's the New Mary Jane
Another basic guitar Esher demo from '68. It sounds a lot more "normal" than the finished version heard on Anthology 3.
314K, 2:41,3 min

The Happy Rishikesh Song
Home demo. I personally like this song because of it's catchy melody. It was never released, probably because it's too short, which is a shame.
115K, 58:60 sec

Give Peace a Chance
A live song from The Plastic Ono Band's '69 Toronto concert. John counts in the song in GERMAN! "Eins, zwei, Eins, zwei drei vier!"
417K, 3:33,4 min

Now and Then
A very, very beautiful Dakota demo. It'll bring tears to your eyes.
556K, 4:59,8 min

India
Recorded at the Dakota, the song is about John following 'his heart, wherever it takes me' and other such things. Very good song. You'll never guess what it's about :^)~
370K, 3:10 min

Don't Be Crazy
A little ditty John made up to the tune of Starting Over telling his fans to leave him alone.
99K, 53:20 sec

(Just Like) Starting Over
A VERY VERY FUNNY live performance of John's hit from Double Fantasy.
285K, 2:25,8 min

Heartbeat/Peggy Sue Got Married/Peggy Sue
A Buddy Holly medley. John tries to imitate Holly's style.
522K, 4:28,0 min

Dear John
This simple song was one of the last songs he ever recorded.
45.3K, 0:46,3 min

Gimmie Some Truth
A demo of a song released on his Imagine album. Not great sound quality.
49K, 0:50,1 min

I'm In Love
Recorded the same day as Bad to Me, it's another good song, but he gave it away.
57.7K, 0:56,6 min

Watching Rainbows
From the Get Back sessions. Great unreleased gem in the style of Across the Universe.
463K, 3:57,4 min

Real Love
It's not version that the Beatles re-recorded, but a totally different one. This one has the vocals sung down an octave.
204K, 1:44,7 min

I Don't Want to Face It
This one was recorded in Bermuda. It's a great rock song on guitar with double tracked vocals.
234K, 2:00,2 min

Corrina, Corrina
A blusy style guitar song.
140K, 1:12,0 min

Grow Old With Me
Another very pretty, very sad song that appeared on Milk and Honey.
358K, 3:03,7 min

Luck of the Irish
This is a protest song that John and Yoko liked to sing at concerts.
328K, 2:48,7 min

John Sinclair
This song was written especially for the concert at the Crisler Arena in Miami 12-10-71. It contains John's hopeful introduction. "Ok, so flower power didn't work, so what. We'll start again."
522K, 3:33,5 min

Madman A Comin'
from the Get Back sessions- This demo is later reworked and it evolved into Mean Mr. Mustard.
91.3K, 0:46,8 min

Do You Want to Hold a Penis?
I'm not going to even say anything. The only reason this wasn't the 3rd new Beatles song was probably size. (Not meant as a pun)
6.38K, 0:03,2 min

Memphis Tennessee
John singing along with Chuck Berry (with what sounds like turkey calls? from Yoko in the background).
453K, 3:52,5 min

John Apologizes
A clip from John's press confrence where he apologizes for his "bigger than Jesus" quote.
59K, 31:60 sec

How Do You Sleep?
An alternate version of John's infamous attack on Paul. It's of extremely great quality, but also very long.
*1.16MB*, 8:07,8 min

Imagine
A clip from a live version of Imagine.
102K, 52:60 sec

I Found Out
One of many new bootlegs from John's Plastic Ono Band album. It's an all acoustic demo with little lyrical differences, some really cool guitar, and groovy vocals.
472K, 4:02,2 min

God
A plain acoustic demo with a nice added introduction, and a different ending that I personally like better than the released spaced out piano song.
315K, 2:41,7 min

Well Well Well
The most electric and distorted song on Plastic Ono Band with an acoustic guitar and blues riffs, very slight lyrical differences. (And without all the primal screams!!!)
138K, 1:10,7 min

My Mummy's Dead
A demo with a slightly longer version with a longer intro and ending. For some reason a picture of John in a straitjacket pops into my head when I hear this one. :^)~
146K, 1:14,9 min

#9 Dream
John on his acoustic guitar making a demo for his hit song off of "Walls and Bridges".
373K, 3:11,7 min

Jealous Guy
An aternate version of Jealous Guy recorded Tittenhurst in 1971, like the boots of Imagine and How Do You Sleep.
597K, 4:04,6 min

Whatever Happened To
An unreleased John song from late '75.
156K, 1:20,3 min

God Save Us
A clip of an unreleased John song he gave away to a guy named Bill Elliot.
117K, 1:00,0 min

Whatever Gets You Through the Night
John's 1974 demo. Recorded in a hotel room after Yoko kicked him out.
341K, 2:55,2 min

How
An alternate Tittenhurst version of How, from the Imagine album. The ending is cut a bit shrot, but it still sounds great.
514K, 3:42,7 min

Baby Make Love to You
A 1980 stereo John Dakota boot donated to the page. Sounds VERY similar to another John song you might have heard before called Real Love. :^)~
338K, 2:18,4 min

Watching the Wheels
A Great alternate version of Watching the Wheels. John starts the song off by singing some of I Am the Walrus. In stereo.
595K, 4:04,0 min

Gimmie Some Truth
Another song from the alternate Imagine album recorded at Tittenhurst.
533K, 3:38,4 min

The Boat Song
Not to be confused with The Brett Song by Organized Chaos, this is a stereo recording of a demo of nice little unreleased John song.
319K, 2:10,7 min

Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues
NOT THE ANTHOLOGY 3 VERSION. From The St. Regis Hotel in 1971, John did this acoustic cover of the Buddy Holly song. The bad thing is we have to listen to Yoko talk on the phone while John sings! Errrr.....SHUT UP YOKO! John is singing! Sheesh... :^)~
305K, 2:36,8 min

John and Karen
This is a short dialouge between John and a girl named Karen (a fan) that calls his hotel room. It's pretty funny! He tells Yoko to tell the operator not to let anyone named Karen through.
35.1K, 0:17,9 min

The Maharishi Song
Some people believe that this was the working title of "Sexy Sadie", but was, in fact, a song that John wrote (or maybe was just impromtu) about the whole Rishikesh experience. It is a wonderful song, with Yoko joining in here and their, and is really just them talking with some slide guitar things in between. John seems very angry and disappointed. It's pretty fuuny when John says "I wrote 600 songs about how I feel....." He tells some funny stories, but it's kind of sad because of how bad it was there.
358K, 3:03,9 min

Oh Yoko
Another track off John's alternate Imagine album.
677K, 5:47,7 min

Serve Yourself
A very mean and nasty John song. The fast guitar version.
446K, 3:49,1 min

Attica State/Imagine
A prevously unbooted recording of a live John & Yoko song called Attica State from the Dec. 17 1971 concert at the Apollo Theater. Next is a really wonderful version of Imagine with just John on an acoustic guitar.
761K, 6:30,5 min

Bad to Me
John's complete home demo.
174K, 1:29,7 min

Leave My Kitten Alone
Take 4 of a cover song first released on Anthology 1.
341K, 2:55,1 min

Brian Epstein Blues
The complete version of this improvised John song.
121K, 1:02,4 min

Everyone Had a Hard Year
John's home demo of a song that became the second part of I've Got a Feeling.
198K, 1:41,5 min

My Life
A VERY VERY eerie song, actually about Yoko, but it can be taken with a whole other meaning considering what happened to John.
304K, 2:36,0 min