John Lennon's jukebox

John Lennon's jukebox is a jukebox – specifically a Swiss KB Discomatic – which Lennon had bought in 1965. Lennon filled it with forty singles to accompany him on tour. John Lennon's jukebox also refers to the compilation CD album closely based on the jukebox's musical contents.

The jukebox surfaced in an auction of Beatles memorabilia at Christie's, and was sold for £2,500 ($4,907) to Bristol-based music promoter John Midwinter. Midwinter spent several years restoring the box and researching the discs, which had been catalogued in Lennon's spidery handwriting. As Midwinter's health began to deteriorate, he became anxious that a story of the jukebox and its music should feature in a documentary. Eventually, The South Bank Show broadcast a documentary on the jukebox in 2004 in which many of the represented artists, along with Sting, were interviewed. The project (which was commissioned only a few days after Midwinter died) was managed by Steve Jansen for the British television production company Initial, headed by Malcolm Gerrie. XM Satellite Radio's "'60s On 6" channel featured Lennon's jukebox singles as an insight to the former Beatle's personal taste in pop music.

Album

The 2004 Compilation album named John Lennon's Jukebox contained thirty-four of the singles' A-sides and seven of their B-sides. The album contains several songs that are believed to be part of John Lennon's original choice. The album is subtitled: "a collection inspired by music from his own collection"; and some of the songs on the album are different versions from the ones that could have been included in the jukebox. For instance, the version of "Some Other Guy" by The Big Three, was not the one that was in the original jukebox; instead it was a mid-1970s recording by the same group in the style of the Richie Barrett original (including the use of an electric piano).

John Lennon's Jukebox
Compilation album by Various Artists
Released	8 March 2004
Recorded	1956–1966
Label	Virgin Music

Disc one

1. "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett
2. "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass
3. "The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
4. "My Girl" by Otis Redding
5. "1-2-3" by Len Barry
6. "Hi-Heel Sneakers" by Tommy Tucker
7. "The Walk" by Jimmy McCracklin
8. "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia" by Timmy Shaw
9. "First I Look at the Purse" by The Contours
10. "New Orleans" by Gary U.S. Bonds
11. "Watch Your Step" by Bobby Parker
12. "Daddy Rollin' Stone" by Derek Martin
13. "Short Fat Fannie" by Larry Williams
14. "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard
15. "Hey! Baby" by Bruce Channel
16. "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan
17. "Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful
18. "Turquoise" by Donovan
19. "Slippin' and Slidin'" by Buddy Holly

Disc two

1. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent
2. "No Particular Place to Go" by Chuck Berry
3. "Steppin' Out" by Paul Revere & the Raiders
4. "Do You Believe in Magic" by The Lovin' Spoonful
5. "Some Other Guy" by The Big Three*
6. "Twist and Shout" by The Isley Brothers
7. "She Said, Yeah" by Larry Williams
8. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by Buddy Holly
9. "Slippin' and Slidin'" by Little Richard
10. "Quarter to Three" by Gary U.S. Bonds
11. "Ooh! My Soul" by Little Richard
12. "Woman Love" by Gene Vincent
13. "Shop Around" by The Miracles
14. "Bring It on Home to Me" by The Animals
15. "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" by James Ray with the Hutch Davie Orchestra
16. "What's So Good About Goodbye" by The Miracles
17. "Bad Boy" by Larry Williams
18. "Agent Double-O Soul" by Edwin Starr
19. "I've Been Good to You" by The Miracles
20. "Who's Lovin' You" by The Miracles

References

External links

• Spencerleigh.demon.co.uk
• A mini-site about the documentary from the PBS