As I'm sure you know, it would have been John Lennon's seventieth birthday on Saturday. So I thought I'd write about him today, for that reason, and because I'm looking forward to the release of Nowhere Boy this Friday (in Montreal, anyway). First, as a guitarist, Lennon rarely got the respect he deserved, but his contributions to the Beatles' sound was immense. Like Pete Townshend, the bulk of his instrumental innovation can be found in his rhythm guitar playing. One of the greatest examples is the triplet-feel part that he plays on "All My Loving" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuVVs30gIb8&feature=related). He plays a very difficult feel with great touch and swing. Very hard to do and completely original.

As a performer, he had some of the Elvis Presley quality of being both in the middle of, as well as above, the frenzy. There was always a sense of humour involved, and he used it wisely. On the early records, and in the early videos, it's clear that he's the leader of the band. He was the oldest member, and at that point the most assured performer and vocalist. Over time, that changed somewhat, as the others caught up, but they only did so with his example to follow. As a singer, well, I've written about it before, but for me, he's in the top five all-time. Here is a list of some of his great vocal performances: "Twist and Shout", "Baby, It's You", "It Won't Be Long", "Money (That's What I Want)", "Rain", "Any Time at All", "Run For Your Life", "In My Life", "No Reply", "Mr. Moonlight", "Help!", "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", "Norwegian Wood", "Girl", "I'm Only Sleeping" - and that's only up to 1966. There are many others from before and after that date. I'd recommend listening to all of the above (and the others as well), but if I had to pick only one performance to exemplify the passion and the fun that his voice conveys, it would be this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXOdAgLZQPs.