The album I pulled from my big record bin today was released in 1980 and is called A Salute to John Lennon and the Beatles Greatest Hits. It is performed by the Now Sound Orchestra.
The back cover has John Lennon (1940 – 1980) with pictures of the man at various stages of his career. (Actually I’m not even sure they are all Lennon. There is a young boy that looks more like George Harrison or even Elvis). I’m wondering if this is less a salute than an attempt to cash in on Lennon’s tragic death.
Lennon was murdered on December 8, 1980. To record and release an album in less than three weeks seems unusual. I’m speculating that the album was already recorded and released as a Beatles Greatest Hits album with different cover art and was just updated and rushed to market as a “Salute to John Lennon”.
The performances on the album are basically dreadful. I’m sampling Yesterday for you. Partially because it is an instrumental and I don’t feel right about subjecting you to any of the vocals. You can play a game of “name the instrument.” There is either a harpsichord or perhaps a synthesizer or syn-clavier. I also detect a vibraphone. I can’t tell if the horn is a muted trumpet or a flugelhorn. Your guesses are welcome in the comments.