John Lennon never claimed to be the biggest connoisseur regarding musical theory. Even though he may have been able to make some of the most incredible music of all time when working with The Beatles, Lennon believed that his talents were singular to him, not wanting to play on sessions by other groups for fear that he couldn’t measure up. Lennon may not have had faith in his abilities as a musician, but he thought he could work his magic behind the boards for certain acts.
When working on his first handful of solo albums, Lennon had already developed an excellent touch for producing his work. Although Plastic Ono Band may have been credited to production genius Phil Spector behind the mixing desk, Lennon was responsible for most of the production on the record, with Spector adding his touches later.
Looking at how Lennon loved to make music and produced records, he has been known to capture the artists at their most creatively naked. Having little adornment on most of his best records, Lennon has been able to put different spins on his familiar Beatles sound, creating stark condemnations of the world on ‘Working Class Hero’ and expressing pure statements of his devotion on songs like ‘Love’.
When talking about the artists that Lennon would like to produce, though, he expressed a desire to produce for Elvis Presley in the past. Before the Beatle had even picked up a guitar, Presley was the first to ignite Lennon’s interest in the genre, with the earliest recording of Lennon being of him recording a version of Presley’s ‘Baby Let’s Play House’.
Although Lennon liked the idea of making an old-school album with Presley, he admitted that he would be intimidated by the legend, telling Rolling Stone, “I’d like to resurrect Elvis. But I’d be so scared of him I don’t know whether I could do it. But I’d like to do it. I know what I’d do with Presley. Make a rock ‘n’ roll album.”
On the other hand, Lennon also wanted to work alongside Bob Dylan in his solo career. Ever since The Freewheelin Bob Dylan came out, Lennon had always admired the way Dylan approached his material, even making various songs in the vein of the folk rocker like ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ and ‘Norwegian Wood’.
While Lennon’s bandmate George Harrison would end up co-writing with Dylan later down the line, Lennon thought he would be better served to create the music behind Dylan’s poetry, explaining, “Dylan would be interesting because I think he made a great album in Blood on the Tracks, but I’m still not keen on the backings. Dylan doesn’t need material. I’d just make him some good backings. So if you’re reading this, Bob, you know.”
Although Lennon would eventually take a break from music in the late 1970s, he still took influence from both Presley and Dylan in his music. Across Double Fantasy, Lennon would be channelling Presley’s signature vocal timbre on ‘Just Like Starting Over’ and would write a response track to Dylan’s ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ on the unreleased track ‘Serve Yourself’. Lennon may not have had enough time to collaborate with the idols, but it’s anyone’s guess what his production resume would have looked like had his life taken a different course.
