Album: John Lennon, Every Step's a Yes (EMI)

EMI, as part of their reissue programme of John Lennon's notoriously patchy solo oeuvre, have created this 4CD slipcase compilation that divides Lennon's material by the categories Roots (rock'n'roll influences), Woman (love songs), Working Class Hero (political songs) and Borrowed Time (something about "his eventual understanding of the fragility of all our lives").

But it's the title-track that best sums the frustrated ex-Beatle up: impassioned, demanding and unable to accomodate a multiplicity of truths, he thought in naive terms, which is why his most potent tracks are often those that reflect his gift for a simple slogan: "Give Peace a Chance", "Power to the People", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", and of course the egregious anarcho-fantasy "Imagine". Sadly, few of them are fit to stand alongside his Beatles output.

DOWNLOAD THIS Jealous Guy; Instant Karma; Gimme Some Truth