Track Listing

1. I'm Stepping Out
2. Sleepless Night
3. I Don't Wanna Face It
4. Don't Be Scared
5. Nobody Told Me
6. O'Sanity
7. Borrowed Time
8. Your Hands
9. My Little Flower Princess (Forgive Me)
10. Let Me Count the Ways
11. Grow Old with Me
12. You're the One
13. Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him
14. Stepping Out (Home Version)
15. Interview with J&Y December 8th, 1980
16. Interview with J & Y, December 8th 1980 [*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23392 in Music
• Released on: 2001-10-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

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Originally released in 1984, four years after John Lennon's death, Milk & Honey is probably best thought of as a companion piece to the better-known Double Fantasy. Like Double Fantasy, Milk & Honey contains equal but separate contributions from Lennon and Ono: lashings of dreadful, self-indulgent arty noodling (mostly, but not exclusively, Ono's) interspersed with sharp, pugnacious songwriting (mostly, but not exclusively, Lennon's). The subject matter throughout is the one that preoccupies all of Lennon and Ono's collaborations, namely themselves and each other. This is, very occasionally, undeniably touching. It is much more often as cringe-inducing as overhearing cooing lovers on a bus--Lennon and Ono always believed that we could never have too much information. The best moments here are those infrequent ones when Lennon directs his gaze somewhere other than at the adoring eyes of Ono--notably the exuberant "Nobody Told Me." The extra tracks on this new edition are three new paeans to themselves by Lennon and Ono, and an interview with the pair recorded shortly before Lennon's death, in which he reiterates his subscription to the philosophy of absurd, naive utopianism that tends to make obvious sense to people rich enough to do as they please. --Andrew Mueller

Customer Reviews

John & Yoko: One Last Time
Thankfully back in print after being unavailable for several years, John Lennon & Yoko Ono's "Milk & Honey" album is a wonderful swan song for Lennon (although it certainly wasn't intended as such). Released in 1984, it comprises Lennon's leftover songs from the "Double Fantasy" sessions, some of them in unfinished form, as well as additional material from Yoko, with the album following the same call-and-response format of the couple's "Double Fantasy" disc. In some ways, "Milk & Honey" is actually better than the Grammy-winning "Double Fantasy" (as great an album as that one is), if for no other reason than Yoko's contributions are a LOT easier on the ears this time around. John's material on "Double Fantasy" is classic Lennon all the way, but apart from the very sweet "Yes I'm Your Angel," Yoko's tunes on "Double Fantasy" were very difficult to take, what with her screeching vocals and choppy delivery. Not so on "Milk & Honey." Her songs this time around are melodic & tuneful through and through, and even her singing here is quite tolerable (my favorite: "Let Me Count The Ways," which is very lovely). Her songs compliment John's material on this album very nicely. Although some of John's songs here sound unfinished (considering his amusing, joking vocals on a few tracks, probably not intended as the final versions), all of his songs are a great pleasure to listen to, including "I'm Stepping Out," "Nobody Told Me," "I Don't Wanna Face It," and "Borrowed Time." "Grow Old With Me," John's wedding song which is heard here in cassette demo form (the only existing recording of it), is a gorgeous song, one of Lennon's best. "Forgive Me (My Little Flower Princess)" may indeed be a "throwaway" number, but oh, what a catchy, irresistible throwaway! It's bouncy and it lingers in the head, and for me, that's good enough. The bonus material on this re-issue are all excellent, too. "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him," one of Yoko's best compositions, was originally a duet between John & Yoko. Now, the vocals have been re-mixed so it's John singing lead throughout, which is a very nice surprise. The CD concludes with an insightful 20-minute snippet from the last recorded interview John ever gave, a mere several hours before his tragic shooting. Listening to it, one is saddened by hearing a very happy, very talented man who had so much left to give to the world, and yet, the listener sadly knows that his time was almost up. Nonetheless, it's a very precious recording to have.The CD has also been remastered & remixed for better sound, and I couldn't be happier with it. "Milk & Honey" is a very fond farewell to one of the 20th Century's greatest musical geniuses, with a little bit of help from the woman who loved him. We miss you, John.

Solid album from Lenono
Milk and Honey is an unfinished work. Sure, Yoko's contributions are polished to perfection but John never had the chance to put the finishing touches on his stuff. I'm not sure if he would even have issued all the tracks on this album. A couple are up to John's best standards including Nobody Told Me, I'm Stepping Out and I Don't Want to Face It. The largest problem with John's tracks on Double Fantasy are the overslick production and session playing (compare for example the amazing version of I'm Losing You recorded with Cheap Trick from the box set to the DF version. The latter is lacks grit and soul by comparison). The same problem doesn't exist with M&H; the unfinished nature of the album and rough edges actually compliment Lennon's better songs.

I've never been a huge Yoko fan but she did emerge as a solid songwriter on their last two albums together. If you can get past Yoko's little girl singing, you'll find a number of songs that compliment Lennon's tracks. This is most evident with Lennon's remake of Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him. It's one of Yoko's most accomplished and striking tunes. Lennon produced some of his most striking work with the Beatles when Yoko became his muse. While that's not the case with all of his solo recordings, there are a couple of strong tracks here that make this essential for Beatles and Lennon fans.

The bonus tracks and sound quality add value to this package for those who purchased the first version of this CD (or LP). While there's nothing enlightening about the interview, it's nice to hear some of Lennon's comments. Lennon's utopian vision of what the world could be (particularly after the tragedy of Sept. 11)may have been out of touch with reality but it highlights the potential of the human spirit. If we can ever get past our differences and Lennon suggests that perhaps we have enough compassion to achieve some of these goals.

Milk & Honey isn't essential listening for casual fans. I'd suggest the Lennon Legend CD for those folks. This album demonstrates that even into his fourth decade Lennon still had relevence as an artist.

The Real Amazon.com Review...
Foolish me -- I thought everyone took it for granted that Lennon was one of the great artists of the 20th century, and at the very least smart young people were willing to give the underrated Ono the benefit of the doubt. Whatever. Let it be said "Milk And Honey" has been out of print too long, and hooray to Capitol to reissuing this criminally neglected record, understandably overshadowed by its fraternal twin, "Double Fantasy." No, these songs aren't about Lennon and Ono singing to each other, as on "DF" -- not really. John's quirky numbers (complete with hysterical spoken asides) are about being a househusband (along the lines of DF's "Watching The Wheels) and the epiphanies that time between 1975 and 1980 brought, while Ono's are about the pain of being a widow.

Track by track:

1. I'm Stepping Out: The househusband escapes, after forced, repeated viewings of "Sesame Street." Charming beyond belief. Where's Sean's version...?

2. Sleepless Night: More proof Cyndi Lauper owes her career to Ono. Features the simultaneously risque and touching (I swear) line: "This brush must sell like crazy...There's a lot of lonely people out there you know."

3. I Don't Want To Face It: Killer riff, uproarious lead-in, and makes the acute observation: "You [I? -- ed] want to save humanity / But it's people you just can't stand." I hear you, John.

4. Don't Be Scared: Ono does dub reggae, taking a risk that pays off. In any other context, "It's better to love than never love at all," would be trite, here it takes on a sad, powerful life of its own.

5. Nobody Told Me -- As classic as the Shirelles "Mama Said," its obvious antecedent. The knowledge that John never felt he had the guidance of his birthparents, if you read beyond the surface goofiness of the lyric, gives the sentiment a melancholy its buoyantly catchy melody can't quite disguise.

6. O' sanity -- An Ono fragment. Neither here nor there.

7. Borrowed Time -- homespun wisdom from Lennon, where he claims getting older brings the peace of mind so elusive in angry youth. Once again, a song that in the context of his murder takes on sad implications.

8. Your Hands -- This one really showcases Ono's debt both to Japanese pop and European artsong. Tough for the uninitiated, but will grow on you.

9. (Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess -- a throwaway of John's, but brisk and fairly funky, and it's nice to hear an apology from a man who often regretted the way he treated women in his youth.

10,11: Let me count the ways / Grow Old With Me -- okay, sure, soupy wedding songs. I don't care. It can't all be Pavement-esque irony. Hope you love as well as they did!

12. You're the one -- devastating. Collectively, Ono's songs aren't as strong as John's on this record, but it's this song that puts "M & H" over the top for me. Beginning with an explosion, proceeded by chirping crickets providing backing percussion (really Ono indulging in that loved/hated vocalese of hers), this is one of the most powerful love songs ever written. "How can I tell you, you're the one?" she asks a man who could never answer her back how many times she tries. If this song doesn't break your heart, check with your cardiologist -- you may not have one.

Oh yeah, the bonus tracks. Not bad. Cute demo of "Stepping Out," great alternate version of "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him," Ono demo fragment of "I'm Movin' On," worthwile interview.