On Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 6:43:32 PM UTC-4, F Parella wrote:
>
> It's easy to forget that it was not Lennon's intention, upon returning
> to Ono in 1975, to go creatively dry for the next five years. Indeed,
> right through approximately March of 1975, he gave every indication of
> intending to follow his successful Walls and Bridges album not just by
> getting the problematic "Rock'n'Roll" record behind him, but with
> another album of new material. In fact, according to various sources
> (I am about to provide three, although there are more), this album was
> well underway; a number of songs for it had been written.
> According to Albert Goldman: "Just six weeks earlier, when [John] left
> May Pang, he had been arockin' and arollin' like a young man. Only a
> week before he left Sutton Place [the apartment where JL and May lived
> together], he had composed two songs, "Popcorn" and "Tennessee," the
> latter not about the American state but about the famous playwright
> Tennessee Williams, the titles of whose works were skillfully woven
> through the lyric. No sooner was John back at the Dakota, however,
> than he started having trouble with his writing."
> May Pang, meanwhile, says in her book that she and John planned to
> visit New Orleans, where they had been invited by Paul McCartney, who
> was working on an album there. Then, John said, "We'll come back and
> think about a new album." "I felt very happy," May mentions; "The
> John I loved most was the productive John, a man deeply committed to
> making good music..." May says that John actually started writing
> before the New planned Orleans trip. He composed "a sad song that he
> called 'Tennessee.' It had been inspired by his rereading of
> Tennessee Williams's 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'" Shortly thereafter,
> according to May, "he had another song, 'Popcorn,' a very funny,
> catchy tune."
> Finally, Lennon himself gave a fascinating interview to Robert Hilburn
> of the LA Times in autumn of 1974. After discussion of Walls and
> Bridges, Lennon mentioned that "I stopped joining in [the partying
> with Nilsson and co.], and I thought, 'This is alright. I'd wake up
> and I didn't feel awful anymore." Lennon discussed touring: "Being
> in front of people on a stage turned out to be great, too, for a
> while." But, he added, "Writing and recording are the best." Lennon
> admitted that, "If I'm not writing, I get depressed." Hilburn
> concluded that: "With 'Walls and Bridges' finished, Lennon is now
> looking forward to putting the 'oldies' album together, and then work
> on his next solo album: "I'm writing now. I've already finished
> three tunes. It's going well. I know I'll be ready just after
> Christmas."
> Something, sadly, derailed Lennon's plans.

Very interesting, the road not taken.