1975 was a big year for John Lennon his single hit #1 with Elton John's cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", as Lennon featured on guitar and backing vocals under the moniker of "Dr. Winston O'Boogie". With David Bowie he recorded the classic "Fame", which became Bowie's first US number one, and released "Rock 'n' Roll," an album of cover songs, which featured "Stand by Me", that became his last single for five years.
The year unfortunately is most notable as the year John would make his final stage appearance. On the ATV special A Salute to Lew Grade, the recording of his performance on April the 18th would be televised, with Lennon playing acoustic guitar, performing two songs from Rock 'n' Roll, the afore mentioned "Slippin' and Slidin,'" followed by "Imagine". In true John Lennon form, the band, was billed as Etc., and wore masks behind their heads, in a dig by John, who thought Grade was two-faced.
By October Sean Lennon was born October 9th, which was John's thirty-fifth birthday. Lennon and Yoko Ono's greatest gift took John out of the business, as he took on the role of househusband, and would start a five-year hiatus from the music industry, as he devoted himself to Sean.
By the 80's John would begin to prepare to release music and even tour again, but that would never come to be after his murder at the hands of Mark David Chapman. 1975 would give John the highest of highs achieving anonymous success with his friends Elton John & David Bowie, and receiving the greatest birthday gift a dad could ever have. 1975 was truly John Lennon's Golden Year.
John Lennon's fourth album, "Mind Games," got a reissue, as the collection included eight discs of remasters, remixes, session recordings and outtakes for its 50th anniversary, available on July 12.
The album joins "Imagine" and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band in the "Ultimate Collection" series of expanded albums overseen by Yoko Ono, and Sean Ono Lennon. A six-minute mini documentary featured unseen footage from 1970 of John working on the title track, showing the evolution of the song.
The six-CD and two Blu-ray collection deluxe box set showcases the album from its beginnings to the final master, with an "Evolution Documentary" that charts the 1973 album's creative process.