John Lennon died before I was born, but that hardly means he’s failed to have an impact on my life. He casts such a long cultural shadow, his musical catalogue has such depth, and his ideas and philosophies linger still, in even the simplest line drawing of his face.
John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky focuses on the 1971 recording of his album, Imagine, at Tittenhurst park, where he and his family had retreated from his swollen, frantic lifestyle as the world’s most recognizable pop star. Imagine stands apart from the work he did with The Beatles, and is in fact very much a collaboration with his wife, Yoko, and the ideas she tested out in her written work – especially 1964’s Grapefruit.
The documentary is replete with never before seen footage and home video. It shows John and Yoko in repose, at play, at work, the midst of inspiration. Lots of session musicians and music journalists are interviewed – director Michael Epstein has literally sought out every and any person who was in or around the Tittenhurst recording studio at that time, including Yoko Ono herself, and son Julian.
Imagine surpasses musical status and has become a cultural touchstone. John & Yoko brings the album back to earth, back to its humble beginnings as bits and pieces inside John’s head. We see the songs mature from ideas to sometimes orchestral pieces, the musicians alive with an excited motivation they’ve probably never reproduced. Still, my favourite moments of this documentary are the domestic ones. It’s thinking about little Julian, who gets to crawl around a legendary recording studio but is bored out of his gourd listening to the same song over and over again. To him it’s just dad’s work. I also really loved watching John record a dis track against Paul – with George! Of course we didn’t know to call them dis tracks yet in 1971, but that’s exactly what it was, and it’s a delicious part of history, and John himself addresses the tension between himself and fellow Beatle Paul McCartney. They were brothers to the end, I think, often fighting because they were simply too close.
This documentary has lots of juicy little moments, literally something for every fan. But it’s also a tribute not just to John and Yoko’s love story, but to their partnership, their meeting of the minds. Because it’s clear that John is not just infatuated – he admires and respects her. She clearly influences his thinking, solidifies his philosophies. They’re changing each other at a cellular level and you can almost see it happening. John & Yoko is definitely worth a watch as it breathes new life into an album that’s hard to picture the world without.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
I ‘ve already watched so many Beatles movie that I thought I’d skipped this one. But your review makes me want to watch this Netflix movie. Thanks !
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He died before you were born… Man, I feel old.
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Yep, me too.
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Will like to see this, I wasn’t a Beatles fan but always like docs on musicians.
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Yeah, it’s kind of cool to see music coming together – when it’s rough, and still being improvised.
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John died 3 days after I was born. We all miss him and George. That song “How Do You Sleep?” was originally a diss towards Paul but John later realized it was more about himself. Plus, he and Paul made in the mid-1970s and almost made an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1976 to collect Lorne Michael’s check.
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I’m from that era, you were either a beetle fan or a rolling stone fan, I am the odd man out, as I got older I loved both. And I especially loved John. When I hear that music it takes me right back to my teen years I’ll watch for this . I hope I find it.
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I watched it on Netflix.
I’m glad there’s room to be a fan of both. It’s hard to imagine a world without their music. It doesn’t feel like anyone on the radio today can really compare, or will have that kind of staying power.
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How true Jay. And one day I’ll break down and get Netflix
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Even though I’m originally from South Korea, I love John Lennon’s music myself.
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I’m doing so much research on South Korea lately, that’s cool!
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Thank you so much.
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wow
i’m happy hearing of this production.
i enjoyed first seeing him on ed Sullivan in 1964
as a gradeschooler. john successfully encouraged
many of us to creatively question authority.
i’ll look for it, thanks 🙂
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Sounds like he made a real impression on a lot of young people!
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I definitely want to see this.
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‘…John Lennon died before I was born…’ you had me chortling into my tea right there!!! 😀 … not your fault us ‘oldies’ find it amusing though. 🙂
I wonder where John gone, creatively, had he lived.
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Yes. And where he would have taken the rest of us.
I just think that the songs on the radio today lack the impact and longevity in so much of his stuff. I love how he was always evolving, philosophically and musically. It’s a great question.
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Nice docu, i saw some footage here https://portalultautv.net/john-yoko-above-us-only-sky-2018/
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