My favorite Beatle was John Lennon. To be sure, John was a tortured soul. His soft side seen in such songs as “Imagine,” “Beautiful Boy,” “Mind Games,” “Gimme Some Truth” “Steel and Glass” and their ilk represent a contemplative Lennon quite at odds with the combative John that penned “Working Class Hero,” “Woman Is The Nigger Of The World” and “Whatever Gets You Through The Night.” I thought I would grow old with John. I miss him and can’t help but think how he might have changed this world if he had not been gunned down.
Memories of Lennon came flooding back when I first heard John Amadon’s release called Seven Stars. While he lacks Lennon’s harder combative side, Amadon can channel much of the feeling of the contemplative Lennon. Yet, this is an indie rock album. Amadon spent seven years as the bassist for Fernando and he calls upon a Who’s Who’s list of indie rockers to help him out - Scott McPherson (live and session drummer for acts including Beck, Elliott Smith, Neil Finn, M.Ward, She & Him, Bright Eyes, et.al), Mike Coykendall (M.Ward, She & Him), and William Slater (The Grails).
Before this release Amadon took a five year hiatus from music and songwriting. In fact, he had expected to give it up. He started to write again when he became obsessed with a woman and used music to help him sort it all out (Oh, Yoko!). Those songs make up Seven Stars.
I can’t help but wonder if, like with John, his soft side came out only after he obsessed about a woman, split from his successful band and gave up writing for a couple years. Sounds like Amadon has followed Lennon’s path with similar results, only on an admittedly smaller scale. He and John both may have suffered and music is better because of it.
- Old School
