If John Lennon had lived?

[Bryan91]

The Beatles reunion concerts might happen if Lennon had lived even though he was originally against that, he might still done it because maybe one of the members in The Beatles needed the money but I have a feeling that it would had been poorly received.

Harrison's 1974 tour was critically panned. I can see a Beatles reunion concert of the 80s or 90s being critically panned. It's not that hard really. Lennon wouldn't be seen as a hero if he had lived. He would had been a had been. I cannot see the 80s in any way being dominated by John Lennon. I feel like he would have retired after the failure of a Beatles reunion concert and he might say stuff like he should had never done it and that the other guys of The beatles were forcing him to do reunion concerts. I think that Lennon was going on a massive decline but his death kind of saved his career at that time which was struggling. People here need to face the facts. John Lennon even recognize that his early music was teenybopper stuff from his early days and maybe that is the reason why Lennon along with the rest of The beatles became huge. The beatles didn't became huge because they were all about peace and ending wars, they became huge because they were the latest pop stuff of the time, a marketable group that young girls could like. No young girl would be going to a John Lennon 1980s concert while Lennon brings Yoko Ono with him. John Lennon wouldn't have the teenybopper fanbase in the 80s therefore his career in the 80s would had flopped. It probably would had flop more if he starts bringing Yoko Ono with him in live concerts.

 

[Bryan91]

I could definitely still see a Beatles 1 being released in the 2000s because greatest hits always happen to big artists/groups but if Lennon had lived there would be no massive success for The Beatles 1. The album could probably go Gold or Platinum but not 11x in the US, that is butterflied away. So we still would had gotten a greatest hits album from The beatles in the 2000s if Lennon had lived but without the massive sales.

 

[ejpsan]

At a certain point in time the dump trucks full of money would have been too much for the Beatles to resist.
As for the quality of the shows Paul McCartney was still doing stadium shows up to the time of the current pandemic and given the technological advances in sound systems since their last show at Candlestick Park in 1967 the shows should be better.
Another factor would be the number of great musicians who would be willing join any tours for short stints in order to play with the Beatles which should help them in playing the songs from their later albums that where basically impossible to perform live at the time but by the 80's could.

 

[Bryan91]

At a certain point in time the dump trucks full of money would have been too much for the Beatles to resist.
As for the quality of the shows Paul McCartney was still doing stadium shows up to the time of the current pandemic and given the technological advances in sound systems since their last show at Candlestick Park in 1967 the shows should be better.
Another factor would be the number of great musicians who would be willing join any tours for short stints in order to play with the Beatles which should help them in playing the songs from their later albums that where basically impossible to perform live at the time but by the 80's could.

I can see Paul Mccartney having similar success if Lennon had lived but this question isn't about Mccartney, its about Lennon. Lennon's career would had been in a big decline if he had lived. Why? Due to Double Fantasy flopping when it originally came out a month before his death. Harrison's 1974 tour turn out to be a disaster for the critics and I can see Lennon 1980s tour following that same or similar route.

Only Paul Mccartney would had been doing well, Lennon would had most likely retired from the industry but he would had been good at telling old Beatles's stories. You would have seen him being old in the 2000s-2010s doing interviews about The beatles's early days. I think he could had been good at that but other than that, Lennon's career would had faded away and he might be bitter at Paul. Mccartney being the most successful Beatle would had been hard for Lennon to swallow into the point where he probably wouldn't even do music at all for the 2000s-2010s and instead be on retirement.

 

[Bryan91]

I know that some of this might be too harsh for some of you to understand and may be I'm being too negative here but I'm going by facts from that era of the 70s-80s. Lennon had some success in the 70s but by 1975, he went on retirement. Rock critic Lester Bangs in 1975 said that Lennon had nothing to say anymore and he was probably right.

Lennon's Double Fantasy album originally debuted on the US album chart at #25, a success for some unknown never heard of before singer but a failure for a legend like Lennon. Once he died, the album topped the charts. Lennon living would mean that his double fantasy album would had never topped the charts.

I also heard that he was supporting Reagan and he said that the counterculture movement of the 60s failed. He said all of this in the fall of 1980. It seems to me that his career was over. He probably would have a few top 40 hits in the 80s but thats about it.

 

[arrowiv]

It is my recollection that Rolling Stone chief Jann Wenner literally worshipped Lennon and saw him as a Genius with a capital G and as an Artist with a capital A. Indeed, he gave orders to RS staff critics such as Jon Landau to critically pan any albums by McCartney (Paul's Ram album usually comes to mind) and always praise Lennon's albums (Imagine, for instance). When told about this recently about Wenner's panning his early solo works, Paul exclaimed "That explains everything!"

 

[Bryan91]

It is my recollection that Rolling Stone chief Jann Wenner literally worshipped Lennon and saw him as a Genius with a capital G and as an Artist with a capital A. Indeed, he gave orders to RS staff critics such as Jon Landau to critically pan any albums by McCartney (Paul's Ram album usually comes to mind) and always praise Lennon's albums (Imagine, for instance). When told about this recently about Wenner's panning his early solo works, Paul exclaimed "That explains everything!"

OK, that explains some things but Lennon would had never sell as well as Mccartney, that would have to be a cold hard fact for Lennon if he was still alive.

 

[StugOnU]

I think Lennon makes borderline mainstream pop by the late 80s but I don't think the Beatles ever reunite as Paul and John could tour stadiums if they wished without reuniting.

 

[pattersonautobody]

Money is a strong motivator.

I can't see Lennon doing collorabations with younger rock bands. I think that won't happen.

I can see him having a few top 40 hits in the 80s but by the 90s, Lennon would had been out of mainstream success.

 

[pattersonautobody]

I think Lennon makes borderline mainstream pop by the late 80s but I don't think the Beatles ever reunite as Paul and John could tour stadiums if they wished without reuniting.

A large part of that is because of Lennon's death, it adds mystique. WIthout that, they need each other.

 

[arrowiv]

OK, that explains some things but Lennon would had never sell as well as Mccartney, that would have to be a cold hard fact for Lennon if he was still alive.

Even Lennon ran afoul with RS with his 1972 "political" album, Some Time in New York City, which had all of the song lyrics on the front and back covers.

 

[Mark E.]

Lennon would remain popular but by the eighties, he would fade from the Top 40 charts. There would not be a true Beatles "reunion" because such an event would never satisfy expectations. The audience would expect another 1964 craze and it would not happen. The semi-retired Beatles would just be "ordinary" performers.

 

[MorphyVSFischer]

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I also heard that he was supporting Reagan and he said that the counterculture movement of the 60s failed. He said all of this in the fall of 1980. It seems to me that his career was over. He probably would have a few top 40 hits in the 80s but thats about it.

The claim that Lennon liked Reagan is a claim made by one guy with rather suspicious timing, and several people disagree.