Above Us Only Sky

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GoogaMooga
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Above Us Only Sky

Postby GoogaMooga » 27 Dec 2018, 23:02

Well, tonight we had the Danish TV premiere of the new Lennon doc, "Above Us Only Sky", chronicling in detail John and Yoko's stay at Tittenhurst Park, a country manor in Berkshire. They had left the hectic life in London behind and were to spend two years at Tittenhurst, from 1969 to 1971, a fruitful period where John's first solo albums proper took shape. It is the second one of those, "Imagine" from 1971, with its wealth of film footage of the creative process, which is the subject of this new documentary. As such, it can be considered an update of the 1988 doc, "Imagine", with the filmmakers granted access to even more unseen footage, and new interviews being conducted - all talking heads, some adulatory, some more revelatory. "Imagine" is actually ten minutes longer than the new one, because it covers more ground, whereas the new one only has Tittenhurst and the making of "Imagine" as centerpiece. But I like the new one better, because it is so much more in-depth and because it emphasizes the star couple's shared life as being the basis for the collaborative effort that the album "Imagine" effectively was. The filmmakers manage to present Yoko in a positive light, instead of the tired old cliché about the hag who broke up the Beatles. Yoko Ono was good for Lennon, so good in fact that his slim discography post-Beatles has stood the test of time better than those of the other Fabs. Some of John and Yoko's antics together can be viewed as hopelessly naïve and immature today, but ask yourself what you were up to when you were thirty. "Imagine" is Lennon's most popular solo album, but we all know that the real masterpiece is "Plastic Ono Band", from the year before. Still, the hypocritical title track notwithstanding, there are gems to be heard on the "Imagine" album, and all ten tracks from the album are presented in some form or other in the new documentary, making it a valuable addition to any Beatles collection.

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"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck

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The Modernist
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Re: Above Us Only Sky

Postby The Modernist » 28 Dec 2018, 00:21

GoogaMooga wrote:The filmmakers manage to present Yoko in a positive light, instead of the tired old cliché about the hag who broke up the Beatles.


Of course they do, she controls Lennon's image, and her own, very tightly since his death and any film project made with her co-operation is going to present the Saint John and Yoko narrative. The truth was more complex.

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Matt Wilson
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Re: Above Us Only Sky

Postby Matt Wilson » 02 Jan 2019, 16:28

I can't imagine (sorry) that this new doc has anything more than the Imagine/Gimme Some Truth set which just came out at the same time the Imagine box set did a couple of months ago. The Gimme Some Truth doc is yet another one dealing with much the same era as the Imagine piece. So I guess now there's three separate documentaries all covering the same ground.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Imagine- ... ay/213427/

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GoogaMooga
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Re: Above Us Only Sky

Postby GoogaMooga » 02 Jan 2019, 20:30

Oh yes I'd forgotten about GST. Think I saw that one too. What the new one can offer is more unseen footage, fresh interviews, and that's about it. I still think it's essential viewing for fans. For instance, I don't remember Julian having been interviewed before. Or Klaus Voorman. Or the drummer, Jim Keltner.
"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck


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