John Lennon's jukebox


John Lennon's jukebox is a KB Discomatic jukebox made in the UK using a Swiss-made mechanism which Lennon bought in 1965. Lennon filled it with forty singles to accompany him on tour. John Lennon's Jukebox also refers to the compilation CD album closely based on the jukebox's musical contents.
The jukebox surfaced in an auction of Beatles memorabilia at Christie's and was sold for £2,500 to Bristol-based music promoter John Midwinter. Midwinter spent several years restoring the box and researching the discs, which had been catalogued in Lennon's handwriting. As Midwinter's health began to deteriorate, he became anxious that a story of the jukebox and its music should feature in a documentary. Eventually, The South Bank Show broadcast a documentary on the jukebox in 2004 in which many of the represented artists, along with Sting, were interviewed. The project was developed by Steve Day for the British television production company Initial, headed by Malcolm Gerrie, and commissioned by Melvyn Bragg.

Album

The 2004 Compilation album named John Lennon's Jukebox contains thirty-four of the singles' A-sides and seven of their B-sides. The album contains several songs that are believed to be part of John Lennon's original choice. The album is subtitled "a collection inspired by music from his own collection" and some of the songs on the album are different versions from the ones that could have been included in the jukebox. For instance, the version of "Some Other Guy" by The Big Three is not the one that was in the original jukebox; instead it is a mid-1970s recording by the same group in the style of the Richie Barrett original.

Disc one

  1. "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett
  2. "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass
  3. "The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
  4. "My Girl" by Otis Redding
  5. "1-2-3" by Len Barry
  6. "Hi-Heel Sneakers" by Tommy Tucker
  7. "The Walk" by Jimmy McCracklin
  8. "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia" by Timmy Shaw
  9. "First I Look at the Purse" by The Contours
  10. "New Orleans" by Gary U.S. Bonds
  11. "Watch Your Step" by Bobby Parker
  12. "Daddy Rollin' Stone" by Derek Martin
  13. "Short Fat Fannie" by Larry Williams
  14. "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard
  15. "Hey! Baby" by Bruce Channel
  16. "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan
  17. "Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful
  18. "Turquoise" by Donovan
  19. "Slippin' and Slidin'" by Buddy Holly

    Disc two

  20. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent
  21. "No Particular Place to Go" by Chuck Berry
  22. "Steppin' Out" by Paul Revere & the Raiders
  23. "Do You Believe in Magic" by The Lovin' Spoonful
  24. "Some Other Guy" by The Big Three*
  25. "Twist and Shout" by The Isley Brothers
  26. "She Said, Yeah" by Larry Williams
  27. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by Buddy Holly
  28. "Slippin' and Slidin'" by Little Richard
  29. "Quarter to Three" by Gary U.S. Bonds
  30. "Ooh! My Soul" by Little Richard
  31. "Woman Love" by Gene Vincent
  32. "Shop Around" by The Miracles
  33. "Bring It on Home to Me" by The Animals
  34. "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" by James Ray with the Hutch Davie Orchestra
  35. "What's So Good About Goodbye" by The Miracles
  36. "Bad Boy" by Larry Williams
  37. "Agent Double-O Soul" by Edwin Starr
  38. "I've Been Good to You" by The Miracles
  39. "Who's Lovin' You" by The Miracles