STRANGE DAYS INDEED . . . . 

On this day in music history: January 27, 1984 - “Milk And Honey”, the seventh album by John Lennon & Yoko Ono is released. Produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, it is recorded at The Hit Factory in New York City in August - September 1980 and Late 1983. Lennon’s tracks are recorded during the sessions for “Double Fantasy” in the Summer and Fall of 1980 and were intended for the follow up release in 1981. The project is shelved after Lennon’s death, but are revived after Ono severs ties with Geffen Records, signing with Polydor Records. Lennon’s songs are comprised of rehearsal recordings and early takes that are polished up during post production. Ono’s songs are new recordings completed in 1983 during preparation for the album’s release. It spins off three singles including “I’m Stepping Out” (#55 Pop), “Borrowed Time”, and “Nobody Told Me” (#5 Pop), the latter of which had been written by Lennon with the intention of giving it to Ringo Starr to record. The album’s cover features a full color outtake shot by Japanese photographer Kishin Shinoyama, from the same photo session that produced the cover for “Double Fantasy”. Originally released on CD in 1984 also, the album is remastered and reissued on CD (on Capitol Records) in October of 2001 with four additional bonus tracks, including a twenty two minute excerpt of Lennon’s final interview recorded on December 8, 1980. It is remastered and reissued on CD again in 2010, minus the added bonus tracks. Out of print on vinyl since 1989, it is reissued as a 180 gram vinyl LP in 2015. “Milk And Honey” peaks at number eleven on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.

Video starring George Harrison, Miles Davis, Fred Astaire and ensemble cast