3 November 1986 · UK album release · John Lennon
The British release of John Lennon’s Menlove Ave. is commonly dated Monday 3 November 1986, following its American appearance on 27 October. The posthumous collection brought ten archival recordings to the UK market in the run-up to Christmas, combining previously unissued material with alternative performances of songs from Walls and Bridges.
This entry follows the British release. For the preceding American event and the wider album story, read Menlove Ave.’s US release on 27 October 1986. A brief note below records the different UK date currently shown in Lennon’s official catalogue.
| Artist | John Lennon |
|---|---|
| Album | Menlove Ave. |
| UK date used for this entry | 3 November 1986; see release-date note below |
| US release | 27 October 1986 |
| Format of the original LP | Ten tracks across two sides |
| Material | Archival recordings from Lennon’s 1970s solo career |
| Cover portrait | Andy Warhol |
| UK chart result | Did not enter the UK album chart |
| US chart peak | No. 127 |
A British release from Lennon’s archive
Menlove Ave. followed Milk and Honey, released two years earlier, but returned to a different period of Lennon’s recording career. Rather than presenting another set of his final songs, it drew on work associated with the Mind Games, Rock ’n’ Roll and Walls and Bridges years.
For British listeners, the record offered performances outside the familiar original LPs. Some titles were less familiar Lennon recordings; others were songs already known from Walls and Bridges, heard here in alternative versions. It was an archive collection, not a greatest-hits album or a newly recorded studio project.
The ten-track sequence divided those strands across the record’s two sides. The first combined original material with older rock ’n’ roll songs; the second concentrated on five alternatives from the Walls and Bridges repertoire.
The UK reception
The album arrived ahead of the Christmas 1986 market but received little promotion and did not enter the UK album chart. Its American release also had a modest commercial showing, reaching No. 127.
That distinction is important when comparing the two releases. No. 127 was the American peak, not a British chart position. The UK release had no corresponding album-chart entry.
Rock and Roll People was issued as a promotional single in connection with the album, but there was no commercial single release from Menlove Ave.. A promotional pressing should therefore not be confused with a normal shop release intended to accompany the LP.
The recordings on side one
The album opened with Here We Go Again and Rock and Roll People, followed by Angel Baby, Since My Baby Left Me and To Know Her Is to Love Her. This side connected Lennon’s own material with the older songs he revisited during his rock ’n’ roll recording period.
Rock and Roll People also connects the 1986 release with the Mind Games sessions. Our account of 4 August 1973: Mind Games, Out the Blue and Rock and Roll People follows the song’s earlier studio history.
The Walls and Bridges alternatives
Side two presented Steel and Glass, Scared, Old Dirt Road, Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out) and Bless You. These were alternative performances, not a straight reissue of the corresponding five tracks from the original album.
The relationship between recording date and release date is central to this collection. Music made during Lennon’s 1970s studio work was being issued as part of a new archival album in 1986. The British release was a new event in the catalogue, not a new performance by Lennon.
For the earlier recording chronology, see the work on Steel and Glass and Old Dirt Road on 20 July 1974.
Menlove Ave.: complete tracklist
Side one
- Here We Go Again
- Rock and Roll People
- Angel Baby
- Since My Baby Left Me
- To Know Her Is to Love Her
Side two
- Steel and Glass
- Scared
- Old Dirt Road
- Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out)
- Bless You
The title and Andy Warhol sleeve
The album title referred to Menlove Avenue in Liverpool, where Lennon grew up with Aunt Mimi and Uncle George. It linked the collection’s identity to his childhood, although the recordings themselves came from his later solo career.
Andy Warhol’s cover portrait placed Lennon’s face against a dark background, with coloured areas beneath the drawn outlines. The sleeve supplied the album’s main visual identity rather than using a photograph of a recording session or a performance.
That artwork appears here as the featured image for the release itself. The wider recording background and American release are covered in the 27 October Menlove Ave. article.
A note on the UK release date
The dated 3 November release chronology places the British release on Monday 3 November 1986. The current official Lennon album catalogue instead lists 5 November 1986. This On This Day entry follows the former date, while retaining that source difference rather than presenting the date as uncontested.
Frequently asked questions
When was Menlove Ave. released in the UK?
Beatles release chronologies date it to 3 November 1986. Lennon’s current official album catalogue lists 5 November instead; this article records the 3 November chronology and notes the difference.
Was this the same event as the American release?
No. The US release was on 27 October 1986. This entry covers the subsequent British release of the same album.
Did Menlove Ave. chart in Britain?
It did not enter the UK album chart. Its No. 127 peak relates to the United States.
What does the album contain?
Ten archival Lennon recordings, combining material associated with his earlier solo sessions and alternative performances of five Walls and Bridges songs.
Who created the Menlove Ave. cover portrait?
The sleeve features Andy Warhol’s portrait of John Lennon.
Was there a commercial single from the album?
No commercial single was released. Rock and Roll People was issued as a promotional single.
Continue exploring John Lennon’s history
Read the US Menlove Ave. release on 27 October 1986, explore John Lennon’s life and solo career, or return to the On This Day in Beatles History hub and the main Beatles Knowledge Hub.
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