Tuesday 3 November 1998 | US album releases | John Lennon | By Beatles Fabdom
John Lennon Anthology was released in the United States on 3 November 1998. The four-CD Capitol box collected previously unreleased studio outtakes, live performances, home demos and spoken material recorded between 1969 and 1980.
The American release followed the UK release on 2 November by one day. These were separate dates in the same international launch: Japan followed on 6 November. A shorter companion, Wonsaponatime, also reached America on 3 November.
| US release date | 3 November 1998 |
|---|---|
| UK release date | 2 November 1998 |
| Japanese release date | 6 November 1998 |
| Format | Four-CD archival box set |
| Label | Capitol / EMI |
| Compiler | Yoko Ono |
| Archival-release producers | Yoko Ono and Rob Stevens |
| Recording period | 1969–1980 |
| Disc titles | Ascot; New York City; The Lost Weekend; Dakota |
| US album-chart peak | 99 |
| Companion release | Wonsaponatime, a 21-track single-disc selection |
The American release of Lennon’s four-CD archive
Unlike a greatest-hits collection, Anthology concentrated on performances outside the familiar album masters. Recognisable titles appeared in alternative forms: an early take, a home recording, a live performance or a different studio arrangement. Short conversations and family recordings were included alongside complete songs.
The release followed the Beatles’ own Anthology project, but its subject was Lennon’s individual archive. It did not simply collect his contributions to the Beatles series, nor was it a newly recorded studio album. For the surrounding album chronology, explore our John Lennon solo discography and guide to his life and musical career.
The box’s organisation was geographical and biographical. Its four chapters moved from the Ascot period into New York, through the years commonly called the Lost Weekend, and finally to home life and recordings associated with the Dakota years. The package also included a 62-page book with photographs, drawings, lyrics and accompanying essays and notes.
Yoko Ono and Rob Stevens assemble the recordings
Ono compiled the material and produced the archival release with Rob Stevens. Stevens also served as chief engineer. The release credits name George Marino at Sterling Sound for mastering, with art concept by Ono and art direction and design by Roger Gorman/Reiner Design NYC.
Those 1998 production credits are separate from the original sessions. The tapes came from different years and settings, with original producers including Lennon, Ono, Phil Spector and Jack Douglas. A home demo and a multitrack studio recording therefore enter the collection with very different recording histories.
The official Lennon archive credits the drawings to John Lennon. The cover’s seated figure, cloud, handwritten phrase and yellow sun made that visual work part of the presentation, rather than using a conventional portrait photograph.
Disc one: Ascot
The first chapter returns to the period surrounding John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. Songs such as “Working Class Hero”, “God”, “Isolation”, “Love” and “Mother” appear alongside material from the following phase of Lennon’s recording career.
“Imagine (Take 1)”, “Oh My Love”, “Jealous Guy” and “How Do You Sleep?” offer alternatives to the established recordings. The distinctions between the performances matter: Anthology was presenting material from the recording process, not another running order of the original finished albums.
Our Imagine album guide follows the released record, while this first disc supplies a complementary selection from the archive.
Disc two: New York City
The second disc moves into political music, public performance and recordings connected with Mind Games. Its contents bring live material together with versions of “Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)”, “One Day (At a Time)” and “I Know (I Know)”. Early “Mind Games” fragments document the song before the finished album performance.
Lennon’s work for Ringo Starr is represented by “I’m the Greatest” and “Goodnight Vienna”. These recordings sit within the wider archive of his own writing and performances, rather than turning the box into a compilation of Ringo’s released recordings.
For related studio history, see recording Mind Games on 14 August 1973 and the Mind Games promotional filming on 24 October.
Disc three: The Lost Weekend
The third chapter draws on material associated with Walls and Bridges and Rock ‘n’ Roll. “What You Got”, “Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down and Out)”, “Scared” and “Steel and Glass” represent Lennon’s own writing, while performances of earlier rock and roll songs connect the archive with the music he had grown up hearing.
Studio dialogue and alternate performances remain part of the sequence. The collection therefore preserves both songs and fragments of the sessions around them. The disc’s period title groups the material, but the individual recording credits are the guide to who participated in each performance.
Disc four: Dakota
The final chapter brings together home recordings, family material and music from Lennon’s final recording period. “Real Love”, “Grow Old with Me” and “Serve Yourself” appear alongside the alternate “I’m Losing You” and brief family recordings.
The “Real Love” included here is Lennon’s own archival recording, not the Beatles’ 1996 single master. Similarly, the version of “I’m Losing You” is not the familiar Double Fantasy album performance. Its different band makes it one of the collection’s notable studio alternatives.
The official credits for that “I’m Losing You” performance list Lennon on vocal and electric guitar, Rick Nielsen on guitar, Tom Petersson on bass, Bun E. Carlos on drums and George Small on electric piano. The session production is credited to Lennon, Ono and Jack Douglas. The inclusion should not be described as a performance by the complete Cheap Trick line-up.
The four chapters at a glance
| Disc | Title | Material represented |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ascot | Plastic Ono Band and Imagine-era recordings |
| 2 | New York City | Political and live material, Mind Games-era recordings and songs written for Ringo |
| 3 | The Lost Weekend | Walls and Bridges and Rock ‘n’ Roll-era material |
| 4 | Dakota | Home recordings, family fragments and final-period studio performances |
Wonsaponatime and the US chart response
Wonsaponatime offered a 21-track, single-disc selection from the archive, with several performances shortened from their box-set versions. It was a companion drawn from the same project, not a fifth disc needed to complete Anthology.
The four-CD box reached number 99 in the United States and number 62 in Britain. Those chart peaks belong to the box itself, not to the shorter companion. Our Wonsaponatime UK-release article covers the previous day’s British launch of the single-disc edition.
John Lennon’s artwork
Lennon’s drawings form part of the box’s identity alongside the recordings. For readers interested in his self-portrait imagery, the John Lennon Self Portrait navy hoodie is a related design in our store.
Frequently asked questions
When was John Lennon Anthology released in the United States?
The US release was 3 November 1998, one day after the British release on 2 November.
How many discs does the box contain?
Four CDs, titled Ascot, New York City, The Lost Weekend and Dakota.
Who compiled and produced Anthology?
Yoko Ono compiled the archive. Ono and Rob Stevens produced the 1998 release; individual recordings retain their original session credits.
Is this the same as the Beatles’ Anthology?
No. John Lennon Anthology collects Lennon’s solo-era archive, including home demos, studio outtakes, live performances and spoken material recorded between 1969 and 1980.
What is Wonsaponatime?
It is the 21-track single-disc companion selected from the same archive, with some shortened versions. Its US release was also 3 November 1998.
How high did John Lennon Anthology chart in America?
The box reached number 99 in the United States. Its British peak was number 62.
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