Issued on Dec. 11, 1970, ‘Plastic Ono Band’ found John Lennon confronting demons, talismans and heroes – but he never rocked harder than he does here.

Steve Cropper discusses a session where John Lennon, who’d be murdered on Dec. 8, 1980, showed off a riff he’d saved just for Booker T. and the MGs.

Kit O’Toole counts down the best Beatles-related releases of the past year, ranging from books to CDs to DVDs to calendars and more.

Pity the poor Brits, who didn’t initially receive the full 11-song U.S. version of the Beatles’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ released on Nov. 27, 1967.

Turns out, John Lennon – who would have celebrated a birthday today – was just as mercurially intriguing to his sidemen as he was to everyone else.

Released on Sept. 26, 1969, the Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ held many collaborative surprises. But I just couldn’t get over its Side One ending.

When John Lennon returned in 1980 with some of the most contented sounds of his career, it gave greater weight to an earlier tune like this.

Sidemen Joey Molland and Alan White joined us for a deeper dive in John Lennon’s ‘Imagine,’ released on Sept. 9, 1971.

Passed over as an A-side, “Thank You Girl” illustrated the foundational role the blues, R&B, and early rock ‘n’ roll played in the Beatles’ early sound.

Before hooking up with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Elephant’s Memory hit the Top 50 with “Mongoose,” a song that was thrillingly raw.