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.

‘Some Time in New York City,’ released in the summer of ’72, is not only the worst John Lennon album. It’s the worst (non-Ringo) solo Beatles record.

“I’m Only Sleeping,” with its hallucinogenic quality, vivid yet surreal lyrics, creative guitar solo and unusual recording effects, still sounds like no other song in the Beatles’ catalog.

Through it failed to make the ‘Hard Day’s Night’ soundtrack, “I Call Your Name” nevertheless illustrates the Beatles’ rapid artistic development.

The B-side to “All You Need Is Love,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man” stands as one of the Beatles’ most innovative, funky, and underrated tracks.