John Lennon was in the throes of a debaucherous, hedonistic, and at times violent “Lost Weekend” in the mid-1970s, so it’s unsurprising that the recording sessions he scheduled for his fifth and final studio album in 1975 were just as wild and unruly. Rock ‘n’ Roll was one of several albums Lennon worked on alongside infamous producer Phil Spector. And that producer contributed as many intense outbursts and fits of rage as anyone else in the room.
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As Lennon’s then-girlfriend, May Pang, would later describe it in her memoir, Loving John: “I was overwhelmed by the ugliness of the sessions. I had never before experienced such self-indulgence and basic disrespect for human values. Keeping John calm was my main concern during each of them. I knew I couldn’t stop John’s drinking—the conflicts he felt were too deep. When he did drink, he did not allow himself to lose his head again.”
Lennon was certainly in a tenuous time in his life, both personally and professionally. His solo records were hardly flying off the shelves like the albums by his former band, The Beatles, were in the mid-1960s. He was in the middle of a separation from his second wife, Yoko Ono, who maintained close tabs on both Lennon and Pang.
Mix vodka, unwelcome studio visitors, and Spector’s arduous workflow, and it’s honestly more surprising that things didn’t get worse than they did.
John Lennon Had Plenty of Visitors During His 1975 Recording Sessions
When John Lennon first teamed up with Phil Spector for his fifth album, the musician granted the producer full control of the recording sessions, which were to take place at A&M Studios in Hollywood. Rumors of Lennon recording in Hollywood obviously attracted the attention of nearby musicians, leading to a near-constant stream of visitors to the studio. One of those frequent visitors was Joni Mitchell, who already had a bristly conversation with Lennon while out on the town around that same time.
Based on May Pang’s description of Mitchell’s behavior, it would seem as though she was purposefully trying to intimidate Lennon while he worked. It would also seem that it worked. “Joni Mitchell sauntered into the studio,” she wrote. “She was recording in the next studio and decided to pay Spector a visit. She sat down next to the producer and watched while he worked. Occasionally, she looked out at John and smiled languidly.”
“It was clear that she was flirting with him,” Pang continued, “and he was embarrassed by it. Between glances at John, she turned to Spector and asked him questions about what he was doing. The producer spat rapid-fire answers at her, and she responded by telling him that he was wrong. Her corrections only made him angrier.”
Mitchell’s interruptions delayed the session that day, as did her impromptu visit on a different day. Other visitors included Mick Jagger, Harry Nilsson, Warren Beatty, and Jack Nicholson (the last two accompanied Mitchell). One session was so crammed with people that Spector went into a full-on rage, demanding that everyone leave the studio immediately.
Alcohol Did Little to Soothe Everyone’s Frazzled Nerves
Forcing people to stay in the studio for hours on end was bound to make them restless. Giving them access to alcohol while they waited practically guaranteed it. Session players began loudly complaining about the discrepancy between their call time and when they were actually called upon to work. More often than not, producer Phil Spector berated these musicians for not being more grateful to get to work on such a star-studded project. Spector even blew off John Lennon at one point, saying, “I’ll get to you.” Lennon responded by picking up a headset and smashing it against the console. The moment passed eventually, but still.
Other times, alcohol made things exponentially worse. Lennon often grew agitated and abusive when he drank. He lashed out at other musicians and associates with homophobic and racist language. During one particularly volatile outburst, Spector and some other men tied Lennon up to try to get him to calm down. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t work. Spector once showed up to a session dressed as a surgeon, brandishing a firearm in one hand and a bottle of brandy in another. They spilled alcohol on the state-of-the-art recording consoles, resulting in their banishment from A&M.
And of course, musicians weren’t staying the night. Some of the ones who drank during the hours-long sessions drove home and wrecked their vehicles. He returned to the next session with bandages around his head, asking Lennon repeatedly for a drink from his flask. Lennon sent him to his girlfriend, May Pang, because, as she recalled him saying, “I can’t stand people beggin’ at me.”
Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle indeed.
Photo by Ken Regan /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images
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