This is how you go solo.

The older I get the more I just adore this album. One needs to of lived at least little bit for this to really hit home. It’s a gut wrenching personal exorcism and beautiful at the same time. As a whole and a statement from just one person it’s simply perfect and unsurpassed.

One of the most emotionally exposed albums ever written. Lennon truly walked the high wire in the writing and the vocals and there isn't one second of the entire album that is less than 110%. That’s when you reach to greatness.

The mixes in this set are beautifully done, too, nothing overly fancy, just highlighting the raw minimalism that makes the record still timeless musically.

Splurged on the big expensive box because I just had to have that book. They did such a nice job with it that unlike with some box sets it actually feels worth the crazy price. (Haven't been through all the discs yet, and not opened the Blu-Rays.)

For anyone who missed it, Tim Burgess did a listening party for the album that has some fun tweets from Ringo, Klaus Voormann, Yoko, Sean and others. Voormann in particular shared some cool stories about the recording (including confirming for once and for all that the loud "Cookie!" in "Hold On" is indeed John imitating Sesame Street's Cookie Monster.)

If you want your illusions of it being his "Deep cathartic album of self discovery" shattered listen to the "Evolution Documentary" disc of the big box. He's having a whale of a time. There's a part of "Working Class Hero" where he mutters "Buggerlugs, buggerlugs, wrong words you cvnt"

My favourite LP of his is "Walls And Bridges" in conjunction with "Pussy Cats" by Harry Nilsson.