Whoa, there! This album isn't nearly that bad. In fact, here's a rundown of why any self-repecting John Lennon fan cannot be without this album:

"Side 1" consists of five outtakes from the Rock'n'Roll/Walls and Bridges era, so this is the only place you'll find 'Here We Go Again', Rock and Roll People (which he gave to Johnny Winter), To Know Her Is To Love Her, and Since My Baby Left Me. Angel Baby was later released on the Lennon box, and is the only other place to find that cut. While I'm not saying that these are lost John Lennon classics, they've all got a rock and roll heart and are featured in pristine sound. They stand with the material on Rock'n'Roll, and are remastered much better.

But it is "Side 2" that really shines. These are stripped-down, magnificent sounding outtakes of songs that were released on Walls and Bridges. Like many of the similar outtakes that would surface on Anthology, I much prefer these versions to the 'produced' versions that grace the actual Walls and Bridges album. Every nuance of every sound is captured here. John's voice is frightfully real and close.

If you dig John Lennon, for God's sake, don't miss this album. It's one of the greatest unexpected pleasures in his catalog. Thanks, Yoko and Capital/EMI for releasing this. One gripe: how about a better package design and some liner notes?

Why is Menlove Ave. getting such a bad rating? For one thing,there is no Yoko on this. You have to put this into perspective when you judge this album. And I do agree that you have to be a true Lennon fan to enjoy this. The casual fan will not like this. But I dont judge anything based on what a casual fan would like...who cares what they think? Why would a casual fan buy posthumous CD's anyway? The man is dead and can not make any more music,why not release these tracks? These tracks are good enough to be released for a true Lennon fan and not the casual. And in my opinion the Walls and Bridges outtakes on Menlove Ave. are almost as good as the cuts on the Walls and Bridges album ,wich were way overproduced in my opinion. Scared and Old Dirt Road reminds me of an unplugged type of venue. There are parts of the 'live' songs where the band is a bit ragged,but they were working out the kinks and getting the tracks down. If these tracks were not so ragged,they would be better than the official Walls and Bridges album. And for the true Lennon fan,its nice to hear these tracks at their conception being worked out. Again,put this into perspective. Im giving this 5 stars to help boost the score on this web site...but I really think it should be a 4.

MENLOVE AVENUE, a leftovers collection released after John Lennon's death, offers two good songs: "Here We Go Again," a Lennon-Phil Spector original, and "Rock and Roll People," a demo that must have been heard by Johnny Winter, who tore it up on his outstanding JOHN DAWSON WINTER III album. Two good songs would make a 45-RPM single, but the rest of MENLOVE AVENUE - rejects and demos from Lennon's ROCK N ROLL and WALLS AND BRIDGES albums - make for a forgettable LP. Hard core Lennon fans will want to hear MENLOVE AVENUE once, but on the second listen they won't play it past track two.

"Menlove Avenue" is a collection of outtakes and demos from the "Lost Weekend" phase of John's life. Some good moments (especially on the "Walls and Bridges" demo section), but hardly essential, and this set is inferior to the material from the same era found in the "Anthology" box.

John Lennon could scream and moan and it would be better than any crap out now. I think you can get some of that on unfinished music, but on to this. The slower quiet "live" versions starting with steel and glass are perfect. I always picture John like some struggling musician playing old smokey west side bar, no one listening, he's just feelin' down in it some night. Mostly just John's voice dominating over the backing music, sometimes just piano. Oh how I wish there were more/any artists like this still around who could sing and song write, play the instruments. More than just a face dancing around to some stolen music they call there own, please. Rock and roll people and since my baby left me are just fun, and you want to love her when you hear John singing to know her is to love her you really have to think of your own special love and you know its from the heart.