2 bands that John Lennon said that he liked in the 70s

The Beatles came to an end in 1970 after becoming in only a few years the biggest band in the world and the most influential one. The guitarist and singer John Lennon was one of the fundamental parts of the group since with Paul McCartney, he formed one of the most successful songwriting duos of the history of music. In the 70s, he released many highly praised solo records, paid attention to new bands, and even mentioned two groups from that decade as ones he liked.

2 bands that John Lennon said that he liked in the 70s

B-52s

It was in an interview with Playboy magazine in 1980, not long before he was tragically murdered in New York City, outside the Dakota Building at the age of 40, that he mentioned these two groups. The first one was the B-52s, group formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. “I enjoy the B-52s, because I heard them doing Yoko. It’s great. If Yoko ever goes back to her old sound, they’ll be saying, ‘Yeah, she’s copying the B-52s,'” John Lennon said.

The Beatle was referring to a scream Cindy Wilson does in the middle of the song “Rock Lobster”, which is similar to what Yoko used to do in some tracks. Talking to Rolling Stone magazine in 1980, just a few days before his death, Lennon explained how he first heard “Rock Lobster” for the first time. The song was part of the band’s self-titled debut album, released in 1979. It served as an inspiration for Lennon to record new songs.

“I was at a dance club one night in Bermuda. Upstairs, they were playing disco, and downstairs I suddenly heard ‘Rock Lobster’ by the B-52’s for the first time. Do you know it? It sounds just like Yoko’s music. So I said to meself, ‘It’s time to get out the old ax and wake the wife up!’” John Lennon said.

According to the band’s vocalist Fred Schneider, Lennon liked the beat and how crazy the track was. “He liked the beat and how crazy it was. When Cindy does that ‘Aaaah’, wild vocal. That definitely by Yoko and I think (there is) something registered,” he told Howard Stern in 2010

The Pretenders

The other band mentioned by Lennon at the time were The Pretenders, led by the guitarist and singer Chrissie Hynde. “Well, I like all music (these days), depending on what time of day it is. I don’t like styles of music or people per se. I can’t say I enjoy the Pretenders, but I like their hit record.”

The album John Lennon mentioned was their self-titled record released in 1980. It had praised songs like “Precious”, “Stop Your Sobbing”, “Private Life” and “Brass in Pocket”. It peaked at number one on the United Kingdom albums chart and 9 on the  United States Billboard 200.

The British group was formed in Hereford, England back in 1978. But Chrissie Hynde was actually born in the United States. Besides her, on the first album the band was formed by Martin Chambers (Drums), Pete Farndon (Bass) and James Honeyman-Scott (Guitar, keyboards).