Un-Butchered Lennon: 1970-1975

"Instant Karma!" - Gotta love that back beat.
"Working Class Hero" - Here's a haunting, Bob Dylan-influenced song. Hear that cynicism? And was that an F-bomb I heard? This, my friends, is the difference between John and Paul.
"Imagine" - Never mind that, in his most famous song, John advocates the abolishment of all religions and a world-wide switch to socialism. That's the thing about politics - everyone wants the same basic goal - in this case, world peace. But no one can agree on how we should get there. Take this song for what it essentially is - a call for a better world.
"Jealous Guy" - Oh, Phil Spector. You and your strings. Even John himself didn't like the cheesiness that Spector added to his genuine, emotional works of art.
"Happy Xmas" - Sorry, Liz, but THIS is the best Christmas song ever. Countless musicians cash in on the holiday season, but how many have written songs like this, an extension of the message in "Imagine"? A Christmas song with a cause? Hell yeah.
"Stand By Me" - It's easy to ruin this Ben E. King classic, but John's rocking arrangement and passionate vocals do it plenty of justice.