Rating: 
Summary: A Strange Man
Review: Lennon was a brilliant songwriter, but I have much more respect for McCartney as a person. While John complained about being a Beatle, he nonetheless didn't complain about the advantages that being one brought him in notoriety, a forum to air his political grievances, and the ability to bring a nominal "artist" to the forefront, Yoko Ono.This book is a self indulgant excercise, one that is wrought with contradictions and mis-information. For example, Lennon didn't write the melody to "In My Life." McCartney did. Also, "Elenaour Rigby" was completed when McCartney brought it to the studio. In many cases, John felt threatened by Paul's popularity and ease in dealing with people. Rather than deal with his one problems, he lashed out at others. Strange.
Rating: 
Summary: Remember
Review: Lennon's quick witted edge is displayed in full living color in this collection of interviews from Rolling Stone. If you are looking to add to your comprehensive Lennon/Beatles collection, I highly recommend putting this one on your shelf. Even 2nd generation Lennon lovers need this one...
Rating:
Summary: He lied on a lot of this.
Review: People who think this is so great don't really know that much about Lennon. Don't get me wrong, I love'im. But he later publicly admitted a lot of this (which I originally read when it came out in 1970) was lies aimed against bad-boy McCartney. Pretty silly, in retrospect. Of course, the really unfortunate part is his stuff about them only writing separately after the very early Beatle days. Later, in Playboy (1980) he said, "Yeah, I lied; we really wrote most of them (the songs) looking up each other's noses." At least he later set the record straight. Anyone willing to be reasonable could tell they wrote most of the Beatle songs together because the songwriting of both men fell off pretty dramatically after they went their separate ways. This is ok as a trip down nostalgia lane but it really misrepresents the history of Lennon/McCartney. If you don't believe me go to the library and read Lennon's Playboy interview from the Fall of 1980. Lennon was a great talent and fascinating personality, but could be fairly petty. And interviews seemed to stoke his self-indulgent, whiny instincts. I can't imagine why Jan Wenner and Yoko Ono brought this all out again. Surely they have enough money by now. Oh, well, anything Lennon is fun in my book.
Rating:
Summary: Lennon Remembered what he wanted the public to believe
Review: The original interview conducted by Rolling Stone editor and founder Jann Wenner was a revelation when originally printed in late 1970 early 1971. Lennon is an interesting interview subject and Wenner asked all the pressing Lennon/Beatle questions of the day. Lennon unfortunately revealed in his 1980 Playboy interview that most of what he said about his relationships to the other Beatles and particularly McCartney and their songwriting in the Rolling Stone interview was a lie designed to destroy the Beatles myth once and for all. His views on world peace never changed. Lennon was very good at manipulating the media when he had something to say or new product to release. This book is an interesting facet into the head of John Lennon in the early seventies. If you want to relive those early days when it seemed like the world could change if we all just tried hard enough then this book is for you. He was destined to become a Saint and shall always remain one.
Rating: 
Summary: Essential reading
Review: There are some reviews already posted here that do a good job of describing the general contents of this short volume. There are some absolutely riveting passages, a must for anyone who wants to try and understand Lennon's work. The thing I would like to note, however, is that this shouldn't be the ONLY major interview of Lennon's that you read. Lennon was a very contradictory person and many of the thoughts and opinions he expresses here would be modified or even outright dismissed by him later in his life. I strongly recommend tracking down a copy of the Complete Playboy Interviews, conducted by David Sheff-- it's out of print unfortunately, but it is also equally essential reading and provides an excellent balance for the often bitter lashing out that Lennon does here.
Rating:
Summary: Vastly informative
Review: This transcription of a lengthy interview which Lennon gave to Rolling Stone magazine's editor in 1970 is an indispensable document for any study of Lennon and/or the Beatles, both for its reflections and for its portrait of Lennon's mindset at the time. It should be balanced against Lennon's equally riveting 1980 Playboy interviews and McCartney's recent "Many Years from Now" recollections. Important primary sources all.
Rating:
Summary: A Moment in Time
Review: Yes, a moment in time. Lennon was mecurial, that is, his mood shifted over time and had several different public careers. There was the moptop Lennon in 1964, the psychedelic Lennon in 1967, the hairy Lennon in 1969, the drunk Lennon in 1974, and the domestic comeback Lennon in 1980. But in 1970, it was the angry Lennon who underwent primal scream therapy and tried to cut off all ties with the Beatles, badmouthing nearly everyone from his past in an effort to forge a new public persona: the Yokoman who wanted peace and to exorcise his demons. He exorcises them here.
Rating:
Summary: A Moment in Time
Review: Yes, a moment in time. Lennon was mecurial, that is, his mood shifted over time and had several different public careers. There was the moptop Lennon in 1964, the psychedelic Lennon in 1967, the hairy Lennon in 1969, the drunk Lennon in 1974, and the domestic comeback Lennon in 1980. But in 1970, it was the angry Lennon who underwent primal scream therapy and tried to cut off all ties with the Beatles, badmouthing nearly everyone from his past in an effort to forge a new public persona: the Yokoman who wanted peace and to exorcise his demons. He exorcises them here.
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