Song from John Lennons last performance rediscovered
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John Lennon’s last live performance in front of an audience took place in the grand ballroom of New York Hilton Midtown hotel in New York City for the television program “Salute To Sir Lew – Master Showman” on April 18, 1975. The program was broadcast both in the United States (June 13, 1975) and in the United Kingdom (June 20, 1975), but these were two different 60 minutes versions of the program, formatted for the individual countries.
In both versions of the program, John Lennon performs the two songs “Slippin’ and Slidin’” from his new album, “Rock’n’Roll” as well as his most famous song from his solo career, “Imagine”.
Now it turns out that a videotape located in the British Film Institute BFI contains an unedited recording, and there is another song that was performed but not broadcast. This is also one of the songs from “Rock’n’Roll”, his top 20 single hit “Stand By Me”.
The TV conservators in the Kaleidoscope group obtained a copy of this tape back in 2017, but were unaware that it contained more than what was broadcast. Robert Reinstein has now reviewed the tape and concluded that this is a new discovery.
Ray Langstone tells us that he is certain that the tape originates from Polygram’s TV archive of past ITC programmes. The catalogue was sold back to ITV around ten years ago, but ITV already had the broadcast version and gave the unedited tape to the BFI.
Kaleidoscope will be showing either the full tape or, at the very least, “Stand By Me” at the Midlands Art Centre Birmingham in June 2025.
Here is a short film clip showing some of the differences between the US and UK versions of the programme, as well as a bit of the newly discovered performance of “Stand By Me”.
Thanks to Ray Langstone and Robert Reinstein.
I hope the whole Lennon performance would be used for the Rock N Roll deluxe album!
The songs are on the Bootleg “Complete Lennon Live Tapes”
The bootleg “A Guitar’s Alright John, But You’ll never Earn A Living By It” contains Slippin & Slidin and Stand By Me. Both claim to be recorded at the Record Plant on April 18, 1975 and broadcast on The Old Grey Whistle Test. Should I assume the liner notes on the LP are incorrect?
Both songs were performed in the British program, The Old Grey Whistle Test. https://www.ebay.com/itm/352644345776
I was confused since both listed the same date. But apparently the insert on my album is incorrect. Should be March 18 on The Old Grey Whistle Test.
I have 3 versions of Stand By Me and Slippin’ and Slidin’ recorded March 1975 (I don’t know the specifik date) and Aired 18th April 1975.
The Salute To Sir Lew 18th April 1975 and here I have audience recording of the Introduction, Slippin’ and Slidin’, Stand By Me and Imagine, and also the more know Soundboard versions of Slippin’ and Slidin’ and Imagine.
The audio was bootlegged years ago but the video es new!!!!
It’s long been known that Lennon performed “Stand By Me”. The audio has been bootlegged from an audience recording. This is the first time anyone has seen the video and a soundboard recording of it. Everyone assumed the raw footage was thrown away. Amazing discovery!!!
Where the US broadcast seems to show a different performance of Slippin’ & Sliddin’. Is it not a reapeated clip from earlier in the song? That verse is sung twice, so they may have pulled the close up of him from earlier in the same song
Thanks for the name check! The video has not been publicly seen since broadcast.
Wow! I have a ticket to the Kaleidoscope event in Birmingham this weekend where they have promised to show something else that’s just been discovered. Another surprise long-lost musical clip. I’ll just have to go again next year to see this.
The event was held at the grand ballroom of New York Hilton Midtown hotel, not the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Thank you!