It was 8^th December, 1980 when John Lennon was shot. A bloody end to the luminous life of a complex individual. Reagan Gavin Rasquinha traces the story what would be his unintentional swan song album – ‘Double Fantasy’.

Thoughts naturally trace back to the moment when I first read about it much later in 1997 when truly discovering Beatles music and reading about their stories lives. The material I read at that time were foreign books and mags that had been given by a senior many years older than me (no doubt when he was spring cleaning).

One article in the Times UK newspaper's magazine special about Beatles released in 1980, narrated the incident. Strangely myth-making. The killing turned Lennon into a martyr figure even though the man who shot him clearly suffered from severe mental disturbances. The focus here is not on the killer. What matters is that the incident arrived at a turning point for listeners who had followed the Beatles and the solo careers of the band members.

Lennon had a life marked by instability that fed directly into his work. The Beatles years were likely his most productive period. His childhood had been fractured. His father was absent. His mother died young. He was raised by an aunt. He carried a reputation for aggression and volatility, behaviour that often hid an internal longing for structure and emotional safety. He found a version of that, for better or worse, in Yoko Ono who fulfilled an almost parental reassurance while also amplifying his sense of artistic confidence. Substance use was a regular part of life in the Beatles, and the Beatles had already been immersed in that world even before they became globally dominant.

In the mid seventies he separated from Yoko for more than a year. This was the period known as the lost weekend in Los Angeles. There was no exploratory studio culture during that time, only heavy drinking and chaotic socialising with other musicians. He eventually returned to New York after Paul urged that the two reconcile. Once back with Yoko he entered a long period away from public work, living as a stay at home father and absorbing a routine that required stillness. He had earlier drifted away from his first son but later made efforts to reconnect though the bond was no longer what it might have been.

A sailing trip in the Caribbean revived his creative impulse. He returned with a renewed interest in recording and that led to the sessions that became ‘Double Fantasy;. The album was meant to be a reintroduction. It used pop-ish studio techniques. The production was smooth and exact. The writing was intimate, centered on affection and domestic life. The album was produced by Jack Douglas. It was released on David Geffen's new label. A tour was being planned. The mood was constructive and hopeful. Early sales were moderate. The tragic event that followed pushed the album far beyond its initial commercial trajectory. Milk and Honey that followed was taken from the same sessions.

‘Double Fantasy’ remains today a snapshot of a man who had chosen comfort over volatility, something listeners at that time did not always understand or appreciate. Many wished for the edge of his earlier work. Yet an artist is not obliged to continually revisit personal turmoil simply because audiences respond to it.

With that context, the vinyl today stands as an album with moments that work well within curated listening. Several tracks remain solid. Others function more as documentation of a transition. With that distance, here is the album (in our Vinyl Review) as it plays in 2025.

By Reagan Gavin Rasquinha

Reagan Gavin Rasquinha is a writer who moves between high culture and backroom blues, tracing the quiet revolutions that shape what we see, feel and hear.