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[Keri]

Here's a ranking for John's albums, there are probably others:

http://www.examiner.com/article/john-lennon-his-solo-albums-ranked-from-best-to-worst

I think I agree with the number one, Imagine, maybe I should get it. John's solo work unfortunately doesn't inspire me, his work in the Beatles though was amazing.

[Greg]

John's solo career was rather odd. 

Anyway,

I like Mind Games a whole lot.  Great feel to it and I like his singing on it.
I like Sometime In NYC too.  My second favorite of his.
POB is like a time capsule that I visit once in a while.  It's a close look into an artist at a particular time to me.

Double Fantasy...I can't even begin to explain my dislike for that album.  Double "Fantasy" was a good title btw considering that the portrayal of a happy couple was main focus of that album.  And again, I'm cynical about that album, and it came at a time when I didn't want to hear that music from John at the time.  Of course he was 40 and I was 20...makes sense.

[kylenz]

Ok, I've included the 'Live Peace in Toronto' and 'Live In New York City' albums as they have a place in my heart and I rank them above some of his studio albums!

1 - Plastic Ono Band - easily his strongest album and his boldest musical statement to the world (Beatles material-included). Features some of my favourite all-time Lennon songs (Working Class Hero, I Found Out, Love).
2 - Some Time In New York City - underrated and full of vitality just like Plastic Ono Band. Forget the live second disc with Zappa, but the main record is great. Even Yoko's contributions are strong ('Angela' being an example).
3 - Milk and Honey - I like this more than Double Fantasy. The songs are rawer and have more punch. Even Yoko's songs are really good ('Sleepless Night' for example). 'Nobody Told Me' is a classic, and 'Grow Old With Me' is one of his greatest melodies - it feels like a hymn. I can only imagine how great it would've been had he lived to properly record it in the studio.
4 - Walls and Bridges - have always liked this album, but the favourite songs are the non-singles (Going Down On Love, Surprise Surprise Sweet Bird of Paradox). #9 Dream is great though. And I love 'What You Got' as a rocker. 'Steel and Glass' is underrated too.
5 - Double Fantasy - Love John's singles on this. All classics of course. But the best song is Yoko's 'Kiss Kiss Kiss'. It sounds like it could've been on Grace Jones' 'Warm Leatherette' or something. New wave brilliance on an album adorned with smooth middle-of-the-road grooves.
6 - Live in New York City (1986) - always liked this live album since it came out - love the raw rockin' versions of Cold Turkey and Come Together (even though he gets the lyrics wrong haha). Well Well Well would be a standout. It kicks serious ass as a live track. It rips and it snarls.
7 - Live Peace In Toronto 1969 - another great raw live album. Love the grungy versions of all the songs on here, from Blue Suede Shoes and Money to Yer Blues and Dizzy Miss Lizzy. Makes me think if The Beatles went on the road and played like that, it would've been amazing - they kinda missed out on the whole 'crank-the-amps-up-to-ten' and heavy hard rock thing like The Who etc but I think they could've outdone them all - imagine if Macca did Helter Skelter in this setlist! Instead we get Yoko howling on Side 2. But the rest of it is AWESOME.
8 - Imagine - I know it's supposed to be a classic but it's one of those albums I can't get into. The title track is a classic, but then you have 'How Do You Sleep', which is such a GREAT performance, but sadly aimed at Macca.. I find it a tough listen at times. Not a fan of songs such as 'Crippled Inside'.
9 - Rock N Roll - not a fan of the fake echo on the drums and vocals and the covers are generally average too compared to the originals. 'Stand By Me' though of course, is sublime.
10 - Mind Games - his weakest album in my opinion. With the exception of the stunning title track, there is nothing else that grabs me.

[Keri]

I've finally got around to getting some of John's albums on CD. I got Walls and Bridges, Imagine and Mind Games.

He just looms too large to ignore. I am disappointed by his solo work but it is a part of who he was. Walls and Bridges is my favourite he allowed some imagination into that one, it's a bit messy but that also makes it human.

Imagine is quite good, how Do You Sleep? is a bit hard to take, it's just mean. But otherwise I like the album OK.

Mind Games is my last choice and I have thought badly of it, but I kind of like it that he decided to make a pop album, I like some of the sounds he makes, he has some nice singing, not greatly inspired songwriting, but the title track is excellent. I'm warming to it.

Anyway, it's nice to accept John's solo work back into my imagination.

[kylenz]

The cool thing about Walls and Bridges, is his recording it through his period with May Pang and the 'Lost Weekend' gang. A few of the songs I'm guessing are about her, especially 'Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)' of course. And some songs he genuinely does seem lost and feel like a cry for help ('Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out').

I think he also did the 'Mind Games' album while he was with May, right?  That Lost Weekend sure went longer than we initially think!

[Keri]

Mind Games was the very start of the lost weekend, it's pretty inconsequential, but it's also his first as producer he also seems to be trying to make a pop album. The cover shows Yoko behind him, she looms large but he's also moving away from her.

I think what we see with Walls and Bridges is a much more creative album, he's spread out a bit and to me the songs are the freest of any of his solo albums. He writes about what's happening to him but there are also songs that draw from within "No 9 Dream" and ones that are just creative expressions "Old Dirt Road", This variety of perspective is what makes this album my favourite. It also sounds very hands on.