First, the sound quality is, like on the other Lennon remasters, greatly improved. The addition of bonus tracks (especially the interview) is a nice touch, also.

About the music. The Lennon material on this album is certainly good, but, aside from the hit "Nobody Told Me", not classic or essential. On this album, Yoko shines. Of her songs, "Your Hands", sung in Japanese, is my favorite. "You're the One" and "O Sanity" are also great tracks. I am glad that "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him" was included here. The song was originally released on DOUBLE FANTASY with Yoko singing lead and John singing harmony in the background. For this version, which was originally issued on EVERY MAN HAS A WOMAN (an album of other artists covering Yoko compositions), John's harmony vocal is moved up front and actually works as a lead. It's nice to have all of this available on CD again in this improved edition.

Others have said that taking John's songs from DOUBLE FANTASY and MILK AND HONEY to compile one album would be an improvement. Don't dismiss Yoko's work out of hand, though. There are some treasures in her material that should not be missed. Give her a chance and you may be pleasantly surprised.

All in all, a good (although not great) album. It does make one sad, though, to imagine what would have come later. It really did seem like the Lennons were just getting started with renewed enthusiasm and spirit.

Sadly, most of the song on this album are probably sinkers. "I'm Stepping Out" is a fair pop effort which, while somewhat reminiscent of "Starting Over," isn't quite as successful as the lead single from "Double Fantasy." The same can be said for "Borrowed Time." John's other songs on "Milk and Honey" are more solid, with songs like "Noboby Told Me" that try to hearken back to "Instant Karma" days while keeping his "Double Fantasy" work in mind with mixed results. "(Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess" is probably my favorite of the original tracks. This song is very jazzy sounding and seems to anticipate what groups like Rinocerouse are doing today.

"Grow Old with Me," in it's original demo tape form, seems a very sad coda on John's life, as his lyrics could never come true. It's very much a diamond in the rough. Yoko's song "Let Me Count the Ways," meant to be the sort of balance piece to John's "Grow Old with Me," is also touchingly left in unfinished form.

As for Yoko's tracks, most of her songs equal her work on "Double Fantasy" (such as "You're the One") and some even surpass it (specifically in the case of "Let Me Count the Ways.") Some fail miserably, such as "Your Hands." In other words, if you liked Yoko on "Double Fantasy" (which I did), you'll still like her here. If you didn't, you'll still not like her.

In rereleasing this album, not only did Yoko oversee an excellent remastering which makes the sound quality very good, but she had the good sense to see that a few bonus tracks were added. The original album was only 40 minutes. The new tracks include a version of Yoko's "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him" in which John's vocals become the lead vocals and saxophones are added. The result is a fresh look at a well-written song of Yoko's. A home demo version of John's "Stepping Out" is also included as well as a demo of Yoko's "I'm Moving On." Finally, the album ends with a 22 minute audio track from an interview John and Yoko did on December 8, 1980, the day of his death.

For true fans, the interview alone may be good reason to buy this album. But with excellent remixing and remastering of an otherwise fair original album and inclusion of other bonus tracks, I will recommend this for any fans of John (and Yoko) but perhaps will suggest that more casual fans of his work try "Double Fantasy" or "Lennon Legend" instead.

In a way, John not getting to finish these tracks works to the album's advantage, as you get to hear him ad-libbing and giving directions to the band and engineers in the studio.

Let me start by saying I'm not someone who could be considered a fan of Yoko's music. As such, I was pleasantly surprised by her contributions here, especially "Sleepless Night," "Let Me Count The Ways" and "You're The One," which are actually listenable.

Now let's talk about the reason most of us bought Milk And Honey: John Lennon's music. The 1984 album -- which was out-of-print for over ten years -- opens with "I'm Stepping Out," chronicling John's trials and tribulations of being a househusband. "I Don't Wanna Face It" is a delightful rocker, while the album's best-known song, "Nobody Told Me," is a track in which John's knack for wordplay is on full display. John describes entering his forties in "Borrowed Time," the most criminally overlooked single of his career. "(Forgive Me) My Little Flower Princess" is a throwaway track and is the weakest Lennon song on the disc, while "Grow Old With Me," recorded on a tape recorder atop John's piano, is one of the best songs he ever wrote. It would be interesting to hear what he intended to do with the song in the studio.

Kudos to Yoko on the 2001 reissue; (.... The four extra tracks are a very welcome addition, especially the December 8th interview, which was recorded approximately five hours before John was taken from us. You also get demos of John's "I'm Stepping Out" and Yoko's "I'm Moving On," as well as a remixed version of Yoko's "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him." This version, which previously was only available on CD on the long out-of-print "Lennon" box set, bumps John's backing vocals up to lead and downgrades Yoko's lead vocals to backing.

The sound on the remaster is excellent, following the precedent set by last year's reissue of Double Fantasy.