'He Didn't Deliver the Solo': John Lennon Wasn't Happy With Eric Clapton's Lead on This
As previously reported, two members of Cheap Trick, guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos were invited by producer Jack Douglas to play on the John Lennon album that ultimately turned out to be the last one issued during the former Beatle's lifetime: 1980's "Double Fantasy."
Ultimately, their contributions to the song "I'm Losing You" did not make the original album but were issued years later as part of the 1998 box set, "John Lennon Anthology."
But during an interview with Booked on Rock, the author of the Cheap Trick book, "American Standard: Cheap Trick from the Bars to the Budokan and Beyond," Ross Warner, discussed that at least Nielsen was paid an extremely high compliment by Lennon during the sessions.
"John had said something to the effect of, 'I wish I'd had this guy on 'Cold Turkey,'" Warner said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). "'Cause Eric Clapton, A. was addicted to heroin, and B. didn't really deliver the solo."
Originally released as a single in 1969, "Cold Turkey" did in fact feature Clapton on lead guitar, in addition to Lennon on vocals and guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and none other than Ringo Starr on drums.
It also remains one of Lennon's most raw and rocking songs: from both a lyrical and performance standpoint. As a result, it was also a favorite of Cheap Trick's, according to Warner. "'Cold Turkey' is like one of Cheap Trick's earliest covers. They loved that. It's 100% like what their sound was kind of founded on: crunchy and subversive. Robin [Zander], before they started writing their own songs, could do a perfect imitation of almost anybody."
"It was funny because the story about why they didn't appear on the album was that John apparently had said something like, 'This sounds too much like 'Cold Turkey,'' Warner continued. "Had Cheap Trick known that or had Bun and Rick known that — that would have been the ultimate compliment, right? I mean, that's exactly everything they would have wanted to hear."
Source: Ultimate Guitar
