As a fan, I very much looking forward to this release – a 2CD compilation of John Lawton recordings. John was a great singer, and a great person. This first review of this album was posted by Richard Wagner – a fan and friend of John’s. With Richard’s permission I am sharing it here, along with a few images. Enjoy, and check out this release at the link below…

I’m a lucky guy who received a copy of the “Celebrating the Life of John Lawton” double-CD at the CD-launch party last Sunday (July 9).

And I must say I love it!

There are 33 songs on the two CDs which Iris Lawton personally selected. And don’t expect the typical Best Of. Far from that. There are songs which I never heard, some of them Iris found on old cassette tapes. All the music was beautifully mastered and sounds really good indeed.

The songs show John’s versatility, feeling and huge talent. His name really should be mentioned with the best of the best.

There are funny moments too, e.g. the Colgate toothpaste jingles sung in German or the impromptu “Mamma Lou” jam at a concert in Hamburg.

The front cover design and booklet paintings by Polish artist Damian Bydlinski are outstanding.

The booklet designed and put together by Iris has 15 pages and holds a lot of information and quite a number of photos. It is fun reading through the booklet like it was a vinyl cover in the old days . Iris tells where the songs originate from and also why she selected them.

I can only guess how hard and difficult it must have been for her to go through all these songs and hear John’s voice.

Thank you, Iris, you really did John proud.

A must have for those who know John and definitely a must have for those who are not so familiar with his voice and work.

To order: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/john-lawton-celebrating-the-life-of-john-lawton-2cd/