8045 - John Lennon’s Annotated Cutting Room Acetate for David Peel’s “Amerika” (1972)

John Lennon’s Annotated Cutting Room Acetate for David Peel’s “Amerika” (1972) John Lennon’s personal one-sided 10″ acetate disc of ‘Amerika,’ David Peel’s collaboration with Yoko Ono, cut at The Master Cutting Room in New York, with a typed label reading: “33-1/3 rpm, Stereo, David Peel, ‘Looking For America’ 9:24, 4/7/72.” Beneath the typed title, Lennon, who produced the recording, has added a title correction in purple felt tip: “AMERIKA!” The acetate was acquired directly from a person who participated in the recording session. Lennon and Ono met Peel in New York City on June 6, 1971, the evening he was performing with The Lower East Side Band at Washington Square Park. Lennon signed him to Apple, and he and Ono produced Peel’s third album, The Pope Smokes Dope, released on April 17, 1972, 10 days after this acetate was cut. ‘Amerika’ was not included on the original Apple release. The recording later appeared on Peel’s 1980 Orange Records album John Lennon for President, which credits Ono with lead vocals and percussion and Lennon and Ono as producers. A 4:15 edit later appeared as a CD bonus track on The Pope Smokes Dope. Condition (VG+): The disc plays very well, with bright, clean sound. It shows light surface marks and scuffs, with no scratches you can feel on the playing surface. The label is clean, and Lennon’s annotation stands out clearly.