This week I managed to secure a still sealed copy of the 1981, 8-LP box set simply called “John Lennon”. Mine is the one in the silver box with the now famous Bob Gruen photo of John (taken in New York) on the front cover:
This is the Australian release of this set, put out by EMI.
The box contains:
1. “Live Peace In Toronto”; 2. “Plastic Ono Band”; 3. “Imagine”; 4. “Sometime In New York City”; 5 . “Mind Games”; 6. “Walls And Bridges”; 7. “Rock ‘N’ Roll”; and 8. “Shaved Fish”:
The set came out just a year after John Lennon’s death and followed the success of other Beatles box sets. It was released in several countries using very similar packaging. The set was first released in Britain, and was later sold in Japan, Germany, and of course Australia – with the catalogue number JLB8:
Mitch McGeary and William McCoy write (on their Beatles Rarities and Box Sets website) that all the LPs were issued on the Apple label and packaged in their original covers: “Included in the UK and other sets was a twenty-page, black-and-white booklet, “The Liverpool Echo’s Tribute To John Lennon,” which was loaded with pictures and song lyrics. The albums were encased in a silver box that had a color photo of John on the front. The set’s title and facsimile of John’s autograph were also embossed on the front of the box while the LP and song titles were printed on the back”.
EMI in Italy also issued a Lennon compilation and it is unique. Its called the “John Lennon Anthology” and consisted of all the albums in the British/Australian edition, but omitted the “best of” album “Shaved Fish”. Instead the box had three singles made up of tracks not found on any of the other seven LPs. Unlike the silver box versions these discs came in a blue, pizza-style box reminiscent of the “Live Peace in Toronto” cover:
Apparently only 1,000 copies were made of this one, making it quite a collectable item.
Beatles Blog 
Sealed copy? Nice find! I bought a Canadian variation of this set around 1982 or 83 in Halifax… played each album once to make cassette copies, and then put them away.
Very nice blog – and always nice to find a fellow Beatles fan. If you are interested, I do some comedy recordings, and this one is dedicated to The Beatles: http://shortweird.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/shortweird-radio-the-lost-beatles-tapes-volume-1/
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Does anyone know what the titled “John Lennon” 8 album vinyl collection might be worth I bought mine in Paris in 1983 it contains a poster of Lennon at the piano also a photo of him petting a pig! I have never played any of the LPs as I wanted to keep them as a keepsake
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Hi. I paid $100 Australian for my copy. It is mint and still sealed. I think that’s OK for an 8 LP set.
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I have an English version which will shortly be for sale. To the best of my knowledge the tapes may not have been played, or possibly only once.
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how much did you pay for the 1981 john lennon vinyl box set (in silver box..called “John Lennon”)?, or rather, how much id it worth?
reply:- info@blindsrus.ie
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Hi, I paid $100 Australian dollars. Today that’s about US$108. Not sure if thats a bargain or not – but my copy was still sealed.
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I have the boxed set-8 albums ,poster ,memorial book from Liverpool and a page of 9 stamps-with certificate of authenticity. Also have the Beatles anthology 1,2,and 3 all double cd’s-plus several cd’s in mint condition. PLEASE,PLEASE ME, PAST MASTERS VOLUMES 1 & 2 -PARLOPHONE WITH THE BEATLES, THE BEATLES LAST NIGHT IN HAMBURG WITH 28 SONGS AND A POSTER INSIDE , THE BEATLES 1-CD IS IN MINT CONDITION-CASE HAS A CRACK IN 1 CORNER , ALSO BEATLES FOR SALE , A HARD DAYS NIGHT, AND ABBEY ROAD. ALSO PAST MASTER CD ALSO HAS A CRACK IN THE CASE BUT THE CD ‘S ARE ALL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION-AS ARE THE LP’S . EXCELLENT COLLECTION I WOULD LIKE TO SELL -ALSO HAVE BOOKS AND MOST OF THE CDS HAVE BOOKS AND THE ALBUM HAS THE WHITE ROOM POSTER OF JOHN AT THE PIANO AND ANOTHER BOOK . ITS A JOHN LENNON AND THE BEATLES COLLECTORS DREAM-WONDERING WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO SELL THIS AWESOME COLLECTION. ANY FEEDBACK OR BUYER INTEREST WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
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I have one copy of the Italian Edition!
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Nice one! Did that come in a blue plastic box?
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Yes mate! The original blue plastic box of the italian edition.
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Nice one. Would love to own one of those…..
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i want to sell my copy but i don’t know the value cost…
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i have the 8 cassette version of this, not 100% mint but still in original box. all cassettes in tact. does anyone know the value of this. booklet included is mint, so are the tapes. the box has a bit of cosmetic damage but still scores a 7/10 in my opinion
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I have the box set 8 vinyl record still sealed,never opened for sale. OFFERS to 0774 539 1579
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I have 2 of the same box set, one unopened and 1 still sealed in the plastic.
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Nice one Mark! Great to have one box set opened and one still untouched.
One thing I’ve always wondered about (because mine is still sealed) is if the box comes with any sort of inserts?
And are all the Apple labels green Apples? Or is the Plastic Ono Band LP on the custom plain white Apple label like the original, and does Imagine come on the original custom labels with John’s face on them?
Cheers, Tony
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