
Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer
The Untold Story
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Scott R. McKinley
-
By:
-
Jay Bergen
About this listen
Before John Lennon retreated peacefully into private life in 1975, he fought a major legal battle that went under the public radar.
Just as his rock 'n' roll oldies album hit the market, Morris Levy, the Mob-connected owner of Roulette Records, released Roots, an unauthorized version of the same record. Levy had used rough mixes of John's unfinished rock 'n' roll recordings—and claimed the former Beatle had verbally agreed to the arrangement. The clash led to a lawsuit and countersuit between Levy and Lennon.
Attorney Jay Bergen, a partner in a prestigious New York City law firm, represented John in this epic battle over the rights to his own recordings. Millions of dollars were at stake.
Jay tells the intimate story of how he worked closely with John to rebut Levy's outrageous claims. He also recounts how John explained his recording process in poetic, exacting terms before a judge who knew little about the Beatles and John's solo career.
Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer catches the high drama of the courtroom skirmishes in this previously untold story. It also paints a detailed personal picture of John and his world in 1975-76, when he was soon to have a new son and went into happy seclusion to be a husband and father.
©2022 Jay Bergen (P)2022 Jay BergenListeners also enjoyed...
-
She Loves You
- The John Lennon Series, Book 3
- By: Jude Southerland Kessler
- Narrated by: Scott R. McKinley, Jude Southerland Kessler
- Length: 33 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She Loves You, book three in the John Lennon Series, lets you ride along with John Lennon and The Beatles on the whirlwind tour that was 1963 to early 1964. You'll accompany John and Brian on holiday in Spain, sit with The Beatles on the Roy Orbison Tour, and experience the wild emergence of Beatlemania as the boys tour England, Ireland, Wales, Sweden and Paris, France.
-
-
You are there
- By Paul on 03-27-24
-
Living the Beatles’ Legend
- The Untold Story of Mal Evans
- By: Kenneth Womack
- Narrated by: Gary T. Evans, Kenneth Womack
- Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Malcolm Evans, the Beatles’ long-time roadie, personal assistant, and devoted friend, was an invaluable member of the band’s inner circle. A towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, Evans loomed large in the Beatles’ story, contributing at times as a performer and sometime lyricist, while struggling mightily to protect his beloved “boys.” He was there for the whole of the group’s remarkable, unparalleled story: from the Shea Stadium triumph through the creation of the timeless cover art for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the famous Let It Be rooftop concert.
-
-
A Must For Every Beatles Fan
- By shannonsongs on 11-23-23
By: Kenneth Womack
-
Cinema Speculation
- By: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining.
-
-
A letdown I didn't see coming.
- By polycow on 11-03-22
-
The Philosophy of Modern Song
- By: Bob Dylan
- Narrated by: Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose. And while ostensibly about music, they are really meditations on the human condition.
-
-
Needs chapter headings
- By kaon on 12-22-22
By: Bob Dylan
-
George Harrison
- The Reluctant Beatle
- By: Philip Norman
- Narrated by: David Holt
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority. He was often the butt of jokes from his bandmates owing to his lower-class background and, typically, was allowed to contribute only one or two songs per Beatles album out of the dozens he wrote.
-
-
Not good
- By PEDRO on 03-12-24
By: Philip Norman
-
Lou Reed
- The King of New York
- By: Will Hermes
- Narrated by: Will Hermes
- Length: 20 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since his death ten years ago, Lou Reed’s living presence has only grown. The great rock-poet presided over the marriage of Brill Building pop and the European avant-garde, and left American culture transfigured. In Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes offers the definitive narrative of Reed’s life and legacy, dramatizing his long, brilliant, and contentious dialogue with fans, critics, fellow artists, and assorted habitués of the demimonde.
-
-
Best Biography I’ve Ever Read
- By Sammy Criscitello on 11-21-24
By: Will Hermes
-
She Loves You
- The John Lennon Series, Book 3
- By: Jude Southerland Kessler
- Narrated by: Scott R. McKinley, Jude Southerland Kessler
- Length: 33 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She Loves You, book three in the John Lennon Series, lets you ride along with John Lennon and The Beatles on the whirlwind tour that was 1963 to early 1964. You'll accompany John and Brian on holiday in Spain, sit with The Beatles on the Roy Orbison Tour, and experience the wild emergence of Beatlemania as the boys tour England, Ireland, Wales, Sweden and Paris, France.
-
-
You are there
- By Paul on 03-27-24
-
Living the Beatles’ Legend
- The Untold Story of Mal Evans
- By: Kenneth Womack
- Narrated by: Gary T. Evans, Kenneth Womack
- Length: 19 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Malcolm Evans, the Beatles’ long-time roadie, personal assistant, and devoted friend, was an invaluable member of the band’s inner circle. A towering figure in horn-rimmed glasses, Evans loomed large in the Beatles’ story, contributing at times as a performer and sometime lyricist, while struggling mightily to protect his beloved “boys.” He was there for the whole of the group’s remarkable, unparalleled story: from the Shea Stadium triumph through the creation of the timeless cover art for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the famous Let It Be rooftop concert.
-
-
A Must For Every Beatles Fan
- By shannonsongs on 11-23-23
By: Kenneth Womack
-
Cinema Speculation
- By: Quentin Tarantino
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Quentin Tarantino
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In addition to being among the most celebrated of contemporary filmmakers, Quentin Tarantino is possibly the most joyously infectious movie lover alive. For years he has touted in interviews his eventual turn to writing books about films. Now, with Cinema Speculation, the time has come, and the results are everything his passionate fans—and all movie lovers—could have hoped for. Organized around key American films from the 1970s, all of which he first saw as a young moviegoer at the time, this book is as intellectually rigorous and insightful as it is rollicking and entertaining.
-
-
A letdown I didn't see coming.
- By polycow on 11-03-22
-
The Philosophy of Modern Song
- By: Bob Dylan
- Narrated by: Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose. And while ostensibly about music, they are really meditations on the human condition.
-
-
Needs chapter headings
- By kaon on 12-22-22
By: Bob Dylan
-
George Harrison
- The Reluctant Beatle
- By: Philip Norman
- Narrated by: David Holt
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite being hailed as one of the best guitarists of his era, George Harrison, particularly in his early decades, battled feelings of inferiority. He was often the butt of jokes from his bandmates owing to his lower-class background and, typically, was allowed to contribute only one or two songs per Beatles album out of the dozens he wrote.
-
-
Not good
- By PEDRO on 03-12-24
By: Philip Norman
-
Lou Reed
- The King of New York
- By: Will Hermes
- Narrated by: Will Hermes
- Length: 20 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since his death ten years ago, Lou Reed’s living presence has only grown. The great rock-poet presided over the marriage of Brill Building pop and the European avant-garde, and left American culture transfigured. In Lou Reed: The King of New York, Will Hermes offers the definitive narrative of Reed’s life and legacy, dramatizing his long, brilliant, and contentious dialogue with fans, critics, fellow artists, and assorted habitués of the demimonde.
-
-
Best Biography I’ve Ever Read
- By Sammy Criscitello on 11-21-24
By: Will Hermes
-
Last Train to Memphis
- The Rise of Elvis Presley
- By: Peter Guralnick
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley is the first biography to go past that myth and present an Elvis beyond the legend. Based on hundreds of interviews and nearly a decade of research, it traces the evolution not just of the man but of the music and of the culture he left utterly transformed, creating a completely fresh portrait of Elvis and his world. This volume tracks the first 24 years of Elvis' life, covering his childhood, the stunning first recordings at Sun Records, and the early RCA hits.
-
-
I'm an Elvis fan now
- By Vicki on 07-12-13
By: Peter Guralnick
-
Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed
- By: Jim Berkenstadt
- Narrated by: Matt Hurwitz
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed examines some of the secrets, myths, legends, hoaxes, conspiracies, and wildly inexplicable events that are such an intriguing part of rock and roll history. Travel back to the 1950s to uncover "Who Really Discovered Elvis Presley?" Revisit the 1960s when a folk troubadour tried forming a supergroup with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Transport back to Jamaica 1976 to discover whether the CIA tried to assassinate reggae superstar Bob Marley. Discover whether The Beach Boys actually stole a song from cult leader Charles Manson.
-
-
No mysteries here
- By D. Thomas on 07-17-23
By: Jim Berkenstadt
-
Starry Messenger
- Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a time when our political and cultural views feel more polarized than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin chariots of enlightenment—a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. After thinking deeply about how science sees the world and about Earth as a planet, the human brain has the capacity to reset and recalibrates life’s priorities, shaping the actions we might take in response. No outlook on culture, society, or civilization remains untouched.
-
-
Optimistic
- By Anonymous on 09-23-22
-
Born to Run
- By: Bruce Springsteen
- Narrated by: Bruce Springsteen
- Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl's halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it. That's how this extraordinary autobiography began. Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to this audio the same honesty, humor, and originality found in his songs.
-
-
Me Springsteen's book moved me beyond words...
- By Ellen O'Brien on 12-12-16
-
The Tastemaker
- My Life with the Legends and Geniuses of Rock Music
- By: Tony King
- Narrated by: Ben Higgins
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leaving school and starting his career at Decca Records in 1958 at the age of sixteen, Tony King would soon find himself becoming close friends with Elton John, rekindling John Lennon and Yoko Ono's relationship, mediating a quarrelsome Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and spending time with Freddie Mercury in his final days - a far cry from his childhood days in Eastbourne. Living in an era of seismic social, technological and cultural transformation, King experienced these defining moments as a stalwart in London and New York's gay scenes.
-
-
It's Only Rock and Roll but I Love It!
- By Lisa Moll on 02-18-23
By: Tony King
-
G-Man (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
- J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century
- By: Beverly Gage
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 36 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A major new biography of J Edgar Hoover that draws from never-before-seen sources to create a groundbreaking portrait of a colossus who dominated half a century of American history and planted the seeds for much of today's conservative political landscape.
-
-
Amazing!
- By Jessica Armas on 12-06-22
By: Beverly Gage
-
Hollywood: The Oral History
- By: Jeanine Basinger, Sam Wasson
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon, Marni Penning
- Length: 28 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the archives of the American Film Institute comes a unique picture of what it was like to work in Hollywood from its beginnings to its present day. Gleaned from nearly three thousand interviews, involving four hundred voices from the industry, Hollywood: The Oral History, lets a listener “listen in” on candid remarks from the biggest names in front of the camera—Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Harold Lloyd—to the biggest behind it—Frank Capra, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Jordan Peele, as well as the lesser known individuals that shaped what was heard and seen on screen.
-
-
Picky, Picky!
- By Patrick on 12-22-22
By: Jeanine Basinger, and others
-
Careless Love
- The Unmaking of Elvis Presley
- By: Peter Guralnick
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 31 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time. Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unraveling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
-
-
Wow
- By Michelle Huss on 04-21-15
By: Peter Guralnick
-
The Lives of Brian
- A Memoir
- By: Brian Johnson
- Narrated by: Brian Johnson
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brian Johnson’s memoir from growing up in a small town to starting his own band to ultimately replacing Bon Scott, the lead singer of one of the world biggest rock acts, AC/DC. They would record their first album together, the iconic Back in Black, which would become the biggest selling rock album of all time.
-
-
Brian’s accent Rocks!
- By CCFitz on 10-29-22
By: Brian Johnson
-
Scattershot
- Life, Music, Elton, and Me
- By: Bernie Taupin
- Narrated by: John Lee, Bernie Taupin
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the memoir music fans have been waiting for. Half of one of the greatest partnerships in popular music, Bernie Taupin is the man who wrote the lyrics for Elton John, who conceived the ideas that spawned countless hits, and sold millions and millions of records. Together, they were a duo, a unit, an immovable object. Their extraordinary, half-century-and-counting creative relationship has been chronicled in biopics (like 2019's Rocketman) and even John's own autobiography, Me. But Taupin, a private person, has kept his own account of their adventures close to his chest, until now.
-
-
Not Boring, A Relaxing Listen
- By jipickin on 09-14-23
By: Bernie Taupin
-
Paul McCartney in His Own Words
- By: Sir Paul McCartney
- Narrated by: Paul McCartney
- Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In interviews ranging from 1968 to 2009, Paul McCartney talks about touring the UK with Wings (which was then a new band), a mid-'70s offer to re-form the Beatles, the early days of the Beatles and their final break-up. He also discusses his solo albums, receiving the freedom of the City of Liverpool, Christmas with his family, his love of music and his career since the break-up of the Beatles up to 2009.
-
-
Nothing that isn't on YouTube
- By 509Cougs on 11-10-22
-
Long Train Runnin'
- Our Story of the Doobie Brothers
- By: Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston, Chris Epting - contributor
- Narrated by: Chris Henry Coffey, Graham Winton, T. Ryder Smith, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only a very few rock bands that have had the longevity, success, and drama of The Doobie Brothers. Born out of late 1960s NoCal, they stood alongside their contemporaries The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and many others as an iconic American rock band. The train was rolling along, hits were flowing like wine, and arenas were packed with fans who wanted to see them live...then Tom Johnston, the band’s front man and lead guitarist, almost died.
-
-
Fans of the band will enjoy
- By JIM HOWELL on 01-24-23
By: Pat Simmons, and others
What listeners say about Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- diane widrow taylor
- 08-30-22
Great look at Lennon’s creative process.
I found this book fascinating. For me, it was clear from the beginning that Lennon should prevail on the legal case. However, the great fascination for me was walking through John Lennon‘s mind and seeing how he creates music and then finally placing it gently and carefully within the vinyl that we all hear. Scott McKinley did a magnificent job narrating. Each character has a distinct voice and when listening to his Sean Lennon, I actually thought I was listening to Mr. Lennon. Bravo to Mr. McKinley!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. S. Kessler
- 10-24-22
Superb Material, Great Writer, Excellent Narrator
Having researched Lennon’s life for 36 years, I approached this story with reservation. What could this book tell me that I hadnt already read before? The answer was; so much!!
Author Jay Bergen was John’s attorney in the “Roots” (bootleg) trial against Morris Levy. And he tells the dramatic true story of his fight - and John’s fight - to keep Levy from selling an unauthorized bootleg record made from rough tapes of John’s “Rock’n’Roll” LP. In detailed court testimony you will hear John explain how he painstakingly orders the tracks on his LPs (from the Beatles days on), what each song on the “Rock’n’Roll” tapes meant to him, and how he records and polishes an album. This is info you’ve never heard before!
Let me say that the narrator, Scott McKinley, is remarkable! I’m very picky about John’s voice being authentic…and he captures John perfectly. He also brings Jay Bergen (whom I have met since my first listen) to life exactly as I imagine him to be in the 1970s. McKinley is riveting. I listen to many audio books, and he’s my favorite narrator.
If you are a Beatles fan, Lennon fan, or music aficionado, this is the book for you. It’s a jewel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D. Thomas
- 06-07-23
Well written, engrossing story
This book is a well structured and written account of John Lennon's troubles with Morris Levy. Scott McKinley's vocalizations of the various characters involved help keep the story sorted out, but are at times annoying in their stereotyped portrayals. As far as I know, he does not claim to be an impressionist, but his attempts at Lennon are about 50% successful, and he clearly has never heard Klaus Voormann speak. Since most people have never heard the actual voices of most of the other characters, they are not as offensive. So while the performance is average, the book is excellent and most informative.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!