This Collider feature ranks all seven solo studio albums John Lennon released after leaving the Beatles, tracing how his sound evolved from experimental collaborations with Yoko Ono to more personal and political songwriting before his death in 1980. The piece argues that while every Lennon record has merit, some clearly outshine others, and it uses the ranking to explore the stories and turbulence behind their creation.

The list opens with 1975's covers album "Rock 'n' Roll," whose fraught recording with producer Phil Spector reportedly included Spector firing a gun in the studio, followed by the explicitly political "Sometime in New York City," which tackled civil rights, Northern Ireland and police brutality. "Imagine" ranks lower than many might expect despite its huge commercial and critical success, partly because it contains "How Do You Sleep?", Lennon's bitter diss track aimed at Paul McCartney. The article was cut off before detailing "Mind Games" and the remaining albums.

– Ranks Lennon's seven solo albums, from least to most acclaimed
– "Rock 'n' Roll" (1975) opens the list; its recording with Phil Spector turned violent
– "Sometime in New York City" tackled civil rights and political prisoners
– "Imagine" ranked lower than expected due to the McCartney diss track "How Do You Sleep?"