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In 1989, a Bristol music promoter [John Midwinter] purchased at auction an old Discomatic jukebox owned by John Lennon in the 1960s. Its track list, written in Lennon's own hasty handwriting, catalogued 41 remarkable discs of American soul, R&B, and rock 'n' roll - a collection that shaped his musical education and became the musical style source from which the Beatles sound derived. Below is a complete list of all the 45s included in the jukebox ...
Source: PBS

John Lennon's Jukebox was a South Bank Show (ITV, UK) 2004 documentary also broadcast in the US through PBS' Great Performances that I only learned about in 2014, and so missed the TV show (excerpts are on Youtube). But I was intrigued. Through a Web search I was able to see the close-up photo, above, of the "discomatic index" (shown in the documentary and excerpted on the concurrently released EMI/Virgin/Universal CD's packaging) in John Lennon's hasty handwriting. It shows approximately (due to cross-outs and duplicated titles) 30 handwritten song titles.

The cover of the out-of-print CD (disc 1 tracks, disc 2 tracks) reads, a collection inspired by music from his [John Lennon's] own jukebox. And, though it's worth seeking on the secondary market, as it is a valuable source for digital versions of several of the songs, Amazon reviewers provide details of some authenticity problems with some of its 41 tracks.

I thought it was going to be a simple thing to find out what was on the discomatic jukebox.

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Midwinter died of throat cancer ... two days before he could be told his ambition of a TV documentary ... would be realised. News reports from 2004 seem to suggest that Mr Midwinter tried to figure out what had been in the battered old jukebox he bought at auction.

A music promoter in Bristol, England, named John Midwinter acquired the box for 2,500 [pounds sterling] at a Christie's sale of Beatles memorabilia in 1989 and spent years tracking down the 41 45-rpm recordings listed on the inside of the top in Lennon's handwriting.

(The number 41 may be an error that just keeps getting repeated; the "discomatic index" shows a possible 40 discs, which is confirmed in the discomatic's sales literature.)

So I think what can be understood from the handwriting should be close to what John Lennon had at one time or another in his jukebox (there are cross-outs and overwriting, indicating Lennon's changes of mind). And the additional PBS/EMI tracks can be understood by analogy: the curator died before his exhibition could be mounted, and others, honoring his vision, picked up, and in some cases presented, Mr Midwinter's unfinished task.

For example Lennon wrote, "O O Soul", with no other similar listings; the PBS/EMI lists include both Little Richard's Ooh My Soul and Edwin Starr's Agent Double-O Soul.

And Lennon's handwriting reads, "Steppin Out, JMC.". A little Youtubing led me to Jimmy McCracklin's (among the performers of a different song on the PBS/EMI lists) 1965 Steppin' Up In Class, in which McCracklin repeatedly sings, "I'm Steppin' Out". The PBS/EMI lists choose instead Paul Revere & the Raiders, Steppin' Out. And how do you take this excerpt from a Mark Lindsay interview? On [John Lennon's] jukebox in England, we found out later, he had a 45 of Steppin' Out. He was a big fan of the band, which I never knew until after he was gone. Another reasonable interpretation of "Steppin Out, JMC." could be Johnny Maestro & The Crests' I'm Stepping Out Of The Picture/Afraid Of Love, 1965, US, Scepter Records SRM 12112; I have yet to find a direct link between Johnny Maestro and Lennon, except that this record would be categorized as blue-eyed soul like Len Barry (who claims to have seen the Beatles at the Cavern).

Bring It On Home To Me may be the Animals' 1965 version, the original 1962 Sam Cooke version, or a different cover version (possibilities per discogs.com are Carla Thomas' 1962 answer version, Millie Small, Shirley Ellis, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and Sonny Boy Williamson II's posthumous 1966 single [a Willie Dixon song, not the Sam Cooke song]). In favor of the Animals' single, which of course Lennon knew (UK #7), is Lennon's 1975 released version that uses Eric Burdon's "dead and buried in my grave" variation on Cooke's original "buried, buried in my grave".

Some Other Guy may be the Richard Barrett version or the Big Three version (though not the version on the EMI CD, which is likely from the Big Three's 1973 Resurrection album [here is a Youtube needledrop of the 1963 45 for comparison with the song on the EMI CD. Also Lennon, per the Guardian, is believed to have left behind the jukebox when he moved to NY in 1971]).

Slippin' and Slidin' may be the Little Richard or the Buddy Holly version.

And PBS lists Do You Believe in Magic and Daydream (EMI includes the latter). The handwriting reads, "Loving Spoonfuls", which could indicate any of that band's singles perhaps up to 1966 (Daydream is the only post-1965 track on the PBS/EMI lists, and the handwriting does not seem to otherwise require anything beyond 1965).

And unlike almost all the other songs, It's Too Late is a well-used song title (PBS/EMI do not include any songs with this title on their lists, though Lennon wrote it twice). I originally selected Wilson Pickett's It's Too Late/I'm Gonna Love You, 1963, US, Double-L Records (2) 717 (unreleased in the UK), because my starting place was the PBS/EMI lists, on which Pickett appears. But, according to Lewisohn's All These Years Vol. 1, p.354 (US ed.) the Beatles played every song on the Chirping Crickets, which has the Crickets' cover of Chuck Willis' It's Too Late, a US single from 1956. And the Willis song was also covered by 1963-tour-mate, Roy Orbison (during the Sun Records' sessions, released 1961), and was significant to other English groups, e.g. its appearance on Derek and the Dominoes' Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. So I am favoring the Willis 45. Other possibilities are Jerry Butler's Make It Easy On Yourself/It's Too Late, UK, 1962, Stateside ‎45SS-121; and Bobby Goldsboro's It's Too Late/I'm Goin' Home, UK, 1966, United Artists Records ‎UP 1128 (Goldsboro's song reached the pop charts in Jan. 1966, preceding Daydream). (Thank you, Chris C, for your help redirecting me.)

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These songs are handwritten twice: It's Too Late, Hi-Heel Sneakers, A Shot Of Rhythm and Blues, Some Other Guy and Daddy Rollin' Stone. In none of the cases is the pair of names written with the same pen/pressure/writing approach. So I think this likely means these discs were kept in the player and moved to other positions, not that there were multiple versions of discs with the same name.

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Lennon's general/original organization of the discomatic seems to have been oldies at right, and contemporary songs on the left. Tracks 1-16 are 1965 releases. Tracks 29-40 are from 1956-1962. All the battles (cross-outs) take place in columns 3 and 4 (Tracks 17-27).

In those tracks, there are at least three writing tools used, something like a pencil, a dark black pen, and a pen that fades left-to-right. Pencil: "O O Soul", "Tracks Of My Tears", "Loving Spoonfuls", "Hi-Heel Sneak's" (Track 23), "Daddy R/Stone" (Track 26), "Some Other Guy, Nov 5th". Pen: "Send You Back To Georgia", "Hi-Heel Knickers", "Short Fat Fannie", "It's To Late" (Track 22), "Shot of R&B", "It's To Late" (Track 23), "Some Other Guy" (Track 24). Fading Pen: "Daddy RS" (Track 25), "Who's Loving You", "Bring It On Home".

The tracks hardest to identify in this section are "O O Soul", "Loving Spoonfuls", "Some Other Guy", "It's To Late" and "Bring It On Home". Using the general thrust of Lennon's layout (new songs at the left, old songs to the right), "O O Soul" would be the 1965 Agent Double-O Soul, not the 1958 Ooh My Soul. This also makes a logical grouping of the three pencilled tracks in a row ("O O Soul", "Tracks Of My Tears", "Loving Spoonfuls"), which would have been added as a group to the discomatic in 1965 or 1966 (the latter year if "Loving Spoonfuls" refers to Daydream).

"Bring It On Home" written in the fading pen, and positioned with the songs above and beneath it, seems to suggest a 1962 version, not a 1965 version.

It's Too Late's position (Track 24) and hand would suggest a date between 1957 and 1964, thus excluding Goldsboro, but allowing the Willis, Butler or Pickett song. And so, based on its similar handwriting and position, Some Other Guy could be either the 1962 version or the Big Three 1963 cover (the pencilled "Some Other Guy Nov. 5th" I think reflects a shifting of the records, not a 1965/1966 addition).

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John Lennon said about the Beatles' 1964 US visit: we were only coming over to buy LPs (Anthology p.116), so to anything that's earlier than 1964 I ascribed a UK release, except as noted. Post-1964, for US artists, I used the US release, except as noted (I am here assuming LPs means they also bought singles). For each song I've listed first the record's side that Lennon wrote on the "discomatic index" (disregarding official record companies' A/B listings). And I have, with gratitude for his efforts, built my list on the record pairings done by chimeradave.

1. Otis Redding, My Girl/Down In The Valley, 1965, UK, Atlantic AT.4050 (unreleased in the US per discogs.com, except as a promo in 1970s)
2. Donovan, Turquoise/Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness), 1965, UK, Pye Records 7N.15984
3. ** Jimmy McCracklin, Steppin' Up in Class/Think (May be the Raiders' Steppin' Out, but labeled "Steppin Out, JMC."; "JMC" may stand for something other than Jimmy McCracklin, maybe Johnny Maestro & the Crests, per the note, above, or the "JMC" may be to distinguish this song from the Paul Revere song on the PBS/EMI lists; maybe the Raiders' song is listed in error), 1965, US, Imperial 66129
4. Bob Dylan, Positively 4th Street/From A Buick 6, 1965, US, Columbia 4-43389
5. *
6. Len Barry, 1-2-3/Bullseye, 1965, US, Decca 31827
7. *
8. *
9. *
10. *
11. *
12. *
13. The Contours, First I Look at the Purse/Searching For A Girl, 1965, US, Gordy G 7044
14. Wilson Pickett, In the Midnight Hour/I'm Not Tired, 1965, US, Atlantic 45-2289
15. Fontella Bass, Rescue Me/The Soul Of A Man, 1965, US, Checker 1120
16. Booker T and the MGs, Boot-leg/Outrage, 1965, US, Stax 45-169
17. Edwin Starr, Agent Double-O Soul/Agent Double-O Soul (instrumental), 1965, US, Ric-Tic Records RT-103 (labeled "O O Soul"; possibly Little Richard, Ooh My Soul; prefer E. Starr because of the handwriting/position [see above] and the way Lennon seems to abbreviate, e.g. the following track includes, "my". Also Billy Preston, the Beatles' friend since 1962, performed this song on Shindig, Sept 8, 1965; Chuck Gunderson, author of Some Fun Tonight, found no evidence of a Beatles-Preston meeting in LA in 1965 that might have strengthened the case for this particular song's inclusion [Chuck Gunderson did find evidence of a 1964 meeting between some of the Beatles and "Preston in San Francisco the day they flew in just ahead of the tour" {Thank you, Chuck}]; George Harrison mentions this song [Anthology p.318] from a 1969 Ray Charles-Billy Preston performance that prompted the Preston Get Back/Let It Be sessions; they played it, too.)
18. The Miracles, The Tracks of My Tears/A Fork in the Road, 1965, US, Tamla T 54118
19. Timmy Shaw (Vocal background by the Sternphones), Gonna Send You Back to Georgia (A City Slick)/I'm a Lonely Guy, 1964, US, Wand 146 (crossed out, also labeled, "Loving Spoonfuls")
20. Tommy Tucker, Hi-Heel Sneakers/I Don't Want 'Cha, 1964, US, Checker 1067 (reads, "Hi Heel Knickers")
21. Larry Williams, Short Fat Fannie/High School Dance, 1957, UK, London Records 45-HL-N.8472
22. ** Chuck Willis, It's Too Late/Kansas City Woman, US (unreleased in the UK), 1956, Atlantic 45-1098. (May also be a Wilson Pickett or Jerry Butler single that shares this title [see above]. [crossed out, but repeated at #23])
23. * (crossed out "Shot of R&B", "Hi Heel Sneak's", "Its To Late")
24. *** Richie Barrett, Some Other Guy/Tricky Dicky, 1962, US, London HLK 9552. (Did Lennon leave his records when he left the machine behind? Were the 45s he brought along to WNEW-NY in 1974 the same records that were in the discomatic? Can you replace vinyl [every disc's memorable, unique pops, the paper sleeve and the label tied to the memory of when and how you got it ... "I have visions of listening to the record when I was younger. I remember how the London-American label looked" -John Lennon on Rip It Up/Ready Teddy in Anthology p.11]?)
25. Arthur Alexander, A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues/You Better Move On, 1962, UK, London American Recordings HLD 9523 (May have been acquired March 9, 1962 per Lewisohn, All These Years, Vol. 1 [US] p.586; "Daddy RS" crossed out)
26. *** Derek Martin, Daddy Rollin' Stone/Don't Put Me Down Like This, 1963, US, Crackerjack Records 4013 (Miracles' "Who's Loving You" is crossed out)
27. ** Sam Cooke, Bring It On Home To Me/Havin' A Party, 1962, UK, RCA-1296 (Based on the handwriting/position [see above], why not choose the original instead of the Animals' cover [the latter preferred by PBS/EMI]? Cooke's single was not obscure and the Beatles' pretty direct connection to Sam Cooke goes through the Little Richard-Sam Cooke UK tour, in which the Beatles played a couple of dates [though those dates were without Cooke]. And Lennon was certainly familiar with Cooke's work, doing the Cooke medley of this song with Send Me Some Lovin' on Rock 'n' Roll. Regarding its cross-out: "Some Other Guy Nov 5", a pun on "guy", as in Guy Fawkes? Interestingly, Lennon references both handwritten notes in his composition, Remember: "the fifth of November" and "if you ever change your mind about leaving me [it all] behind".)
28. *
29. Larry Williams, She Said, "Yeah"/Bad Boy, 1958, UK, London Records 45-HLU 8844
30. The Miracles, The Only One I Love/Ain't It Baby, 1961, US, Tamla T-54036 (unreleased in the UK per discogs.com)
31. *
32. Little Richard, Slippin' And Slidin'/Long Tall Sally, 1956, US, Specialty SP-572-45 (The Belgian 78 heard at his schoolmate's house in 1956 affected Lennon so that he couldn't speak [Lewisohn, All These Years Vol. 1 {US} p.89], so I'm assuming he sought out an import, because it was not released as a single in the UK. I also prefer the original Little Richard over Buddy Holly's posthumous single, as it is closer in arrangement to Lennon's 1975 Rock 'n' Roll LP.)
33. Bruce Channel, Hey! Baby/Dream Girl, 1962, UK, Mercury AMT 1171
34. Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps, Be-Bop-A-Lula/Woman Love, 1956, UK, Capitol Records 45-CL 14599
35. The Miracles, I've Been Good to You/What's So Good About Goodbye, 1961 US, Tamla T-54053, no UK single release per discogs.com
36. U.S. Bonds, New Orleans/Please Forgive Me, 1960 UK, Top Rank International JAR-527 (possibly the 1965 reissue, New Orleans/Quarter to Three, but as Bonds and Beatles toured together in 1963, Lennon probably had original A/B issues, as is fairly confirmed to have at least been owned by Lennon in Lewisohn, All These Years Vol. 1, p.406 [US ed.])
37. The Isley Brothers, Twist and Shout/Spanish Twist, 1962, UK, Stateside SS 112
38. James Ray with the Hutch Davie Orchestra, If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody/It's Been a Drag, 1962, UK, Pye International 7N.25126
39. *** Bobby Parker, Watch Your Step/Steal Your Heart, 1961, UK, Sue Records WI-340
40. Barrett Strong, Money (That's What I Want)/Oh I Apologize, 1960, UK, London American Recordings 45-HLU 9088 (I've selected the original versus one of the many covers, because there were a lot of record companies in America ... distributed on a local basis ... very regional. However many ... had distribution in the UK, so some obscure American records ended up being sold in the UK. Brian [Epstein, the Beatles' manager] had a policy at Nems [the record store Epstein owned] of buying at least one copy of every record that was released. Before going to a gig we'd meet in the record store ... search like ferrets to see what new ones were there ... we found artists like Arthur Alexander, Richie Barrett (Some other Guy was a great song) ... James Ray's If You Gotta Make a Fool of somebody ... Devil In Her Heart ... Barrett Strong's Money. -George Harrison, Anthology p.107.   Also, When I joined the Beatles [1962] ... we didn't really know each other ... but if you looked at each of our record collections, the four of us had virtually the same records ... The Miracles ... Barrett Strong -Ringo Starr, Anthology p.107.   Lastly Lennon was familiar with the Oh I Apologize lyrics, altering them slightly for new meaning in Isolation: "I don't expect you to understand, after you've caused so much pain")

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Additional info:

John Lennon's Jukebox documentary was produced/developed by Steve Jansen of Endemol (under the executive production of Malcolm Gerrie) and broadcast on the South Bank Show (ITV, UK) March 14, 2004, and shown in the US on PBS' Great Performances on September 8, 2004

Bobby Parker, Fontella Bass, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Donovan, Gary US Bonds, Ronald Isley, John Sebastian, Bruce Channel and Delbert McClinton are featured in the documentary, John Lennon's Jukebox; each of their work is represented in Lennon's handwritten index (John Sebastian's band, The Lovin' Spoonful, occupies the same index position (#19) as Gonna Send You Back to Georgia, which is why I've placed them in the secondary list).

Site with 1960s advertisement for 40 records KB Discomatic

The 1965 Kolster-Brandes Ltd. Discomatic portable jukebox that Lennon owned was a British-licensed and -modified version of the Swiss Genivex Discomatic.

As seen in Help! during You've Got To Hide Your Love Away sequence.

Kim Fowley on meeting John Lennon at the Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Festival in 1969: I asked John Lennon what his secret was. He said, The Beatles were based on one idea — to improve our record collection. We would take our favourite records and then we would make better versions of them. We stopped being a group when we stopped trying to improve on the records that we liked. From UK DJ Spencer Leigh's Web page about the jukebox

As I've been listening and learning, I've come upon these additional later Lennon-related jukebox items.

Beside the bed was a bookshelf with a reading lamp. The problem Roger was discussing was what books ... might be the best preachers to this congregation of one ... let's begin with a volume of Christopher Marlowe. Then Keats, I guess ... Eugene Field's Tribune Primer to test her sense of humor. And Archy, by all means, for the same reason ... Dickens' Christmas Stories to introduce her to Mrs Lirriper, the queen of landladies. The Notebooks of Samuel Butler, just to give her a little intellectual jazz. The Wrong Box, because it's the best farce in the language. Travels with a Donkey, to show her what good writing is like. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to give her a sense of pity for human woes ... Walking-Stick Papers - yes, there are still good essayists running around. The Lays of Ancient Rome to show her some good poetry. And now we'll be exceptionally subtle: we'll stick in a Robert Chambers to see if she falls for it.
    -Christopher Morley, The Haunted Bookshop

My gratitude to John Midwinter for rescuing what might have easily remained hidden from the world's view. But Mr Midwinter understood the meaning of a particular portable jukebox, that its meaning might be transmitted to us.

Any information you may have in concretizing the list is appreciated.