It is the second posthumous release of Lennon's music (after Milk and Honey), having been recorded during the sessions for his albums Walls and Bridges and Rock 'n' Roll.

Yoko Ono's liner notes mention that "John's American rock roots – Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and Phil Spector – are evident in these tracks.

But what I hear in John's voice are the other roots of the boy who grew up in Liverpool, listening to 'Greensleeves,' BBC Radio and Tessie O'Shea".

Though Menlove Ave. included previously unreleased material of John Lennon, it failed to chart in the United Kingdom.

The song "Here We Go Again" was included on the 2006 soundtrack album The U.S. vs. John Lennon and 2010 box set Gimme Some Truth.