Lennon and son sing together

John Lennon: recorded with Sean when he was three

A new CD set of previously unheard tracks by John Lennon will feature songs the musician recorded with his son Sean, then aged just three.

The songs include a version of the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, on which the late singer performs with his toddler son and wife Yoko Ono, who is executive producer of the album.

Sean Lennon: now a musician in his own right

Sean features on three of the 100 songs on the four-CD set - the John Lennon Anthology - to be released on November 2.

The father and son tracks appear on the disc called Dakota, named after the Dakota Building in New York where the family lived in the last decade of John Lennon's life before he was shot in 1980.

Now 22, Sean is establishing his own career, with a solo album released earlier this year.

The collection also includes a parody of Yesterday, alternative versions of Lennon's own songs Working Class Hero, Give Peace A Chance and Jealous Guy, and live performances of Come Together and Imagine.

It also features the original version of Real Love, which Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison re-worked for the recent Anthology 2 album.

Yoko Ono said: "This is a celebration of John's music - and not just for the fans who knew his music in the old days. John's catalogue is very important.

"The tracks on this set aren't all alternate takes or demos for songs he included on his albums, but most of them are.

"There are some rarities, of course, but I didn't want to just titillate people's curiosity. After all, those are the songs John wanted to put out."

Yoko Ono: controversy over Lennon's inheritance

But her treatment of Lennon's legacy has caused trouble in the past.

His oldest son Julian has complained bitterly about the way she uses the Lennon name, and the two only recently came to a settlement over what he should inherit from his father's estate.

After the death of Linda McCartney in April she told how she was "saddened" about not being invited to a New York memorial service for her, though McCartney's aides insisted it was not meant as a snub.

But she is adamant Lennon would be happy with the release.

"I wanted to deepen people's understanding of those songs because they're the ones John wanted you to know. I put a special emphasis on that.

"I hope people see his train of thought - and how that train of thought influenced the world."