John Lennon [extended]
The 50th anniversary of the album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, will be commemorated this fall with the release of a book, John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band.The album, which Lennon once described as “the best thing I’ve ever done,” was released on Dec. The book, from Thames and Hudson, and credited to authors John Lennon and Yoko Ono, is scheduled to be published on Oct.
- Live Peace in Toronto 1969 [Apple, 1969] C
- Plastic Ono Band [Apple, 1970] A
- Imagine [Apple, 1971] A
- Some Time in New York City [Apple, 1972] C
- Mind Games [Apple, 1973] C+
- Walls and Bridges [Apple, 1974] B-
- Rock 'n Roll [Apple, 1975] B-
- Shaved Fish [Apple, 1975] B+
- Double Fantasy [Capitol, 1980] A
- The John Lennon Collection [Geffen, 1982] A-
- Milk and Honey [Polydor, 1984] A
- Live in New York City [Capitol, 1986] B
- Menlove Ave. [Capitol, 1986] B+
- Imagine: John Lennon: Music from the Original Motion Picture [Capitol, 1988] C+
- Wonsaponatime [Capitol, 1998] A-
- Acoustic [Capitol, 2004] *
- Rock 'n' Roll [Capitol, 2004]
- Plastic Ono Band not only predicted the intersection of the avant-garde and rock that would take place in the second half of that decade, the album would sound.
- Demo #1 Plastic Ono Band Look At Me 1970 11. Rip It Up/Ready Teddy Rock 'n' Roll sessions 1974 Anthology - DISC 3 - The Lost Weekend 1998 12. Long Lost John Outtake - 1970 Plastic Ono Band: Look At Me 1968-1970 13. Serve Yourself Home recordings (1980) Anthology - DISC 4 - Dakota 1998 14. Satire 1 (home recording) home recordings (1980).
See Also:
Consumer Guide Reviews:
The Plastic Ono Band:Live Peace in Toronto 1969 [Apple, 1969]This is the famous Lennon/Clapton/Ono/Voorman/White (Voorman?/White?) concert. I happened to be there and it wasn't so hot live. It is worse recorded. The anti-Yoko reaction has long since passed beyond boorishness, but that doesn't mean I want to hear her keen for 20 minutes, and the rock side is raw and badly recorded, with Clapton's masterful lead obscured by Lennon's rhythm. Of value primarily as a document. C
Plastic Ono Band [Apple, 1970]
Of course the lyrics are often crude psychotherapeutic cliches. That's just the point, because they're also true, and John wants to make clear that right now truth is far more important than subtlety, taste, art, or anything else. At first the music sounds crude, too, stark and even perfunctory after the Beatles' free harmonies and double guitars. But the real music of the album inheres in the way John's greatest vocal performance, a complete tour of rock timbre from scream to whine, is modulated electronically--echoed, filtered, double-tracked, with two vocals sometimes emanating in a synthesis from between the speakers and sometimes dialectically separated. Which means that John is such a media artist that even when he's fervently shedding personas and eschewing metaphor he knows, perhaps instinctively, that he communicates most effectively through technological masks and prisms. A
Of course the lyrics are often crude psychotherapeutic cliches. That's just the point, because they're also true, and John wants to make clear that right now truth is far more important than subtlety, taste, art, or anything else. At first the music sounds crude, too, stark and even perfunctory after the Beatles' free harmonies and double guitars. But the real music of the album inheres in the way John's greatest vocal performance, a complete tour of rock timbre from scream to whine, is modulated electronically--echoed, filtered, double-tracked, with two vocals sometimes emanating in a synthesis from between the speakers and sometimes dialectically separated. Which means that John is such a media artist that even when he's fervently shedding personas and eschewing metaphor he knows, perhaps instinctively, that he communicates most effectively through technological masks and prisms. A
Imagine [Apple, 1971]
Primal goes pop--personal and useful. The title cut is both a hymn for the Movement and a love song for his wife, celebrating a Yokoism and a Marcusianism simultaneously, and 'Gimme Some Truth' unites Lennon unmasked with the Lennon of Blunderland wordplay as it provides a rationale for 'Jealous Guy,' which doesn't need one, and 'How Do You Sleep?,' which may. 'Oh Yoko!' is an instant folk song worthy of Rosie & the Originals and 'I Don't Want to Be a Soldier' an instant folk extravaganza worthy of Phil Spector. 'It's So Hard' is a blues. 'Crippled Inside,' with its 'ironic' good-time ricky-tick, is folk-rock in disguise. And the psychotherapeutically lugubrious 'How?' is a question mark. A
Primal goes pop--personal and useful. The title cut is both a hymn for the Movement and a love song for his wife, celebrating a Yokoism and a Marcusianism simultaneously, and 'Gimme Some Truth' unites Lennon unmasked with the Lennon of Blunderland wordplay as it provides a rationale for 'Jealous Guy,' which doesn't need one, and 'How Do You Sleep?,' which may. 'Oh Yoko!' is an instant folk song worthy of Rosie & the Originals and 'I Don't Want to Be a Soldier' an instant folk extravaganza worthy of Phil Spector. 'It's So Hard' is a blues. 'Crippled Inside,' with its 'ironic' good-time ricky-tick, is folk-rock in disguise. And the psychotherapeutically lugubrious 'How?' is a question mark. A
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band:Some Time in New York City [Apple, 1972]
Half caterwauling live weirdness with the Mothers of Invention, half tuneless topical rock songs with Elephant's Memory, this is where Lennon risks his charisma instead of investing it. I like its rawness and its basic good-heartedness, though J&Y's politics are frequently condescending. But if agitprop is one thing and wrong-headed agitprop another, agitprop that doesn't reach its intended audience is hardly a thing at all. C
Half caterwauling live weirdness with the Mothers of Invention, half tuneless topical rock songs with Elephant's Memory, this is where Lennon risks his charisma instead of investing it. I like its rawness and its basic good-heartedness, though J&Y's politics are frequently condescending. But if agitprop is one thing and wrong-headed agitprop another, agitprop that doesn't reach its intended audience is hardly a thing at all. C
Mind Games [Apple, 1973]
A step in the right direction, but only a step. It sounds like outtakes from Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, which may not seem so bad but means that Lennon is falling back on ideas that have lost their freshness for him. Still, the single works and I hope he keeps on stepping. Favorite Plastic Ono Band outtake: 'One Day (at a Time).' Favorite Imagine outtake: 'You Are Here.' C+
A step in the right direction, but only a step. It sounds like outtakes from Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, which may not seem so bad but means that Lennon is falling back on ideas that have lost their freshness for him. Still, the single works and I hope he keeps on stepping. Favorite Plastic Ono Band outtake: 'One Day (at a Time).' Favorite Imagine outtake: 'You Are Here.' C+
Walls and Bridges [Apple, 1974]
These songs seem more felt than those on Mind Games, probably because they express personal pain rather than generalized optimism--'Bless You,' to Yoko in someone else's arms, is a real leap. But the melodies are received, the accompaniment ordinary, and the singing disoriented. What can it be like for this ex-Beatle to trade harmonies with Elton John (who sings backup on 'Surprise, Surprise,' just as Lennon does on Elton's new single) in the inescapable knowledge that it's Elton who's doing him the favor? B-
These songs seem more felt than those on Mind Games, probably because they express personal pain rather than generalized optimism--'Bless You,' to Yoko in someone else's arms, is a real leap. But the melodies are received, the accompaniment ordinary, and the singing disoriented. What can it be like for this ex-Beatle to trade harmonies with Elton John (who sings backup on 'Surprise, Surprise,' just as Lennon does on Elton's new single) in the inescapable knowledge that it's Elton who's doing him the favor? B-
![The plastic ono band 1969 The plastic ono band 1969](https://beatlesblogger.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/ono-plastic-ono-band.jpg?w=500&h=500)
Rock 'n Roll [Apple, 1975]
No doubt mysteries of emotional and rhythmic commitment (soul and groove) determine why this runs out of gas after 'Be-Bop-a-Lula' and 'Stand by Me.' But it's also true that covering Gene Vincent and Ben E. King is considerably less perilous than covering Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Fats Domino, whose songs follow. Which may be why 'Ya Ya' (Lee Dorsey) and 'Just Because' (Lloyd Price) work. Too bad he didn't go for more esoterica--this could have been another Moondog Matinee. B-
No doubt mysteries of emotional and rhythmic commitment (soul and groove) determine why this runs out of gas after 'Be-Bop-a-Lula' and 'Stand by Me.' But it's also true that covering Gene Vincent and Ben E. King is considerably less perilous than covering Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Fats Domino, whose songs follow. Which may be why 'Ya Ya' (Lee Dorsey) and 'Just Because' (Lloyd Price) work. Too bad he didn't go for more esoterica--this could have been another Moondog Matinee. B-
![Members Members](https://classicrockreview.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/john-lennon-plastic-ono-band.jpg)
Plastic Ono Band Outtakes List
Shaved Fish [Apple, 1975]
Eleven shots in the dark from the weirdest major rock and roller of the early '70s. All the hits are here, many of them misses, with the number-one single as out of place as 'Happy Xmas' and 'Woman Is the Nigger of the World.' Not just because it's bad, either--in retrospect, 'Whatever Gets You Through the Night' and 'Power to the People' sound equally bald, equally stupid. Not counting the two available on must-own albums, the only great cuts are 'Instant Karma' (Lennon's best political song) and '#9 Dream' (catchier nonsense pop than McCartney's ever managed). So I don't play it much. But I'm sure glad it's on the shelf. B+
Eleven shots in the dark from the weirdest major rock and roller of the early '70s. All the hits are here, many of them misses, with the number-one single as out of place as 'Happy Xmas' and 'Woman Is the Nigger of the World.' Not just because it's bad, either--in retrospect, 'Whatever Gets You Through the Night' and 'Power to the People' sound equally bald, equally stupid. Not counting the two available on must-own albums, the only great cuts are 'Instant Karma' (Lennon's best political song) and '#9 Dream' (catchier nonsense pop than McCartney's ever managed). So I don't play it much. But I'm sure glad it's on the shelf. B+
John Lennon/Yoko Ono:Double Fantasy [Capitol, 1980]
In a special message for all the ignorami who think he never should have married the pretentious bitch, John turns the professional rock he hacked his way through when they were separated to the specifics of his life (and genius) as it's now constituted. In a special message for all the ignorami who think pretentious bipeds should stay out of recording studios, Yoko keeps up with him. This is an unfashionable piece of music--only Poly Styrene, of all people, has gotten away with anything remotely similar all year. But you don't have to be married to hear its commitment and command. I hope. A
In a special message for all the ignorami who think he never should have married the pretentious bitch, John turns the professional rock he hacked his way through when they were separated to the specifics of his life (and genius) as it's now constituted. In a special message for all the ignorami who think pretentious bipeds should stay out of recording studios, Yoko keeps up with him. This is an unfashionable piece of music--only Poly Styrene, of all people, has gotten away with anything remotely similar all year. But you don't have to be married to hear its commitment and command. I hope. A
The John Lennon Collection [Geffen, 1982]
I grant that it's superfluous--basically an Apple best-of plus John's songs from Double Fantasy. It goes on my A shelf because John was John, not just half of John & Yoko. Also because it omits the half-cocked 'Cold Turkey' and ragtag 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' from the official Apple best-of and doesn't medley 'Give Peace a Chance.' A-
I grant that it's superfluous--basically an Apple best-of plus John's songs from Double Fantasy. It goes on my A shelf because John was John, not just half of John & Yoko. Also because it omits the half-cocked 'Cold Turkey' and ragtag 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' from the official Apple best-of and doesn't medley 'Give Peace a Chance.' A-
John Lennon/Yoko Ono:Milk and Honey [Polydor, 1984]
Those too numbed by tragedy or hope to connect with Double Fantasy aren't likely to hear this one either--it's definitely more of the same, in John's case outtakes. But these were clearly rejected on conceptual rather than musical grounds, as just too quirky to suit the careful househusband image John wanted for his return to the arena. Which is why I like them better, especially spiced with asides he would have erased before final release. Yoko's songs are more recent and that's another plus, because her pop only began to jell with Double Fantasy; the horny querulousness of 'Sleepless Night' and the cricket synthesizers on 'You're the One' are confident personal elaborations of a tradition she comes to secondhand. Only the two middle cuts on the B get soupy. What a farewell. A
Those too numbed by tragedy or hope to connect with Double Fantasy aren't likely to hear this one either--it's definitely more of the same, in John's case outtakes. But these were clearly rejected on conceptual rather than musical grounds, as just too quirky to suit the careful househusband image John wanted for his return to the arena. Which is why I like them better, especially spiced with asides he would have erased before final release. Yoko's songs are more recent and that's another plus, because her pop only began to jell with Double Fantasy; the horny querulousness of 'Sleepless Night' and the cricket synthesizers on 'You're the One' are confident personal elaborations of a tradition she comes to secondhand. Only the two middle cuts on the B get soupy. What a farewell. A
Plastic Ono Band Album Review
Live in New York City [Capitol, 1986]
Just by putting his all into such unsung great songs as 'Well, Well, Well' and 'It's So Hard,' the great singer comes a lot closer to justifying this ad hoc document than Jagger did with Ya-Ya's or Daltrey did with Leeds. The alternate 'Instant Karma' and 'Cold Turkey' and 'Mother' are also welcome. But his accidental romance with Elephant's Memory never did him any good musically. And for all his encouragement Yoko wasn't yet a rock-and-roller, so 'Hound Dog' remains a concept. B
Just by putting his all into such unsung great songs as 'Well, Well, Well' and 'It's So Hard,' the great singer comes a lot closer to justifying this ad hoc document than Jagger did with Ya-Ya's or Daltrey did with Leeds. The alternate 'Instant Karma' and 'Cold Turkey' and 'Mother' are also welcome. But his accidental romance with Elephant's Memory never did him any good musically. And for all his encouragement Yoko wasn't yet a rock-and-roller, so 'Hound Dog' remains a concept. B
Menlove Ave. [Capitol, 1986]
The late-night session-band workups of songs later embalmed on Walls and Bridges are startlingly stark and clear, making side two the finest music of the hiatus between Imagine and Double Fantasy, whose precisely felt studio-rock they prefigure. Phil Spector produced the commercial versions. He also produced Rock 'n' Roll Cara game psp 3000 gratis. , source of the outtakes on side one, which were rejected because they're even stiffer than the intakes. John never could figure out what to do about loving Rosie & the Originals. And Phil wasn't the guy to tell him. B+
The late-night session-band workups of songs later embalmed on Walls and Bridges are startlingly stark and clear, making side two the finest music of the hiatus between Imagine and Double Fantasy, whose precisely felt studio-rock they prefigure. Phil Spector produced the commercial versions. He also produced Rock 'n' Roll Cara game psp 3000 gratis. , source of the outtakes on side one, which were rejected because they're even stiffer than the intakes. John never could figure out what to do about loving Rosie & the Originals. And Phil wasn't the guy to tell him. B+
Imagine: John Lennon: Music from the Original Motion Picture [Capitol, 1988]
Nothing wrong with the music, though you can do without the bait--'Imagine' work tape, carefully hoarded new song work tape. But the useless configuration, foreshortening the Yokoless first half of his career and romanticizing the de-Beatled second, wouldn't exist without the tireless promotional efforts of Albert Goldman. C+
Nothing wrong with the music, though you can do without the bait--'Imagine' work tape, carefully hoarded new song work tape. But the useless configuration, foreshortening the Yokoless first half of his career and romanticizing the de-Beatled second, wouldn't exist without the tireless promotional efforts of Albert Goldman. C+
Wonsaponatime [Capitol, 1998]
As someone who scoffs at the outtake collections of known improvisers, I doubt I'll be delving into the box too often, although the live stuff is worth hearing. But not only does this one-disc distillation spare borderline obsessives financial anxiety, it proves Lennon the great singer he's rarely remembered as. Whether the alternate rearrangements are drastic (Cheap Trick on 'I'm Losing You,' strings on 'Grow Old With Me') or subtle (pianoless 'God,' single-tracked 'Oh My Love'), every song is renewed by a vocal commitment that shades the canonical take, usually toward sweetness or rage. There's new material, too: blues cover, Platters cover, pledge of love, and the priceless Dylan answer song 'Serve Yourself.' Lennon wasn't above dabbling in religion. But he never got so down he mistook God for more than a concept by which he measured his pain. A-
As someone who scoffs at the outtake collections of known improvisers, I doubt I'll be delving into the box too often, although the live stuff is worth hearing. But not only does this one-disc distillation spare borderline obsessives financial anxiety, it proves Lennon the great singer he's rarely remembered as. Whether the alternate rearrangements are drastic (Cheap Trick on 'I'm Losing You,' strings on 'Grow Old With Me') or subtle (pianoless 'God,' single-tracked 'Oh My Love'), every song is renewed by a vocal commitment that shades the canonical take, usually toward sweetness or rage. There's new material, too: blues cover, Platters cover, pledge of love, and the priceless Dylan answer song 'Serve Yourself.' Lennon wasn't above dabbling in religion. But he never got so down he mistook God for more than a concept by which he measured his pain. A-
Acoustic [Capitol, 2004]
Nirvana unplugged it ain't, and a precious resource he remains ('God,' 'What You Got'). *
Nirvana unplugged it ain't, and a precious resource he remains ('God,' 'What You Got'). *
Eastland mall tulsa drivers test. Rock 'n' Roll [Capitol, 2004]
'My Baby Left Me,' 'Angel Baby'
'My Baby Left Me,' 'Angel Baby'
See Also
- John Lennon's Realpolitik [0000]
- Double Fantasy: The Ballad of John and Yoko [0000]
- Toronto Rock & Roll Revival 1969 [0000]
- The John Lennon Letters [0000]
- John Lennon, 1940-1980 [1980-12-22]
- Symbolic Comrades: John Lennon/Yoko Ono [1981-01-20]
- Rock Bios [1983-12-20]
- John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band [1999-06-10]