Customer Reviews

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band [Vinyl]

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JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND was issued in the U.S. only one day after George Harrison's triple LP box ALL THINGS MUST PASS. Both were co-produced by Phil Spector yet technically they are worlds apart. George, to his later regret, allowed Phil to heavily layer and add reverb to his tracks while John insisted on a barebones, stripped-down sound that with the passage of 40 years has held up far better than his ex-Beatle bandmate's magnum opus.

John's self-analyzing musical explorations began after four months of Arthur Janov's primal therapy screams, examples of which make the autobiographical "Mother" a nerve-jangling experience. They also give National Lampoon's parody LP RADIO DINNER one of its most amusing cuts ("Genius is paiiiiiinnn!!"). Later he caustically renounces all idols (Jesus, Buddha, Elvis, Dylan, Beatles, etc.) on "God" and "I Found Out, a further dismissal of George's "pie in the sky" mysticism. In the spirit of a clearly established frankness come rockin' revelations about John's and Yoko's love life on "Well Well Well" ("She looked so beautiful I could eat her").

The most controversial recording on this official solo debut LP is "Working Class Hero," not just for its use of the ultimate 4-letter word but for a bleak message of the little guy getting buffeted by childhood and forced schooling only to be absorbed by an amorphous system "after 20-odd years." "Isolation" voices the fears of both Lennons, how "Trying to change the whole wide world" has left them feeling withdrawn.

Nearly lost among all these emotional purges are the tender ballad "Love," consisting of Lennon's quivering vocal over Spector's piano, "Hold On," a message to himself that "It's gonna be alright; You're gonna win the fight" and the WHITE ALBUM era lover's plea, "Look at Me." The closing track, "My Mummy's Dead," a lo-fi dirge of less than a minute's duration, may in fact be a main cause of much that came before ("I can't get it through my head; Though it's been so many years; My mummy's dead"). It's an issue most folks deal with sooner or later, if not in such a public way.

In this reviewer's opinion, "Plastic Ono Band" is John Lennon's greatest work, one that will be around as long as people continue to experience the tribulations and triumphs of life.

PROGRAM--

SIDE ONE
[5:34] Mother
[1:52] Hold On
[3:37] I Found Out
[3:48] Working Class Hero
[2:51] Isolation

SIDE TWO
[4:33] Remember
[3:21] Love
[5:59] Well Well Well
[2:53] Look at Me
[4:09] God
[0:49] My Mummy's Dead

TOTAL TIME: 39:26

This album is one of John's best. Every song is so melodic and beautiful. I love "Isolation" among others. Even though this came after the Beatles' break-up it sounds amazing.