Customer Reviews

Plastic Ono Band (Mlps)

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Yoko Ono's "Plastic Ono Band" was released to coincide with her husband, John Lennon's, album of the same name. The cover art is almost identical (with a few subtle differences), and, believe it or not, so is the musical content.

The trick to listening to any Yoko album is not to approach it expecting pop music. Approach it with an open mind, open ears, and open heart. That said, certainly, John's "P.O.B." is much more accessible than Yoko's, but equally as harrowing. Both are powerful, direct, counterphobic assaults on pain and outrage. Key difference here: Yoko's "P.O.B." contains no actual words. She expresses herself here through wordless howls and largely improvised musical arrangements. Musically, she anticipates punk by almost five years (don't believe me? Check out "Why" and then try to argue your point with me!), and completely burns the barriers of what's allowed and what's not in music.

If you like the typical song structure (verse-chorus-verse-verse-chorus-break-middle-eight-chorus-out) and nothing else, "Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band" is not for you, stay far away from this album. But, if you're looking to give your eardrums a break from the formulaic schlock on the radio these days and listen to something truly innovative, get this one. Follow the booklet's advice: play it in the dark.

This is Yoko doing her vocal improvs over the banging Plastic Ono Band. If Yoko isnt your thing, then this record is not for you. But the Plastic Ono Band never sounded better.

I mistakenly got this due to inaccurate product descriptions on the website and I've been regretting it since. I was looking for the "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" in which John does the singing but I didn't know until too late that there are actually two versions of this album: one with John featured which is infinitely better and one with Yoko Ono featured which is the exact opposite in terms of quality and then some. If you thought Revolution 9 from the Beatles' "White Album" was bad, you ain't heard nothing yet my friends! This album makes Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica" sound like the soundtrack to "The Sound of Music." The mlps packaging isn't that well produced as the cardboard used is very thin although it is interesting to note that both free jazz legends Ornette Coleman and Charlie Haden as well as ex-Beatles John Lennon and Ringo Starr are credited with being part of the band. The "singing" duties were done solely by Yoko herself. Primal screaming and noise making at its very best! Avoid at all costs unless you are into masochism. The album should be renamed "The Yoko Ono/Waste of Plastic Ono Band"

Not recommended!

Like another reviewer, I mistakenly purchased this eardung thinking it was John Lennon "Plastic Ono Band" (which is a brilliant album, IMO). Boy was I wrong. The second I popped it in the cd player, I was thinking "is this the right album? is this a joke? what the hell?" This album blows and has absolutely no musical merit whatsoever. Another irony, I purchased this cd at the same time I bought "Trout Mask Replica," which I had never heard before. After skipping through a few tracks and almost tossing this garbage out the window, I inserted TMR and it was like a cool glass of water after sprinting a marathon......"Fast and Bulbous...Get it?" I now use this pathetic excuse for music as glass coaster by my bedside table, even that use is too much of complement for this poop cd.