Customer Reviews

Starpeace

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Many believe Yoko's "Starpeace" is her worst album to date... and though this may be true it is far from horrible. It actually features some very good pieces of music such as "Rainbow Revelation" and the superb "Hell in Paradise". But the true gem here is Yoko's rendition of John's "Imagine". She sings the song with such passion and authority I was nearly knocked to the floor with shock. I was expecting her cover to sound cheap and maybe even unbearable in comparison to John's but this is not the case at all. It is a NECESSITY to any yoko fan. All in all, this is the accessible pop-writer Yoko, and it doesn't always work... but its still a must have for a yoko collection.

i absolutely love this album. i know people have called this work pretentious, boring, and "groteqsue", but i think it is another excellent work of art from Mrs. Lennon/Ono. However, i wasn't completely satisfied with the new remixes that Rykodisc did. In fact, i was disappointed. i prefer the cassette and vinyl version over the CD. They just sound so much more together and beautiful, whereas i think the new release sounds too digital and somewhat tinny. So, i guess i'm giving the 5 star rating to the original release. (Same difference.) Anyway, my favorite song on this is "Hell In Paradise", a song with clever lyrics and beautiful instrumentation. Yoko's voice sounds great on this song, as she usually does. "I Love All Of Me" is a song that is upbeat and pleasing to the ear with a catchy reggae section. "Children Power" is another favorite, (i like to annoy my brother when singing it) with an awesome chorus of back-up singers. "Rainbow Revelation" is an uplifting number that says "bless you for what you are", and can make you feel good when down. Plus, it features a beautiful electric sitar part played by Eddie Martinez that gives the song a "world music" touch. Other favorites are the avant-garde "Cape Clear", which features some of the best lyrics and music on the whole album; "It's Gonna Rain (Living On Tiptoe"), with a wonderful reggae touch by the duo Sly and Robbie; and "Sky People", with a great electric guitar part. The Rykodisc CD rerelease does offer one advantage, though: the bonus live version of John Lennon's "Imagine", sung by Yoko on her 1986 Starpeace tour. Yoko uses her strong, alto voice instead of the high-pitched squeakiness of some of her other stuff, and it sounds fabulous. This album really is a work of art, and i urge any of you who want something different in your album/CD collection to give it a try. It really is worth the money.

Very good disc, with great version of john's IMAGIN

"Hell In Paradise" is one of those brilliant Ono songs that I never tire of hearing. The lyrics are poignant. The voice is powerful. The arrangements are cutting edge. The beat has a building momentum. "I Love All Of Me" and "Children Power" belong on some pre-teen childrens' television show. They don't fit on this Cd or any serious Ono collection. "Rainbow Revelation" when compared to "Revelations" (a re-make on the "Rising" Cd) highlights where Ono was during this period and where she usually was. "Rainbow Revelation" has this great seed of potential but pales when you hear the almost Biblical re-make on "Rising". If "StarPeace" is Yoko being "hip" then "Rising" is Ono as a mature and serious artist. And this is where "StarPeace" fails. The next song "The King Of The Zoo" is perhaps the worst song Yoko ever released. I can't listen to it. "Remember Raven" remains one of the stronger songs on this CD. "Cape Clear" almost exceeds "Hell In Paradise" in its being one of her most brilliant and cutting edge songs. This song reminds me of "Walking On Thin Ice" in that it seems more autobiographical and introspective than her other songs during this period. The backing vocals soar and help to make this song stand out from the others."Sky People" has a great beat and message. Long after my record player broke down and I hadn't heard this song for several years, it continued to play in my head. I was disappointed that it wasn't included on "OnoBox" (since I couldn't play the LP anymore). Glad to have it on Cd! "You And Me" is probably a song to Sean. Sweet as a mother's song to her child but.... "It's Gonna Rain (Living On Tiptoe)" is not a favorite of mine, pretty bad lyrics. "StarPeace" could be used for some space ride at some theme park. Yoko had something important to say and diminished it by her presentation. "I Love You Earth" is another one of my favorites on this Cd. This one could have been sappy but Yoko pulled it off in typical Ono style. The bonus track live version of "Imagine" makes this Cd worth every penny. Her voice is strong and she offers a good interpretation of this Lennon classic. Hearing this makes me long for a live Cd of her music on stage. Yoko's version of "Imagine" meets the challenge. Once again she's relevant, poignant and cutting edge. All in all, "StarPeace" has some really brilliant moments.

This album has about everything of Yoko's various musical styles. It's even my favorite album cover of all her albums.

This album changed the way I listened to music forever and introduced me to the most interesting artist and songwriter of our time. Catchy pop tunes and delightful vocals mixed with a great peace message. And the remixed version sounds so much better than the original vinyl release that I simply can't believe it. This would definitely be one of my 'desert island discs'.

Everyone has an opinion on Yoko Ono--usually a negative one that has nothing to do with her music. Have these people who make it a point to negatively review ALL of her CDs actually LISTEN to the entire length of a single song, or are they simply conforming to the popular opinions of others that she simply cannot sing? Yoko's music was far ahead of its time and, whether anyone likes it or not, her vocal style and musical approach has influenced many of today's artists. Starpeace is Yoko at her finest, with punk beats of the 80's and a political consciousness of world peace. From the amazing Hell In Paradise, to the catchy Sky People, to the self-affirming I Love All of Me, Yoko's production, voice and arrangement of her songs are first-rate. her bonus live track of John lennon's Imagine is interpreted with both passion and respect for the man who loved her. Both ONOBOX (an awesome 6-disc retrospect of her impressive career) and (her best album) Rising are currently out of print. Starpeace, therefore, will permit you to open your mind to Yoko Ono, an incredible poet, artist, singer/songwriter.

Yoko Ono released Starpeace in late 1985 with a ton of publicity. However, the album was her cheesiest music to date, some of the songs sounding like Nickelodeon jingles.

When Starpeace came out, her label and the industry was expecting a #1 album. However, for this one time, Yoko was unable to keep up with the Madonna's, Whitney Houston's and Cyndi Lauper's dominating pop music in 1985. The album stalled at a disapointing #33 (her lowest showing ever) and the album sold less than one million.

Desperate times call for Desperate measures. Yoko embarked on a world tour to support the album in early 1986. It didn't boost album sales, but she sold out every show of the tour, proving that while her fans didn't like the album, they hadn't jumped ship.

This album did score one #1 single, Hell In Paradise. The followup Cape Clear also went to #5, but the third single "I Love All Of Me" petered out at #92, her only single to miss the hot 100.

Is the album as bad as the mystique surrounding it? not at all. Is it Yoko's worst? probably.

Thank god she came back on top with Rising after she took a long break after this disapointment

"Starpeace" was originally released in 1985 as a statement against the Reagan Administration's "Star Wars" Treaty. The album, Yoko's 7th solo release, also marked a certain maturity about Yoko's emmergence into pop music. Stronger in production to it's forerunner "It's Alright", this album is probably Yoko's more commercially accessible album to date.

As with the re-release of the "It's Alright" album, this is not the original LP version, most tracks have been remixed, remastered, or re-edited. Only this time it all seems to work well. The album's two singles, "Hell in Paradise" and "Cape Clear", were both dance club favorites at the time of their release. Here they are showcased in a much artier style than their original versions. Some more noteworthy changes are the new "cleaner" sounding versions of album highlights "I Love All of Me", "Sky People", "You & I", and the album's title song "Starpeace". These songs were brilliant in their original form and sound even better in their new incarnations. Ono's voice is brought up front in this new version of the album, and the mix is in most cases an improvement over the original. The only song left bare by the new improved mix is possibly the ode to Lennon, "King of The Zoo". Actually in it's new form minus most of the backing vocals and the whistle brought forward, it is more of a nod to John who featured whistling in alot of his own songs.

Speaking of John Lennon, the album features quite a treat for Ono/Lennon fans; especially those of us who were fortunate enough to be, as Yoko so graciously phrased it "part of the Starpeace World Tour". The album's bonus track is a live version of Yoko singing "Imagine" from her show in Hungary. When I was fortunate enough to attend Yoko's show in San Francisco, this particular track brought me to tears during the concert and still touches me deeply hearing it again.

The album may not have been the anti-war statement that it was intended to be, but it was a wonderful album and shows Yoko probably the most light-hearted she's ever been depicted on record. To sum it all up, I quote from a review of the original 1985 release which stated "It seems that these days Yoko just wants to have fun!"

I bought Yoko's "Starpeace" out of curiosity. I ended up liking the album. I have ordered the Rykodisc Cd version to see how they remixed it. I enjoyed the A side more than the B side. Favorite tracks were "Hell In Paradise", "I Love All Of Me". I think the anti-Yoko fans are dismissing her talent. John saw something special in her. She was more than just the love of his life.