John Lennon Plastic Ono Band CD - Import

JOHN LENNON PLASTIC ONO BAND came out at the same time as an album by Lennon's wife Yoko Ono (also titled PLASTIC ONO BAND).
Originally released on Apple (3372)
Personnel: John Lennon (vocals, guitar, piano); John Lennon; Klaus Voormann (bass instrument); Billy Preston, Phil Spector (piano); Ringo Starr (drums); Yoko Ono (wind).
Audio Remixers: Peter Cobbin; Phil Nicolo.
Recording information: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England (1970).
Photographers: Ian MacMillan; Ray Connelly.
The cliché about singer/songwriters is that they sing confessionals direct from their heart, but John Lennon exploded the myth behind that cliché, as well as many others, on his first official solo record, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Inspired by his primal scream therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov, Lennon created a harrowing set of unflinchingly personal songs, laying out all of his fears and angers for everyone to hear. It was a revolutionary record -- never before had a record been so explicitly introspective, and very few records made absolutely no concession to the audience's expectations, daring the listeners to meet all the artist's demands. Which isn't to say that the record is unlistenable. Lennon's songs range from tough rock & rollers to piano-based ballads and spare folk songs, and his melodies remain strong and memorable, which actually intensifies the pain and rage of the songs. Not much about Plastic Ono Band is hidden. Lennon presents everything on the surface, and the song titles -- "Mother," "I Found Out," "Working Class Hero," "Isolation," "God," "My Mummy's Dead" -- illustrate what each song is about, and charts his loss of faith in his parents, country, friends, fans, and idols. It's an unflinching document of bare-bones despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique not only in Lennon's catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albums are ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
John Lennon's 1970 official solo debut is as remarkable for its startling contrast to the Beatles as it is for the passion and force of its songwriting. Stripped-down, gripping, and emotionally resonant, PLASTIC ONO BAND has little to do with the hook-heavy pop of his early Beatles work, or the psychedelic, word-salad approach of his songs on SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEART'S CLUB BAND and ABBEY ROAD. Instead, this is an album of intensely confessional songs that lay bare the personal demons Lennon was trying to exorcise at the time--the ghosts of fame, family, faith, and individual identity, among them.
The sound of the album is straightforward and hard-hitting. Spare, lean rock arrangements with piano, drums, bass, and guitar frame the songs effectively, letting Lennon's narratives carry the weight. The songs are shot through with bitterness ("I Found Out"), disillusionment ("God"), and regret ("Mother"), but there are also moments of hope in "Hold On" and the achingly beautiful "Love," which ranks alongside the very best of Lennon's ballads. Lennon was undergoing primal scream therapy during these sessions and the results can be heard, overtly (the strained vocals of "Well, Well, Well"), and in the rage and anguish of his harrowingly honest songwriting. This is one of the finest singer/songwriter albums of this or any era.
Contained within is an audiophile gold disc rendering of John Lennon's self-titled John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970). The artist had been involved in a variety of non-Beatles recordings since Unfinished Music, No. 1: Two Virgins (1968). However, this effort can rightfully be considered his first studio album of original music away from the Fab Four. Much of the LP seethes with a palpable, yet almost uncomfortably familiar vibe. Lennon was quick to admit that this approach was a direct result of his confrontational, but emotionally freeing work with Dr. Walter Janov. In fact, he so thoroughly embraced the conRolling Stone (12/11/03, p.104) - Ranked #22 in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" - "...Lennon's first proper solo album and rock & roll's most self-revelatory recording..."
Rolling Stone (6/10/99, p.126) - 5 Stars (out of 5) - "...every note reverberates....Lennon's singing takes on an expressive specificity that anyone in search of the century's great vocal performances would be foolish to overlook...."
Q (6/00, p.66) - Ranked #62 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" - "...Suddenly, you can see why Lennon was dissatisfied with the Abbey Road sessions..."
Q (12/00, pp.140-1) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...There is no better solo Lennon or solo Beatles album..."
CMJ (5/24/99, p.32) - "...an exercise in artistic expression through varying levels of mood and rage..."
Mojo (Publisher) (11/00, p.92) - "...Exactly what was on his mind....It was, and remains, an extraordinary album. No rock singer could sound as simultaneously warm and as acerbic as Lennon..."
NME (Magazine) (10/21/00, p.43) - 8 out of 10 - "...It's his starkest and best post-Beatles work....This is a lingering, slow-motion peer into the crater of the man's soul..."