John Lennon – John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 39:33 minutes | 843 MB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital booklet
Genre: Rock, Pop Rock | Label: © Capitol Records , Calderstone Productions | Source: HDTracks
Recorded: 26 September – 23 October 1970, Abbey Road Studios & Ascot Sound Studios
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the debut solo album by John Lennon. Produced by Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector, the album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Ascot Sound Studios and used the same musicians and production team as Yoko Ono’s album Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band. Considered to be one of Lennon’s best solo albums, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was ranked at #23 by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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
Tracklist:
1 Mother 05:35
2 Hold On 01:52
3 I Found Out 03:38
4 Working Class Hero 03:48
5 Isolation 02:52
6 Remember 04:33
7 Love 03:22
8 Well Well Well 05:57
9 Look At Me 02:54
10 God 04:12
11 My Mummy’s Dead 00:50
Personnel:
John Lennon – lead and backing vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, piano/organ
Ringo Starr – drums
Klaus Voormann – bass
Phil Spector – piano on “Love”
Billy Preston – piano on “God”
Yoko Ono – “wind”
Mal Evans – “tea and sympathy”
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