plastic ono band

John Lennon measured his pain for all of us to see with the most singular statement of his artistry and humanity. Alternately tender and terrifying, the album challenges our preconceptions as much as it challenges every sense of what popular music is all about. The stripped down simplicity of the sound increases the sense of intimacy and the cathartic intensity of his expression is downright disturbing. He and Yoko had undertaken primal scream therapy with with Arthur Janov and both of them channelled their repressed childhood traumas into their music. They both released their own Plastic Ono Band album on the same day with similar album covers ("In Yoko's, she's leaning back on me; in mine, I'm leaning on her.") and similarly therapeutic expressions of emotional angst, although Yoko's version was even more avant-garde and caterwauling. Both are harrowing confessionals that give us a glimpse into the personal anguish of the most public and outspoken of celebrity couples. In perhaps his darkest moment of despair he lashes out at everything and denounces all beliefs to the extreme. "I don't believe in Beatles... I just believe in me." There is rage, resignation, remorse, and rebirth in this haunting, exhausting, but ultimately rewarding listening experience.

http://www.johnlennon.com/


http://www.yoko-ono.com/

"Working Class Hero"

"When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years, then they expect you to pick a career; when you can't really function, you're so full of fear."

"Hold On"

"When you're warm...really warm, then you'll get things done like they've never been done"

"Well Well Well"

"We sat and talked of revolution..."

Plastic Ono Band full album:





All songs written by John Lennon

Side one
"Mother" – 0:01
"Hold On" – 5:30
"I Found Out" – 7:24
"Working Class Hero" – 11:01
"Isolation" – 14:52

Side two
"Remember" – 17:45
"Love" – 22:27
"Well Well Well" – 25:45
"Look at Me" – 31:45
"God" – 34:39
"My Mummy's Dead" – 38:50

Yoko Ono - Plastic Ono Band
full album:




All songs written by Yoko Ono.
00:00 Why
05:37 Why Not
15:32 Greenfield Morning I Pushed An Empty Baby Carriage All Over the City
21:12 Touch Me
25:01 AOS
32:09 Paper Shoes

double fantasy

thirty years ago one of the most famous couples in the world put it all out there (again) with this heart play. double fantasy emerged after a five year gestation in a secluded family bubble. after his separation from yoko and his battles with the u.s. immigration office (the album is dedicated "with special thanks to all the people, known and unknown, who helped us stay in america, without whom this album would not have been made"), john let go of the merry go round of his career and settled into domestic felicity with his new son sean (born on his thirty fifth birthday!); while yoko handled the business end of things. in this musical conversation, songs alternate back and forth between john and yoko from rekindling the romance to doubt and despair, from 'i'm losing you' to 'i'm moving on', from the cold and hard to the warm "sun that looks over our shoulders and brings our shadows together." the most striking thing about this record is the buoyant spirit john displays as he has embraced life and fatherhood. yoko's more dark and edgy contributions make john's wide-eyed optimism that much more pronounced. this is a lovely and complex album for all beautiful boys and the women that love them. when yoko finishes the dialogue with the pronouncement that "hard times are over, over for awhile," it rings rather ominously. after john was murdered, it shot to the top of the charts and ended up receiving a grammy for album of the year. it stands as a testament to the honesty and bravery with which lenono chose to live in the world.

"for the other half of the sky..."

"...in rain or shine or life or death..."

full album:




Side one
1. "(Just Like) Starting Over"   John Lennon 3:56
2. "Kiss Kiss Kiss"   Yoko Ono 2:41
3. "Cleanup Time"   Lennon 2:58
4. "Give Me Something"   Ono 1:35
5. "I'm Losing You"   Lennon 3:57
6. "I'm Moving On"   Ono 2:20
7. "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)"   Lennon 4:02
Side two
8. "Watching the Wheels"   Lennon 3:35
9. "Yes, I'm Your Angel"   Ono 3:08
10. "Woman"   Lennon 3:32
11. "Beautiful Boys"   Ono 2:55
12. "Dear Yoko"   Lennon 2:34
13. "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him"   Ono 4:02
14. "Hard Times Are Over"   Ono 3:20