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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 chart 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 /TiVo
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John Lennon, Producer, Piano, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Klaus Voormann, BassGuitar - Ringo Starr, DrumKit - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)
John Lennon, Producer, Guitar, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Klaus Voormann, BassGuitar - Ringo Starr, DrumKit - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
John Lennon, Producer, Guitar, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Klaus Voormann, BassGuitar - Ringo Starr, DrumKit - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
John Lennon, Producer, Guitar, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)
John Lennon, Producer, Organ, Piano, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Klaus Voormann, BassGuitar - Ringo Starr, DrumKit - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
John Lennon, Producer, Piano, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Klaus Voormann, BassGuitar - Ringo Starr, DrumKit - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)
John Lennon, Producer, Guitar, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer, Piano - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)
John Lennon, Producer, Guitar, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Klaus Voormann, BassGuitar - Ringo Starr, DrumKit - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)
John Lennon, Producer, Guitar, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
John Lennon, Producer, Piano, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Billy Preston, Piano - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Klaus Voormann, BassGuitar - Ringo Starr, DrumKit - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
John Lennon, Producer, Engineer, Guitar, Vocalist, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - JOHN LECKIE, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, AudioConcept - Richard Lush, Engineer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Eddie Klein, Engineer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)
John Lennon, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer, MainArtist - Ken Scott, Engineer - André Perry, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
John Lennon, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - Nick Webb, Engineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, Producer - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Ken Scott, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer - Bill Trow, Engineer - Dave Corlett, Engineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
John Lennon, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - PHIL SPECTOR, Producer - Simon Gibson, MasteringEngineer - Paul Hicks, Engineer, MixingEngineer - Yoko Ono, MainArtist - Phil McDonald, Engineer - Andy Stephens, Engineer - Yoko Ono Lennon, Producer - Simon Hilton, ProductionCoordinator, RecordingSupervisor - Sam Gannon, RecordingSecondEngineer
℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)/Lenono Music
Album review
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 chart 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 /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 00:52:43
- Main artists: John Lennon
- Composer: John Lennon
- Label: UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group) ℗ 2021 Calderstone Productions Limited (a division of Universal Music Group)
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