John Lennon's first solo album Plastic Ono Band was recorded during a difficult period described by many of those who were there as a time when John was "finding himself." He had just left the Beatles, and was searching to find his own identity -- both personally and musically -- removed from the madness that often surrounded the biggest band in the world at the time.
When viewed in hindsight, the songs on Plastic Ono Band obviously have long since born that out. Stripped to a core unit of just Lennon, bassist Klaus Voorman, Ringo Starr on drums, and occasionally keyboardist Billy Preston (most notably on the song "God"), the simplicity of the music and arrangements confounded many of the former Beatle's fans. They of course had become used to the progressively more elaborate music that had begun with Rubber Soul and continued right on up through Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, and the rest of the Beatles' landmark recordings of the time.
John also shocked those same fans with the words "I don't believe in Beatles" found on one of Plastic Ono Band's key tracks, the song "God."
Ah yes, the lyrics.
With Plastic Ono Band, on songs like "God" and "Mother," Lennon seemed to be a man intent on standing quite literally naked before the world, and baring his soul for all the rest of us to see. "He was always a very courageous guy," Ringo notes in one of several revealing interviews on this DVD about the making of that album. "He would just put it out there. But sometimes there were severe consequences."
Part of Eagle Rock's fabulous series on the making of Classic Albums, this DVD is not only a fascinating look at the making of that album -- it also provides a rare look into the lives of John and Yoko themselves at the time it was made. Unlike so many documentaries such as this -- that rely on informative, but often dry and boring interviews with the studio tech wizards who twiddled the knobs -- there is also lots of rare footage here of the Lennons themselves. It's just great stuff.
Article comments
1 - stephen rossi
john lennon was the best.i personally put together all the 1980 acoustic demos on one disc and its like a 1980 john lennon acoustic album id like to see yoko package it that way it would sell and be a nice addition to the lennon cataloge i know she released the john lennon acuostic album but all those songs from 1980 are so powerful and great.