John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

The Walrus’s first solo LP, or least without all three of his Liverpool chums by his side. Lennon tackles some skeletons deep within his closet, but still manages to make a warm album that one can leave on endless repeat. Like his old band’s efforts, this debut stands the test of time. Where Lennon sets himself apart from the Fab Four’s initial post-Beatles projects is in his willingness to be unguarded and bear his idiosyncrasies. This openness continues to resonate with current audiences and artists alike. Influencing the Jizz-Jazz King—The Pepperoni Playboy himself, who has gone on record more than once saying that ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’ is the type of album he has always aspired to make.

As the cover artwork suggests, John Lennon seems to have found peace of mind in Yoko Ono's arms. While some may regard this record as an intimate glimpse into Lennon's psyche, for me it's all a bit too much. The screaming on side two in particular is annoying and hard to bear. I wish Lennon had kept his therapeutic exploration of his mother's absence to himself. I feel no need to participate in something quite so private. Musically, the album is okay, but hardly remarkable. For the man who gave us "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Come Together" and "Help!", the songwriting feels surprisingly slight. "Working Class Hero" is the only track I'd call truly great. The others aren't necessarily bad, but there's little here that makes me want to return to them. An intensely personal statement, no doubt. I just wish Lennon had put a little more of his extraordinary songwriting talent into it.

Meh. I don't love it or hate it. It's ok. Has some mildly catchy stuff on it. I do like the message on Working Class Hero. I read some of the critics on it, talking about how he really can't talk about a Working Class Hero, being a star and all. This thought process is so narrow minded. It's like people think that once someone becomes successful, they somehow stop being a normal person. Do you think he forgot what it was like to have nothing? Or to feel marginalized? And do you think he doesn't still have something to say on the matter? Or that maybe he wants to let his fans know he understands some things? I also am sometimes miffed about the whole self indulgent thing. Listen, a musician/artist is supposed to write and perform stuff from their heart. Art at its core is self indulgent. It's not like Da Vinci looked at the completed Mona Lisa and said, 'Hmmm, people might think she's pissed, so I should add a little smile.' Artists do what their hearts tell them they need to express, and if people dig it, then they get rich. If they don't, oh well.

I'm not sure about this one. I'm not usually a big fan of miserable music, but I can appreciate the context of why he wrote this album. Also, it has the song where that "BEATULS" meme came from, and I think that's kinda funny

the classic tinny solo voice effect. I used to like his solo stuff but this didn't really land anywhere

Has those characteristic Lennon melodies. Quite a mood

I've got the feeling I'm going to grow to love this even more than I do now (after the first listen). Stripped down to the core; pretty essential.

2/5 I can appreciate how personal and emotionally raw this album is, but I struggled to connect with it. Lennon's characteristic piano chords, so recognizable from the Beatles through Imagine, are all over the place, yet here they rarely did much for me. Many songs start with potential but never quite deliver musically. His voice is good, even if some of the more demanding moments sound like a struggle. I Found Out has a great dragging rock groove, playful bass and raspy vocals, while Working Class Hero is an interesting departure. But most of the slower, introspective songs left me wanting more. I understand why this album matters, especially given Lennon's emotional state at the time, but understanding the intention doesn't necessarily make the music more enjoyable.

Dang it, he's excellent!🥹🥹🥹

I feel like John Lennon made this album for himself. It feels entirely authentic but a little too intimate. It's like he had such a strong desire to separate himself from the Beatles that he sabotaged any hope at making these songs sound like something that would show up on a Beatles record. And maybe that's the point, this is specifically NOT the Beatles.. I just sort of wish it was. There are bits to this that feel brilliant but it just has something lacking.

I’ve always loved the Beatles, but for whatever reason I never dug into any of their solo work until starting this project. It’s much more raw and is a real look into Lennon’s psyche. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of the Beatles, but it was a solid album with some great songwriting. Personally, I really enjoy the fuzzed out guitar and bass on a few tracks and am always a fan of Lennon’s harsher singing/screaming. Also, I didn’t realize how much John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band influenced Mac Demarco, but there were a few tracks that had major jizz-jazz vibes.

favs: isolation rating 0.4/5

Maudlin collection of whining songs, further evidence that the Beatles were a band massively greater than the sum of their individual parts.

A bit like the Beatles at times but nowhere near as good…as I understand it, this is also an accurate representation of Lennon’s solo career.

Not a huge Beatles fan or fan of their solos but this was okay

First album post Beatles be like John: I miss my mom 😪 Paul: I can do it all by myself 😤 George: I love you God!!!! 🫶 Ringo: GET YER COWBOY HAT ON AND LET’S BOOGIE!!! 🤠

I’m definitely a John Lennon guy when it comes to the Beatles. That said his songs within the context of the magic of the late era. Beatles contained something that was missing here.

JL follows up his Beatle career with simple singer/ songwriter pop tunes and low key production.

John Lennon’s legacy has become complicated. Revered by the Boomers and reviled by Gen Z, he was neither a creative genius nor a psychopathic wife beater. He was just a guy, a guy with countless flaws and considerable talents. He unspools himself completely here, putting all his best and worst tendencies on display. It’s far from perfect, but it’s an extremely raw, honest, and human album that I find pretty compelling.

This album might just prove that Paul is the better Beatle.

Некоторые песни неплохие, но в целом, очень специфичный альбом

Meh

(6 estrellas)

Was kinda boring at the start but it got better around the end

Not the easiest listening

I kind of hate that I'm giving this a perfect rating. I never understood the hype around the Beatles, and chalk it up to being too young to appreciate how revolutionary they were at the time. I imagine my experience with this album is how it was for people hearing them for the first time. I have to say, though, there is something wrong about John Lennon speaking to the "working class heroes" as if he can relate at all. Maybe earlier in his life that clicked, but by this point in his career, it's just performative.

i did enjoy this

The last time I reviewed a Lennon album, I said it had some incredible tracks and some less-than-memorable ones. Not so with Plastic Ono Band. Here, few tracks stand out as being the “hits” or the “peaks” of the album, because it is just consistently one great song after another. Every time I listen to this record, I walk away with a different favorite moment. This time it was the pulsing shuffles of “Remember” and “Well Well Well.” To me, this balance and depth is the marker of a great album. Also, this album always makes me think about how much Lennon — and his audiences — changed over the span of just a few years. It’s no longer headline news to make blasphemous comments about Jesus…The dream of the 60s has certainly ended…Is “Working Class Hero” the first time a Beatle swore on a record?

This is certainly the most raw feeling post-beatle album. John Lennon had so many troubles and processed them in many different ways. Lennon’s expression of sadness, anger, elation and love are best exemplified in his music (and terribly exemplified in just about all his other actions). I recommend this album be listened to alone. Processing it as an individual instead of in a group makes it feel that much more powerful. Side note; I love how I immediately am able to hear Ringo’s drums on each track. Ringo played on 3 out of 4 post-beatle debuts. That tells me it wasn’t Yoko who broke up the Beatles after all…it was Paul….

Perhaps it was the weight of expectation of a solo record from a former Beatle, but this fell a little flat for me. John Lennon needs the Beatles and vice versa, but when the band was effectively isolated into its constituent parts, this didn't quite measure up to Paul McCartney's or George Harrison's solo work, to my taste at least. The guy was still a genius though.

6/10

God is a concept by which we measure our pain I'll say it again God is a concept by which we measure our pain

I’ve heard this album more times than I can count, and it still holds up every time. As far as Beatles solo debuts go, this one probably sounds the least like what you’d expect from someone who had just come out of that band. It’s really stripped down and there’s nowhere for Lennon to hide. Klaus Voormann’s bass is great throughout and fits the whole feel of the album perfectly. “Mother” is still one of the most painful songs Lennon ever wrote, and you can really hear the primal therapy stuff coming through in it. “Working Class Hero” is almost ridiculously simple. It doesn’t need much behind it because the lyrics are doing all the work. “Isolation,” “Love,” and “Well Well Well” are all great too. “God” is probably the biggest statement on the whole album. He spends the song basically tearing down everything he used to believe in, including the Beatles, then ends up with Yoko as the one thing he still believes in. For such a raw and angry album, that’s a pretty fitting way to wrap it up. Favorite song: "Remember"

I surprised myself by actually liking some of these songs, e.g. "Well Well Well". This felt pretty ahead of its time.

Not as bad as I thought it would be

I thought I'd dislike it more, but mostly it's just boring.

In some ways I think John did a good job separating form the beatles, and in other ways just sounds like normal John

big beatles fan and john lennon fan generally. this doesn't blow my mind though like george/paul's solo efforts but it's better than Ringo's (no offense ringo we love ya).

Best solo album by a former beatle. Isolation is an outstanding track

This is my first Beatles/-adjacent album and honestly was dreading when it would start. I've tried Beatles before and man, it just wasn't for me. Can only say it's still not for me.

Lennon's albums could be a mess. This one wasn't. He touched on rock and brought in several other influences to make a fantastic album that is always fun to listen to. He wrote some very personal and introspective lyrics and Lennon's voice was amazing. There's a reason this is a classic record... it's full of classic songs.

Jedna dobra pjesma od 6 minuta ali preostale minute više nego dovoljne da to srozaju. Opet koliko ne volim Beatlese ovo mi je jedna od boljih stvari povezanih s njima.

Good, not as good as Imagine. I like the Beatles a lot, so I like anything they came out with individually. I hope some of George’s stuff makes it on here. I might have to run this through a few more times to really get it, but Imagine had way more of an effect on me. Hold On is the standout on this by far — it’s got that same vibe that all of imagine has. Couple other good tunes, and a pleasure to listen to.

Some good moments, particularly Working Class Hero. 3.5 stars rounded up because it’s John Fucking Lennon

There are a couple of good songs on here - Mother, Working Class Hero for example, and none of them are awful. But nothing else really stands out at all.

A few good songs, a few odd ones, feels quite raw - I wonder if how it would be received if John Lennon didnt have the rep he has?

Я чесно забув, що у Леннона був такий хороший альбом. Мені він пам'ятався десь на 3-3.5, але цьому я готовий легко поставити 4.5. Дуже класний заход на блюзову територію, і мені подобається цей звук гітари, яка ніби гудить.

Чи не єдиний сольний альбом Леннона, який мені дуже подобається. Як по текстам (I don't believe in beatles!), так і музично. Дуже персональний і відвертий. Класика.

Cookie

I like the grit in his vocals, but it's undermined by how pretentious he was without Paul to rein him in

In really liked the last song, rest of the album was just ok

It was very calm and had songs that were related to modern issues like isolation and working yourself to death for a government that doesn't care about you. Lenon's voice did really elevate the songs of this album. And I enjoyed learning about that point of his life with Ono, and the purpose of the 'band' that he had.

While I think that the music press of the 60s and 70s definitely oversold John Lennon’s messianic importance over the years, this first solo effort is truly exceptional. It’s not that these songs are more naked and emotional than anything John did with The Beatles, but rather that they feel so much more honest. For an artist who suffered almost chronically from a performative kind of imposter syndrome, his songwriting here is candid and bare. He’s not trying to be Bob Dylan, he’s not trying to upstage Paul, he’s not contemplating suicide whilst on acid—he just really, really misses his mom. He can still get a little insufferable (“Working Class Hero”), but there’s no denying that this is one of the strongest bodies of work the world’s most infamous songwriter ever released. Fav Tracks: Mother, Hold On, I Found Out, Isolation, Remember, Love, God Least Fav: Working Class Hero Score: 8.5

Those first solo albums after the Beatles were all pretty great, but this might be the best and definitely among Lennon's best work. Mother brings actual tears to my eyes every time.

Oh, Yoko, what did you do?! Many of these could have been songs on the 1970 Beatles album entitled "Apple". I am a fan of Lennon's solo work, but I don't know if I've listened to this album from top to bottom. "Mother" (26M listens) is a great tune to lead off with, you can feel his pain and message. Thankfully someone took the microphone away from Yoko and her actual contributions are nill. Surprisingly, "Hold On" (79M) is the most listened to song on the record. "I Found Out" is an interesting tune (give the Chili Peppers version a listen). "Working Class Hero" (55M) & God" (21M) are classics, and been covered many times. "Isolation" would have been a good Beatles song. "Remember", "Well Well Well" & "Love" were better left on the floor. This is packed with well written songs, but somehow it's not cohesive to me. No big hits, just familiar and solid songs. I can't do much better than 3 stars, though I enjoyed it. I think with the bands help, John would have refined a number of these songs into Beatles classics.

This is a curiosity piece album of hey look the guy that used to be in the Beatles put out a solo record. I normally like a raw grungy sounding album but this one just doesn't do anything for me.

Lennon shreds his past and shreds his vocal cords on what feels like intensely cathartic therapy art. Not one you go to for a fun listen, but soul baring and scary.

It’s unbelievable that only six years earlier, he was writing “Hard Day’s Night.” What a span of time. These tracks breathe and are small and offbeat in a way the Beatles couldn’t have let him, even though obviously late Beatles is experimental in its own right. Not every song is great, but they are all completely personal.

the beatles zijn het beste voorbeeld van het gezegde : 'het geheel is groter dan de som der delen'... dit is een stap terug naar de vroegere obladi-oblada beatles met een paar uitschieters

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? Yes Thoughts: - I actually only know a lot of these songs from covers, which I'm glad to fix now. - Working Class Hero is such a great song. I almost said Lennon was ahead of his time, but really I guess things are just depressingly the same 55 years later. Favorite track(s): Working Class Hero, God

It was alright, good songs for posting too

This was better than I was expecting (though I was expecting shit). Some interesting concept and experimental moments, but also some songs that were forgettable or uninteresting. 3/5

I hadn't really dug into the Lennon solo catalogue for some reason. So it's quite nice to have had both this and Imagine in the space of six months. Once again, his songwriting is really captivating and poetic. The man was a genius. Once again, it's not as catchy or accessible as most of the Beatles and solo Paul, with the odd bit of screaming for good measure. But it's a really enjoyable listen, a little harder edged than Imagine, to my ears, and that's not a bad thing. It doesn't quite have the obvious hits on it, but I think deep down, it's the better of the two.

Very nice

This is a spectacular album...I can't believe I've never listened to it before. "Remember" kicks ass, "Love" and "My Mummy's Dead" are heartbreaking...love this album.

Similar to Paul McCartney's album after the Beatles, this feels like songs aren't finished/polished. Some of it is overly pretentious for me, but has some interesting sounds. Low 3.

Having now listened to all of The Beatles’ 1970 solo efforts (with the exception of Ringo’s two LPs from that year - sorry Ringo) I have to admit none of them quite capture the magic of the full group. The intrinsic appeal of The Beatles are these oppositional writing forces pulling away from and towards each other, and to my ears on their first efforts John, George and Paul hadn’t yet found a substitute for that artistic tension. It’s not a competition, but Paul McCartney’s rough and ready debut is my favourite of their solo releases from that year, even if John and George’s have the bigger singles. Plastic Ono Band is a little bit dour for my tastes, though I was very struck by the powerful emotion conveyed by the highly confessional opener Mother, a single only a solo artist could release. This album is an important departure though and one which paved the way for a successful solo career.

John's debut can be challenging, confounding, and simply direct at different times. I imagine this will be a grower but it's going in w a low 4.

The first few songs weren’t great, sounded more like Beatles cast off. The last few songs were great.

This is okay, I think but not great. Working Class Hero remains a classic

working class hero = still don't enjoy. others were dece.

john lemon, good, plastic, ono, ye, good, good album, better, yay, yea, hell yeah

I always had some weird aversion against John and Beatles solo works. I've been able to unwind my bias and learn to really appreciate Wings and McCartney solo sounds, as well as George's albums. But for some reason I haven't quite released that sentiment for John. As highly accomplished and influential song writer he may be I haven't found a great desire to spin these ablums more than just once. They're very good and deserving of all the praise. But I'm still not there emotionally. This ranking is purely on facts.

edgiest beatle

Look, we we've all been emotionally neglected by our parents. If you want me to care about YOUR mommy and daddy issues, your songs can't be mid at best.

If someone I knew wrote this I'd want to give them a hug.

Actually better than I expected it to be when it popped up, made me feel more empathy and connection with John Lennon than I’m accustomed to experiencing. Some of this is so raw and personal that it’s difficult to listen to, I’m torn on whether it’s healthy and artistic for him to express his trauma through music or if it’s just self-indulgent navel-gazing to force the audience to listen to it. Musically less interesting than I anticipated, pretty middle of the road as far as a listening experience. “God” made me roll my eyes but also chuckle and feel wistful, I’m an easy target frankly. 3.5 stars and I’m a little surprised I wound up that high on it! Second act montage needle drop in my biopic: “Isolation”

I can tell this album has Historical Significance. I like that it starts with Mother and ends with My Mummy’s Dead. I wonder what that means? This apparently was his first album after the Beatles broke up. Will someone please fill me in on the lore? Misc other thoughts: Hold on - so soothing. Working class hero - John Lennon wrote this song? Well well well - why are you yelling at me? God - I was the Walrus, but now I’m John. This line made me emotional.

COOKIE Yeah that was a fun moment right there but for the most part this album dragged to me. Cool that lennon continues to experiment with styles in this but I didn't especially feel like there were any standouts for me here. Did he just forget how to do lyrics for some of these. Hovering between a 2 and a 1 for most of this album but the number of times that he takes a song that's just ok in the first place and then repeats some phrase into the ground is pure misery, I'm not planning on returning to this room. I did like how he made his voice a bit gritty in remember and the explosion at the end was actually really ahead of the curve if he was doing it as a meme reference. Still a one. Don't really think this needed to be on the list, he's just riding his beatles fame here. Anything that involves yoko ono is lezzing out to me I love you queen the music John made here was ok at best but I love all the editorial pictures he made during this time

cookie 👹

3.54

Favorite Track: Working Class Hero

Loads of people would have me believe this is brilliant but I’m not convinced, I’ll go as far as it’s ok

There were some high points, but then there were some wildly pretentious self absorbed low points.

I had low expectations for some reason but there were songs that I LOVED. Hold on, Working Class Hero, Isolation. And then of course I skipped the screaming bit in Well Well Well because that was just unpleasant.

absolute nothingburger. Checked the information and you're telling me this is regarded as his best solo work??? he should have stayed with the beatles till he died, at least that makes him tolerable holy shit

pass 2/5

Such a heartfelt and beautiful album.

Chill Lennon music with some lyrics to think on. Weird part with "COOKIE".

Lennon is an odd guy, the nihilist of the Beatles. His solo debut definitely doesn’t hit as well as George’s but he’s trying to capture some experimentalism of minimalism here.

At least Yoko wasn't in this.

Singer: “I gave my love a cherry that had no stone. I gave my love a chicken that had no bone. I gave my love a story that had no end. I gave my love a…” Bluto takes the guitar and smashes it. Bluto: “Sorry.” Animal House (1978)

Sweet

It feels weird listening in on someone else's personal therapy sessions (let alone reviewing and rating them), but I suppose it's no weirder than the patient, himself, putting those therapy sessions to song... and then selling them. It's been done before, I guess. But maybe not so much before 1970? Anyway, I digress... There's a lot being unpacked here, and how well this lands with each listener (i.e. captive member of John's group therapy session) likely depends on how closely aligned the shared traumas are. Though, I'm not sure how effective primal scream therapy is in a group setting... unless, of course, we're talking about the Two Minutes Hate, because that certainly seems to have evolved into quite an effective tool in today's modern digital age... But I've digressed again... I was able to appreciate some of the less personal, less screamy moments here, but (thankfully) most of this did not resonate with me. I've got my own issues to deal with, thank you very much... but hey, maybe I could write a few songs about them and make a fistful of dollars... as I've said, it has been done before...

I can’t really see a reason why this was on the list except for who was collaborating on this album. It was so boring though

Favorite songs: Mother, Hold On, Working Class Hero, Isolation, Love, Look at Me, God

Introspective to the point of solipsism, but the songs are amazing.

é sempre uma surpresa boa ouvir qualquer coisa relacionada com os beatles, grande álbum! irei ouvir muito mais, disso tenho certeza!

Isolation was my favourite. Loved the end of Remember, how fun!

unfortunately another slightly disappointing album for me sorry I spoke too soon and have come back to edit!! album actually finished quite strong/some of the bonus tracks on my edition but I think not the original were quite good. So, because of God and Give Peace A Chance (Ultimate Mixes) it's going up to a 3