Reviews (page 2 of 7)
Fucking amazing, loved, loved, loved it John's lyricism blows me away every time
great
COOKIE!
The visceral screams of Lennon pleading with his mother "don't go" in Plastic Ono Bands' opening track must have come as a hell of a shock. His writing on Abbey Road was mostly not as personal as it is on John's solo debut. His therapy process playing out in his music is an interesting story The follow-up, Imagine, is probably more accessible but this is such a raw and introspective album. I can almost trace a pathway towards grunge/emo from a song like Isolation. He closes (kind of) by saying he doesn't believe in a bunch of things that don't exist, such as god, and some other things that did exist but he doesn't like. I appreciate the atheist stance, must have been fairly controversial at the time (albeit it's the same man who said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus!). Mind you, I'm the kind of Lennon worshipper that would consider I Am The Walrus a pre-cursor to hip-hop, or Strawberry Fields Forever to synth-pop, or Tomorrow Never Knows to EDM. You get the idea. I like this guy
Always loved this album and awesome to discover it again. Passionate, Raw, powerful. 5/5
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Good album, high points - Working Class Hero and God
Raw and powerful - solo Lennon at his best
No hay manera de que yo no ponga 5 estrellas a este disco. John Lennon aquí tiene verdaderas obras de arte de principio a fin, es perfección.
I have listened the ultimate mix. So because of Cold Turkey which is not on the original release I gave a weak 5.
Sounds like a lost Beatles album, but without the jangly pop sound that Paul brought to the table. John went and made the music he wanted to make and it shows. Every song is excellent, no skips. 5 stars
This record has it all for me in terms of Beatles solo output. Cookie.
I was 15 when I bought this album and played it almost everyday. It helped me get through a difficult time in my life. I shared many of John's personal feelings and thoughts about life on this album. I will rate it much higher than most people for these reasons.
This is a beautiful record. I loved it. I’ve always been more of a Harrison and McCartney fan, so I had never done a full listen of this record, but this one really blew me away. Working class hero is brilliant, Love is beautiful, God is one of the best written songs of all time. A wonderful blend of dissonant anger with melodic beauty mixed throughout. Everyone should listen to this record. 6/5.
Too John lennony
🥞
An all time favourite, though I remain confused that Mind Games isn’t also on this list because that is the strongest cohesive album and my personal number one of Lennon’s solo work. Do I need to listen to this again to know I’ll give it 5 stars? No. Will I? Absolutely.
Say what you will about Yoko “breaking up the Beatles.” Lennon’s solo work compared to that of the others tells me they were all heading in different creative directions anyway. Has anyone ever used the term “intellectual punk?” Because it’s really striking on this how his punk-rock attitude is articulated through more emotions than just anger. Whatever term you use for it, he was clearly working out some deep personal issues here that would not have worked in a cheerful McCartney-melody.
Album 1048 of 1089 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) Rating : 5 / 5 What a great album. You can hear immediately that he wasn’t interested in being a Beatle anymore. This is stripped down, personal, and completely his own. No hiding behind production tricks or big arrangements - just raw honesty and songs that dig deep. There’s a vulnerability here that you don’t always get from artists coming out of massively successful bands. John lays it out plainly. The anger, the hurt, the reflection — it’s all there. Whether it’s the emotional weight of “Mother,” the directness of “Working Class Hero,” or the defiant tone in “God,” he sounds like a man determined to stand on his own two feet. It doesn’t need to be overanalyzed. It’s powerful because it’s real. The minimal production only adds to that. Nothing gets in the way of what he’s saying. Knowing that less than ten years after this release he’d be taken from us makes it hit even harder. This wasn’t just a former Beatle making a solo album - this was an artist redefining himself in real time. It’s a keeper. An awesome album that earns an extra point simply for being exactly what it needed to be.
Rather far from Beatle's music. Still strong first solo effort.
I'm not sure why, but I avoided listening to this one for decades. And when I finally did get around to it, I liked it, but it never felt like it would be a favorite. But I was wrong. It's incredible. It's the most punk of all The Beatles' solo albums. John's performances are raw and touching which seems like it shouldn't be possible but he proves me wrong. And the band is killer. I love how stripped-down it is, and I absolutely love Phil Spector's production, which isn't something I normally say. Every song doesn't quite hit the mark (I've never loved Love, for example), and I think God hits a bit different now that we're not in that Immediate-Post-Beatle-Breakup mourning period. But I can't see giving this anything other than five stars.
I love this album I LOVE John’s vocals
Best Song: Working Class Hero This is a bit of an escape from The Beatles and more on the mellow side. It is still great and shows the progression that Lennon had made from his departure. As Ferris Bueller said, "I don't believe in The Beatles, I just believe in me. He was the walrus." 5/5.
Ťažké texty, krásny album. Budem si ho musieť vypočuť častejšie.
This is an incredible document and my equal favourite Beatles solo. Band on the run being the other one. This could have easily become self indulgent twaddle but Lennon works through his grief annd issues in a compelling and inclusive way. Stick imagine where it hurts (the song). This is how the great musical genius of the Beatles works. Honesty. Rawness. Art. He brings a compositional suite that is pretty perfect. And that band. Others prefer later John. That’s fine by me. At his best he is the best. I think this is his best. 50 million stars.
John Lennon, in his pure essence, an Incredible album!
Day 22 A classic, feels very much like the therapy it was for John in parts. 9/10 Highlights Working Class Hero Well Welll Well God
Been a fav of mine since its release in 1970. Own multiple copies.
I really liked this album! Obviously I think a lot of John’s sound translated onto the Beatles… there’s not a lot of Ono screaming on here which I’m cool with. This sounded like a more personal/stripped down Beatles album which I totally was into. Would not mind listening again at all.
Beautiful Beautiful boy
We are 30 + albuns in and this is my very first beatle/ beatles related album. I'm going to be honest and John is not my favourite beatle, but as being the first album after the band, this is really not too bad, on the opposite it's amazing. I really dont know if most of the songs are in a compilation my dad had when I was a kid and most songs are familiar, but I really loved the piano driven instrumental and lots of jazz references. I didnt pay too much attention to the lyrics I confess, I know it would trigger me, but yep quite decent album and made my morning lovely 5/5
Absolute classic
banger banger banger
John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band is one of the most raw and honest albums I’ve ever heard. It’s undoubtedly a simple, minimalist record that makes you truly feel the emotions, traumas, and important moments Lennon was going through. There isn’t a single song to skip — it’s a solid 10/10.
Definitely the best Lennon solo album and probably the best solo Beatles album overall with some really all time amazing songs.
I mean, it's just one of the best ever, right? John Lennon at his rawest, angriest and most vulnerable best. Plus, there's only a couple of Yoko references. What's not to love?
Such a good album
Another All timer. 5*
john lennon was a sick sick man
Still fresh and raw after 55 years. True classic album!
9/10 straight off the bat, I loved the raw production of this album. There's an honesty and intimacy in the song writing that took me by surprise, like it's very stripped back to deliver something deeply personal. The bass and drums particularly shine throughout, giving the songs a grounded, emotional weight. Great album. Songs added to playlist: - Mother - I found out - well well well - God
I really liked this. So raw, so self reflective.
9/10.
John Lennon's best non-Beatles output. Beautiful and raw songs that are straight to the point. I love this record so much.
Raw musicianship, and nice lyrics.
First listen, wonderful, being taken somewhere new is what this is all about.
ppl who have talked to me ab the beatles or read my entry for Imagine many many many albums back may detect a hint of, uh, Wanting To Be Slightly More Contrarian About John Lennon Than I Actually Am Lol??? and tbh i think part of that instinct is falling into my own personal version of the taste politics that once championed him while thrashing paul mccartney, and the overall worth of that angle is Not Much. still, one of the clearest differences between the two is that paul is a real Musician's Musician, extremely into music for its own sake. john, certainly in his solo career, has obviously strong musical instincts but is more interested in curating them around a specific End that is different than some pure formal expression. obviously the results are mixed (given some of his Protest Efforts) but if the stars lined up exactly right for him just once, i guess it had to be here...a little record of emotionally irresolvable therapy, where the gut-level appeal of Rock N Roll is shaved down to its barest minimum and deployed as hypnosis. it is well and truly difficult not to feel Something, certainly with my psychological background...the efforts to cut through all the noise and all the baggage and achieve some kind of clarity that never comes. it was worth a shot ig. its no ram tho!!! pls tell me ram is on this list!!!!
Fantastic album. Much loved for many years and one of the few of these 1001 albums that we have owned since it was released!
- Maybe I'm getting a little liberal doling out 5's here but this is another great one ....... -
Great album you’re the best
Classic
Lovely
Very good, it slipped below my radar.
4.79
Now that I showed you what I been through Don't take nobody's word what you can do There ain't no Jesus gonna come from the sky Now that I found out I know I can cry Some of you sitting there with your cock in your hand Don't get you nowhere, don't make you a man I heard something about my Ma and my Pa They didn't want me so they made me a star I found out Theres so much emotion in this album it leaks and gets into your psyche and makes you think about what it means to be a human. 5/5
Top Shelf, surprised I never listened to this one before
Always a bit nervous when I come across Lennon solo work. It could have sublime songs, it could sound like he threw it together in a morning and didn't quite finish it. This is more towards the first and a pretty complete piece of work.
4.5
I can listen to this!
For an album that has some dark material it still can make me joyful. Our loss to what may have been.
Always a classic
The most raw of an album created by a Beatle! Not the best, All Things Must Pass or RAM, may have that title, but it is the most honest and heartbreaking album of a Beatle. Lennon's voice is at its peak, his songwriting is so amazing! Well Well Well, there is a case for it to be the first grunge song ever made. God, is amazing! And Mother is possibly the best song written by a Beatle outside the Beatles! The album is a masterpiece and is Lennon at his absolute best!
From the tolling of the distored church bell at the start to the frankly harrowing nursery rhyme at the end this is a full on, let everything out for his sanity half finshed primal scream therapy session. Lennon strikes out on his own and decries everything from his past life - including his little know band previous to going solo. Lennon's supposed "me against the world" schtick seems weakend though when he has to crowbar Yoko into everything. The man was a mass of contradictions and this album at least gives us a little (if bleak) peak into how the sausage was made. Sometimes though, you may not want to know that. Best Tracks: Mother; Working Class Hero; God
Another record I keep returning to that feels weighty and deeply pained.
lennon sos un gorreado de mierda pero q bien cantabas y componías hijo de puta
so many memories connected to this album its impossible for it to be anything less than a 5
I look at this album cover every day because I have it framed in my bedroom. It's such a peaceful scene. I find it very calming. It's also a great album! John Lennon's lyrics feature raw emotional confessions and cynical observations about the world. There are a lot of spare piano-driven songs that highlight his pained vocals ("Mother" and "Isolation") but also some fantastic, blistering hard rock ("I Found Out" and "Well Well Well"). I also really like the touch of soul on "Hold On" and the folk anthem "Working Class Hero." "God" is stunning track too. It's a stark takedown of our idols (including Paul and the Beatles) that builds and builds before ending with a sweet message ("I just believe in me.") "Well Well Well" is my favorite song here though. Just incredible. Those screams in the second half of the song?! Amazing. I wish John Lennon lived long enough to form a hardcore band.
Mother I Found Out Working Class Hero Love God
Lennon. Venga, vinilo por Working class hero.
To be at the center of the storm is to lose stock in some things, whilst gaining quite a few new perspectives in return. Not to mention having some unresolved issues at hand that essentially forms the majority of who you are. And then there's the thing where you change, wholly, from the person that the people who love you for who you were projecting as to the the person that you most certainly feel yourself to be. John Lennon in 1970 was ready to finally be himself. No longer the dream-weaver, the walrus, the Beatle, John was reborn and he had to undergo a lot of pain to do so. The result was perhaps the most unvarnished, tortured, soul-bearing music of his career and undoubtedly his most quintessential. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the dismantling of the mythos that had surrounded him the last six and a half years, a musical catharsis that is just as unflinching in its honesty as it is rewarding in repeated listens. One would have no problem offering this up as the best Beatles solo album (and John's best solo outing) in large part due to the lack of pretension and overbearing political/sociological posturing that would define his far more popular works. Its rawness, nearly fifty-five years on, is what makes it enduring. When listening to this, it often feels as though there is no turning back to who one was.
Very interesting album and one you need to be prepared to listen to. It's therapy set to music, and it's just not anyone, it's a Beatle, it's John Lennon doing this. Take away the provenance would the music and songs have the same impact? Probably not and therefore the people this album connects with are those that yearn to connect to Lennon.
A pretty powerful record dealing with some very human stuff like grief and disillusionment. Lennon was a masterful songwriter and musician and able to channel that emotional energy into a collection of memorable and relatable songs.
I have listened to this album countless times. I've listened to a lot of the outtakes, different mixes, jam sessions from this recording session, too. I'm a huge John Lennon fan and find this raw, introspective, and vulnerable version of him to be some of his best work.
Havent listened to this one in years. I love the stripped down production of it. Great timeless tunes.
I needed this one today. This takes me back to a warm winter day, soon after Christmas, playing Star Wars Rogue Squadron and listening to John Lennon. The shadows were long in the late afternoon, and school was still out for a few more days. I felt the Isolation for sure, but I felt the Love as well. I don't know if it was a simpler time at all. Strong in this one, the nostalgia is.
Love everything about this record! The sound of it the lyrics all the songs. Up there with the best. Xx
Classic, nuff said.
Expressão de modo autêntico e intenso em vulnerabilidades e fragilidades são o ponto de partida da a confirmação da capacidade criativa de músicas populares.
I hadn’t listened to much of John Lennon’s solo work. When I see the word Ono, I think of Yoko. My first thought about Yoko is her screaming “art.” Not something I wanted to engage in. I’m glad the 1001 encouraged me to listen. What a beautiful way to convey his deep pain and disagreements with society. Working Class Hero is especially noteworthy.
I won’t even beat around the bush here - I’m a huge John Lennon fan. So when this album popped up I already knew what I thought of it, having listened to it more times than I can count. After all the bells and whistles that came with producing Beatles records, John certainly took his own path as the band were on their way to breaking up. His experimental albums with Yoko (Unfinished Music Vol. 1 & 2, Wedding Album) were by no means chart topping hits, but it certainly showed that John wasn’t too concerned about what the public thought of his work at the time. That was true even when he released ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’. Make no mistake, this isn’t a very radio friendly LP. And upon its release (at least from what I have read), it wasn’t all that well received from critics; and its reputation only grew over the years and decades that followed. Part of it you could attribute to critics licking their lips in excitement to dissect any solo Beatles effort. While another part you could definitely attribute it to is the fact that 'Plastic Ono Band' was just so vastly different from anything he did with The Beatles. I always refer to this as Lennon’s “therapy” album. In the latter half of The Beatles time, John’s lyrics were getting a LOT more introspective in general. But with ‘Plastic Ono Band’ it feels like he completely opens the curtain to invite the listener in. This is him at his most angry. At his most sad. And in his most vulnerable state. This LP is essentially the chronicles of a man who found himself at a mental low point presenting us with his journey of self realization through some hard self reflection; and letting us hear how he views society at large. While from a music and production standpoint things are kept quite simple as a means to let the lyrics shine, I do also feel the simplicity somehow adds to the overall mood. Particularly the distorted, grungy guitar littered throughout the tracklist. But it's not without moments of clean acoustic songs and piano ballads. When you do listen to this LP - I recommend the version that has the three bonus tracks: Give Peace a Chance, Cold Turkey, and Instant Karma! (We All Shine On). These were singles that did not appear on any of his studio albums and they are well worth your time.
Great solo album, with a great raw sound to it. It’s the opposite of overproduced and the emotionality of it is just *chef’s kiss* 4.6 stars
Best solo John Lennon album in my book. I’d even say better than some (emphasis on some) Beatles albums.
I mean cmon so good and a 50% Beatles album though all Beatles solo albums just lack the magic of all four of them together. Still a solid 5!
Some of his greatest solo stuff, especially after just leaving that huge Beatles wave.
Beautiful album that reminds me of a lovely time in my life.
I don’t take any offense in the religious disowning on the sublime “God”. But no five words on any post-Beatles record hurt more than: “I don’t believe in Beatles”.
Wow. Excellent. Can def tell Kurt Cobain listened this. Prob one of best Beatles departure albums. Fantastic 👍
You know, Lennon was a real asshole. Maybe the opening track Mother explains why. It is a great song, and shows he was a real brilliant songwriter (vocals, arrangements). I don't think the whole album is as good, but I did enjoy it a fair bit. Well, Well, Well was another where he alternated between more tempered almost baritone vocals and near-screaming. Both of which he does well. I Found Out, Working Class Hero, and God all have some wicked lyrics, but the former two are more beautiful in their simple delivery - Working Class Hero feels like a Dylan or a Cash classic. Isolation is another simple delivery and it's beautiful too. Ditto Look at Me. Hold On and Love are both solid and more positive in tone but they're not my favorites. I hate every time he refers to Yoko because to me it shows his excessive infatuation with fleeting things. For a smart guy, he sure was impetuous. Still, put the man aside and this is a darn good album. It felt like a 4 but as I noticed how many songs I took the time to point out, I crept up. It's not a 5 and probably about a 4.5, but I'll round up for one of the greatest musicians and songwriters we've ever seen/heard, even if he was an ass.
Everything on this album fits together really well. I wasn't expecting it would be this good, which seems silly considering it is John Lennon. Five stars or A.
Short, but still loose; clearly linked to his band before, but still its own thing; intensely personal, but from one of the most famous musicians ever; hugely varied but fits together beautifully. So, an album of contradictions! But I love John, and Working Class Hero is one of the great anthems, and even his "poorer" songs are better than most other artists could hope to achieve!
Lennon is probably the reason I'm here today. I probably wouldn't even enjoy music if in the past I hadn't come into contact with his voice and his unique way of writing songs about his feelings in a way that no one else can. Since the Beatles, he has already explored the personal side he imprinted on his songs, but especially in his solo career, like on this album, it is very clear how personal these songs are, which gives the feeling of being extremely real and establishing a direct connection between Lennon and the listener. So it's not uncommon to hear stories from people who claim that "Lennon spoke to me." Lennon put heart and soul into his songs like no one else... Besides, of course, a certain Paul, but that's a story for another day.
COOKIE
One of my favourite solo Beatles album. Best album with a Cookie Monster reference.
Better than Imagine.
I love this album but a lot of the songs kind of make me want to cry so idk if I’m gonna listen to it again in public
This album was very surprising to me… I haven’t listened to much of Lennon solo stuff and as an album, I wasn’t expecting what I heard. To my ear is, these songs are very simple musically, the most interesting part about them are the vocal gymnastics, Lennon uses/experiments with and the personal nature of the songs. There’s several songs that I was particularly intrigued by such as Well Well Well, Isolation and Cold Turkey …. On Well Well Well, he uses vocal styling bouncing back and forth b/w standard singing voice and pseudo screaming (Cold Turkey as well -pun!) …. isolation he plays with the pronunciation of the lyrics …. Cold Turkey and Mother, mummy’s Dead and Hold On seem like he’s simply singing lyrics he needs …. Very personal …. Anyway, liked it a LOT, wasn’t expecting that ….
John’s best solo
"John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" is the debut solo album by English musician John Lennon. The album was backed by the Plastic Ono Band including Klaus Vossman ( bass), Billy Preston (piano) and Ringo Starr (drums) and was released by Apple Records in tandem with the similarly titled album by his wife Yoko Ono. It was co-produced by Lennon/Ono and Phil Spector and captures an emotionally raw Lennon after his recent primal scream therapy. The lyrics address his personal issues including child abandonment and physiological suffering. The album reached #8 in the UK and #6 in the US. It actually had mixed reviews upon its release but now is widely recognized as his best solo album and in the top three albums of post-Beatle member albums. Church bells and rain sounding open "Mother." The piano, bass and drums come in as Lennon emotional sings about his parents abandoning him as a child. A gut-wrenching vocal delivery as he screams lyrics such as "Momma don't go, Daddy come home." "Working Class Hero" is another stark ballad. With just an acoustic guitar, Lennon comments on the social differences between the middle and upper classes. The second side opens with "Remember." It is more fast-paced and Beatle-esque and about things he remembered in his primal scream therapy; it takes you on a musical ride. Some more great Lennon vocals. The band gets larger with dual pianos in "God." It has three parts with the first part God a concept on how we measure pain. John has a list of concepts/items he denounces in second part including God, Elvis Presley and the Beatles. He wraps it up with his changes since the Beatles broke up. The album ends with "My Mummy's Dead," a short, tender song about John still dealing with his Mother's death. This is an album with very direct lyrics and emotional vocals. It is mostly serious and sometimes somber. Musically, the songs vary a bit with stark ballads, Beatle-esque pop and more rockers. It is a very good album and, I agree with the critics, ranking up with "Band on the Run" and "All Things Must Pass." Actually, maybe passing them, but I'd need to give a deeper listen to the other two.
This small humble record is one of the best albums of all times. In this specific instance, I want to praise ringo's drumming on this one. A masterclass of playing exactly what you need. Nothing less Nothing more.
Many great songs showing the range of Lennon.
I love this album. I’d have it as the second best album from an ex-Beatle (All Things Must Pass is comfortably #1 and is as good as any Beatle album IMO) and a tremendously influential work of art. John created a chillingly raw and emotional work that plays like window into his very being. There are no frills here. The playing is simple, as are the arrangements for the most part. It’s angry at times, sad oftentimes, and pure throughout. Highlights are I Found Out, Working Class Hero, Love, and especially Isolation.
Absolute brilliant album. Lennon laid bare, emotionally charged lyrics that resonate. Inspired by the woman who really got him. Brilliant stuff 👏
God has changed my life. The song, not the dude.
Such a great way to tell the world you're the best Beatles.
Probably the album that made the greatest first impression on me in my entire life. I listened to it 5 times in a row. I was amazed by the power of the songs in relation to their simplicity and such a true and raw interpretation. With their poignant and honest words, those John Lennon songs really go straight to the heart and soul.
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Unsurprisingly I’m very familiar with this album, and it is my favourite of his solo albums. As a snapshot of his state of mind in 1970 it is an incredibly honest and direct document. This is fully John Lennon, the person and the musician, in the 2nd half of 1970. He may have been different before or after but in keeping with his idea that the only true art is about the artist this is a real artistic statement. It has some of his best solo songs and is his best collection of songs on one album. Mother, Hold On, I Found Out, Isolation, Well Well Well, Look at Me and of course God, which I absolutely love. Ringo’s drumming on that song in particular is just incredible - all those different fills between all the I Don’t Believes. I listened to the Ultimate Mix and it sounds great. POB always sounded better than Imagine but now it really sounds great. It’s not always an easy listen, but it’s always a great listen. Just using 3 different song archetypes, piano led ‘ballads’, riff based rockers and acoustic folk style songs, he creates a mood, feeing and an emotional response. Pretty incredible really. If McCartney is a 5 this undoubtedly a 5 too. These first two solo albums are both incredibly revealing of each’s character and response to the world around them, and they make superb complementary listening. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
clássic plastic
classic John Lennon. Good stuff!
This album is super raw and released just post Beatles so there's definitely some anger in here which is pretty damn apparent. Mother, Working Class Hero, Isolation, Remember (love the abrupt ending), Love, God, and I'll even throw Well Well Well (5/5 for aggressiveness, also used perfectly in The Departed) are all incredible songs. The finger picking in Look At Me is very reminiscent of Dear Prudence. Like the other solo Beatle albums we've gotten, this one has so many jams on it. I've been going back and forth between a 4 or 5 and going to bump it up. It might be my favorite of the solo Beatle albums (between this and Ram) and I really do appreciate his raw and manic sounding songs.
Good one. Took me back.
What a great record. Raw energy and emotions paired with sparse instrumentation . Completely different from the Beatles but a classic with some of John’s best songs.
This album just feels like a Sunday morning. I miss records with this much clarity on the instruments. This is a start to finish album. Fantastic to the end.
January 23, 2024 HL: “Mother", "Hold On”, "Working Class Hero", “Isolation”, "Love", “God” Not first listen I do remember how the minimalist musical direction didn’t wow me the first time, despite standouts like W.C.H. and “Love”. As a Beatles fan (I should start every sentence with that), Plastic Ono Band is still an oddly challenging listen, not least because of the first and last tracks. Like John Lennon (and Paul McCartney), I lost my own mother when I was a teenager, so the emotion laid bare here is particularly intense. Considering how much time I’ve had for this Lennon album to grow on me, I think it’s safe to say it’s another 5-star. Just not addictive in the way the other Beatles solo projects are on this list Today gave me an excuse to listen to an album I’ve been putting off, Plastic Ono Band (Yoko’s Version). That was a bad move; but if you decide to check it out, do it for Ringo Starr. And Ornette Coleman
Great
Stone-cold masterpiece. Of all the solo albums recorded by ex-Beatles after their dissolution, this is certainly the most important and moving one. "Mother", "Love", "Working Class Hero", "Isolation", and "God" are absolute gems--recorded in an understated fashion that make them timeless--and the rest is excellent as well, from start to finish. Primal therapy didn't help John Lennon solve the childhood-trauma-related issues he had. But it helped him record another stellar debut album, at least. Somehow, I have an inkling he knew this new hippie fad of his would mostly help him on an artistic level... If you add singles "Give Peace A Chance", "Cold Turkey" and "Instant Karma" to the songs I've just singled out (found in the latest CD editions), plus "Imagine", "Jealous Guy" and "Give Me Some Truth" from the next album *Imagine* (and maybe also "Mind Games"), you basically have a greatest hits compilation by Lennon. And the mere fact that more than *half* of those songs come from the era of this debut album testifies how important the latter is for the history of rock music. 5 stars. Number of albums left to review: 319 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 304 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 167 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 220
Albums like this are why i signed up for this project in the first place. i don’t know where the idea came from but somehow in my mind pop-culture had told me that John Lennon had become kind of a little bitch when he struck out on his own. But boy oh boy the hour I spent on this one really sent the record straight. He’s the man!
Le pendant grave et blessé du John souvent bouffon et léger qu’on a pu connaître ailleurs. Un album qui fait regretter ceux qui auraient pu être créés par l’artiste mature qu’il serait devenu
I bet it was weird for Julian Lennon to listen to the song Mother from this album, If he ever did.
Epic!
“We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy” 🙇 🙌🏼
A near perfect album. The only flaw IMO is the unnecessary and drawn out well well well.
Fa-an vilka klassiker på det här albumet. Känns som en terapisession där Lennon gör upp med sin barndom, Beatles, hela sitt liv, på ett så rått och hjärtskärande sätt. Liksom, att avsluta albumet med en lo fi-inspelning av något som låter som en godnattvisa betitlad 'My Mummy's Dead' säger nog det mesta. Och att inleda med hur barnet i Lennon primalskriker efter sina föräldrar i 'Mother'. Samtidigt som mer standardrockiga låtar som 'Hold On' och 'Well Well Well' får plats, utan att vara malplacerade. Bästa låt: God.
so cool! oh my god I love John Lennon! 10/10
Mellow and lovely. Not as much as I love other John Lennon albums but still wonderful. A little too folksy for me at times
Yeah, liked it. YTM's Auto Play is broken so it repeated
один из моих любимых альбомов вообще
Okay, so this is the one! This felt raw and real and emotional and grabbed my attention, which I didn't quite get from Imagine. Imagine that! Honest and vulnerable don't always make for easy listening, but sometimes it's a powerful experience.
This one worked for me!
Powerful and emotional. I had big feelings.
This is a great album. The way he communicates raw emotion through the music, and through his voice - these songs really demonstrate that he's one of the best ever to do it. I would not put all of these songs in the top tier, but there are enough knock-outs to fully make up for it - "Mother" "I Found Out" "Working Class Hero" "Isolation" "Well Well Well" and "God" are my favorites. One of the things that stuck with me on this listen was the way he is playing guitar in "I Found Out" - it's rather violent, dirty staccato playing that adds a lot to the song rhythmically and emotionally. I found it inspiring.
Arguably Lennon’s finest work since leaving the Beatles. A shame that we were deprived of more
A very personal album. Love all the emotion in the vocals on every track. Even on my least favourite songs on the album have amazing vocals which make up for it. Probably John’s best solo work. Definitely my favourite of his solo albums, just slightly better than Imagine. Deserves its place on this list. 9/10 Top 5: 1. God 2. Mother 3. Isolation 4. Love 5. Working Class Hero
Несмотря на то, что я не могу сказать, что я как-то особенно музыкально наслаждаюсь альбомом, эти песни имеют какой-то странный терапевтический эффект. Особенно в грустный, лиричный период. Искренние, социальные, о наболевшем
John Lennon Such an original distinct voice as a songwriter So much primal screaming - so personal feeling. Tough one to rate. It’s a pretty imperfect record but maybe that’s a good thing or possibly the best part about it . Idk 4.5?
A great album. Instead of continuing to try and chase the highs of The Beatles, this album is highly personal, with one of the main themes being letting that phase of his life go. The last line of the last song (outside of the glorified outro) is ‘the dream is over’. Other parts of the album discuss other parts of his life. All in all, a highly personal album and a great listen.
Classic
Lennon. Venga, vinilo por Working class hero.
Brutally honest and sparse. It sounds personal and pained. An excellent emotional album that is compelling start to finish.
lots of pain and some anger, some hope and encouragement too. love as well. a very human album. i’ve only listened to it once so i won’t say more
This album is so raw and personal it’s no surprise that it got next to no airplay. It has four tunes I'd put in the fabulous category: Mother, Love, Working Class Hero and God. The first three have all been covered but God probably can never be covered due the part of the song after the list. The rest of the songs are largely unknown but also quite good.
i don't believe in beatles but i believe in me
Yeah this is boss, no denying it
Great album (do I know the last song?)
The title track alone would give this album four stars. Long live the spirit of Lennon.
LP
PLASTICO
Not sure if I'm relieved or disappointed in the lack of wailing. I've always sensed a bit of creepy energy from old John but the man can write a fucken song or two
This was the first time I’ve heard the album in full. For some reason I’d always dismissed it. It sounds like John was exorcising all of his demons at once. Burnt out by Beatlemania possibly, realising that the world was fucked up maybe. There’s a real anger in the songs, but there’s also hope. Loved it, will be adding this to my collection.
wonderful
very good
John is mijn held. Toegegeven, ik ben misschien een zo obsessieve Beatles en John Lennon fan, dat deze muziek mythische proporties heeft aangenomen in mijn hoofd. De gekte en het buiten de lijntjes kleuren is wat mij nog altijd zo enorm aanspreekt in John Lennon zijn vroege solo-werk. Later in zijn carriere ging hij (net als McCartney) helaas ook tranentrekkende muzak maken. Maar dit album staat bol van de spanning en creativiteit. Geweldig.
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Mother, I found out, Well well well, Look at me
Lennon's greatest work outside of The Fabs, and possibly the best album any of them did after the breakup. Part of me wants to downgrade it because it pales in comparison to anything he did as a Beatle, but that's the case with damn near every album. Another part of me wants to give it a 5, because as a whole it sounds like a 5, and the goddamn album is still a 5 over 50 years later.
I know & love this album.... been one of my favs for years. It's a bit depressing at times, but beautifully so. This album takes me back to early mornings working in California, at like 5 am when no one else is around. I especially how John is pushing is vocals throughout, and comes out with something very musical.
J'ai vraiment aimé super original et les toune sont magistrales 5
No podia estar més allunyat del que havia fet feia només uns mesos amb els seus companys de banda. Disc catàrtic com pocs, exorcisme de tots els seus fantasmes, altaveu d'uns sentiments enquistats durant anys. Però a la vegada disfrutable, amb cançons de pop perfeccionat i produït per un dels seus mestres. Primer disc en solitari, i primera obra mestra
Suena bien... no estoy segura si me encanta pero si esta cool. No si me gusto, creo que le estoy agarrando un gustillo a los beatles por este programa la verda haha
"John, I told you, you can't keep on publishing recordings of your therapy sessions!"
Jesse informed me that John doesnt believe in Zimmerman NOT cinnamon.
This is a really strong debut for Lennon. It's so starkly different from the material he produced with the Beatles. It was produced at a time that he was going through therapy and a lot of it is a reflection back on the trauma of his childhood. That comes out most clearly with the songs, "Mother" and "My Mummy's Dead" but they aren't the only moments. There are also moments that are clearly about the current state of Lennon's life as well. Musically, its also quite a shift from some of the larger arrangements of the later Beatles records. It's reduced to drums, bass, and either guitar or piano. Those performances are also quite minimal, most notably with Ringo Starr's drumming, but also with Lennon's guitar playing. In addition to these trio based songs, there are also a couple solo songs. Oddly, the bass is a little more active. Those are decisions that really work well for the songs and place Lennon's voice at the center of the songs. Tonally, there are some notable shifts oscillating between loving and vulnerable and songs that reflect back on trauma that are often tied back his working class background. The moments where there is a little more production standout, such as "Isolation" "Love" and "God" (incidentally the last two songs feature Phil Spector and Billy Preston on keyboards respectively). These aren't particularly highly produced, but the addition of simple elements such as multi-tracked vocals standout with the rest of the production. It's also interesting the way that many of the piano based tracks reveal a debt to r&b and that is evident in all of these tracks. This is placed in opposition to the kind of angular and trudging song of many of the guitar based songs, such as "Well, Well, Well" The deliberately amateurish quality of the last track almost points to future work by artists such as Daniel Johnston. Overall, its a really great album. As a last note, this was co-produced by Phil Spector and I can't think of a record that doesn't represent the typical Spector sound. I really wonder what he thought of this. A number of the critics of this album critique its production. Descriptively, I don't think that they are wrong. There are moments that this almost sounds like a demo. I just think that it serves the material well.
diezgan cool
Review - classic album, lots of his best songs on here. Very shortly after the Beatles broke up. Found myself thinking "interesting that he got a drummer who played very simple, rambling lines just like Ringo" then looked it up and the drummer was Ringo. Score - 7.5/10 Need to listen? YES
Some peeps aren’t down with primal scream therapy, but I think it’s pretty legit. 4/5
It's imperfect and a bit self-indulgent, but musically it is still a quintessential Lennon sound.
A real pleasant listen, music is fantastic lyricaly very emotional
What a crash and burn album this one is, from beginning to end. It opens off with Mother, which sounds like a tape straight from the therapist office. And rightly so — the entire album plays like one long primal therapy session, with John laying out every fragment of himself on the studio floor. It starts off introspective, sure, but gradually unravels into a disjointed, near-schizophrenic monologue, full of noise, wails, disillusionment, and feedback-laced rejection of nearly everything he once believed in. It all boils down to how much you can stand the concept of someone going all in the emotional aspect while doing the bare minimum in the studio. I personally love that idea and the themes it touches on, so when Lennon’s emotions line up with mine, listening to this hits like a truck.
Man, I have not gotten very many Beatles solo albums for this project. I got John's other solo album, Imagine, super early on in the project, followed by George's masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, in June 2024. Two years later, I've finally gotten another Beatles solo album, and boy is it an interesting one. All Things Must Pass has been my favorite Beatles solo album for a while now, but I still haven't heard very many Beatles solo albums, so maybe there's one out there that I like more. Is John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band that album? Not personally, no, but I'd understand if someone called this the best Beatles solo album. There is certainly something special about this one. John's first solo album after the Beatles breaking up was always going to be a bit emotional, but this album is practically a musical therapy session for John. There's songs on here about things like John's struggles with fame in his later years as well as his childhood trauma from things like the death of his mother. Speaking of mother, the opener "Mother" is easily my favorite song on the album. It is, in my opinion, the perfect representation of this album's best qualities. John's writing on the song is great, his vocals are pained, and the production is kind of haunting. The production on this whole album is fairly sparse, which is shocking coming from Phil Spector. The instrumentation on the album is great, with Ringo coming back on drums and Klaus Voormann doing a good job on bass. Going back to the songs, I liked "Working Class Hero" and "God" quite a bit, but there were some songs that I thought were a bit out of place on the album. To be honest, I'm not huge on "Well Well Well." It's not bad, but it's a bit too drastic of a tone shift from the rest of the album. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is a fascinating album. In some ways, it really set in stone the end of the Beatles. Maybe this album actually does suck after all. Nah, I'm kidding. It's not my favorite Beatles solo album, but I can absolutely see why this album has its fans. Between its raw emotions and sparse music, Plastic Ono Band serves as a vulnerable artistic statement that I have a ton of respect for, even if the album itself could be a bit better. Great stuff. High 4/5.
I enjoyed this - it's self indulgent and makes you realise what made the Beatles albums great was a bit of variety and quality control in with the brilliance. The best tracks on here would obviously be Beatles songs, down to the personnel and the production. I also absolutely love Cookie Monster.
Muy bonito y con muy buen sonido. Sus discos siempre me parecen tristes, aunque no lo sean. Supongo que su trágica muerte no ayuda. Me he guardado: "I Found Out", "Working Class Hero", "Love" y "Well Well Well".
Love “Mother”, “Working Class Hero” and “Isolation” although not the greatest Post Beatles album.
This album had just came up somehow and I was wondering if it was part of the project, and like clockwork I got it the next day. I was expecting to like this less than I did, I hadn’t ever given Lennon much time post-Beatles. Really nice listen, 3.5/5
there is really something special about the tone of a john lennon song...and it's so concentrated on an album like this where he's finally getting a chance to do the whole thing himself. i feel like this is a little less fully formed than "imagine" to me, where he's figuring out his sound without the beatles, and not quite fully John Lennon the Solo Album Maker yet...but it's really really good.
C'est bien 👍 Un bon album à écouter
The slightly better cousin of Imagine. It almost makes you appreciate Yoko Ono. ...Almost. (But the friction she created in the Beatles is pretty unforgivable.) Having her name in the album title creates a hilarious element of suspense where you're waiting, praying, hoping like heck that she doesn't get a vocal part. Her contributions to records like Sometime In New York City and Double Fantasy really bring down the experience, so it's very fortunate that everything is Lennon with his ridiculously effective, instantly recognisable soul/rock grit. Very stripped back overall, akin to McCartney's self-titled debut record released the same year. Lennon puts a weird vocal effect on some of the songs here, which really is one of the only things bringing the music down. The utter desperation in the delivery of Mother... "Mama don't goooooOoOOOOO! Daddy come home!" really gets you in the mood. Then we get Hold On, presumably sung from the perspective of Lennon's mother. Starting to sound like a concept album. And a heart-wrenching one at that. Working Class Hero is one of the quintessential Lennon tracks: "They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool / 'Til you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules". Another f-bomb later, too. Admirable for 1970. The critics probably whined about that. Isolation... just a rock-solid piano ballad. Plenty to get excited about here. Love, Remember, Mother, God... Probably the weakest track here is Well Well Well (on account of its musical and lyrical repetitiveness for nearly 6 minutes), but honestly, it's still kind of a bop. "I was the walrus / But now I'm John / And so, dear friends / You'll just have to carry on / The dream is over" 4/5 Key tracks: Hold On, Isolation, God, Working Class Hero
This has aged far better than Imagine
I thought I'd never listened to this before, but once it was on I remembered hearing it played at a friend's house when I was younger. I love The Beatles, like they are in my top of all time, but I never felt compelled to listen to John's solo work beyond the several songs I already knew (or thought were all I knew). I liked this a lot more than I was expecting. I love how it opens with the mournful church bells and then the sudden desparate cry of "Mother!" And then how it closes with the song stating his mother is dead and he can't get it through his head. And if you start the album over right away, it almost feels like the toll of those bells is the end rather than the beginning. In this way, the album contains an infinite loop of grief and the complexities it contains. I like pretty much all of these songs and would definitely listen to it again.
Ben niet zo’n Beatles Guy maar vind dit toch verassend lekker klinken.
Heb waarschijnlijk weinig toe te voegen aan de goede aan pretentieuze analyses. Maar, enorm ruimtelijk en helder. Hij kon vast niet ontevreden zijn als eerste solo album. Wist overigens niet dat hij niet in kaneel gelooft.
Some great sounding Lennon classics on hrre
I don't like the beatles particularly and john lennon has always been a disgraced figure for me for many reasons. But damn, I really liked this record.
Two solo Beatle debuts in succession, both landing at four, both clearly great for completely different reasons. Where George Harrison’s record was warm, layered, and generous, Plastic Ono Band is the opposite — stripped to the bone, almost uncomfortably direct, Lennon fresh from primal scream therapy with nothing left to hide behind and apparently no interest in hiding anyway. The production matches the intent perfectly. Phil Spector here with the opposite instinct from the Harrison record — everything removed rather than added, Ringo playing with a simplicity and restraint that feels almost ceremonial, Klaus Voormann’s bass spare and purposeful. The nakedness of the sound mirrors the nakedness of the songs, and nothing gets between Lennon and whatever he’s trying to say. “Working Class Hero” is the standout — acoustic, direct, and drawing from the same well as the folk protest tradition that runs through so much music that matters most in this listening world. There’s something immediately familiar about it in the best possible sense, like the song always existed and Lennon just found it. “Mother” opens with church bells and then Lennon’s completely unguarded voice, which is either the bravest or most self-indulgent thing depending on your mood. “God” closes by dismantling every mythology Lennon had ever been part of, including his own.
Better than I thought seeing the word "Ono" is in the title.
Raw and unrelenting, this is Lennon at his most emotionally bare. Some great ones on here like "Mother," "Isolation," "Well Well Well," and "God." And it includes one of his most beautiful and affecting songs, "Love." He definitely had a lot to get off his chest with the breakup of the Beatles, etc., and this is right up there with the best of the Beatles solo albums.
1970. The Beatles are finito. Paul's off making pretty melodies in his bedroom, George is probably meditating, Ringo's fucking around in Nashville. Meanwhile, John is imploding, just going through it emotionally and this is the result. Seems like something he had to get out of his system, and it yielded some of the best lyrics he ever wrote. God is the ultimate burnout and disillusionment track, after spending his entire 20s in what must have been like a dream. Great record and one of the better solo Beatles efforts
I found out is a highlight so far and I’m familiar with Working Class Hero from Gov’t Mule/Warren Haynes. Enjoyable album from Lennon and I’d likely go back to some of Lennon’s other solo work!
This was a unique version of John Lennon I haven’t heard before.
A couple of classic Lennon songs on here.
#121/1001 🇬🇧 My first listen to this record, and its been on repeat today. Lennon's debut after the demise of the Beatles. It has a very personal and cathartic feel and Lennon proclaims that he doesn't "believe in the Beatles". Best Tracks: Working Class Hero, God,
As much as I love The Beatles I don’t tend to delve into their solo stuff very often, outside of George Harrison. As was the case when I generated Imagine, I’d never listened to this in full until today. It’s a really good album, there’s no songs that I didn’t enjoy. In saying that there weren’t any tracks I absolutely loved and overall that’s what’s stopping me from giving a full five stars. Top Track - Love
Great
Beautiful album.
Wow, so raw. Definitely glad I listened, though I could do without the screaming. And the last track. I thought the walrus was Paul?
John Lennon good.
A couple weird tracks, but overall really solid. Crazy to bury Instant Karma as the last track.
Interessant hoe gedateerd dit ergens is? Als in, de culturele referenties zijn heeeeel erg eind jaren 60/begin jaren 70 (hare krishna??)! Dat maakt het niet minder goed natuurlijk, maar toch grappig hoe dat werkt! Ja wel album dat ik vaker zou luisteren!
Inte lika bra som Beatles men visst har det något!
This isn’t the kind of music you put on to sing along to. This is a heartfelt attempt to make something real after experiencing the trauma of sudden and profound fame, which Lennon thus hari-karied, damaging his longest and closest friendships in the process, while soaked in LSD on a constant basis, in such a state he’d live with Yoko Ono on purpose, mired in the psychological fallout of being abandoned by his parents, one of who he’s come to accept has died. Also, there’s a great reference to Cookie Monster.
Full of beauty and songs that have sticking power, a safe place to let your melancholy and bitterness flow
poor paul
This is my second listen, at first I was dreading this one. I just didn't want to hear Yoko screaming, don't think that happened once! Rated it high so excited to give this one another go. Mother is a great opening track, great songwriting. The whole first side is killer, very emotional, raw, political, a bit stripped down but each instrument sounds great. John's voice is amazing and the songwriting is superb. Second side not as strong as the first but overall a solid effort, worth a spin.
Agree with spooner, his best solo album. Tough listen at times. The heartbreak of being rejected young in life. I don’t think there is a catharsis which will address that. How to deal with it is one of life’s key challenges.
My dude still had things to work out. I’m a bit mixed on Lennon’s immediate post-Beatles records - good for a few songs, a lot of album filler/boilerplate rock n roll, usually working out his feelings about Yoko, Paul, Beatles, parents, John Lennon, etc. But there are these production nuggets throughout that don’t sound like anything he’d done before, either in the Beatles or the solo/collaboration “experimental” works. “I Found Out” is a mostly unremarkable addition to his songbook but damn, that guitar! What the fuck is that? Plastic Ono Band is a mixed bag of raw emotions and near tabloid-level Lennon confessional. The standouts are three half-tempo classics in classic pianoman ballad form and a solo acoustic cut. There’s an unsuccessful revisit to “Julia” and a just this side of cloying L-O-V-E love song. It’s not immediately as jarring a listen as “Instant Karma!” but the slapback and close-mic’d kit, muted bass tones, proto-distorted acoustic (?) guitar, very up-front mixed trad piano, all provide a holding cell for what was to a lot of listeners the most memorable aspect of Plastic Ono Band: the Lennon screams. Knowing too much about the artist places these in a context outside the music, which maybe robs them of their value as an instrument (or this is a failing of my own neuroses and I am coping with hearing a man audibly struggle). Basically if it were any other singer-songwriter screaming about their parents or former bandmate - like, imagine this was Phoebe Bridgers or MJ Lenderman - I’d laugh dismissively. But it’s *JOHN LENNON* and depending on when you start the clock, his first effort after the Beatles so much so the concluding song is a kiss-off to let the fans know it’s time to get on with life. POB might’ve been more of a statement had he done the same, returning many years later after coming up with something new, but instead it functions as a coda to the Beatles or, more optimistically, a reset: he’s ridding himself of all the bad so he - and therefore, we, the audience - can start fresh. Which is a not unpleasant sentiment to hang a record on. ... So, Klaus Voorman. My vague recollection from the Backbeat movie is that he was a kind of nice guy/“the first Beatles fan” from the Hamburg days who got friendzoned by Astrid when she fell in love with Stu Sutcliffe after he took her to see this band from Liverpool. As a result, I think I looked down on him a bit when I saw his name associated with the Beatles, etc. and assumed he was a bit of a hanger-on, maybe granted some legitimacy as an artist by association. Furthest possible thing! Dude is incredible! And a bit of a Zelig figure for a decade or so. The go-to bass man for every Beatles solo album (and Billy Preston) except Paul, but also there he is in LA with Nilsson, back in London for Transformer (!), could’ve joined the Hollies or Moody Blues, but went off with...Manfred Mann? and so on. He’s never just holding down the root note, always in the pocket, expressive at times, keeps locked-in for the rhythm, capable of some complicated lines and finger work...so cool. Consummate fucking sideman.
Random thoughts: * I’m very familiar with this one. I watched a 45 minute documentary of this album several years ago. * some of the big ones here will be familiar to Beatles fans: Mother, Working Class Hero, Love, and God. * I personally was drawn to these secondary songs when I got into this album through the documentary: Hold On and Isolation. * Today’s listen, the closing small track, “My Mummy’s Dead” really struck me and I said out loud: “Bro needed a lot of therapy.” And that is much of what you hear on this record in John Lennon recording his personal therapy about his mom abandoning him and the break up of his band. * God is an all time classic and is one of the best John Lennon tracks. * Overall, well deserved spot on 1001, not quite a 5-star. But a definite must listen!
Ok. Mostly good. Clearly a raw, personal album.
Het album geeft een mooi inkijkje in het leven van John Lennon. De thema’s die hij aankaart is een soort biografie van zijn leven. Daar door is het album wel wat zwaar. Bij the beatles had je Paul die het nog wel luchtig hield. Het nummer hold on vond ik erg mooi. Het geschreeuw op het album doet me soms denken aan het gegil van Yoko in de let it be series. Niet per se mijn vibe. Het is ook nog niet zijn beste album na de beatles. Wel vond ik het een heel persoonlijk album van John en dat deed mij wel wat.
Great album.
What a great record. Lennon was a true genius.
Ja passt
Mother is one of the most gut wrenching songs. Soul bearing music.
Refreshing how raw and immediate this is compared to other Beatles solo works we’ve had. Stripped down and quite dark.
I liked this one Will I listen to again: 60%
I put off this album for so long cause i didn’t think an album named for Yoko Ono would be that good, glad to say my worries are at rest, i guess a lineup of Lennon and Clapton can’t be bad even if it tried. It’s very easy on the ears. My standouts would be the first 3 tracks and also love.
i do like that all of john's solo material is like... baring his soul broken man music. very relatable
A classic
What a mug I am. I think I slept on Lennon's solo stuff whilst gaming for stereotypes about Yoko etc. Then for some reason never went back to fix this mistake as I matured. More fool me. This album is musical comfort food. Not without a few flaws, but such an easy and enjoyable listen. It will fall effortlessly into my rotation.
3/26/26. Really solid album, first time listening through and I recognized a decent amount of the tracks! John was a supreme songwriter and that shows here through his lyrics and numerous arrangements with a pop focus.
This guy has talent
Helps that Lennon is my favourite of the Beatles songwriters but I do understand the complaints that this is basically just a Beatles album recording of Lennon channeling the therapy he was going through. A few days after listening (and this is maybe my second or third listen ever) and the songs have again slid entirely off of my brain. But I still like this every time I listen to it - especially compared to other late era Beatles output like the White Album. It’s consistently good, even if I don’t think it stands as an all time great.
lol
Kljub moji ljubezni do Beatlov, sem od solo albumov sam Harrisona in McCartneya raziskala. Do zdaj. Ker ominous začetek, zvonenje zvona. (Omg, prou preverit sm hitr mogla, če taprav album poslušam, ker lih berem, da je valjda Yoko izdala album z isto naslovnico, istega leta, s skoraj istim naslovom.) Prvi, "Mother", je bil fleten, čeprav s temačno temo. "I Found Out" je hud. "Working Class Hero" je pomojem edina, k jo od prej poznam. Še zmer fajna. Očitno je bla uporaba besede 'fucking' at the time ful kontroverzna, ha. Sm nehala bluzit na neki točki, ker mi je itak blo vse všeč. Kul. Ker relatable, boleč konc.
Pretty cool.
Raw and excellent
This album is true art. 4/5
70s rock. His first solo album. Very chill folk rock. After scream therapy. One can tell. Prefer this to the Beatles.
Très cool
"Mother" is like the saddest song I listened here :( "Working Class Hero" is the most brutally honest shit ever, fuck off
wow very nice solo album, just after the breakup of the beatles, can feel the pain, only one song to skip, approved by a friend - non beattie fan
Whether he had psychological issues or was just a douche, this album is great. Not generally a fan of Lennon, but I dig this one.
He's a bit pretentious in his lyrics on some songs but at least the songs are really well written
4.5
john gets angry
It's cool he figured out some therapy and introspection, but I don't get why I had to hear it.
Ahead of its time in a lot of ways!
You know sometimes you hear a song a thousand times but then that next time it hits you right in the feelings. Working Class Hero just floored me. I've always thought it's a great song, but I must've stumbled onto some perfect timing on this rainy morning. I had to sit a while and recompose myself afterwards. As for the rest of the album, yeah, it's Lennon, it's great, it's in my DNA. That damn song though, it'll be on repeat for days now.
This is markedly better than yesterday's Ryan Adams album which also got a 4. Such is the issue with just 5 stars to give out. While Heartbreaker is a 3.5+, this is a 4.5 for me but can't get to the full 5.
Every time I put on a John Lennon album I find myself thinking "all the 'Best Beatle' debates are trying too hard. " Lennon. It was Lennon. Great album, sounds amazing, has distinctly John vibes, with his themes on loss and love, religion and politics, delivered with his signature wit and passion.
Echt wel een vet album, mooi dromerig
A little rough around the edges, yes, as if he's still in the middle of leaving Beatles' cohesion beside but finding his own path more coherently. Gems like Working Class Hero, Mother, and Well, Well, Well shine through and God says things pretty clearly about his post-Beatles identity. Often lovely, always intriguing.
A bit schmaltzy and a bit on the nose this week but pretty good. Working Class Hero is a belter.
So good!
My first album on this thing was Imagine which I believe I described as ‘mid’. This is so much better than that. Could have done without the primal screaming though
Pretty good overall. I appreciate the expansive sound, including vocals inspired by Yoko. Its an uneven album, but has some shining moments and some of Lennons most introspective songwriting.
Very good. Some of these songs feel like they would bore me if they were by anyone else, but Lennon had so much charisma that I can’t help being pulled in. At times this verges on “annoying millionaire telling everyone else how to live”, but there’s so much raw emotion on other tracks that I can overlook it. Favourite tracks: Mother, Hold On, Working Class Hero, Love, Look At Me, God, My Mummy’s Dead
3.7 I think this album proves two things - Lennon was the better songwriter in the latter half of the Beatles time, and yet he needed McCartney to keep him in check and stop him from disappearing too far up his own arse. This was a lot more enjoyable than Imagine, and by all accounts the nonsense that came after that. Unfortunately I just can't get into Working Class Hero, it just sounds like an absolute and utter Freewheelin' Dylan rip-off. Its so close to being amazing in its own right but ultimately is destroyed by it's unoriginality. Could have turned it from a good album into a great album, it's that close. Not got time for the shreiking at the end of Mother and Well Well Well. God is also a bit cringe to listen to. The rest of the album however, holds up pretty well. Will probably have it on rotation from time to time.
It was better than I expected. If there was more Yoko, I probably would have disliked it.
Stripped down, bare bones arrangements, with John being the only guitarist on the album. He even does a couple of fairly primitive solos. Probably too deeply personal for most people, but there are some highlights. "Working Class Hero" and "God" are great songs--classic Lennon. I also like "Mother." Primal screams (on "Mother" and the harder rocking "Well Well Well" are pretty intense. The other harder rock song on this album is "I Found Out." Some of the slower songs feature the minimalist lyrics that John was doing at the time, and they lack the poetry of his earlier work with The Beatles. I still like this album, in spite of its sometimes cringe-worth confessional approach.
working class hero 1970 united kingdom rock/blues
This has been a really great album. Some pretty songs in here. I didn't know JL did Working Class Hero. I thought that was a Marilyn Mason song. lol. He has a few songs in here where he expresses some pretty crazy emotions lol I guess I'm feeling generous. 4 stars.
It's been over 400 albums since I listened to Imagine, and I recall having issues with inconsistent production and lyrics that didn't quite hit the mark for me. I wasn't sure what to expect from John Lennon's previous solo effort, under the moniker of the Plastic Ono Band with him, Ringo, and bassist Klaus Voorman. So, how did it turn out? Honestly, I ended up liking this over Imagine, and I think it boils down to a certain earnestness that came through in the themes and lyrical content. Following the break-up of the Beatles, John and Yoko Ono attended primal therapy sessions, more specifically, reliving repressed childhood memories. While John never finished his therapy sessions, there was enough picked up from them that he wrote about the parents who abandoned him, his psychological suffering, internal emptiness, and his disillusionment with fallen idols, be they political, religious, or even musical icons, including his former band. The raw emotion I can hear in John's delivery in songs like "Mother", "God", "Working Class Hero", or even the muted stoic prose of "Mummy's Dead" is more weighted than the more controlled vocal performances on Imagine. A few songs in between, such as "Hold On" and "Love", offer a more tempered delivery from John over the spare arrangements, yet teetering on the breaking point as he sang about his emotional fragility and his intimate relationship with Yoko. It certainly helped that the simpler arrangements accentuated the lyrics on this record, even if a part of me wished for more from Ringo and Klaus in the rhythm section, and for a little more oomph in the production, as Phil Spector seemed to be largely absent for the recording sessions. This was a good solo record from John Lennon, in his first post-Beatles outing. For as much as John was considered an asshole and not everyone's favorite Beatle, there are moments I can point to and recognize the humanity that tried to claw its way through, and this record is an example of that sentiment.
OOPS
While I'm a big Beatles fan, I've found the guys' solo work to be pretty ho hum. That said, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Some shades of The Beatles' White Album on 'Look at Me.'
There is no question that the Beatles were the greatest rock band of all time, influencing just about everything that has happened in popular music from the sixties onwards. Four brilliant individuals, each bringing something different to the mix with the whole ending up being greater than the sum of its parts. The reasons for the breakup are still being debated by historians, but it’s clear that the lazy trope of Yoko being to blame are simply not true. Whatever the truth, Lennon was obviously deeply hurt by the experience (especially by Paul’s actions) and poured out his pain and grief into this album. It starts with his feelings about his absent parents, then his anger about his experience of being bullied and dismissed by teachers at school and then his response to the stultifying British class system on Working Class Hero. At the time he was going through Primal Scream therapy which is exactly what it sounds like, with several tracks on this album featuring literal howls of pain. The pivotal track is God, where he rejects absolutely everything and everyone around him, ending with the mic drop line “I don’t believe in Beatles” then pausing before concluding “I just believe in me … Yoko and me”. Not an easy listen, and not on the same level as his work with the Beatles, but an important snapshot of his state of mind at the time. He clearly had many other issues to deal with over the subsequent years between this low point and his untimely death, but I like to think that he would have reconciled with Paul eventually given a chance, but I guess we’ll never know for sure.
I was going to give it 3 stars, but "Love" is so beautiful so I was thinking either 4 or 3 stars because of the screaming in some songs. And then "My Mummy's dead" made me cry and I value everything that makes me cry so it got 4 stars.
Loved this more than I was expecting. Doesn't seem at all pretentious or too self-indulgent like some reviewers said. Favorites are "Working Class Hero" and "Isolation", both amazing songs. I know Lennon was an asshole, especially to his first wife and son, but this album makes you feel like he was really a broken man trying to get better, and, while it doesn't excuse his actions at all, it makes you understand his point of view a little bit.
Easily my favorite Lennon solo album. I don’t love everything here but what I do love I love a lot. Like that song Love, love that song Love. Interesting to hear this and Paul’s first solo album so close together. I do wonder what each would bring to the other’s music. Oh and also COOKIE!
Childhood trauma as sounds.
Disco precioso. Nunca lo había escuchado entero.
3.8 Bastante bien pero not feeling it y not my jam
Meget intim på en måde jeg slet ikke syntes McCartneys første soloalbum var. Look At Me er gudesmuk. Jeg har aldrig tænkt over at Working Class Hero er et kæmpe Dylan ripoff før
No masterpiece but a good album on the whole. I don’t find it too indulgent. I actually like the track God. Though the wailing on the end of Mother isn’t a nice listen. Liked 3 in a row best - Hold On, I Found Out and Working Class Hero. Not so much Isolation or Well Well Well.
Primal Scream, by John Lennon Did always like the raw sound of this one, though probably only limit myself to the occasional hit of God these days.
All in all, enjoyed it a lot more than expected. The pretension of it all was pretty low for John Lennon standards and there most of the songs focused on the songwriting. Would say his talent was more evident here than a lot of the late Beatles album tracks. Hold on, I found out, working class hero, look at me, all good. No absolute standout classics but was worried it would be an experimental mess so pretty happy.
Pleasantly surprised by this, wasn't expecting to enjoy it, but it was largely pretty decent. Couple of questionable bits, with random vocals in there . Sure I remember a "cookie" somewhere. Hold on and working class hero were my favorites. Unclear what role Yoko plays in this? 3.5 but on the side of 4
Ordentliches Album mit teilweise seiner Zeit vorausgehenden Stücken - interessant.
4.5
'Mama, don't go / Daddy, come home.' I know it's fashionable to dig Paul more than John these days, and I can see the argument from a musical and an ethical perspective, but Lennon is a presence, a lifeline, a way of being in the world. He has got to be on for his magic to work, but boy is he on w/ this record, a moving confirmation that he was the most soulful Beatle, and it's not that close. He was also the most petty, which I love, contending w/ Dylan for the best get-back artist: 'Old Hare Krishna got nothing on you / Just keep you crazy / W/ nothing to do.' He's not particularly in the mood to protest here, at least not outwardly, until the atheist-anthem 'God,' and that's affirmation via negation: left is love + the self, reality not the dream.
Daaaaayum, this album goes pretty hard! While not everything is quite my style, there's a lot of very cool shit that's just good listening, along with good lyrics too
This is a hard album to listen to but it is truly one of the rawest, realest looks inside someone's mind that exists in music. Put Abbey Road on and then listen to this album and tell me it's not an experience for the ages.
Some of this really works, with moments of raw honesty and even a bit of catchiness, while other tracks fall flat and don’t leave much of an impression. The highlights are clearly “I Found Out,” “Working Class Hero,” and “Remember.” You can practically hear Spoon building their entire sound off "Remember."
Whimsical, crude, warm, dynamic, experimental, limited, beautiful - very humane. A lot like John
This one I was surprised by how it hit me. The tone felt very personal and real, resonant. Like something that John Lennon felt just had to come out of him.
Great album
This album feels embattled. Lennon is embattled. A direct comparison with McCartney's first record makes it all the more so. Lennon is broken, bleeding, hurting, needing. Macca is like exuberant. Who broke up the Beatle's now? Someone is conspicuously carrying that weight...
Doesn't quite live up to the Beatles but comes close in a few spots. God is the standout
I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to Lennon's solo work. It's hit or miss, but I'm rounding up to "hit".
Well - John sounds pretty messed up! It's either Love, or not believing - in anything except himself (and Yoko). Certainly not Jesus. I'll take the songs about love. At least he got that right
So I was expecting not to like this, I actually really enjoyed it
This one hits allot different when not all stoned out hanging by the fireplace in the olden grainery. Its amazing how many great post-Beatles albums came out in 1970. This one requires the right mood as its the most introspective and raw of them
Really nice one. Classic Beatles sound, but only Lennon representing the squad. Still has all the touches that we know of Lennon and his experimental, harmonizing and innovative sounds. He brings his own style of soul to each track and showcases his musical genius. Just a really great sounding record - one I have to say I'd never listened to before.
Discordant and self-absorbed, with raw, introspective lyrics and experimental, sparse instrumentation. Seems designed to separate Lennon from his Beatles career (although Ringo does play drums). Not sure I liked it, but it was well worth the experience. 4⭐️
weird but i like it. its like if the drearier more experimental beatles songs weren't boring as hell
I got this right after imagine and this is so much darker and more raw. I think because of that it's a more cohesive album. There is a through line of searching and exposure. This feels like an emotional post-punk album ten years before post-punk. And so much better done. I always cry with his lilting singing of I just believe in me in God. It's so emotionally laid bare. It's incredible how that song is read by so many people on this comments as literal. The comments generally are so black and white. It's exhausting. This album is good and depressing and dark and exploitive and insular all at once.
This one caused me to do a mini deep dive into John Lennon's music catalog. I didn't realize he did so much solo/post Beatles work. I was also interested in his immigration battle with the Nixon administration
Good album
Excellent album really really really good to hear John Lennon a little bit more raw than one then went with the Beatles. Somewhere between four and five stars.
Lennon spreads his wings by taking the bones of his best work from The White Album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be, and turning it up to 11. He goes for that raw bluesy garage band style sound he started in songs like "Come Together", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", and "Yer Blues" in songs like "Hold On" and "Well Well Well", while some of the slower acoustic song sound like interpolations of the "Sun King" riff... Derivative? Maybe, but it sounds really good.
This was a fun listen. I dont want to over-compliment the beatles at this point, but man the guy can write. Standout track: Cold Turkey which is not even on the standard album but it’s a banger
Sensitive and rocking, rocking and sensitive. It’s almost as if every song is apologizing for the last. I love most of these tracks, especially the rocking ones. Is there some proto-screamo metal in here? It doesn’t quite fit my criteria for a 5, but it’s damn close. Better than the Beatles!
I'm tired of getting John Lennon albums and actually liking them! I'm tired of it!!!! Plastic Ono Band is good, and I enjoyed it. Its placement as Lennon's first solo album makes sense to bridge the gap between the Beatles and Image. His songs are catchy as ever, and he remains a strong lyricist. "I Found Out" verges on garage band, "Isolation" blues. The sound of "Working Class Hero" is so folk it could be mistaken to be by Bob Dylan, except it's actually good. I even was into "Well Well Well" because of the screeching. Lennon has never been afraid to be himself and say whatever is on his mind, which results in "Working Class Hero" or "God." The former is what I'd expect from someone with a disadvantage youth, the latter from someone who experienced the sixties as a Beatle. But Lennon doesn't lay it on too thick; he knows when and how to pull back in his songwriting, like with his sardonic "but you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see."
Day 3: Best tracks: Working Class Hero, I Found Out, Well Well Well, God I’ve never listened to this album from start to finish, but I’m glad I did. It’s greater than the sum of its parts. I'll want to revisit this, perhaps when the next Lennon/Ono album is chosen for me. 8/10.
I don’t believe in Beatles either.
I'd never heard this album, or really any of John Lennon's solo albums, before this list. Just a few songs and hits here and there. Like many, I was also led to believe that Yoko Ono ruined everything. This albums shows apparently not. It starts off really strong. "Working Class Hero" really sounds like a Bob Dylan song, even in the melody. It's a great track, and the previous three are pretty good too. Well Well Well is rocking. "God" almost comes off as a 1970 heavyweight rock star diss track--"I don't believe in Elvis... I don't believe in Zimmerman." Nobody in the world of hiphop would have let this fly without response. 4/5
I think Beatles John Lennon is brilliant. Has probably sang most of my favourite songs. Weirdly with the solo stuff I find that I have gravitated towards Paul’s stuff and while I do know a lot of John’s solo work it’s mainly through best ofs and the like and not really through his actual albums. This one as my first listen to any of his solo stuff is great, really enjoyed the vulnerability and at times anger. Very good
John Lennon still likes to scream when he's going solo. It is a very interesting album, with a lot of experimentation that works. John Lennon's solo work deserves a place in music history, even if it's somewhat obnoxious or pretentious at times.
I was and still am a Beatles fan so when they broke up without exception I bought all their individual solo stuff. This was John Lennon so a must have album bought on day of release. I was of course hoping that The Beatles sound I had grown up on would be continued ignoring the fact that he himself wanted to distance himself from that. Whilst I was proud to have this album secretly it was a huge disappointment which I was only able to admit in later years. There are only two tracks on the album which I truly liked, Mother and Working Class Hero both of which I still play. God I found offensive and still do. As a musical statement made by one of the all time greats I cannot deny it should be on the list but it is never an album I regularly reach for. The habit of liking just a handful of tracks continued across all of his solo albums. All these in total amount to just one album consigned now to a playlist. A sad indictment really but John Lennon’s best work is contained within all of The Beatles albums. 4/5 22/10/25
This was a good album. I wouldn't put it near some of Lennon's other work but good nonetheless. 'Well, Well, Well' was my favourite track on here.
Yeah I digged it, especially the latter half of the album
It was sweet and pleasant
John Lennon sure knew how to bare his soul and express himself
I think this was a little more consistently good than Imagine. You can tell he was definitely going through some things when writing these songs. God is super interesting because it is super egotistical and is essentially him saying to the fans and himself “the Beatles are over. Get over it.” However, unlike Kanye, John Lennon did not get God himself to feature on his I Am A God song so it’s automatically not as good. Favorites were Hold On, I Found Out, Remember, Well Well Well, and God.