John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

Pleasantly surprised, some songs are a lot heavier than I thought they’d be. Feels like a natural progression for Lennon, although some could literally be Beatles tracks. 3.5 to 4

Not bad for the 3rd best Beatle

Good album, good to finally listen to Lennon’s full first album. Lot of pain in the album, powerful lyrics, good music, albeit more simplistic than the Beatles compositions. 4/5!

I saw Ono in the title and was immediately thought I’d be skipping through this album to save my ears from bleeding. Yet to my surprise it was lovely. John has some great songs on this album. 3.5 but rounding up for 4⭐️

lovely

It’s John Lennon. It’s great. Not as good as the Beatles but still great.

Much better than expected even though I am usually more of a McCartney fan.

I really like Lennon's solo/Yoko albums (yes, even Double Fantasy). I think their dreamy melancholy appeals to me. I am Pro-Ono

I didn't know anything about this album but it grew on me with every listen. There are aspects that remind me of White Stripes -- a very simple, broken down, raw emotion. The notes say that Lennon was into "primal scream" therapy at the time, and that clearly shows up in a couple of songs. Interesting that it wasn't very popular at the time but has grown in importance over time.

I don't think I've ever listed to solo Lennon before and I loved this. 4.5

first Lennon after Beatles, good

Some absolute trash mixed in with some of the prettiest pop songs ever written.

I like this one a lot, maybe my favourite solo outing of John Lennon. Backed by incredible musicians he made some very strong songs! 8,5 out of 10

😍

Great. Amazing lyrics and beat. Definitely glad that I revisited it.

I don’t like John Lennon. He’s a confirmed sack of shit, but god damn if this album isn’t catchy. Subtract a star for trash bag but still dang

Mother is always a great song. Plenty to enjoy here.

This isnt as good as the best Beatles material, but for someone who beat his wife its still damn great.

Simple, catchy and soothing

The musical equivalent of an open wound. Emotionally honest and even nihilistic at times in a way that's frequently hard to hear, but also deeply compelling. But while John Lennon has a way of pulling out every emotion and wringing it until not much is left, I find the weak point of this album is his songwriting, which is fairly repetitive and simplistic. Fave Songs: Working Class Hero, I Found Out, Mother, Isolation, Well Well Well, My Mummy's Dead

Dug this. Has a lot more sauce than (what I remember of) Imagine.

Johm lemon

My second favorite post-Beatles album. John just dumps everything on the floor. His therapy and marriage to Yoko help him put out some of his best writing ever. Just hearing his voice makes me sad that we were robbed of some of his best work and perhaps a reunion with Paul. 4/5.

Nice!

This sounds good from the start, which is always a great sign! However, the first song is incredibly sad. Reminds me of Nick Cave's 'Ghosteen' a little bit. I also understand he is screaming due to his therapy but it is incredibly unsettling to listen to. Nevertheless, I think the screaming/rasping actually does complement the music in the first song. It gets old quickly, as shown when he does it in other songs. 'Hold On' is excellent. This man is not a good singer. I knew he was an acquired taste from 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' but one full album is hard to listen to. This would be a 5/5 with different lyrics. I know it was important to him that he wrote the songs with those lyrics but they are very, very depressing and/or difficult to listen to. Those instrumentals are class. Except for that strange bomb noise at the end of 'Remember'. Favourite songs: 'Hold On', 'Isolation' 7/10.

Very solid album and one I really enjoyed. 4/5

Wonderfully and stylishly produced - with some really powerful songs. Of the Beatles I think Lennon is for me the most punk and has the most ‘fizz’ so to speak - Working Class Hero is as a classic as they can possibly come - so is ‘I found out’ and ‘Mother’. A great record.

4.0

A really heart-wrenching and emotional album, you can tell that John was pouring his heart into this one. Sometimes he gets a bit screechy which does feel a tad over the top, and keeps this from being rated higher.

likte detta bedre enn eg såg for meg

Phew, finding neither screaming nor "Imagine" was a relief.

Hard to be objective about ol' JL. This album is fantastic though - probably more consistent than any other Lennon solo album, if not quite reaching the highs. Love, God and Working Class Hero are all in the very top echelons of Lennon songs, and therefore of human endeavour.

I never loved yoko, and I was expecting her on the album. She's not there, luckily. He went down on the primal scream thing, but I must say it was a good listen.

Quite a few really great songs here but some weaker ones thrown in. Give Peace a Chance, Cold Turkey followed by Instant Karma is a fantastic closing trio.

If imagine is on here it will get a 5. I think this album was probably a bigger statement piece at the time than it is today. It is still painful to hear him say he doesn’t believe in Beatles, but I imagine that was earth shattering in 1970. Mother, and Working Class hero are excellent songs, but not everything on here is that level. You can feel Paul’s absence. I get that these songs were more about primal feelings but I don’t think the execution was perfect. Would get a 4.5 if possible.

Skulle vært 5 men yuko

Plastic Ono Band showcased Lennon going through a production change, and even though there are ups and downs throughout the tracklist, the overall songwriting feels personal.

I thought I never really liked John Lennon’s solo work based on the stuff that got airplay. But I really enjoyed this! I don’t think I have ever heard any of the tracks on this album before. Top picks for me are “Working Class Hero”, “Remember” and “Well Well Well”

The music is pleasant and enjoyable. I just don't particularly love John's voice.

Debut post Beatles solo album from everyone’s favourite resident hypocrite and sook. Regrettably though, even considering my dislike for him (and his whining and primal screaming on several songs) this is still unfortunately a good album. ‘Mother’ is as harrowing a song as I’ve ever heard. Fuck me.

Lot of great solo Lennon. A couple forgettable tracks

this album is pretty heavy as far as its subject matter… dealing with childhood trauma and self discovery. it’s clear that john lennon had a troubled childhood and this album was his way of dealing with it. great album.

An honestly pretty strong showing from my least favorite Beatle. I think this is his best work that I heard, and Working Class Hero was honestly INCREDIBLE.

It was surprising to actually like this, but it is still missing something in my opinion to really finish it off and make it shine, and I think it is mostly in the songwriting area.

For an album with Yoko Ono, it’s not as experimental as I thought it would be. Maybe it’s the poppier, John Lennon side of things, but John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (different from Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band) is a very raw pop album. The production is very minimal, you can hear all the imperfections, only improved by John Lennon’s performance. His screaming really adds something to this album, specifically on the tracks Mother and Well Well Well. Mother is a very nice and pleasant pop track, ending in Lennon screaming out for his mother and father. It’s very, very emotionally potent and one of the best tracks on the album. Well Well Well is more akin to blues rock with an odd interlude, delving into garage rock sounds with screamed vocals. This has the best and rawest performance on the album, hands down. This is all over the album but I believe these two songs to be the best examples. Generally, the sounds are close to pop and rock music. It’s very nice in all honesty. But the rawness and the production takes it to truly another level. Hell, I believe the production and performances to make this album worthy of a 9/10 rating.

4.1 + Having been thoroughly unimpressed by "Imagine", I came to this project with some trepidation. Whereas "Imagine" finds Lennon sounding jaded, here he sounds open-hearted, baring his soul while confronting an existential crossroad. He comes to terms with past traumas ("Mother"), finds meaning in new spiritual paths ("Hold On"), while recalibrating old mindsets that left emptiness in their wake ("Remember", "God"). Considering the meteoric rise of the Beatles (their studio recordings span just 7 years), it's little wonder that so much should change in Lennon's sound just one year later with the release of "Imagine." It's refreshing to hear him sound so human and so relatable.

The best solo release from John Lennon and one of the best of any of the post-Beatles albums. This is Lennon at his best, at a high point of his career but totally free to make his own art. It's close to perfect but I think could have been improved by using some alternative takes of a few songs. But there's still a lot to love about this album.

I didn't enjoy this album as much as I expected. Still, it's easy to see echoes of the last Beatles songs together with some experimentalism that would be impossible to be released under the Beatles brand even after the "White album". It's a interesting album, even far from what it can be considered the best

Terrific. 4/5

Way better than I was expecting, thought it was going to be very experimental, but was actually solid and full of feeling.

Better than it should be

I listened to this one a month or two ago out of curiosity, but I think I enjoyed it a little more upon relistening. There's a couple songs I don't really care about, but there's good stuff on here too. Sometimes his voice gets a bit too gruff when he's yelling, but it's not that big of a deal since it only happens a couple times. I love the haunting moments on here, like the beginning of the first song and the entirety of the last song. Wish there was a tad bit more of it. My favourite songs were Love, My Mummy's Dead, and Hold On.

Pretty solid record. Not my favorite solo Beatles work. This one is super raw and filled with emotion, which I appreciate.

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

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)

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

Quite innovative I guess. Some of it good to listen to. Probably better than Imagine but still don't like listening to this whine and whinen(or scream and scream).

Very average John, very average. I hope you got all that screaming out of your system. 5/10 Top song... Isolation

Not a bad listen. Interesting in places. Still my third favorite Beatle.

I’ve owned this one for a while. This one is kind of intense and sad but some great songs here.

Where’s George?

Lennon incorporating his therapy into his music.

Did I hear a cameo by the Cookie monster in there?

⭐️⭐️⭐️ rallattelua. Oli siellä ihan 4⭐️ biisejäkin

good ol Lennon, maybe I would’ve liked the record more if i listened to it more, but who knows

e ainda querem me convencer que o john tinha a melhor carreira solo kk

why is he screaming, gosh

This was more listenable than I thought it would be.

Starting an album with a track called Mother and ending it with My Mummy's Dead is quite the choice. My that man had issues (and that's not even taking into account the lyrics in the rest of the album). I think working class hero is a great song, and the raw, stripped back recording really adds to the effect (including hearing the fingers lift off the guitar strings at the end). I'm not sure the rest of the album reaches that level, but I did enjoy it for the most part. It's interesting how simple the instrumental is most of the time. On the negative side, I found Well Well Well pretty bloody annoying because I don't need to hear John Lennon sing/scream the word 'well' 88 times in 6 minutes. I was not a massive fan of God either. Ultimately I think this gets a 3 for me, but not quite enough for a 4. I like the Beatles as a collective better than in isolation. Sorry John. 3/5

He's an annoying guy with some terrible lyrics and self-importance, but some nice acoustic tunes, and he sounds decent over the top. Definitely overrated but fine.

3.5/5

That wasn't the album I thought it would be. I'm sure it was revolutionary when it came out and it was Lennon's first solo effort etc. but it's a bit up its own end. Don't get me wrong, he was an incredible song-write, it's just his incredible songs didn't make it onto this album. I can only hope the album Imagine is on here as it is amazing.

Ok album, could listen through still had a little bit of a beatles sound.

John was in danger of growing stale

A couple of exceptional songs and some very forgettable ones too. John just wasn't as great by himself as he was with the Beatles. But he was pissed about it so he whined about people wanting him to be more Beatle-esque. Maybe she should have listened to them.

mid

I was overly generous on Imagine (mainly because of Imagine). Ono was not a good influence on his music. Scrapes a 3* just because he is a legend.

Okay album

Kill John Lennon

Very singer songwriter esk i like it alot

Pretty alright record! 3.5/5.

good grief. i like the beatles but i really don't care for john 😭. another review said this album was like a therapy session for him and i agree. i'll give it a 3 for now but it could very easily drop to 2.

I have to admit, approaching this album, I was a bit hesitant. John Lennon and Yoko Ono are individuals I don’t particularly like, and their fame only amplified that feeling. The album’s title, referencing both of them, added to my initial reluctance. So, I began listening with a negative mindset. However, as the album went on, I found it to be quite mellow and easygoing. Overall, it’s a singer-songwriter album with a subtle bluesy touch and minimalist instrumentation. Interestingly, when I listened to “Imagine,” I had similar hesitations but ended up enjoying it.

Cinnamon is real John, whether you believe in it or not.

Honestly, a lot less weird than I thought Pretty inoffensive for the most part. Lennon’s a pretty damn good vocalist and I do think he got better with age. It’s got a pretty strong identity as well; I do like the shifts between slower more loving songs and harsher rock heavy songs. A lot of it’s pretty boring unfortunately, and sometimes when it’s not boring it’s just bad. I thought Well Well Well kinda sucked at times, definitely the weirdest song on here and although not all bad was not a fun listen. I know this albums supposed to be all honest and all that but I just think his contributions to the Beatles shaped that bands identity in a way his solo album never could. Compared to the other debut former Beatle albums we’ve gotten it’s definitely better than McCartney I but pales in comparison to All Things Must Pass. Still though, he’s a very talented musician and that comes through in some places

Do you think hes got mommy issues Ok so this obviously reactionary to his work with the Beatles. Theres no fancy orchestra, no complex song structures, so crazy instrumentation. Its a man and a piano and his messy feelings. He doesnt believe in Jesus and Elvis and the Beatles! His mom is dead!! You can hear the Beatlesness through the whole album. (Its the same songwriter after all.) So close to being so familiar, are there are a lot of compelling roots of songs here! Its just that the songs feel unfinished. Whether thats intentional or not, each one just repeats the same musical idea over and over. Like, I imagine with another songwriter, isolation could be great, but its missing the structure to say its really a finished song. Really its just do you think Lennon is a profound guy or a pretentious guy. Thats it

Read that Lennon's therapist felt Lennon needed a full year to continue therapy, instead of the 4 weeks... point being, I think that explains this album. I enjoyed, but I feel like it got a bit repetitive in theme and music. Felt a bit unfinished. I've always felt Lennon's affection with the blues helped shape some fantastic songs. I wish there was a bit more of that on this.

Honestly not as great as I hoped solo John Lennon would be but pleasant to listen to

Recently watched "Nowhere Boy" about John Lennon's childhood which explains a lot of what he's unpacking here.

Not a fan of Yoko (who is) but love anti war John Lennon. Definitely a part of music history that cannot be ignored.

It's open with some gongs--and anything that starts with gongs I'm for. I found it somewhat subdued, in a good way. The songs were complex without being bombastic. Working Class Hero and God were the high points for me.

Damn John, idk what was happening here

Good listen for a Sunday afternoon.

idk man....raw isn't always good...it's not always bad to edit your art

It’s not bad

Mother is lovely (at first lol, then it gets a little depressing) - same as well well well, hold on is really good, i also liked isolation, remember has great keyboard/Piano[?] noises and it did not turn into a whining noise as i exPected. God is very nice too, i like how soothing and comforting it is. Look at me is just lovely. Very lovely. My problem with this album is that most songs start of really great and you are exited to listen, but then they sort of turn into this whining noice that hurts my brain. Listened to: (a list since spotify likes to throw you out of the album while listening and propose different stuff) Working class hero, love, mother, my mummys dead, i found out, hold on, well well well, isolation, remember, god, look at me

It’s fine

|mother 05:36| oh! how disorienting okay we're good now damn, mommy issues, much /j oh great daddy issues! :( |hold on 1:52| is he telling himself to hold on :( bruh and yoko wtf 👹COOKIE 👹 |i found it 03:38| YEAH added to favorites lovely bass line |working class hero 03:48| okay dont call me out like that was john lennon the woke of the 70s? lovingly |isolation 02:52| would love to learn this on bass still afraid of the sun |remember 04:33| this unfortunately was a skip for me |love 03:22| :) |well well well 05:57| i feel like i just got beaten up at a saloon and i'm walking it off |look at me 02:54| is my chest supposed to hurt listening to this :( |god 04:12| at first i was worried this would be a faithful song but i was caught by surprise TELL IT JOHN |my mummy's dead 00:50| :( |overall| one of the most raw and emotional albums i have ever listened to in my life. never thought i'd relate to music from the 70s. i only give it a medium rating bc the genre is not my usual go-to, but the lyrics and emotion throughout the album make it worth the listen

This was nice, and maybe I'd like it more with more listens. But on its own it didn't stand out after one listen.

cohesively it was nice but some songs were a little too simple, loved a couple though! really enjoyed well well well

This was unexpectedly decent.

I think Mother is a real good song, but most of the rest is kinda undercooked. If only John went to a real therapist, he had a lot of shit to work through but this music that came out of it is about has half-baked as primal scream therapy is, lyrically speaking. It sounds good though, he didn't forget to write a tune.

I like I found out. Mother was a bit sad. I like Remember. I like well well well A 3 star album

Strange, odd. Kind of ok

No sé bien qué decir. Es Lennon, todo muy self approaching. Qué se yo. Igual estuvo bien. 3/5

bien mais trop évident y a moins de remise en question de son écriture contrairement à Georges et Paul

I find this album to be very uneven. There are some fantastic songs on here (and in the singles included on the deluxe version) but there are also some very personal songs that are less appealing for a general listener. It's quite an interesting listen if you're a John Lennon fan and know the "lore" but it works much better as a whole than as isolated tracks to have appear in a shuffled playlist.

Good for a road trip

🍪

My fav from this album is Love. Such raw vocals in the opening song Mother, so upsetting. John really missed her :( Also he really did love stirring up the pot with God lol

It's good, but I didn't love it. It might be slightly more interesting than the Beatles' later albums and might be worth revisiting later on.

To me as a rather average Beatles enjoyer (meaning I really like their stuff but not a numba one fan), known Lennon's solo works is mostly just Imagine, which I enjoy very much. Perhaps it is incorrect to compare the full band's material and this solo album, but Lennon's excellence generally only extends to the stuff lossely complementing the said superhit. By that I mean that much of the better material here is either musically or thematically close to Imagine. The only exception is perhaps Isolation where John moves to a more bursting approach. Apart from that, Love, Look at Me, and God are the selected tracks just for me. Tge opener was also interesting but in the end I did not add it. So I think all the other songs just could not keep up with what you could expect from that Imagine-like John and/or the Beatles. It's at times strainght mediocre. Which is why, while this one certainly has great songs, I cannot really rate it higher than 3. Be it C+, but one would rather generally just go and listen to a full-fledged Beatles record instead of this.

Enjoyed the chaotic energy of this, solidly good

It's ok this, can't say I'd put it on again but wouldn't ask someone to turn it off either

Pretty cool. Liked Working Class Hero and God most. Not mindblowing by any means though, so won't go back any time soon.

None of their single stuff is as good to The Beatles stuff to me..

Well, this is decent. I think I liked Sir Paul’s first solo offering a lot better. Oh well…

This was fine. A little strange at times. With my name also being John when “hold on” came on I was like, wassup? I think Well well well and God are two songs that sum this up for me. Some good stuff but just kind of weird and something missing. I don’t like screaming and God just felt weird. 2.75

I enjoyed this, nothing stands out in particular though.

Grumpy goths

Good

Arrogant and somewhat narcissistic. 3/5

Dude made 80% of the album saying how much he loves Yoko to have a fucking affair on her three years later

The parts are so much less than the sum of the whole.

I can't help but put this up against McCartney, which we got a month ago, and yeah, this is better. Both of them seem to be pretty emotionally unstable but John managed to write much more coherent songs.

stars are a concept by which we measure our pain

John Lennon is a man with a complicated legacy. There's no question that he was an incredibly gifted and talented songwriter, and also no question that he was kind of a shitty person. This is apparently his therapy album after the Beatles ended, and it shows in some very personal lyrics. I hadn't heard most of these songs before, since the only solo Lennon songs getting airplay that I recall were "Imagine," "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," and "(Just Like) Starting Over," none of which would fit on this album. This is very definitely angry Lennon, clearly trying to find his place in the world, and that's the undertone in every song, along with a very deep cynicism. Given that, there aren't really any standout songs on this album, and I think it works better as a coherent listen rather than just enjoying the singles or more well known tracks like "Working Class Hero."

An album of highs and lows, a couple of tracks that I knew already (I Found Out, Working Class Hero), through cover versions. I found it both accessible, perhaps just familiarity with his sound through the Beatles, but also like I need to unpack it a little bit too. There was ultimately enough here to keep me interested and return to it.

There's a song on here I know from the Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack and that was, for sure, the high point. The low point was that I wasn't paying attention in my music app and put on the Yoko Ono "Plastic Ono Band" album that has a nearly identical cover and listened to two tracks of that before realizing there was no earthly way that this listmaker would have put it on his list.

Parts of this felt very Bowie. Listenable, short.

01) Mother - 7,0 02) Hold On - 7,0 03) I Found Out - 7,0 04) Working Class Hero - 9,0 05) Isolation - 7,5 06) Remember - 6,5 07) Love - 6,5 08) Well Well Well - 6,0 09) Look at Me - 7,0 10) God - 6,5 11) My Mummy's Dead - 5,0 TOTAL: 6,82 (68/100) Current ranking: 571/931

Some of their solo stuff isn’t my fav. This album was ok but not something I’ll want to listen to often.

Parts of this are good. Other parts aren't. You can hear how parts have influenced other artists. I'm generally not sure why the solo output of key members of important bands should be here. I mean, there's a reason we don't have any Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/Roger Waters solo albums on this list. So why do we have Syd Barrett, Paul McCartney and John Lennon? This is not bad. But would it be here if Lennon hadn't been in The Beatles? Probably not.

Eh

Tortured and challenging, more of a shriek of separation than a fully realized collection of songs. Great moments though

6/10 Sometimes bands are more than the sum of their parts. John Lennon is obviously an incredibly talented songwriter and musician, but he also comes across as a self-obsessed egomaniac. When separated from his bandmates who knew him before he was THE John Lennon, it feels like there are times when he is given free rein to indulge his most base urges while no one, collaborator, producer or critic, is willing to tell the all powerful Beatle that perhaps some of his work isn’t quite up to his (admittedly obscenely high) standards. That being said, this is a decent album. There are moments of great quality here, but it is a pretty uneven record too. Mother is very good until it goes off the rails towards the end. Hold on is really nice, but then he does a cookie monster impression part way through that just throws the whole thing. And that’s the story of the record, really. Hints of the genius that John Lennon could be, but none of the restraint or refinement of his greatest work with The Beatles. I really don’t gel with his direct self focus and sixth-form philosophy either and when he’s writing in less directly self referential way, things work better, but frankly, I don’t really care about his or Yoko’s personal life and those moments take me out of the record a little too much. This feels like a record that, with a stronger production hand, could have been worked into something really good, but ends up sounding a bit like a slight stylistic mish-mash, with some of the work feeling a touch demo-like, rather than finalised pieces. It’s hard when you’ve set such a high bar to compete with, but my experience with Lennon is that he never really got close to that level again, at least in any consistent way. Mother - This is very stripped back and the core of it is decent enough with a few lovely moments of piano and bass playing. The vocal melodies are quite rambling in places and the vocal performance is a bit patchy and I get the intensity ramping, but it’s a little erratic even from the beginning and the more screamed stuff towards the end does jar against the vibe of the rest of the track. It’s quite repetitive too. Hold On - This is better (although what the fuck is the cookie monster bit all about?). It’s stripped back and stark, but the vibe is really lovely and the guitar work is particularly smooth and nicely put together, with the drums and bass backing it up really well. Much better. I Found Out - Dirty and groovy, this is a solid, gritty blues number. The guitar tone is delightfully crumbly and the bass and drums pin things down really well. There’s nothing particularly complex or advanced about it, but it’s a well executed track with a solid and enjoyable vibe. Working Class Hero - Another stripped back track and by making this a song more generically about the treatment of the working classes, rather than something specifically about himself, this works way better and connects more readily with me as a listener. It’s not complex, but the focus here is on the lyrical content and the music paints a really stark but pretty backdrop for those lyrics. It’s a very Bob Dylan-esque song and it’s pretty good stuff. Isolation - The jazzy edge to this is really nice and there’s really good dynamic range and variation to it too. The more forward middle section adds an extra bit of punch and flavour to it, but the chilled, swung vibe of the bulk of the track is really well delivered too. Again, when Lennon strips away his more blatant self referencing and makes things more relatable, even in a metaphorical sense, things work so much better. Yes, this is about Lennon and Ono, but that’s not front and centre and the lyrics could be relevant to anyone in certain situations. And it’s musically and vocally much more consistent and engaging. Remember - This is quite rhythmically repetitive and staccato. Even when the drums get a break into something a bit smoother and more flowing, the piano keeps on with that relentless pace. I mean, it’s not bad and the more flowing sections are pretty nice, but it’s a bit too aggressively staccato for my tastes. Love - This is fairly nice, but it does feel a bit like a demo rather than a finished song and is also incredibly reminiscent in places of In My Life, which Lennon wrote for the Beatles. It’s pretty and sparse, but also feels underdeveloped, like this could have been a wonderful song but it’s just a pleasant one. Well Well Well - The groove and grit of this is pretty good to start with. It’s bluesy, with a dirty swagger. It does then become quite repetitive and unnecessarily screamy. I’m not against that kind of vocal in the right context, but it doesn’t really connect with me particularly well here. The rest of the track is pretty cool though, even if it’s a bit on the repetitive side. The sound design and crunchiness of it works really well and the groove is pretty compelling. Look At Me - The double-tracked vocals here are pretty nice and this is a very Beatles-esque track that moves through some interesting different phases. There are moments of vocal weakness, but they work quite well with the vulnerable vibe of the track. Another pretty and sparse little effort. Not spectacular but well put together. God - And this is the kind of thing that turns me off John Lennon. It’s teenage philosophy that he thinks is deep, but is about as surface level as it gets. It’s also so self reverential and self obsessed that it just makes me cringe. A lot of people spent a lot of time putting the Beatles, and John Lennon specifically, on a pedestal, but it always felt a bit like the pedestal wasn’t quite as tall as he’d like it to be. The forced drama of “I don’t believe… in Beatles” with a cut to silence just makes my eyes roll right into the back of my head. Underneath that it’s actually a pleasant enough track, but it’s hard to look past the lyrics. My Mummy's Dead - What a strange little song that appears to have been recorded on the cheapest tape machine Lennon could get his hands on. It’s ok, I guess.

Working Class Hero is a good song. A lot of this (“Love”, for example) feels like it is trying hard to be deep. I suppose these are his real feelings, so fine. But I don’t really feel much interested in either his sappy sentiments about Yoko, or his mommy issues. I would like to never hear Well Well Well again. Mostly meh.

Fav- hold on 3/5

6/10

Hot take: I don't think every single Lennon, Mccartney and Beatles album needs to be on this list just because it's them. For example, this one could be trimmed, and I would still get the picture.

Pretty standard Lennon hippie music from before he went fully off the deep end

Decent and interesting

אהבתי את רוב החצי הראשון ואז אחרי remember הוא פשוט מאבד את זה. למרןת שאני צריכה להבין מה דעתי על God כי מרגיש לי שעבור מעריצי הביטלס זה שיר שמביא לדמעות. אני לא יכולה יותר לשמוע אותו אומר יוקו כמה קרינג׳

Second and finally Johnny Lennon, aye? I almost had a heart attack and had to feverishly make sure that I wasn't about to listen to the Loco Ono counterpart of this album when I first saw it appear on my list. Funnily enough, my only experience with the Beatleverse for a good chunk of my music-listening career was Abbey Road and the Yoko side of Plastic Ono band - the latter of which was listened to through the RYM recommendation system. Honestly, I can't blame myself for checking out of their music when that was my starting point (Abbey Road is good - it just wasn't a very good introductory album for me). Anyways, I've never listened to the Lennon side of this project. I'm expecting an easy-going, yet mildly self-indulgent soft rock album. Here's hoping I'm correct. Yeah, pretty much exactly what I was expecting. "Mother" offered a bit of a rough introduction, but the music quickly settled into itself. What's most interesting about this album to me is how it parallels McCartney's solo debut, with the music largely being a bunch of stripped-back acoustic stems. I wonder if they just so happened to land on the same idea with their debut albums or if it's just a testament to how well Lennon and McCartney worked as a songwriting duo. Anyways, the music. The minimal instrumentation of this album ensures that the acoustic guitars are a consistent highlight, guiding the songs along delicately. Other features like the bass guitars, pianos and percussion are also welcome additions, though they aren't as remarkable. The elephant in the room when it comes to this album is Lennon's hippie dippie ego. It never gets to the point of being overwhelming, though I'd be lying if I said there weren't a few eye-rollers in the lyrics of this album. The album also faceplants a little during the second half thanks to some long, droning tracks and it's also worth mentioning that "Look At Me" shamelessly takes a page out of Julia and Dear Prudence's book, though far be it from me to complain. Overall, this was a fine album with some adept songwriting moments, though the minimal style certainly does limit its appeal. Book time. Meant to close the page on John's history with The Beatles and his then-30 years of life, with 1970 being his "Year Zero". The rest of the book entry is kind of directionless tat. I don't need to consult Wikipedia for this album. I'm favourable to John Lennon having two solo albums on the list. Assuming this is one of his best releases, then I gladly cosign this inclusion.

A fraction of the Beatles. This was as middle of the road it comes. Nothing offended me, but I forgot it was even playing.

Tricky one to judge. The good is rather good but the bad is a bit self-indulgent and weird. I enjoyed the three track run of Working Class Hero, Isolation and Remember but tracks like God and Love made me want to vomit. A bit of a mixed bag overall, and a 2.5/5 rounded up.

An interesting album for sure, I had high hopes for it.. I am a little disappointed to be honest Fav song - God 3/5

A 3 here for me, nothing very special, 'God' and 'Look At Me' were pretty good. Did not like the screaming in Well Well Well

Poor man; he really was carrying a colossal amount of pain around 😔; working class hero with a broken heart.

Just OK. Feels like somethings missing...

It’s pretty good. John Lennon was an amazing songwriter. This album feels threadbare. It sounds like he’s laying his cards on the table regarding how he felt about the Beatles, his own issues, and the state of the world.

This was a pretty chill album. There wasn't anything too exciting, but it was just alright having it in the background while I was doing other stuff. The album artwork represents how this album should be enjoyed - chilling on the grass, leaning against a tree.

Interesting album. Pretty raw and perhaps typical of JL to release something like this post-Beatles. Something that people are perhaps not expecting. Quite good in some places, not so much in others. Calm in some songs, very shouty in others.

Bit of a strange album with no flow, but a couple of high points including Working Class Hero.

There’s a tonne of emotion in this, much of it feels like confusion, contempt and anguish. I’m assuming that was the point, as musically it’s not that interesting at all, and none of the songs standout massively.

I was not previously familiar with this album. There are definitely some good things here but also some harsh angry songs as well. I could take or leave this honestly. When it comes to post-Beatles material, I think I like John's the least.

Was okay. Not too remarkable, i did think Lennon excessively screaming in these tracks were funny LOL Maybe id have to listen again to understand the artistry but all in all I don’t find it to be an amazing album

Im Herbst 1970 nahm John Lennon sein erstes richtiges Soloalbum in den Abbey Road Studios (EMI Studios 2 & 3, London) sowie in den Ascot Sound Studios auf seinem Anwesen Tittenhurst Park auf. Produziert gemeinsam mit Yoko Ono und Phil Spector, erschien das Album am 11. Dezember 1970 auf Apple Records – unmittelbar nach dem offiziellen Ende der Beatles. Der Sound ist bewusst minimalistisch gehalten: Ringo Starr am Schlagzeug, Klaus Voormann am Bass, gelegentlich Billy Preston am Klavier – mehr braucht es nicht. Der Schlüssel zum Verständnis dieses Albums liegt in der Primärtherapie nach Arthur Janov, der Lennon dazu brachte, unverarbeitete Kindheitstraumata – die Abwesenheit des Vaters, den frühen Tod der Mutter – direkt in Songs zu überführen. Das Ergebnis sind Stücke wie „Mother", „Working Class Hero" und „God", die ohne jede Schutzschicht auskommen. In „God" listet Lennon auf, woran er nicht mehr glaubt – und endet mit dem Satz, der die Beatles endgültig begrub. Es ist eine der mutigsten Gesten der Popgeschichte. Was dieses Album von anderen Bekenntnisalben unterscheidet, ist seine handwerkliche Disziplin: Trotz allem emotionalen Gewicht bleibt die Produktion kontrolliert, die Arrangements atmen. Songs wie „Isolation" oder „Love" besitzen eine zerbrechliche Schönheit, die den Schmerz nicht illustriert, sondern trägt. Man muss dieses Album nicht mögen – aber man kommt nicht unberührt heraus. Einer der wichtigsten Soloerstlinge der Rockgeschichte: roh, ehrlich und von unvermindert verstörender Aktualität.

Stand-out tracks: Hold On, I Found Out, Isolation, Look At Me

Highlights: Mother, Hold On, I Found Out, Working Class Hero, God Edgy Lennon with no filter. Even kinda insufferable at times (Well Well Well). He aims to spit his truth without any abstraction. I'm split on the record, because I agree with a good amount of what he is saying, but then again there are some songs which really aren't all that interesting. This can be due to him also greatly simplifying the sound compared to his earlier work with the Beatles.

Väldigt stark trea ändå, en del riktigt balla grejer

Lite intressant ibland men inget som direkt fick min uppmärksamhet.

Överlag inte superintressant o rätt weird, men några låtar är fina o väger upp ändå

Working Class Hero is a Bob Dylan ripoff 100%. "Mother" is annoying as hell. This is Lennon being a super edgy teenager thanks to his insane partner. the other solo album he has on this list at least made sense. this is kinda ass.

Highlights: Mother, Hold On, God 3.2

603/1001 2026.04.29 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

There have been many a day looking through the stacks for Neil Young’s Nowhere album I found this one, which has a similar cover design. John wasn’t my favorite Beatle, but I still have/had respect for him. I also still hold that all the members of the Beatles were better together than separate, even if they did write some unforgettable songs. I had heard Working Class Hero before, and always found it redundant to excess. This album definitely had some contrasts, the softness of At Me and Love (my key track) to the raw emotion of Well Well Well. Overall, I liked this album well enough but I don’t know if it deserves the hype it has historically received.

A real mixed bag.

Bang average. I don’t know, I’m not one of these weird, sad Lennon haters, I just thought this was pretty mid. 6 / 10 Best track/s: Isolation, I Found Out

Classic Lennon and a very personal album.

Some good. Some not.

Kende het album nauwelijks op een paar nummers na. Had er wat meer van gehoopt maar niet per se verwacht. Bij de Beatles was Lennon altijd een interessantste factor qua sfeer, de concepten en persoonlijkheid. Op dit album is het misschien te veel van het goede. Het is wel rauw en persoonlijk maar muzikaal had ik op wat meer gehoopt. De minimalistische productie is niet het probleem maar de nummers zelf zijn gewoon niet zo sterk. Het blijft wat op afstand.

Leuk om eens te horen, interessant ook om de persoonlijke kanten te zien van alle individuele Beatles. John Lennon heeft met dit album ervoor gekozen om zijn persoonlijke moeilijkheden en frustraties te delen. Wat begint met de song Mother over het verliezen van zijn ouders op jonge leeftijd. Het nummer Hold On vond ik erg lief, hoe hij zichzelf toezingt en daarna Yoko. Met als boodschap dat ‘ t allemaal wel goed komt. Ik hou erg van de zachte kant van John wat ook te horen is op Love en Look at Me. De rest van de nummers klinken op zijn John's erg pessimistisch en af en toe een tikkeltje paranoia (I found out). Well well well vond ik dan weer verschrikkelijk om naar te luisteren. Dat geschreeuw vond ik weer een beetje Kurt Cobain achtig, niet leuk dus. Het zou goed kunnen dat het ligt aan de therapiesessies die John destijds onderging voor het verwerken van zijn jeugdtrauma's. Verder maakt hij een statement dat hij niet meer in de Beatles geloofd, en ik geloof hem wel. de productie klinkt erg minimalistisch en er zitten geen popachtige knal hits tussen zoals we die van The Beatles gewend zijn. Het is hierdoor veel persoonlijker en we leren John wat beter kennen. 3.5

It's fine I guess. Seems like his creative juices had run dry by this point.

My fav album of Lennon

Definitely an album I expected to hate, but it wasn't actually too bad. It's not getting more than three stars, because no one song stands out as something special, but it was definitely a decent album, especially compared to what Lennon spewed out later.

Buen álbum para estar de chill, muy triste el final, me gustó.

The first solo album from John "The Beatles was nothing" Lennon. It's self-indulgent, overly experimental, and somewhat repetitive. But come on, it's John Lennon. It's clear from albums like this as well as his interviews from this time period that he underestimated the amount of gratitude he owed the group, but he still made pretty good music without them. It does not come close to rivaling what he did with them in my opinion though.

Introspective downbeat Lennon, with a couple of classic tracks to lift the album

This is Lennon at his most vulnerable, letting it all air out post-primal therapy. It's pretty bare from a production standpoint, but not lacking in raw emotion. Kind of a tough listen at times to be honest. "God" in particular sounds a little goofy/pretentious today.

I found it okay honestly but abit underwhelming at times. Mother and Love are really beautiful tracks though. This album may grow on me with a few more listens.

Да, сос мыслом Тексты трогают, но не сильно Хорошие и интересные композиции разбавлены дефолтными простыми песнями про любовь или жизнь Да мы поняли что у тебя там любовь Музыкант вовлек в свою музыку женщину, может это и здорово. Может я не знаю всей истории. Нравится звучание и инженерные подходу к композиции инструментов того времени в принципе Не очень нравятся его посылы людям выбираться и жить иначе, когда он весь такой преисполненный и принявший мир Некоторым композициям не хватает инструментала побогаче Well well well сильно вытягивает этот альбом на что-то больше 3.0 Поэтому 3.5

Im so gld Yoko wasn't singing.

Who the hell is John Lennon and what’s all this hippy dippy shit? (Didn’t love a lot of this but it grew on me as I listened, I will have to revisit)

I can see why initial reactions were so poor. I gather views of the album have improved, but not at the quality of George Harrison's solo albums

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS ON Y EST!!! LA FIN DE LA FIN!!! FINITO, ENDET, 結束, ختم, ET AUTRES DIALECTES! Trois ans de ma vie sacrifiée pour atteindre la ligne d’arrivée. Je pense que ça en a valu la peine, j’ai au moins découvert 5-6 albums que j’aime bien (ainsi que 567 que j’aurais préféré ne pas découvrir). J’aimerais que c’est une joke, mais il y a des merdes ici qui m’ont pourri des journées. Une chose est sûre, j’ai l’impression d’en savoir plus sur la musique, mais d’une manière qui me laisse abasourdi par la QUANTITÉ GARGANTUESQUE de genres et d’artistes qui existent. Genre, je pourrais jamais en faire le tour, même en consacrant 24h/7j de ma vie pendant les 60 prochaines années à écouter de nouveaux albums sans répétition. Ça me donne le vertige. Mais sinon, ça m’a permis de tomber sur ce bon vieux Cyril, mon poto mélomane d’outremer! Il y a eu au moins ça de positif! Donc, je vous au revoir! On se rejoint dans la user list, pour un autre trois ans d’albums!

Better than imagine but mostly cause it sounds more like a Beatles album

Lot of emotions going on here

Overall Rating - 2.73/5 (5.45/10). What the fuck happened to John Lennon when he left The Beatles? Or was Paul McCartney the real songwriter in that band? This is a collection of early scream, late 60s/early 70s philosophical navel gazing, and forgettable pop. Also, it sounds like he's trying to justify leaving The Beatles and his first wife.

get's lost here and there. best tracks for me were Mother, Working Class Hero, Isolation and Love.

Mouais

du bon comme du moins bon

#c'étaitmieuxavant comment ça "I don't believe in Hitler" !? Donc c'est un complotiste bravo John... Heureusement y'a quelques sons qui sortent du lot et qui sont très sympas mais sur le global un peu déçu, même s'il a malgré tout une super voix

Meh

Ok

John Lennon is easily one of the most iconic musicians of all time. However, she was also in this one. (His vocals are still so good tho so I'll at least give it a three) Also as a side note. It's insane that he wrote a song about the dream of the Beatles dying then released it on an album named after the person known for killing the dream of the Beatles

It's amazing how much this sounds like a debut album. Like a new singer on a low budget who didn't know yet what he could with strings and horns and studio effects, giving us a stripped down set of unpolished, passionately sung songs. Of course, John Lennon was a master songwriter and absolutely knew what he was doing in a studio, so I'm sure this is what he wanted. Some tracks feel like he was the only one there. Maybe Lennon was trying to put major distance between himself and the last Beatles' records, and he came up with the epitome of a rock singer-songwriter album.

Honestly not as good as I’d want a Lennon album to be.

Highlight: Isolation In a nutshell: the therapy album. Well this was a pleasant surprise! It's kinda bluesy, Beatles-ish, with some sounds that could be proto-punk (see I Found Out). John gets vulnerable lyrically, sometimes screaming into the mic. Ringo on the drums was a great choice. The mixing is excellent- the panning on Isolation is surreal and magnificent. I think I can hear the future influence of The Black Keys on this album. Pretty good as a first solo outing. Overall: 5/10

Kinda average I think I prefer Paul’s solo stuff more A few cool songs on here

John Lennon - if you know his stuff you know

Enjoyed “Well well well”, otherwise not a great album

#297/1001. Didn't I rate this one? Or does he (and his lover and band) just recycle songs and ideas? Or perhaps most of his songbook has been playing around my life: radio, tv, home, school bus tours (although we had only one and I don't think John Lennon was played, but take it as a metaphor). I've been so grown up on the Beatles and from the solo era especially Lennon, I could put this on any time. But I've also built my own path in the interesting world of music listening that it just drops to the background as something basic, de facto which doesn't really arouse any stronger emotions, not even nostalgia. Although his and Yoko Onos experimental work are almost unlistenable, I am much more fascinated by them.

There is obviously some really good stuff here (Mother, God), but honestly I was a little bored overall. I'm surprised as I was really looking forward to it and I am now confused because Mind Games and Double Fantasy are not on the list and I consider those to be superior albums. Maybe it's because this is the 1st solo? McCartney's first solo blasts this out of the water IMO. 3.5 for me, but surprisingly dropping.

I liked the lyrics on this one, but I personally found the rest of the album quite underwhelming.

5.5/10

Glimpses of great songwriting talents on show but it seems John was very troubled during writing and making this album.

Yeahhh it was okay. ✨

Some religious critique. So I like it.

Meh. Lots of Lennon screaming. No bad songs but nothing to get excited about either.

Not my cupatea

Good but fine, prefer when he plays with the group

Some good tunes, some hard to get through.

So apparently he was doing primal therapy during this time so that explains the lyrics. I knew a few songs on this album but many were knew to me. I listened a second time and enjoyed it more. I liked "I Found Out", "Working Class Hero" and "Remember".

Hold On was my favorite. Didn’t know ringo Starr was drummer for this band that’s cool!

It's fine overall, Harissons solo record is better

A very intense album. Not as good as the subsequent "Imagine" in my opinion. For me, the best track on the album is "Working Class Hero".

I usually really enjoy listening to John Lennon songs, but this album fell quite flat and didn’t quite resonate with me. Despite the soulful touch to the lyrics, the music itself is boring and nothing too different.

Ok

Eh

Look, it's not bad. It's not the Beatles, but it takes some getting used to. Without the attrition and back and forth chipping away at the rocks of invention of the rest of the band, the outcome is different. Without the smoothing down Lennon's ideas until they're glistening and perfect like a greek marble, or a perfectly round pebble on the beach, you get the raw, unprocessed ore. It feels straight out of the ground. There are some real gems in here, a few lyrics that really hit. Unsurprisingly, some performances that really hit too. It's still John Lennon. But this record is most effecting when it deals with his relationship with his parents, and the least when he's singing "A working class hero is something to be". It just falls down in the chorus department. The lyrics are actually pretty solid, but they're hung on a clothes horse, not a model, and it doesn't land. I liked `Isolation` though, this is where the record picks up a bit. The song "God" on the other hand. My lord. That fucking hits. "The Dream is over Yesterday I was the Dreamweaver But now I'm reborn I was the walrus But now I'm John" I felt that in my soul. For John to have found such contentment with Yoko that he could write the song `Love`, and not think it was a bit much to have half the lyrics of a song be the word `love`, gives you a real sense of where he was at. It's a vulnerable record because it's casting off the play acting, the deliberate facades, masques, skits and bits. He was the walrus, now he's John. The dreamweaver coming down from the trip of a lifetime. Now he just wants to love his partner, and be a real boy. Oh and deal with his parental abandonment issues. You know what, good on him.

it was good there were a few good songs

A working class hero is something to be

Not bad .. but not great either

oh john

A cathartic album for Lennon, but proof that he and McCartney worked best off other people.

The lyrics of "Working Class Hero" still get cited today. The rest of the album is just what you expect the Beatles without most of the Beatles to sound like. Was Lennon's solo stuff really that important musically, or just historically, as an avenue of expression for his activism? I think these albums were still worth including on the list for the general cultural and social impact they had at the time, but not necessarily for the music itself.

i dont like the screaming

Entretenido Tiene letras donde no dudó en contar algo personal, como Mother Otras muy rapiditas pero con experimentación de ritmos Se disfrutó 3.5

This is admirably personal. John Lennon could do whatever he wanted, and he gets big points for wading into strange territory. The best material here is powerful as a result. That same attitude turns out to be what tethers this to the ground — some things (Well Well Well, God) don't do it for me, which makes for a labored and uneven overall experience. So it merits a higher rating when serving up the material that works because of the experimental personality of the artist, but as a whole, it doesn't quite take me higher.

Enjoyed this one. Nothing jumped out at me. I feel good about listening to some Proper Music.

I own a couple of John Lennon albums. I’ve always liked his solo work more than the other Beatles. He genuinely has some great songs post Beatles - Instant Karma, Whatever Gets You Thru the Night, Watching the Wheels, Just like Starting Over, Mind Games, Cold Turkey. I don’t own this one and wouldn’t go out and buy it, but there are some good songs on here. Nothing that pushes me to either side of a 3, so middle of the road it is.

The rock music is clean and edgy and the lyrics are thought provoking. Lennon’s tone and associated emotion is entertaining throughout the album and this was a good choice for the list.

If I wanted a rich guy screaming at me about his life, I’d watch Elon at a DOGE Press Conference. This is pompous, petulant and self-important in the least interesting ways, with minimalistic musicality that leaves a lot to be desired. Lennon can certainly write a song but seems to have lost the interest or ability to write for anyone other than himself. Time has proven that he was best served as a member of a group, where his ideas could be edited, molded and held in check. His solo material digresses far too quickly into psych-political babble.

This is a good-sounding album that just doesn't stick out to me

That's not my taste in music - But ok

Not as great as I would think. Some good songs I have heard before and decent production. Good thing there's no Yoko singing.

Didn’t like when he sang about his parents, didn’t like when he sang about himself or Yoko. But “I seen religion from Jesus to Paul” is a pretty good line. And “Working Class Hero” gets me. It’s a simple concept done well, the sort where once you hear it you wonder how it wasn’t done before. He’s probably at his weakest when he’s trying to have normal people feelings, and at his best when he’s feeling bitter about society. Which, for a poor kid with a rough childhood who suddenly became one of the most famous people in the world, makes sense. Like, he sounds whiny and juvenile in parts, but he was only 30 when he made this.

The first listen didn't do much for me, but this struck me on the second. Some songs sound like lesser Beatles tracks; I prefer the ones that feel more heavy and strange. The last few songs are my favorites. Overall this gave me a new appreciation for John Lennon, who I'm mostly neutral on. A solid 3.5, which I'll keep at a 3.

Day754 - the emo beatle sings his sad songs

doesnt have the same pop feel that the music is "for everyone", feels like this is trying to make a deeper connection with a smaller subset of people that im not sure im one of. its all good music and i wouldnt complain going back to it but the most of the lyrics just dont really resonate with me. a little bit too much screaming on some songs maybe 2.5

i hate this stupid racist man, but i guess he had a few good songs. not a fan of yoko.

Some great songs but sweet tap dancing Jesus is he ever pretentious and smug

I found out, hold on, remember and well well well were my preferred tracks

John Lennon pulls back the curtain to show us how he really feels. He doesn't believe in Beatles, the dream is over. This is an anti-Beatles record; gone are the studio wizardry and ornate arrangements, gone are the absurdist humour, obtuse imagery and universal themes. He tears down the facades of "Beatle John" a.k.a. The Walrus to reveal "just John". This is personal, honest, and unvarnished, both lyrically and musically. Unfortunately, the way Lennon really feels is angry and hurt. We get much more a sense of who Lennon is than the dreamy abstractions of late-era Beatles, but that person is sometimes hard to like. He is often arrogant, self-centered and full of grudges and festering wounds. The softer moments (for example 'Love' or 'Look at Me') are simplistic and banal, revealing Lennon's emotional immaturity. Life really did a number on Lennon; his British working-class upbringing, the death of his mother followed by unprecedented fame as a young man meant he didn't really have the opportunities to develop much emotional accountability. Good on him for giving it a go -- that's brave -- but I'm not sure I really want to listen to it for pleasure. I still believe in Beatles, even if John doesn't.

++: Hold On, I Found Out, Isolation, Love, Well Well Well, Look at Me +: Remember +-: Working Class Hero, God, My Mummy's Dead -: Mother 7,0/10

I think this album is a perfect reflection of the artist John Lennon was at the dissolution of the Beatles, and is an accomplishment in that way. And I think a lot of it is very good, it's just not very enjoyable to listen to, relative to his work with the Beatles.

This wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. Doesn’t mean it was good either, but I did make it through the album without ever wanting to turn it off. So that’s at least a 2.5 / 5

I don't think it is one of his best but there were a couple of good songs.

eh, didn't do much for me. lot of famous songs.

Lennon's first solo album, a stripped back three piece band with Ringo and Klaus Voormann. In school I remember we loved Working Class Hero because of the swearing. A very good album, full of self-examination. Lennon's first solo album, a stripped back three piece band with Ringo and Klaus Voormann. In school I remember we loved Working Class Hero because of the swearing. A very good album, full of self-examination.

Not a fan. Why is he screaming.

Pretty strong, but it didn’t grab me grab me. John has typically been my least favorite solo Beatle.

I was between a 3 and a 4 on this. I think some of it is pretty good and some of it isn’t. I legit don’t think John was very good without Paul. I did listen to album a LOT back when I was taking an Elvis Presley course in college. The professor had a whole thing about the “I don’t believe in Elvis” line and how he thought Elvis responded in his next album. So, I bullshitted a 30 page paper about it and got an A.

I find John’s solo work to be very hit or miss. I love the Beatles and I have a great respect for John, but I really do feel the influence of Yoko altered his musical senses quite a bit.

I wanted to give this four stars but couldn’t quite justify it. It’s dark and introspective in places, with a tormented bookend. Still, one of the better post Beatles releases

It is fine. I liked Working Class Hero, and Mother was alright but annoying on the second listen. Fairly coherent, but no mega hits. Which is fine, if a good album. It's no Beatles, though.

I had never heard this album nor any of the songs on it. I’ve always like John’s voice and it is strong on this album. This sounds like a very personal album. It addresses relationships (mostly he and Yoko) and his outlook, it seems. It wasn’t too exciting. Not sure how anyone could consider this his best work. I also gave the companion album by Yoko a listen. WTH were the noises coming from her?? Good lord that album is horrible.

This needs a second listen. Some songs are smooth and emotional some are all over the place but you can tell he thinks a lot about his lyrics.

5/10

Was John Lennon super talented? Absolutely. Was he the musical genius the world made him out to be? Debatable. He had a point of view, for sure… but the music itself didn’t reflect that… and this album is a byproduct of that. I was (and still am) more of a Paul guy anyway.

I don't think I know enough about John to really appreciate the album to its fullest, though some of these songs manage to be absolutely poignant regardless (Mother and God come to mind). I'd say I loved about half of it; the other half either underwhelms or eludes me. Standouts: Mother • Hold On • Love • Well Well Well • God

Honestly, not great. I just don’t get John Lennon. Boring musically and whiny lyrically.

Pleasant, but not his best.

better than anticipated

This album is like the moments after a guy sent his crush a love letter. He immediately thinks of other things he should have written, he thinks of things that he regrets including in the letter, and he wonders if his last girlfriend might have been better suited to him. Doesn’t matter now though. The letter is in the postbox, and he can’t get it back.

Lennon is my least favorite Beatle, and I was expecting something way more pretentious. The album was better than I had anticipated, and i can appreciate that he was being so honest and personal with this one.

Needs another listen. 3.5/5

Really painful . Glad to have heard it but ouch.

There's a few powerful (and well known) tracks here, but it really feels like this is mostly John working out his pain over his trauma growing up and the (very) recent breakup of the Beatles and everything he was going through at that time. I've never listened to it as an album before and don't know if I will again, it's not really an enjoyable listen and a lot of it feels somewhat half-baked, parts more like a letter to his fans set to music, parts like him fucking around, exploring letting out sadness and anger. But as someone who loves that band and a lot of John's solo stuff too I'm glad I've heard it. Needs more Yoko.

He's really working through some stuff on this one. Felt quite angsty but not in a way that spoke to me. He quite often used repetition but it didn't serve to advance the song. Hold on John is captivating and I like the punch at the end of God, brought it up to low 3

Didn't listen

2.5

Not his best at all.

Not bad, but not the best John Lennon album.

Really liked the first half/two thirds. Last few songs went a bit off the rails haha

I love the drum sound.

This is John Lennon’s debut solo album after the break up of The Beatles. It’s mainly performed in a three piece band format, featuring Lennon on guitar and vocals, Ringo Starr on drums, and Klaus Voormann on bass who, also interestingly drew the cover art for Revolver. Some songs features Phil Spector on piano, who also co produced the albums alongside John and Yoko. The album is raw, stark, and brutally honest. The production perfectly captures the emotional weight of the songs. It’s unreal how much emotion Lennon conveys with just his voice and stripped back instrumentation. This might be one of the most emotionally vulnerable albums ever made by an A list artist. It didn't necessarily hit me right away, its the kind of album that I needed to sit with and revisit a few times to really understand it, at least thats what happened to me. Musically it’s simple but it makes sense. No distractions or gloss, very raw. Overall I'd say I enjoyed this album, I already knew of Working Class Hero (RIP Ozzy), however I also enjoyed Mother, Hold On, I Found Out, Isolation, Love, Well Well Well, Look At Me, God.

𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘯/𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘖𝘯𝘰 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘥 is often described as one of the rawest solo albums ever made by a former Beatle — but its radicalism lies more in its emotional honesty than in musical experimentation. Given Yoko Ono’s avant-garde influence, one might expect something wilder or more abstract, yet Lennon instead strips everything down to voice, piano, bass, and drums. It’s a confessional record where pain, anger, and healing replace melody and charm. Powerful in intent, but not always easy — or entirely engaging — to listen to.

Meh, not for me. Very minimalistic and not reall one of john lenons best works imo

Pas mal. Du John Lennon comme on peut l'imaginer

Chock full of emotions, this is quite the heavy listening material

Better than expected. Isolation kinda slaps

I was surprised at how many songs I knew on this. It was tending towards good for me but just very pretentious for my tastes.

A little boring at times but I still liked it. Cute album art too

will i ever go back to this album? unlikely. i dont know what draws me back to an album, but whatever it is, it is absent here. must stress, its not bad

....

There were some good songs and some boring songs.

20/1001 First listen. I guess I expect something better from a former Beatle. Most of these sound like demos. Lots of screaming and Cookie Monster?

Not my vibe, but liked the emotion and the simplicity. Well well well is the standout track I'll be keeping on the playlist

All over the place. 3.

I read a review that John Lennon albums leave an impression, but probably more on him than on us. It sounds like he’s working out a lot of family and Beatles issues (as a result of his unfinished primal scream therapy) but for me a lot of rockier songs sound like the type of classic rock that’s a bit boring to me. Some of the slower songs I like, like Working Class Hero and Love. I also like Isolation, how it mostly sounds like a Randy Newman song but the middle is filled with shouts of anger and desperation. Apparently you can tell this album cover apart from Yoko Ono’s album of the same name because he’s leaning on her in this one but she’s leaning on him on her album cover.

A few great songs on here , but the rest is pretty pretentious.

3/5

Not much of a Beatles fan and this didn't help their case. "Well Well Well" should have ended this mans career that song sucked. "My Mummy's Dead" was haunting and gives me a dread for when that song will apply to myself. Isolation was amazing, heavy and beautiful. Absolute highlight for me.

Happiest. Record. Ever. 3.35

It's patchy but 'Hold On' and a few others are good. In very different ways 'Working Class Hero' and "Love' are wonderful. At times he sounds a bit annoying on this album though, can't explain why, self indulgent maybe.