Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Hard to explain - maybe it’s just not been Remastered well - but the recording quality of this album pales in comparison to Band On The Run, All Things Must Pass, and even Imagine… I also wasn’t a huge fan of some of the singing. At times John is barely audible, other times he is shouting in your ears. Mother is BEAUTIFUL and tragic; I’ve always loved that song. Here, the screaming at the end is really powerful, exorcising grief of the past I feel. Hold On and Working Class Hero are also strong. However, quality is inconsistent, and I can’t get over some of the lacking recording quality and unusual vocals.
A good album and some powerful commentary on the state of the world, but ultimately not as good as some of the other post-Beatles albums like Imagine, Band On The Run, and All Things Must Pass. I love Hold On, though. Lovely song.
peychosexually fascinating
Streit
Good album! The scream is annoying Jhonny, sorry but we dont need that...
Lots of emotionally available stuff here. John's little outbursts in the middle of songs really throw me off. It's still the Beatles, though.
This was alright at best. I enjoyed a few songs (Working Class Hero, God), but most of these tracks are vanilla weirdness to me. On a couple of the songs it sounded like Dr Seuss wrote some of the rhymes. John Lennon has a lot of good stuff, but this ain’t it. A barely passable 3/5
In many ways, this is a much more interesting album than "Imagine", given all the angst and emotions Lennon poured out over the tracks (especially the near primal scream as "Mother" progresses). Much like "Imagine", this doesn't seem like a particularly noteworthy collection of songs, although I appreciated the darker tone to many of the songs (apparently thanks to his primal therapy regimen), especially "Working class hero" (probably the strongest of the lot lyrically) and "God" (a surprisingly sad disavowal of almost everything); I wanted to enjoy "Mother", especially since it starts off so strong, but then just gets weird. As I wrote with his other solo album, if I hadn't known that John Lennon was a former Beatles member, I'm not sure this album would even really register. And curious that we don't get Yoko Ono's "Plastic Ono Band" album, given that they shared the same release and album cover.
Not sure if art or a therapy session. Working Class Hero is an excellent song.
There are great songs on here and some unremarkable songs.
Good album but not his best..
He worked better in groups
After the break-up of The Beatles, John clearly had a bunch of things he needed to say, but without bandmates to sift out the weaker ideas, the result was an unfocussed set of rough draft songs. He'd go on to better things, but this... not great.
I loved these songs as a teenager and still it’s John Lennon and everything but as an adult I had surprisingly little sympathy for his relentless self pity and the navel gazing at his trauma. I know he was damaged goods and his childhood was fucked up, but Christ you were a beatle for ten years John, how bad can it fucking BE?
Mid
It was ok
Would not buy.
I think during his time in the Beatles, John wrote some of the most experimental and boundary pushing songs. However, once he left and start releasing solo albums, he just wrote generic blues rock, and I lose all interest in anything he does. This isn't a bad album, just a very predictable and boring one. I wonder what he thinks women's place in the world is? Mid 3.
I was bracing myself for Yoko Ono, but fortunately she was only mentioned by name. I thought this album was pretty good overall, but I didn't love it. I can see how influential it was, and the primal screaming is a wild direction for an artist as popular as Lennon to go in. But there is something that rubs me the wrong way about this album, I suspect it is the lyrics of John Lenon unrestrained by the other Beatles. I feel that "Mother" really encapsulates the best parts of this album. Overall, it's an interesting listen and certainly belongs on this list.
Kudos for what feels like more of an individual approach compared to the other Beatles solo projects but purely on enjoyment factor I didn't gel with this one anywhere near as much
Very stripped back sort of tracks for the most part. I found the majority to be mediocre aside from working class hero, which honestly stands head and shoulders above the rest of the tracks on the album. Might be that I find that song easiest to relate to as its focus is being angry about your class and not any other emotions. The previous sentence is not a reflection on my ability or lack thereof to regulate my emotions and will be disavowed as a bit if mentioned by any other members of this review group.
Was fine
Surprisingly incredibly pleasant, likely due to the lack of Ono screeching. I guess being in The Beatles makes you a good lyricist and musician, who knew?
This is apparently very honest and is a great achievement in songwriting. Pffffffffff. At least it’s not Imagine, though I imagine (haha) that it’s also included in the list, so I’ve got that to look forward to. I actually own an Imagine 7” single, and the B-side is Working Class Hero, featured here. And it’s fucking brilliant. In contrast to Lennon’s largest post-Beatles song being a compendium of ‘what if?’s and being forever tainted by the infamous Covid-era video of spliced-together celebrities preaching togetherness whilst huddled in their oh-so-oppressive Beverly Hills mansions... Working Class Hero feels (almost) genuine, and if anything else it’s a great piece of songwriting. As for most everything else here, Mother is supposedly one of Lennon’s best ever songs, but despite the subject matter it seems overly eccentric and hardly thought out. Some songs are dirtily rocking - see I Found Out and Well Well Well; some songs are little ditsy numbers - aww, isn’t that nice - see Hold On and My Mummy’s Dead (just in case you didn’t get it from the first track) and some songs are a serious product of their time - see Look at Me and Phil Spector on piano in Love. In all, I knew I wouldn’t really like this, and it turns out I don’t. Apart from Working Class Hero and I suppose some of the more intense sections, this just seems like an album that hardcore Beatles fans forced themselves to like, despite the overall ‘The Beatles aren’t coming back’ message. I’m aware I’m completely wrong on that last point, that’s just what it feels like to me. I guess I’m glad I listened to this, because now I know what it’s truly like. Perks of the list.
If this exact album were played and sung exactly the same by anyone else with a different name, it wouldn’t be on this list or any of these other top lists. It’s not bad. But the only thing important about it is that it’s John Lennon.
A few good tracks. Some serious snoozers too though. Maybe the best of Lennon's solo work, which really isn't saying much. It's a lot of middle of the road.
Beautiful
Ringo's drums sound great on I Found Out.
some good tracks but i guess i'll never listen to that album again
The best part of the album was getting to hear John Lennon aggressively growl "COOKIE" in the middle of one of the songs. Anyways, it's pretty good. There are a handful of songs that make me think that I was doing more thinking than Lennon was when he wrote this album by thinking about that, but there were some great songs in there, too. I actually did enjoy the album. It feels a lot more personal than anything the Beatles could've made and it's pretty nice listen, albeit a pretty nice listen that's occasionally un-niced by John Lennon listing off things he doesn't believe in or out-of-place screaming, but mostly nice nonetheless. I don't have much nice to say about it that I can actually put into words, mostly because the bad of this album is pretty funny, but I swear it's good.
Mother - 3/5 Hold On - 5/5 I Found Out - 3/5 Working Class Hero - 3/5 Isolation - 4/5 Remember - 3/5 Love - 4/5 Well Well Well - 3/5 Look at Me - 3/5 God - 5/5 My Mummy's Dead - 2/5 Average score: 3.5/5 (rounding down) he really took some wailing/screaming inspo from Yoko i see
Working class hero was a great song. The rest sounds like a collection of the least memorable Beatles songs. 3 stars, but only just.
Honestly it’s ok, a couple songs I really like such as hold on but overall not as good as imagine in my opinion and a step down in the songwriting shown in the Beatles, unfortunately I think this was the case of get all the material out that I couldn’t use for the Beatles. It’s not a bad album just underwhelming
While there are certainly a couple of hits on this album, the rest was surprisingly tepid for me. I like alot of Lennon's solo stuff, so this was kind of a surprise, though I think Harrison and McCartney had better solo careers.
Since the Beatles went from teeny bopper love songs to hokey novelty songs about Polythene Pam and Mean Mr Mustard they never had much scope to explore more mature themes, so their first wave of solo albums saw an explosion of more personal reflexive confessional material. It's a great album about a guy looking to find his peace and realizing he can't because of his mum, religion, childhood, class and career and that he has a lot of shit to work out. The best part is his voice: raw, broken up, hoarse screams that really push the raw, broken, emotive content of the songs to a higher level. I loved this album as an annoying teenage atheist but am less into it as a slightly less annoying adult atheist.
Previously rated: Imagine (3/5) ******************** Some deeply personal stuff here from Lennon. I didn't really connect with it that much. His vocals here really lack something without Paul and George's harmony, and I didn't care for his phlegmy screaming. I thought he said "I don't believe in cinnamon" on the song God, but he actually said Zimmerman, which probably made sense at the time, but 55 years later, I have no idea who he's talking about. Did someone say "cookie" during Hold On?
i liked some of the songs on it a lot, but it felt jarring in a boring way at points
John Lennon is a fantastic song writer. His solo work is a mized bag for me.
His music is cool, but that screaming gets to a point where it sounds like he's forcing himself to do it and it's just cringing me out, chill out, a normal coherent scream will get the job done
Not his best album. A few good songs that are famous but bland album overall.
I hadn't bothered to listen to this, not being such a fan of John Lennon's solo work. It was okay, but didn't really convert me. Favourite thing about it was probably Ringo's drumming
Listening at 10pm on a Thursday night, the last Night of June. Going for my nightly walk with music. Unfortunately the album wasn't as good as I hoped, the overall sound is tho.
So, I'm really not a fan of John Lennon. At all. But this was somehow almost decent? Pretentious, yes. But a lot of things I like are. (Let's not question too much what that says about me...)
Mother, Hold On, Worning Class Hero, Isolation and Love are good songs on an album that perhaps could have been a little shorter - there are too many sub-par songs on here
Will listen again
“God” probably rocked people’s worlds in 1970 but today it just sounds like an annoying social media post. Second Lennon solo album I’ve gotten and again it doesn’t hit the way Beatles albums do.
not bad
This is #day343 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how about a post-primal therapy album from John Lennon (though he still screams on a couple of tracks, and I swear I'm hearing Cobain in those screams, particularly In Utero era) that also happens to be his solo debut? I wasn't familiar with this one. The only Lennon solo record I know through and through is Imagine, and I'm looking forward to revisiting when its turn comes on the list. At first, I expected some weird psychedelic noise, but as soon as "Mother" kicked in, I knew this was something different. It's a fine rock/avant-pop album: very introspective... fine, but not great. The highlights are "Mother" and "God." This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day344.
didn't mind it, preferred imagine but i liked the song hold on
The album felt kind of chaotic and I just feel like I am not a huge John Lennon fan...
Good stuff
Didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would.
3-bordering-4-stars. Big fan of the visceral, primal bits.
Alright
I appreciated the rawness of this album, like how the first track unravels into something primal and guttural. I’d even go as far as to say I found it more interesting than many Beatles albums, if only by nature of it sounding less polished and being fresh to my ears. Still, “interesting” doesn’t mean “enjoyment,” and I didn’t find myself particularly moved by this album. I’m back in a 3-stars rut, it seems. I think the blame lies more with me than the music. Favorite: Working Class Hero Worst: Well Well Well
Some great tracks, I didn't need Mother today though, thanks John. No Ono screams helps too.
Alleinstehend für sich ein gutes album. Hat durchaus seine Höhepunkte wie workingclass hero und ander langsamere Lieder, die schnelleren fallen für mich meistens flach. Man merkt wer bei den Beatles die Texte geschrieben hat und wer sich um die musik gekümmert hat. Texte sind meistens sehr gut aber musik doch eher durchschnittlich. Fällt am ende leider etwas ab. Gute 3/5 mit Tendenz zu 4
I like John Lennon and much of his solo work so I figured this would be a good listen though I was hesitant because it has Yoko’s name on it. An overall pleasant album but a little too soft for my taste. Hold On, Working Class Hero, and Well Well Well are the standouts for me.
Like a Beatles album in all but name. Unsurprisingly it feels like a Beatles record at its core - certainly in the melodic sense - but it’s more like the skeleton of one, exposed and stripped of harmony and polish. If the Beatles had continued and allowed Lennon to fully explore this side of himself within the band, this might've been a Beatles album in spirit. But it's more introspective, more personal, more radical than the Beatles would ever have been. It has a raw directness. It's hard to believe that Lennon was only 30 when he recorded this and had the Beatles' career behind him. It probably contributes to the sense of world-weariness here. It's almost like he’s a man decades older. Extraordinary really.
very raw
The screaming was screamy. He got primal on it. He was working through some stuff. So it's intriguing to consider that he was one of the first artists publicly "working through stuff." I enjoyed but--per usual--not blown away.
perus john lennon
Lyrics are deep and make it a memorable album, which is very well produced and mixed. However it is not for everybody, with a cacophony and mix of soft and calm songs to the screams and agony of a few others.
Working Class Hero is a standout, not a bad album.
Fine, but does it do anything different to any other music from this time period?
Some amazing songs on here and some self-indulgent stuff as well. Overall a good album once you know your place as a listener.
Working Class Hero gets a 5, rest is just okay.
I don't care for John Lennon much at all outside his work with the Beatles so I'm incredibly biased. But I will admit there is an artistry to this album. I don't plan on returning to it frequently but it's decent. He obviously was in his artsy period of working things out so I definitely think he did so in a good way. He also pays alot of homage to rock n' roll which is pretty sick. But overall not really for me tbh. Not bad but not a favorite either.
I do want to hear John's therapy sessions, even though it's unfortunate he plagued his album title and songs with Ono's mention. *vomiting emoji* John is making a case here for what I believe is the entirety of the issues of mankind: mommy or daddy issues or some kind of childhood trauma. It all comes down to childhood and your parents. Everything. Functioning adults and relatively normal are the ones who do not carry childhood scars open and unhealed. Isn't it funny how John cries out "mama don't go, daddy come home" and he did the exact same with his son Julian- he repeated his father's pattern. In today's broken society the wound is worn like a prize, the consequences of the wound are being not only accepted, but also applauded and cheered. People are not trying to be better and heal. We need to heal. Favorite tracks: Mother Hold On 3/5
I actually like his wail-y parts the best. This entire album would have been incredible as a punk album, all with the Well Well Well sound. Honestly I found the album overall to be moderately enjoyable, a lot of it smacked so heavily of Beatles sounds that I'm not going to judge Lennon on it. Ringo's drumming style just didn't really change much between Beatles and Lennon stuff. Sure, people call it "minimalist", "pared-down". Just another way of saying indistinguishable from Beatles music outside of Lennon's screaming. My Mummy's Dead would make a sick intro to a hardcore song. Just saying. Faves: I Found Out, Well Well Well
its fine. nothing special. funny enough, well well well, almost sounds like it could be the black keys for some reason. thats fun
Well well well was exactly track I needed. Its not my favourite Lennon album and it's not a patch on the best Beatles, but it's still got a lot of value.
One of the better John Lennon solo albums
'Working Class Hero' deserves all the praise it gets but aside from I'm afraid I detect a strong aroma self-indulgence
Can't say it was the Ono Band's fault but I thought this album was a bit flat and uninspired.
Okay, so this is where we are at. John Lennon, angry man, is recording his primal scream therapy sessions, and allowing the listener to hear them as a nice treat. Pfft! Mother starts off reasonably well, then descends into a howling tantrum that would get a toddler banished to the naughty step. And this appears to be the general theme of the album. A track starts off vaguely, gets a bit good, then ends in a howling tantrum. Good one, John. Glad you feel a bit better. However, I don’t need your trauma. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve listened to. It’s pretentious and self-indulgent and I will never deliberately listen to this again.
Lighten up, John.
Not a classic for me.
Good but didn't love. Sometimes think John tries to be too deep.
Honestly not a bad album. Has some really strong songs, but also some really meh ones. Also yoko ono is an untalented idiot and I know she's not even on the album, but I just really dont like her. But really good.
Strangely enough, this one was already on my list. Pretty good listen
2.5ish?
3.5 I think, being honest, this project has made me enjoy John Lennon’s solo (duo with Yoko) work more than I have before. It still doesn’t hit with me the way Paul’s solo stuff does, but ultimately, he’s still a Beatle, still part of Lennon/McCartney, one of the greatest song writing duos of all time. What’s missing for me in Lennon’s solo discography, that’s still abundant in Paul’s, is the fun. Beatles songs are fun. Paul’s music is fun. John’s is not. It’s deadly serious. You can feel how serious he’s taking it all. Even when he does what should be a fun blues-y song, it’s super intense. Paul does that kinda pastiche too but he’s aware it’s kinda silly for a white British guy to be doing that so he also goes a goofy little voice. John’s music is great, I guess I’m just begging him to do a silly one every once in a while
I didn't expect to like this but it was pretty good.
Not the Beatles… but less is still good when it comes from John Lennon.
Mother - no. I see what they were going for. but no. Working Class Hero - i like the song, but i can't take it seriously coming from john lennon.
don’t believe the hype
Nice collection of songs. Doesn't capture me like a Beatles album would but interesting to get some unfiltered Lennon.
My first listen was a bit meh, but i decided to give this a second listen before reviewing and it grew on me the second listen. The songs are very raw as without Paul there to smooth some of Lennons edges, his music was always more direct and hard sounding. Still don't like Well Well Well.
I gotta say, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was a shockingly pretty good album. I always do find the sounds of the solo albums from the members of The Beatles to be pretty interesting in terms of how much they differ from their albums together as The Beatles. In this case, this album definitely feels way more relaxing than most of The Beatles albums did but this album still did have its much harder tracks. I still am surprised at how good this album is as a lot of these songs are handled rather well and had fun melodies to boot like Remember which i think may have inspired ELO's Mr. Blue Sky. I still liked this album quite a bit and i do prefer it over most Beatles albums. Best Song: Mother Worst Song: Isolation
Never record your therapy sessions.
o no! o yes?
3,5
This was ok. Nothing much to say about this. 3/5
3.5
Working Class Hero is great (though I prefer covers to the original), the rest is mid
Earthy and rebellious.
3.5
Not great. John Lennon sure was angry in 1970.
Album started off okay, until the last few tracks which made me not “believe in” Lennon.
This is a totally acceptable album, there are a couple strange soundbites mixed into a few tracks, it was definitely an experimental phase for Lennon.
some good songs
Look, I know the Beatles are like your special little guys or whatever but this is just fine.
Tiene un par muy buenas pero en general me dio algo de flojera. Amo a Lennon, pero este disco se me hace de los menos afortunados de la era post Beatles.
El primer álbum en solitario de Lennon, en el que vuelca todas sus preocupaciones más íntimas como si de una sesión de terapia se tratara. La música es sencilla, con los tres instrumentos básicos del rock (guitarra, bajo y batería), algún piano esporádico y una producción mínima: una especie de mezcla entre el wall of sound de Phil Spector y una grabación indie de dormitorio. Por su parte, las letras, aunque también simples, son lo más interesante del álbum. De carácter confesional, Lennon habla abiertamente de sus traumas, sin filtros. Hay canciones sobre su infancia, sus padres, el amor, pero también otras de corte revolucionario o existencial. Es también el disco en el que Lennon rompe definitivamente con su pasado. Un álbum que, aunque musicalmente se me haya hecho un poco aburrido, merece mucho la pena por sus letras y por el contexto histórico que representa.
not too bad, some good actual songs
Whoa, intense. Working Class Hero is perfect.
I think John just wanted to get away from the 'pop' of the Beatles and kind of free flowed his muse....
Love the Beatles - respect them all. For John's first lie Paul's, there is a lot of 'new" ideas that could have also been Beatles songs.
John Lennon soolotuotanto on aina ollu musta vähän tylsää Beatlesiin verrattuna. Ehkä vanhempana ymmärrän paremmin. 3/5
A lot more raw and real then what I remember, probably the most "punk" you are going to get from a Beatle. 7/10
09/04/2025 I have no thoughts or feelings towards this.
Good album. The emotion is obviously the focal point. Songs are ok but nowhere near Beatles calibre or Paul or George’s solo stuff from that era.
Some really good songs mixed with some really meh tracks
enjoyable but no great highlights. Context of the album helps to appreciate.
The Beatles are dead, long live John Lennon - this album opens with a death knell for what was, before setting out his vision of what should be. It's not a happy album, the thick/dark production (piano, scratchy guitars and rasping drums dominate to great effect) matching the morose lyrics. Favourite tracks: I Found Out, Working Class Hero, Isolation, Love, Well Well Well, God
Working Class Hero is a classic and Lennon’s best song. The rest I could live without even though God is interesting.
Solid album that I think I'll have to listen through again to gain a full appreciation. 3.5 stars for now
John’s working some stuff out on this one, broh. Not bad for an album that is basically a recorded therapy session. Extra half-star for the “cookie” non-sequitur in the middle of “Hold On”. A cameo from a then-unknown Cookie Monster from Sesame Street?
Nothing special but a decent listen.
Based on the limited exposure I've had to John Lennon's solo career (yuck) and Yoko Ono's music (huge barf), I thought I would hate this album. Turns out, Yoko doesn't show up on this (to the best of my knowledge) and the name is just something weird they did where they both released an album with the same name. In any case, it's all for the best that this is solely a Lennon album. After listening, I can say I quite enjoyed about half of it, and the other half wasn't bad, it just wasn't anything special. I'm not sure how this album was so critically acclaimed. It seems that people highly rated it more based on the artist than on the music itself. Or, it could just be that the album didn't age super well. All in all, it's a fine listen and I totally get why it's on this list. I might re-listen to it, and I'll definitely revisit a couple of my favorites from it, but that's about it.
1. Isolation 2. Mother 3. Remember 4. Well Well Well 5. Hold On 6. I Found Out 7. Look At Me 8. Working Class Hero 9. God 10. Love 11. My Mummy's Dead
-this was cool, much more interesting than Imagine I feel… imagine being a Beatlemaniac in 1970 hearing John Lennon writing diss tracks and saying fuck and cock in his songs -I liked the variety. and the screaming. distinct from the Beatles but still has the familiar sound. rip John Lennon -Favorites are Hold On, I Found Out, and God
Felt like a lot to unpack with this one. I think it got better as it went on but also felt like I was fully appreciating what he was saying, or the context of it being his first solo album
Fine.
Mother and Working Class Hero are the standouts to me. I found most of the rest to be a bit half baked. I've never liked his tendency to revert to a sweaty old blues riff and call a track done. Well Well Well was the worst offender in the regard
Maybe I'm being inconsiderate but this album gives me shades of tourettes. Like its all soft and thought provoking through Love but Well Well Well comes in and Johns voice is trying to leap out his body. I think this album is a case of saying yes to everything and not giving a critical eye to your work.
Fine? I guess with all the hype about John Lennon being the best songwriter of the Beatles I expected more? But he sure can ruin a good song by screaming! So good for him. “Working Class Hero” is a good one though
7/10 Fave track: working class hero
This album feels a bit neutered. Like, you left The Beatles and this was your first release? I didn’t dislike it, it just felt underwhelming (also, I need a thesaurus as I feel I use the world underwhelming a lot within these reviews).
Much like Paul McCartney & Wings' Band on the Run album, this one is just bland. From my Wings review: "It always felt like it was going to go hard and be big and grandiose only to just slink back into the corner and softly play music hoping you'd like it. Everything felt timid and unassuming and that was frustrating to listen to."
His music is a bit arrogant. Well done and written though.
Comparing to the other John Lennon album we've had on this list, Imagine, I thought this wasn't as good. While the general level is a bout the same I think none of the tracks come close to "Jealous Guy" or "Gimme Some Truth" (though "Mother" gets close). It's a decent album, good even. Just shy a a 4 star for me. Maybe I hold the members of the Beatles to a higher standard than other artist on this list.
Quite good.
Although I like most of John Lennon's music, I do not like this album. Feels angry to me.
People say this is his best solo album but we're not as convinced. Although this album is good, it's lacking in standout tracks.
Nice tones, surprisingly more enjoyable than expected with John’s calm voice. Good variety, but not something I’d listen to again. Thankfully Ono didn’t ‘sing’ on this keeping the score a respectable 6/10.
Some nice guitar tunes but nothing that resonated with me.
This album was pretty good. I had never listened to the whole thing in its entirety before but I liked it. The whole mommy issue thing was a little weird but I guess he had some stuff to work through.
A foray into post-Beatlemania. Is this LennonMania? The same cursed affliction that has resigned a poor Terry Bolea to walk the world as “Hulk Hogan” for oh so many years. Lo, may the teams of doctors enlisted be guided upon the wings of grace in their pursuit of containing the largest arms in the world. MOTHER! TELL YOUR CHILDREN… no? Ah. Spooky. But not Danzig spooky. This is a nice song. That opening strain is just so melancholy. It stays with that emotion until the repetitive nonsense we get near the end. Too much for me. I like the violent screams, but that refrain is repeated far too often. Another one I’ve heard. Amazing how ubiquitous the music of the 4 people is, even today. This was 55 years ago and their height was 65. How long will it last? Solid feature from another cultural icon, Cookie Monster. Glad to hear he’s got clean since the 70’s. A whirlwind for all of us. This is a cool beat but the repetition and We need it now more than ever. Cheesy as that may be, a song that speaks to a lot of truths. We all see it, it’s all discussed, yet nothing changes. You’ll get to be on the hill someday! Just work a little harder. And harder still after that. Oh. You ran out of time? Tough luck. Thanks for the hard work. Great song. Pretty simple ballad. Nice in the ears as most Lennon written songs are, however the lyrics are a touch rote on this bad boy. Just a boy and a little girl (barf) tryin’ to change the whole wide world (wretch). Uhhh. You’re losing me here John. I actually played piano on this one. I had to come into the studio where all of my fingers were broken in a freak kite flying accident. I told ol John boy (as he liked to be called) and he said “that’s fine mate, just smash that one key with the finger that works.” And I said “you will be assassinated on December 8th, 1980.” He was taken aback, but like the tru pro he was, hopped right in the “stu” and I bashed the living shit out of that key for 4 straight minutes. And THEN I said, “Imagine there were no kite accidents, then we could’ve had a decent song here.” We lost touch after that. He went his way, and I became a professional boogie board roadie/unprofessional music review guy. Don’t do this to me John. This is so dull. This song is needing to be done. Alright. Some distortion. And a great thing to say if you have your thumbs in your suspenders. WELL WELL WELL. OR if your are the quintessential studmuffin Joel Gertner. Solid track. He loves the freakout closes doesn’t he? Pretty sick. Particulate in the breeze. Only real Kansas heads will get that. That’s not true. It’s their most popular song. Similar to it to be fair. A fine song. He doesn’t believe in hitler? Errrrrrmmmm I didn’t have Holocaust denier John Lennon on my 1970 bingo card???? That’s my impression of a millennial with an expansive funko pop collection who was transported back to 1970. The message to focus on your own life rather than some societal force outside of yourself is good, but otherwise, we have ourselves a normal ballad here. Finally. The Delmore Brothers. PLAY FUGITIVE’S LAMENT. Oh. He’s just saying his Mum is dead. Well. If it makes you feel any better, based on her birth year, she most assuredly would’ve been dead by now regardless. Big rip to J dawg’s Ma. Pour some beetle shell grinds on the curb. This was interesting. I see a couple things here. Firstly, and more superficially, I see a guy who desperately wants to be take seriously and to be seen as an artist. Secondly, I see a person who has a lot on their mind and a need to express it. I think the second point is what guides this album through its track listing which is the way to make music interesting. From the soft moments to the screeches, this thing ranges from humdrum to exhilarating. The songwriting also falls on a spectrum with some incredible moments interspersed with ho hum ballads and repetition beneath Lennon’s songwriting ability. I don’t hate this, I don’t love this, but it’s worth a listen. Lend me your ear old beatle man, and I’ll tell you, this is slightly above average. 3 HIGHLIGHTS: Hold On, Working Class Hero, Well Well Well
I don’t know. Some of this is so fucking trite (Love) and then the next track (Well Well Well) offers nothing lyrically, but hints at something else with the screamed vocals and intense music. It’s fine, at worst. John Lennon was a dick and self-important, but definitely had some talent.
Its pretty raw and personal. But im not a huge solo lennon music fan. Hold on was my favourite song and some songs really just came and went. (3.0/5.0)
Some enjoyable songs, some not. Some weird lyrics and creaming at time. But mostly fairly pleasant
One of the better solo efforts.
Not overly impressed. John has produced much better.
Can't believe that John Lennon did a cover of Green Day. This is vastly superior to McCartney's first solo output on the sole basis on having Ringo.
I cringed when I saw this pop up as the next record. Thankfully there was no yoko on here. Only references to her in lyrics. I don’t know anything about her just have seen some of her shrieky singing while watching reels. This was fine, nothing groundbreaking. Nice enough listen but didn’t “wow” me. Three average stars.
This album surprised me a good amount. I had never listened but the sound of the drums and bass were really enjoyable to me. Lots of fun stuff going on. This album was the biggest surprise of me so far on the list. Stand out track hold on.
There is some interesting stuff going on in this album, but much of what makes it interesting is the consistent sound and sonic callbacks to his work in The Beatles.
Tbh I went into this album ready to be a hater. I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to, especially the track “I Found Out”
I feel like this is going to be a case of trying to separate the legend and the overall influence from this actual singular work of art. Which is likely impossible in every circumstance, so how do you do it with John freaking Lennon? There are some excellent cuts on this - punctuated with the emotional and raw "Working Class Hero" but overall I don't know if I need to be present for his sensitive-then-primal scream therapy that seems to punctuate every other song? And I know John is held up as the "serious" Beatle (yes everything he did after as all of them is coloured by the Beatles - it has to be that way) but he really truly did better work when given better melodic structure from Paul. As someone who is primarily and heavily music > lyrics, this work admittedly does force you to focus more on the lyrics but lyrics alone aren't going to carry the water. Especially when I feel like I'm eavesdropping on his psych sessions. It's just not that interesting. Not fair for me to criticize more than compliment - I guess I can say I enjoy listening to this album but again ... it might be more the familiarity aspect of John's voice (those Beatles again) that is comforting in some ways. I can't blame him for being...him. Seems a fair 3 - I'll probably never crave it but can nod along when listening. Also it's nice to hear Ringo behind the kit. 5/10 3 stars
This album shattered my preconceived notions, as I had heard that John had gone all weird after meeting Yoko. Think back to the Simpsons episode The Be Sharps, where Barney was the John character and showed the band his new music which was him burping and the Yoko character saying number 8. This was a pleasant listen, until "Well Well Well", which injected a dose of punkish energy, which I personally applaud. Overall I would say this is good but over rated. Not really an album that you need to hear before you die.
Fuck you Yoko! Anything John ever did should have been a 5. But the damn fool had to name an album after that bitch and earn himself a 3, because the only memorable song on this is really "Working Class Hero"
3/5 - it was good in parts
Are these his best songs? No they’re not But there is an astonishing honesty and vulnerability to the lyrics that are even more breathtaking when you consider he was literally the most famous man in the world
This was much better than Imagine was - a lot more melodic and less depressing (musically anyway). Lost the plot a bit when he was screeching out 'Well' a lot but it's a mid rating, one higher than I gave Imagine.
I wasn't captivated by it, but it's solid. A little better than average but not anything super special, at least for me. I think "Love" and "God" was probably my favorite song on this album.
For a long time I've been loving Love, God, Working Class Hero, Mother. And really wanted this album to be a 5. But all other songs in this album are just a bunch of crazy weird shit and sound boring. Yoko's vocals is what these other songs are missing. 08.01.25 update: it's also fucking pretentious
Good record.
Not bad. Just kind of there.
sure was an album
its pretty decent
This was better than I thought it would be, as I'm usually not a fan of John's solo work, along with Yoko's "wind" credit. There's truly some great, stripped down songwriting here. Liked Songs Added: Working Class Hero
It wasn't bad...but it wasn't anything special. I guess I was expecting something more since it was the John Lennon, but I feel like it could have been a lot of people from this folk rock era.
I liked the lyrics but overall, this didn’t wow me as much as I was hoping for.
The influence of this album cannot be overstated. The song titled 'God' received a shout-out from the title character of the 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".
changes from heartfelt and personal to exceedingly abrasive on a dime
Phew - no Yoko.
скука
This is an album I never heard, I suppose because it never was commercially successful. Sounds like classic John Lennon with a very basic sound.
Interesting to hear, although I want my time back from the almost 6 minutes of Well Well Well. But all in all album was a melange of interesting points made with emotion that touched me. I might have been overly gracious in my rating due to my delight in join hearing John Lennon again. Felt like hearing from a loved one who had passed.
"songs heavily influenced by Lennon's recent primal scream therapy"? Uh-oh, thinks I. But in fact, this just sounds, um, a lot like the Beatles (with a little bit of screaming at points, but it is 60s screaming, if that makes sense). Highlights: 'Hold On', 'Love' Lowlights: 'I Found Out' (it's giving Rocky Raccoon), 'Well Well Well'
Meh. I said last time that John needed Paul more than Paul needed John. This album is a boring clunker. Just so tepid and uninspired.
Good album. Liked the themes and the music was good. 3/5 Might listen again
Not bad.
An album that he had to make, to work through what needed to be worked trough, but ultimately. The songwriting just isn't there. I realize that everyone had moved on from the Beatles, but you'd think that some of the songwriting genius would seep through. Catharsis has been mined mercilessly for musical purposes, but c'mon you can't just be yelling "Well well well" over a couple of chords for six minutes, add distortion on it and call it a day. Highlights: Love Historically and culturally an immensely important album. But on a pure musical level, not so much.
I like John Lennon a lot and I find him to be an immensely interesting and polarizing figure in music. I also have a hard time separating him from his Beatles band mates. When I think of him I can't help but think of how he was the "cool" to Paul's "sweet", the "raw" to George's "calm", the "wild" to Ringo's "straight". All of them had their differences but John to me was like the most different and that's probably why I find him so intriguing. I just recently heard "Working Class Hero" live and I didn't know it was a John Lennon song, which seems silly now. I can't remember who it was who covered it though but I do remember being at a concert, holding a beer and swaying and thinking "what a heavy song". There's some really cool ideas on this album, but like usual with John Lennon's non-Beatles work, I find myself wanting someone to round him out a little bit, and that's kind of the norm for his music for me. He's an amazing incubator- and so many of these songs are really unique and forward-thinking, but they each have little things that make me not absolutely in love with them. "God" is such an interesting song: "God is a concept by which measures our pain I'll say it again God is a concept by which measures our pain I don't believe in magic I don't believe in I-ching I don't believe in Bible I don't believe in Tarot I don't believe in Hitler I don't believe in Jesus ... I don't believe in the Beatles ... I was the walrus But now I'm John". Some real heavy introspective and scathing lyrics for 1970. It's beautiful and sad and optimistic and harsh all at once. I definitely like it though and it will probably be the track that I think more about over time. Nice 3/5.
Interesting that contemporary critics were largely negative on this one...I could see it, especially compared to late Beatles works. Overall it is a decent album though, but not spectacular. 3/5
Some nice tunes - Working Class Hero is great, but the lyrical content is just too earnest, too therapeutic, too pretentious. I'm not a fan of the Yoko period.
Halfway between gruesome fillers and majesticly silent killers
This album is raw, personal and direct.
this prick'll crank out some decent tunes now and again
Okay. 3/5
The singing on this album is pretty incredible. Lennon has some truly great songs in his solo work. He as a person sucked but the talent in the performance is undeniable. It's an interesting album and worth a listen for sure, but it's a bit high on itself.
Personality of the artist aside. There are some decent melodies here. A strong 3. Doesn't do anything new or inspirational, but is pretty good at what it does.
Raw and so important in the Beatles canon. Plastic Ono band is the defining moment of the public realization that dispelled all the hopes and dreams of millions of fans. The Beatles were dead and it was never coming back. Coming out just shy of the end of 1970, the feelings were still fresh and it comes off in the raw earnestness of the album's content. Even if I find some of it lacking compared even to McCartney's immediate output post-split, I do have to commend the efforts and the introspection rarely seen from one of the biggest popstars in the world
Listening to a man going through a therapy isn't really enjoyable ig
wish this was the yoko one tbh she outsold highlights: isolation, god (sep 8 2024)
I like the creativity and the edge that Lennon’s work in the Beatles often lacked. You can certainly tell the dude was working through some stuff.
Fine album, nothing that blew me away. I’d imagine it’d be a bigger deal for Beatles fans
Hey not too bad. Good job, John Lennon 👍🏼
First three songs really made me think I would hate this because god John Lennon can be really fucking whiny but Working Class Hero is such a masterpiece of a song. I guess John Lennon is at his best when he's trying to sound like someone else because I love how Bob Dylan/Nick Drake that song is so much, it's incredible. And after that it picks up a bit and starts to sound more like a Beatles record, and I like the Beatles. I definitely don't regret listening to it, but it's also pretty forgettable too, save three tracks -- one of which left a huge impression on me, so there's that.
Enjoyed this more than expected. As much as the Beatles were greater than the sum of their parts, Working Class hero is still a spine-tingling listen. A bit of a time capsule, but surprisingly (to me) Lennon's heart did seem to be in the right place.
It was fine, but i'm not listening to it again.
Edelleen samat fiilikset kuin muistakin beetleistä, yhdessä tekivät parhaat musiikkinsa. Levy on ihan OK perushyvä kolme soittokierrosta kesti helposti kuunnella.
Ihan jees levy, vaikka mieluummin Beatlesin tuotoksia kuuntelen.
john lennon, but not for me
Singer / songwriter / screamer.
This on the heels of Abbey Road… that album is awesome, and this one is just “ok”.
Decent album, more interesting than the other Beatles album we got. Was happy he relegated most of the cringey love lyrics to one aptly named song. Favorite songs were: 4. Working Class Hero 5. Isolation 8. Look At Me 6/10
Nothing really stuck out to me in this album. It was nice to hear John Lennon's voice because it's always great. There were some fun songs and it was good to have on in the background. A couple of the guitar moments went on a bit long and were a bit over the top that caught me off guard but all in all it was a good album.
it's not a bad record, just underwhelming
Good
I like the raw beginning of the album. While I'm not a big fan of the primal scream outro to Mother, Lennon's voice really shines elsewhere in the song. In my opinion this album tails off significantly on the B side. Lennon's solo work work has been a significant disappointment listening to this list. For the most part it really doesn't a hold a candle to his Beatles songwriting. Lennon and McCartney needed each other to bring out the best in themselves
Working Class Hero is a great song - the rest is listenable and pleasant but falls a little short for me.
With this album, John Lennon does not manage to build on his success with the Beatles.
I like a lot of John Lennon's solo career. He has some great stand-out tracks, but there's not really many in here. Working Class Hero is a particular standout, but there's also plenty of average, nothing tracks. It's not bad as an overall album.
Chill background music
Need to give a better listen - some really nice songs and some stuff that is not really worthy of Lennon’s songwriting acumen but I wasn’t listening super carefully
John does his best Bob Dylan impression on Working Class Hero
im ok
Quite possibly the most inconsistent album I have received yet. Some moments are classic sounding Beatles, translated amazingly into John's solo career, and some moments are the most annoying and pretentious type of experimental music, with lyrics that try and fail to be shocking. The good moments definitely make the album worth it overall, it's just really annoying to have to hear all the shit stuff all in the same album.
OK, a bit dated
Would this be on the list if it was a Ringo Starr album?
When I saw the name of this album I thought I was in for Yoko Moan-O but thankfully her dogshit is not featured here (they only named their solo albums the same, aw cute/not). There's some decent songs on here, I actually have "Hold On" saved to a playlist and always smirk at 1:05 when he does "cookie" (as Cookie Monster). We see a more rough and raw version of Lennon emerging on "I Found Out" and thereafter. This feels very much like John's "therapy session" put to a recording but what better way to overcome your traumas than to face them head on, I'll give him that. I don't really like the voice inflection on "Well Well Well" and don't even get me started on "God" (dissing The Beatles is in poor taste, the whole song is pretentious). But this album is alright, it has anger but also hope, it's somewhat depressing, but also encouraging at times. It's ok.
Good record. I'm not a fan of a lot of Lennon's opinions but he was undeniably one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived.
He has surprised me again. I didn't expect to like this much, but I did. In fairness it didn't get off to a good start, but working class hero was excellent. As a whole not quite as good as his previous offering, but still good. It's a 3 from me
It has some bangers.
Some times John Lennon hits me right, but his songs are often just so repetitive that I just wish he'd move on to the next song. I was impressed with how dirty he got with his vocals on some of these tracks. A few songs had some real nice dirty guitar parts too, but overall I'm not sure this is a record I would ever choose to listen to again. 2.75/5
Pretty decent album, can’t lie. Had a fun time with it. Wasn’t the best but definitely was refreshing to get an album on here I could actually enjoy for some time.
Mixed bag
It's fine, but pales when compared to any Beatles output, which it will always be compared against.
很平淡
A collection of sparse and casual rock songs with folk and pop leanings and a somewhat lo-fi ascetic. Lennon yells raucously, he introspects, he acts silly, he proselytizes. There’s a balance of heaviness and levity, quiet and rocking- all very dual nature yada yada. There’s a quirkiness or something odd going on here. Maybe it’s the music the band lays down; which grooves but feels off at the same time. Maybe it’s the haphazard and sudden sound of the album. At the end of the day, a few great songs, few good songs, few forgettable.
Both Paul McCartney and John Lennon's post Beatles albums ranged from god awful to very good, but both ex-Beatles never released anything as good as the Beatles post-Rubber Soul records. McCartney's, Band on the Run was the best of the solo albums and maybe the best John Lennon could muster was his debut solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Technically, the band was half Beatles (Lennon and Ringo on drums) and Jon performs a heartfelt, emotional record with some of his best post-Beatles songs. I don't like most of Lennon's albums (that goes for you too Paul!), so I would consider it his most cohesive piece of work.
Decent. Some good tunes, and I like the iconic Working Class Hero.
I listened to this one when I was younger so I think its already there in my head, I still am D with it. Phil Spectre produced this one too and he was pretty good during that time. 3.5 for me
Lennon was part of the greatest band in history. He’s also had a divisive solo career that made people blame yoko for the drop in quality and call him pretentious. There is definitely a difference between John with Paul and John with yoko. This album shows that mainly in the lackluster lyricism. The instrumentals are solid but John having full songwriting power shows he’s always trying to be edgy and say things that a normal pop star wouldn’t. 6.4/10
Surprisingly pleasant
Yesterday I got the Beatles' Abbey Road, the last album he was on before this one. This is not as good. Not even close. None of the songs are bad, but none are great either. Favorite song: Hold on
I could definitely feel the therapy John Lennon was undergoing behind this album. "I don't believe in Beatles" is so harsh after The Beatles made Lennon who he was. But I wasn't there to experience all his traumas and it sounds like he had many. Did it make for a good album? Hold On, I Found Out, Working Class Hero, Isolation, and God stood out for me, but the rest was kind of background noise. Maybe more listens are required. Also, I learned the album photograph was taken by the lead ape in the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is quite interesting if you think about the album's association with the primal scream therapy...
First listen to anything Lennon or Beatles related it was good. Advanced for its time I think or atleast different. 6/10
‘Twas fine. 5/10
I love "Working Class Hero". "I Found Out" and "Remember" are ok. And I like the music on "Well, Well, Well". But I really don´t need to hear John Lennon scream on a record. One star down! 2,5
Some of the songs are decent and have an awesome message.
Sodemieters, die John Lennon begint gelijk te krijsen om zijn moedertje als een krolse kater. Het schijnt dat Lennon in primal scream therapie geloofde, maar hij had dat niet op een plaat hoeven te zetten wat mij betreft. Ik kan dat niet heel erg waarderen en ik kan heel goed begrijpen als Paul McCartney hier niet meer tegen kon. Daarna volgen gelukkig verder degelijke liedjes, zonder al te gekke uitspattingen. Het merendeel is vrij rustig en ingetogen, maar er zitten ook wel 1 a 2 nummers bij, waarbij de versterkers aan mogen en er een bluesy lick tegenaan wordt gegooid. Hoogtepuntje is uiteraard Working Class Hero, dat weer laat zien dat Lennon uitstekend liedjes kan schrijven. Het valt me eigenlijk alles mee. Ik kan hier prima 3,5 ster voor geven. Om het naar een 4 uit te laten vallen, zou ik het vaker op moeten gaan zetten. En daar is het dan weer geen plaat voor, dan zet ik eerder gewoon the Beatles op. Dus blijft dit album steken op een degelijke 3.
I wasn't expecting much. But the album was pleasant to listen to. I always like Working Class Hero. In the end, I probably won't listen to the album again. 3/5
Not my favorite Beatles solo work
How sparse.
Thankfully no songs by yoko Ono. Well well well was crap, feel like anytime John Lennon tries to sound like a black blues man it’s just a cringey failed attempt. The best songs on this I thought were isolation and remember
I do wonder what I'd think if was some obscure singer from Liverpool off the back of the 60s and trying to come to terms with himself. I like it's honesty and two-fingers up to everything and everything else. It's like he needed to get it out of him. Musically I don't think it's great but in terms of depth it's quite absorbing.
What an emotional album. Feel for the guy.
Not that impressed by it. Working class hero is a great song, but I don't find myself liking many of the other tracks on here. The dude can do a good scream though.
3.3 - I feel like yoko had a bit too much influence on John here and I'm not too into it. I feel like it's a bit too obvious and trying to hard. Lennon is fantastic, but this just doesn't feel like right.
There’s some really nice stuff here. Like the other solo projects, this doesn’t measure up to the standard set by The Beatles. But that bar is unrealistic. I’ll say this is fine and nice. Definitely emotional. But the music gets a little same-y. Not the most interesting or compelling. It’s certainly a stripped down version of his style. But it can get a bit bland and overly simplistic. The whole recording is simultaneously both pretty and kinda tedious.
Well, it ain't the Beatles - but John was an undeniable talent. This album gets a little weird at times. It seems Paul made a better writing partner than Yoko. Still, good stuff.
3 stars.
Average
I’d give it 4 but every 5 minutes John would annoy me and it brought me back out of it
Y'know, listening to this record, I realize most people (at least, none that I've heard) refer to John Lennon as a "revolutionary". Sure, he tried and dressed up as one, but I think that was more self-serving than anything. This album gives a good peak into his psyche, especially on "God", when he punctuates a long set of things he doesn't believe in with, "I don't believe in Beatles," as if it's the most damning thing. It's a shame he's a decent writer, and a shame these songs are genuinely pretty good. If he really walked like he talked, it would almost definitely only add to the album, as opposed to subtract from it. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Hold On", "Working Class Hero"
Not a fan of the vocal performance on Mother. Hold On is better and has fun instrumentals. Not the best track either. I Found Out is okay. Working Class Hero is an excellent track. Remember is quite fun. Love is unremarkable. Well Well Well is ruined by Yoko Ono-esque screaming. Ending of the album is mid as is the rest. 3/5
I know it's not cool, but I just don't care about John Lennon :shrug:.
Just a mediocre Beatles album
I've enjoyed this far more than the Beatles album I've heard so far.
A powerful and real John Lennon album.
At first, I was gonna kind of trash it, but then I read what the album was all about and then kind of relisted to a little bit and I think it was OK. I don’t know if it’s up there in the grates of an album that will get repeated, but it’s a good piece of musical history.
2.5
It's John Lennon. Good record. Liked him better with the Beatles though.
some fine stuff but some not great stuff too. don’t know if it’d be on this list if it wasn’t Lennon
It was only a matter of time, huh? Ol' John Lennon and Ms. Yoko Ono involved in the background. There are a few songs on here that I really enjoyed, and I can tell a lot was poured into this. As a whole, not as engaging as any Beatles albums, that's for sure. But I do appreciate what he was going for here, even if I didn't connect with it all that much. Favorite tracks: Mother, Isolation, Well Well Well. Album art: Is that John and Yoko laying under the tree? It's a really nice scene, though the picture quality isn't great. Guess I can't fault them since it's 1967, but still. The sort of album that looks like it has ringwear even when it's brand new, like jeans sold with holes. 3/5
How had I never heard Working Class Hero before? Fantastic song. The rest of the album is just ok. I think the lyrics for the most part were great. I've seen people call it pretentious or high minded but I think it was just a really personal record. I don't think I'd actually buy this record or even really play it again though. It gives a look into John Lennon's state of mind right after the Beatles broke up which is interesting but kind of makes you realize that the brilliance of the Beatles was at least in part because they were together. 3/5
Other than reviewing John Lennon's Imagine a few months ago, I'm not familiar with much of John Lennon's work after The Beatles. What little I do know about John Lennon, makes me view him as a bit of an asshole and an aloof and disingenuous doofus. I recently read a little about his song "Give Peace a Chance" in Dorian Lynskey's 33 Revolutions Per Minute, which only furthered these notions for me (I highly recommend that book by the way; it's a bit more history than music in its content, but it's still super interesting, and it covers a lot of music that's on this list). Given all of that, and how much I didn't like Imagine, I didn't think I'd care for this album very much. However, I was bit pleasantly surprised. While Imagine felt phony to me, this album felt a lot more genuine. I think Lennon really nailed the tone of this album by singing more about personal issues. "Mother" was really fantastic, and even if it wasn't completely autobiographical, it was really heartbreaking. "Working Class Hero" was really good too, and it felt like it came from a place of experience. Lennon's critique of social classes was really on point in this song, and it still feels incredibly relevant today. It felt like the songs on this album were either more piano driven or guitar driven in their melodies, but both were done well. I think my biggest criticism of this album is that even though the songs were done well, some of them were boring, and others just weren't memorable. A lot of it feels very akin to The White Album, but unfortunately, it's akin to the parts of The White Album that I don't really like. Still, this album was fine overall, but it's not an album that I'd seek out again.
Not my favorite from Lennon but has its great moments. Been listening to this my whole life but somehow I forgot about it, Working Class Hero is an excellent track and Love is one of the greatest ballads of all time.
Always nice to hear John's voice, a good chance to see what he's like untethered from McCartney's discipline.
klassiker, aber nicht so gut wie beatles, ausnahme working class hero
I wasn't looking forward to this but actually enjoyed it. It's more raw than I expected.
This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned it in review and it probably won’t be the last time but I grew up a huge Beatles fan. that being said, though, I really enjoyed some of each Beatles music individually, the whole was always greater than the sum of its parts. Because of that, there was some stuff I never cared to listen to out of fear of its inferiority. I have to be honest, I, shamefully, knew nothing about this album. I assumed I would turn it on, and immediately hear Yoko shrieking at me. I was very pleasantly surprised. I am going to give it a three. That solid, not stellar. Jon took an interesting approach in how we ended some of these songs. Abruptly. I was ready for the Del into a bridge or maybe a chorus and then they stopped. I liked it the first time not as much in subsequent terms. Some of his songs get a little too “me“ centered. His God song literally says he only believes in “me“. sometimes, I just wanna hear a little Paul.
A couple of good songs, you can tell Lennon knows how to write a song, but man if it isn't boring to the point that you just feel he's arrogant. Almost like he's missing a song writing partner or something.
John going full trash vocal in some parts
Good album overall and love the raw sound of it. While not on the levels of the Beatles, I enjoyed it overall. Working Class Hero, Well Well Well, and God are all great tracks. Album is probably a bit longer than it needs to be to tighten it up, but overall good.
I’m a huge Beatles fan so I’m disappointed at my reaction to this. But it just felt like I was awkwardly sitting in on a therapy session for John Lennon. It’s like he wrote the songs in the therapy session and hasn’t changed them at all, just let they stay rough and unfinished as far as structure and melody go. But the Cohen-esc song God and songs towards the end are much stronger, pulling the score of this album up Stand out songs Give peace a chance (great song but goes on too long) Instant Karma! (Actually really liked this song) Working class hero
I feel like this is something I should like more. I appreciate the meaning behind it and people say it is a really powerful record but it just does not do that for me. It is still cool and there is no denying he is one of, if not the greatest songwriter of all time. This just didn’t blow me away like I was hoping. Just 3 stars. Stand Out Songs: Working Class Hero Isolation Love
I've not really listened to any solo-Beatle stuff, weirdly. So this is a good prompt to start that. This is heartfelt stuff. It made me think of modern indie singer/songwriters - though of course the influence is the other way around. I've only listened once but will try and revisit.
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The sparseness seemed a strength, this time around.
Visceral
Disappointingly average for John.
Yup, Lennon's Beatles break-up / childhood therapy album. Plenty to unpack, if you're interested in that sort of thing - today I wasn't.
YouTuber Elliot Roberts once called this "the first grunge album," and while I don't think that is the most apt title, the amount of honesty and anger pouring out of this album is rivaled by almost no other record from the time. John Lennon seems at his most visceral of any point in his music career, with more guttural screams than you can shake a Midwest emo band at, and lyrics like "I don't believe in Beatles" to really show that he is done with it all. It truly feels like a personal project more than an album for the common man to hear, and I imagine in 1970 that was shocking for many Beatles fans ready to follow John anywhere after Paul """broke up the Beatles.""" However, despite this thrilling deep dive into the mind of perhaps one of the more misunderstood persons in popular music, there are flaws here. The album feels like it tends to ride on the trauma epicenter of it all, and it can lead to barren tracks that are just not enjoyable to listen to. Sure, that makes an exciting first listen, but it does not encourage repeat visits, and can make some of the songs very forgettable musically, despite the enthralling lyrics. Due to this, the album feels like it doesn't earn that magnum opus status that tends to be lauded upon it, with John's usual musical know-how seemingly lacking without a backbone like Paul to reel him in. Its a picture of a broken man with a lot more on his mind then it felt he let on whilst in the Beatles, but as a musical journey the music does not add much. Still, a decent romp, especially for a first listen.
It was a good album, full of trauma dumping by Lennon and Ono. With the themes of child-parent relationships and psychological suffering, not to mention Lennon's own personal feelings on the abandonment of his parents, feeling like we are hearing his own personal existential crisis. Despite it's themes it was an extremely approachable album, in whole. Best: Hold On Worst: My Mummy's Dead
This is a pretty average album, somewhat self-focussed. I hadn't realised before that there was a partner album by Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band - I've played it and it's much more interesting than the John Lennon album! 3/5
Sort of went into this album pessimistic because I thought John wouldn’t have the staying power he had with the Beatles. This was a good listen. It almost sounded like it could have been in the Beatles discography. I really like the song isolation. Hold on has great jangly guitar. 3.34
Some cool vibes, but lots of weird stuff. It’s alright
I love some of the songs but as a whole it’s not as good as i expected.
Good overall. Favourites: Hold on. Working class hero. Love
Meh
Very mellow easy listen in the background which was a bit boring at times. Kind of exactly what I expected from a John Lennon album. Well Well Well was very strange at hurt my ears.
Some “hits” and some decent songs all round, but coming so soon after The Beatles this is a bit disappointing, as was a lot of solo work from Paul and George. Sounds great in 7.1 surround
Pre listen, I knew I’d heard this before and had two songs (“working class hero” and “god”) on my Spotify liked songs. After listening, much the same. “God” really blew me away this time; I’d remembered it for the “don’t believe in Beatles” line, which feels shocking/antagonistic/angry, but today the song felt like a Buddhist love song (even though he doesn’t believe in Buddha). Something about renouncing all titles/man-made concepts and just feeling, just believing in the people you love. I loved it. And, knowing John Lennon, it probably is both angry (at his bandmates, at fans who keep clamoring for more Beatles) and optimistic (the dream being over allows for a new dream, of just being “John” without living up to being “the walrus”). But the rest of the album was just okay. Anyway, I hope this Lennon fellow figures it out. I expect big things from him, say, one year after this album.
Yllätyin että oli ihan luonnetta. Ja heti kuulee, että muusikontaitoja on kyllä reilulla kädellä. Ja VISIO, joka toteutuu. Aivan onnistunut levy. Herättää tosin minussa aika vähän tunteita.
John always to me to be trying too hard, forcing it, post-Beatles. I feel like he really let his cynicism take over and it’s not a nice edge. Still, he’s John and while not all his best, Working Class Hero of course focuses all of cynicism really well.
listened 3x - 3.4/5
experimental singer song writer vibe
Jawn dead
When I was younger, I never could have predicted that John Lennon would become my least favorite Beatle. This album isn't bad, but the songs sound like the filler songs on a Beatles album that help create ambiance, but aren't really what you come to a Beatles album for. There's nothing here like what George Harrison achieved on All Things Must Pass, and very little of it rises to the level of Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings. It sounds fucked up to say, but the best thing that ever happened to John Lennon's legacy was him getting shot by a crazed former fan. Otherwise, I think the public would have had to contend a lot more with the hypocrisy of his world view. Unfathomably wealthy John Lennon singing about how a "working class hero is something to be" comes off as very hollow. 3/5 I don't think this album is bad, but it's disappointing from a musician who is so highly regarded. It felt like he wasn't trying
Never managed to listen to a Lennon solo album all the way through before. I liked it a lot more than I was expecting. Despite the obvious personal content that is being laid bluntly bare here, there is a sense of relief that the whole Beatles hullabaloo is over and he can just be a singer songwriter. It’s nice and stripped down though I hate all that weird slap back reverb everywhere. Tough to listen to in places due to near screaming etc. enjoyable for the lack of pretence. Distinct lack of big tunes though.
Lennon/McCartney were a great duo. They each helped to reign in the excesses of the other. They are clearly talented musicians alone, but those same excesses really get on my nerves. I understand the "importance" of Lennon's first solo album, but this feels obligatory in a way. The story goes that John wanted to move on from the Beatles, even move on from music. This album feels reflective of that sentiment.
Not his best work.
Think I actually liked *Imagine* more. Dunno quite what to do with that.
Identifying John Lennon - it’s John Lennon
solid 3