This is a Random Album Generator.
One album a day.
From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Imagine

John Lennon

1971

Buy At Rough Trade
Imagine
Album Summary

Imagine is the second studio album by English musician John Lennon, released on 9 September 1971 by Apple Records. Co-produced by Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, the album's lush sound contrasts the basic, small-group arrangements of his first album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), while the opening title track is widely considered to be his signature song. Lennon recorded the album from early to mid-1971 at Ascot Sound Studios, Abbey Road Studios and the Record Plant in New York City, with supporting musicians that included his ex-Beatles bandmate George Harrison, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. Its lyrics reflect peace, love, politics, Lennon's experience with primal scream therapy, and, following a period of high personal tensions, an attack on his former writing partner Paul McCartney in "How Do You Sleep?" Extensive footage from the sessions was recorded for a scrapped documentary; parts were released on the documentary film Imagine: John Lennon (1988). The documentary John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky, based on that footage, was released in 2018. Imagine was a critical and commercial success, peaking at number one on both the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. Along with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, it is considered one of Lennon's finest solo albums. In 2012, the album was voted 80th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album has been reissued multiple times, including in 2018 as The Ultimate Collection, a six-disc box set containing previously unreleased demos, rare studio outtakes, "evolution documentaries" for each track, and isolated track elements along with surround mixes.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.45

Votes

12113
Genres
Rock

Reviews

Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!
Sort by: Top Date
View Author
Wed Jan 27 2021
2

I mean, it's Imagine by Julian Lennon's dad, it's a bit 'meh'. Jealous Guy is a good song....towards the end it made me punch a wall...but at least it wasn't my wife, eh John?

👍
View Author
Tue Sep 22 2020
1

John Lennon is the worst human being who ever lived

👍
View Author
Tue Nov 02 2021
1

I found this album even more mean-spirited, and insecure than I remembered it - "Imagine no possessions", sang the man who had a temperature-controlled room for his fur coats. 1 star

👍
View Author
Sat Feb 06 2021
5

I’m slowly realizing that a big part of the Beatles magic was the mix of their individual sounds together. Paul’s sound without John or George was great, but it was just missing something. This album further proves it. I think it’s the closest John sounded to his days in the Beatles... turns out George was on guitar for a lot of it... which, I think, is a huge reason why it’s as close as it is.

👍
View Author
Wed Nov 24 2021
3

This album taught me an interesting lesson. Namely, that Lennon really needed the rest of the Beatles to avoid being a bullshit artist. I think it's because he was pretty much a trash human being and, without the balancing influence of his bandmates, all of his egotism, hypocrisy, and pretension didn't get filtered out. Instead, he spent the whole album spotlighting his worst traits to the detriment of his (few) positive traits. To say it's distasteful is an understatement. Giving this one a very generous 3 stars...

👍
View Author
Fri Nov 04 2022
1

Can we stop pretending every shit from a Beatle is gold? #freeRingo

👍
View Author
Sun Aug 08 2021
5

This is a phenomenal album with some of John's best songwriting. It's debatable which of John's songs is his best but Imagine would certainly be on the short list. This song as well as the ballads Jealous Guy and Oh My Love are all done with piano accompaniments rather than guitars resulting in the album having a soft touch. The guitars are saved for the rockers. Most Beatles trivia buffs will say John's last public performance was in 1974 when he joined Elton John to play a few songs after losing a bet but the real trivia geeks will say his last "public performance" was in 1977 when John was bored in a Tokyo hotel so took out his guitar and played Jealous Guy while sitting near the elevator. The way I heard it, nobody who saw him knew who he was or cared! Crippled Inside is an excellent tune. It has a hint of country and excellent keyboards contributed by Nicky Hopkins. The opening piano on Crippled Inside is reminiscent of the beer barrel piano style on the intro to Paul's song Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da which I understand John contributed even though he hated the song! Side 2 starts with some venom with Gimme Some Truth. The political message in this song is obvious hasn't changed much in 50 years. John knew how to dish out venom when he felt it was warranted. Of course he saves his best insults for Paul in How Do You Sleep. In this song Paul is the target of his venom as John returns fire after the salvos Paul aimed at John and Yoko on "Too Many People" from his second album. Perhaps the most clever is John's comment on Paul's post Beatles' songs when he says: "The sound you make is muzak to my ears". I expect this would have been devastating for Paul to hear. As they say, the truth hurts. Lesson for Paul: Don't use lyrics as a weapon when fighting with John. Oh Yoko is another love song to Yoko. I'm guessing Paul would have preferred if John had contributed this love song to Abbey Road rather than the far less commercial / user-friendly I Want You (She's So Heavy). John's harmonica at the very end is random but a very good way to end an excellent album.

👍
View Author
Mon Mar 22 2021
2

"In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony god's blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my own intelligence" -John Lennon

👍
View Author
Fri Oct 15 2021
2

The worst impulses of Lennon are encouraged when freed from the Beatles.

👍
View Author
Fri Jan 22 2021
5

I went into this album having already downloaded two of the songs, I left having downloaded them all. This album has it all, good songwriting, good music, and variety. The political messages sound extra important in today’s world and the Paul McCartney diss track is something special. I’m sure I’m biased because of my Beatlemania as a kid but I have to rate this as a near perfect album. 9/10 but 5/5

👍
View Author
Fri Jan 29 2021
4

As a kid, I would have given this a 5. As the album hits it the middle group of songs, it becomes more average. By the end you realize Spector’s production is the only thing making some of the average songs great, along with mysticism around Lennon’s celebrity. As an adult with a new perspective, the album is good, but not as big as I once thought it was. Due to Spector, I would give this 3/5 album a 4/5.

👍
View Author
Wed Nov 02 2022
4

A complicated album for me to review. John Lennon is one of my favorite musicians of all time. He is probably my favorite male vocalist. When I was younger I saw footage of people mourning him after his assassination and I remember crying my eyes out. He has been an icon to me. Heʻs also from what Iʻve read later in life, kind of a huge asshole and physically violent person to both men and women earlier in his life, before he (mostly) repented. I wonʻt go into depth on this front but suffice it to say that itʻs enough to really taint his legacy and recently has made it hard for me to fully put that shit out of my head when listening to his music. But for the sake of this review Iʻll attempt that. Anyway, this album is wonderful, but still a huge drop in quality from his previous album, Plastic Ono Band, which is one of the greatest of all time. Imagine (the song) is extremely overplayed, but it's still a classic. Oh Yoko! has been a favorite of mine for years, ever since I heard it in the Wes Anderson movie Rushmore. Gimme Some Truth is just a brilliant verbal assault on hypocritic politicians. I have a really fond memory of my aunt rap-singing "I'm sick to death of seeing things/ From tight-lipped, condescending, mama's little chauvinists" to me when I was kid. I love how vulnerable and open he is on this album, he really bares his soul in many songs like Jealous Guy and Oh My Love. His love for Yoko inspires so much beauty in his music. A dark spot is How Do You Sleep, a scathing takedown of Paul McCartney that always felt unnecessarily cruel to me. A reminder of just how fucked up he could be in one moment while in the next being this revolutionary, life-giving force of music.

👍
View Author
Mon Mar 29 2021
3

https://sun1-94.userapi.com/FLtu5KKqKpWs7IZYv7cbJQXoMEV3Xz0vr5Jwiw/sHU_dvEXnnc.jpg

👍
View Author
Tue May 17 2022
3

I have always loathed the song Imagine. This hatred, I understand, is very common. Both on its own and considered within cultural context, Imagine cheesegrates the sensibilities of anyone with a scraping of taste, reason or heart. It rhymes "one" with "one", just as a starter. The melody is basic past the point of banality (and it was used better on Jealous Guy, which in any case was performed better by Roxy Music: you really need Bryan Ferry for that blue, wistful saudade atmosphere, that's what he gets up in the morning for). A millionaire ensconced in his mansion asks us to "imagine no possessions"; presumably he imagined no possessions, as he could just buy whatever he wanted. One can defend its simplistic, naïve messaging as wilfully childlike and idealistic (in fairness, it does retort "You may say that I'm a dreamer"), but that just underscores its infantile, playground view of politics; also, as adults, aren't our political values meant to be taken from sources a bit more substantial than 3-minute hippy anthems? Yet the inherent irksomeness of Imagine has become exponentiated to an emetic degree by its overbearance in culture. Remember Gal Gadot and her celebrity pals trying to bring the world together in the early days of Covid by singing Imagine over their phones? I just tried putting it on Youtube, but I was genuinely too scared to hit play. Imagine is, of course, mountainously smug, but Gal et al. create a planet of smugness in 3 minutes, whereas that slowpoke God had to take a day to make the earth (although he did also make the heavens and light that day too, so he took a third of a day to make the earth, maybe?). That is one especially charmless sample from a smorgasbord of mortifying celebrity versions of Imagine. Want another? Cee-Lo Green's take on Imagine changes the most interesting line "and no religion too" to "and all religions too", managing the dubious achievement of making Imagine even more inane and unchallenging. About the only by-product of Imagine of any merit is when Oasis stole it for the beginning of Don't Look Back in Anger, which is still the best of beery singalongs at closing time. Still, I'm here to review an album, not one song, and the album is properly weird. It does have the apparent virtue of authenticity, of John Lennon making an honest John Lennon album, but an honest John Lennon album is not an album around which the cult of John Lennon was consecrated. Now, if you want John doing songs that sound like Beatles off-cuts, you have Crippled Inside's jaunty cynicism (George Harrison plays on 5 of the songs). Gimme Some Truth provides you with your fix of vinyl-thin political protest. If happy-clappy hippy sentimentality is your bag, man, then aside from Imagine you cool cats should dig Oh My Love, though I wonder if it's possible not to laugh at the lines "I see the wind / I see the trees". I'm So Hard is yer boilerplate bluesy rocker, and I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama is yer standard jam that goes on just a tad too long. But if none of these styles really satisfy, the weaknesses of John Lennon's songwriting emerge like a magic-eye picture. In particular, much of his lyricism is unintentionally comical. "Oh Yoko, my love will turn you on" ends in perhaps the three worst words imaginable in that situation (seriously, do you want that image rattling around your head?). "How can I go forward when I don't know which way to turn?" only makes sense if John is driving a car. I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama has its die/fly/cry/lie rhymes, making you wonder if John don't wanna be a launderer mama, he don't wanna dry, John don't wanna be a salesman mama, he don't wanna ply, John don't wanna be a psychic mama, he don't wanna scry... (make up your own, kids!) But the best song on the album also makes for the most uncomfortable listening (well, aside from the excruciating Imagine). How Do You Sleep? shows us the angry, resentful and vindictive John Lennon, his ire generated by and thrust at Paul McCartney. Brief backstory: with the fallout of the Beatles' break-up, the courts had gotten involved, and John made a few disparaging asides about his former bandmates in interviews. Macca then, on his album Ram, recorded Too Many People, which featured a few mild jabs at Lennon, then took out an ad parodying John and Yoko's bagism by showing Macca and Linda dressed as clowns (I would say Macca probably meant this as a joke, albeit perhaps a little unwise in the midst of the legal farrago). This caused Lennon to revert to his most splenetic in How Do You Sleep?, barraging Macca as a middling chancer bolstered by sycophants who will ditch him now the talent (i.e., John) has disappeared. The thing is, the song works: the wordplay is clever and intentionally funny ("The only thing you done was yesterday", "The sound you make is musak to my ears"), and Phil Spector's strings reinforce the groove of the Wurlitzer and slide guitar (George Harrison again). But the rancour John displays only unsettles the listener, like a glimpse of, well, an exceptionally bitter argument between a divorcing couple (Ringo visited the recording of this song and found it upsetting, believing justifiably that John had gone too far). As for its place on the album, it frankly demolishes all the peace-and-love affectations the rest of the album tries to volunteer, implying that John the ambassador of peace was hiding John the brute spoiling for a fight, and all it took for that metamorphosis to occur was a slight dig and three pints of bad cider. In summation, Imagine qualifies as the quintessential John Lennon record, but that is very much a backhanded compliment. It has all that's stimulating about John Lennon's music, and all that's tiresome. Whether you find Imagine inspiring or exasperating is your prerogative. Personally, I don't find John Lennon, or Imagine, that interesting. The songs tend to be just okay, with one notable atrocity, and the best song is unrepresentative of the album and itself a disconcerting listen. Much of the curiosity this album fosters is due to its historical circumstances: the break-up of the Beatles and the curdling of hippy utopianism. By the by, I write this in 2022. Since in recent times we have witnessed a worldwide resurgence of nationalism and religiosity, along with marked increases in inequality and the entrenchment of consumer capitalism ("imagine there's no smartphone / I wonder if you can"), doesn't that mean that the legacy of Imagine is illusory, and that the judgement of history is that John Lennon was a tosser?

👍
View Author
Sat Feb 20 2021
1

Heard it many times. Not a Lennon fan

👍
View Author
Wed Jan 27 2021
1

Bland. Very MOR. Would have given it a very bland 2 but it's hard to listen to a wife beater twittering on about being a jealous guy so he's getting a 1.

👍
View Author
Mon Oct 31 2022
1

1/10 - I hate John Lennon. Overrated as fuck. I don’t know how people listen to this and think it’s good.

👍
View Author
Fri Mar 19 2021
4

Despite how much of a behemoth the title track is, this album has a number of pretty great songs on it. Pretentious high concept nonsense before it was cool. Phil Spector sort of ruins it a bit though. I quite like that it is pretty angry and political but really just sounds like a pleasant pop album. I really love Oh Yoko.

👍
View Author
Tue Oct 12 2021
4

After Plastic Ono Band's violent debeatling, the nation's favourite demagogue continues his primal scream-induced plainspeak. Try this on for rawness: "No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of Tricky Dicky is gonna Mother Hubbard, soft soap me with just a pocketful of hope." Or, "I was feeling insecure / You might not love me anymore". Lennon softens the edges with pop-friendly euphemisms, albeit acerbic ones, such as "You can wear a mask and paint your face / You can call yourself the human race," but most notably Spector's luscious wall of sound, which coats Lennon's salted caramel brittle with a litre of extra thick double-cream. Special mention to Oh Yoko!, which is almost a unassumingly beautiful as the Velvet's After Hours. Makes me think I'm in love with Mrs Lennon every time.

👍
View Author
Wed Jan 27 2021
1

First track sounds like something that would be sung mawkishly at Anfield. Can see where the worst parts of the beatles albums come from with the 2nd. It's basically just when I'm 64, or a wacky Norman Wisdom chase montage. Ponderous, dull uninspired garbage from the joint worst beatle

👍
View Author
Thu Jul 08 2021
5

It is a classic, heard imagine so many times it can be a bit tiring, but think jealous guy is the best anyway

👍
View Author
Thu Jul 08 2021
5

It is a great album from a great man. Remember when Gal Gadot and her 'friends' did Imagine at the start of lockdown?

👍
View Author
Thu Feb 04 2021
5

listening to this album calmed my anxiety

👍
View Author
Wed Mar 17 2021
5

It's Lennon. I already loved all the songs I knew, but there were a few I was unfamiliar with, and even those are lovely. Aside from loving this throughout, I have to go top marks in case one day Mum finds out I didn't, she'd hurt me, I'm sure of it.

👍
View Author
Mon Apr 26 2021
5

I think I last listened to this album all the way through when I was about 12 years old (my best friend's older brother had a copy) and I'd forgotten how utterly, utterly brilliant it was and I want to apologise to the world for leaving it so long - I've played it 5 times today to try and make amends. It's just visceral and totally brilliant, the best thing I've heard so far. Can I give 6 stars? (also just noticed that Billy Bragg nicked the riff from 'Oh Yoko' for 'Waiting for the great leap forward'). I wrote loads more (twice) about this album but deleted it all - there was no need, you already knew it all anyway.

👍
View Author
Fri Apr 09 2021
5

Obviously excellent. Oddly, he showed this first to some guy, I forget who. “Imagine” was originally a B-side on that tape.

👍
View Author
Wed May 19 2021
5

5/5 based on the 1st song...

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 24 2022
5

John Lennon’s second album is portrait of a man who is at a crossroads and is trying to figure out who he is. This inner turmoil is also reflected in the shifts in genre from the placid and occasionally lush (classic Phil Spector production), to the more country/rockabilly, and rock and roll influences tracks. Lennon is contemplative, remorseful, and angry all in a 40 minute span. He ends and starts the album with no answers to the deeper questions but with the knowledge that love and humanity are the heart of the answer.

👍
View Author
Fri Apr 08 2022
5

I grew up with this album so it's difficult to view it objectively. I can see how some might see this as a bit wishy-washy musically but the sound has Lennon stamped on it and it depends on whether it's your bag. There are some genuine classics here though- Imagine (of course), Jealous Guy, Give me some Truth, but my favourite has always been 'How do you sleep' which was aimed at Paul and is pretty scathing and is surely one of the best songs anywhere. After listening again to the whole album there are a few weaker tracks but the general album taken as a whole is worthy of *****

👍
View Author
Sun Dec 20 2020
4

Not a huge fan of the title track, and I prefer plastic ono band, but still a pretty good album. Closer to a 3.5

👍
View Author
Mon Oct 26 2020
4

Imagine is a solid solo release.

👍
View Author
Thu Sep 24 2020
4

Really beautiful, mix of like Beatles and Lennon. Mac millers later work reminds me of it

👍
View Author
Wed Oct 28 2020
4

It's so much more than its title track. Demerit for explicit references to Yoko. Best track: Gimme Some Truth

👍
View Author
Wed Jan 20 2021
4

huge lennon vibes. slow but meaningful lyrics. 4/5

👍
View Author
Sun Feb 07 2021
4

Really nice melodies and songs.

👍
View Author
Thu Jul 08 2021
4

Such a tuneful beautiful album. A classic of course. I am so over Imagine as a song and don't massively like listening to it, but it probably is very good isn't it

👍
View Author
Fri Jan 22 2021
4

Strong 4. It’s amazing how well this album holds up. I can definitely see myself coming back for more. The lyrics, the vocals, the production, it all sounds great, even today. Very strong project.

👍
View Author
Tue Feb 09 2021
4

Tres bon album jepe sais que c’etait un receuil de toune comme imagine mais c’est rock et tres stylise le reste de l’album. Je ne l’avais jamais ecoute au complet et je suis agreablement surpris. Je reecoute a coup sur. 4.75

👍
View Author
Wed Feb 17 2021
4

Good album, just not a five.

👍
View Author
Tue Feb 23 2021
4

Some real gems on here. Also, some not so quality material. Always liked this album, but Lennon’s solo material for me is not his best work. This is no exception.

👍
View Author
Sat Jul 03 2021
4

Yes, the title song may be completely over played, but you can't fault the sentiment. Lennon's more polished second solo album shows him at his typical contrary self, love, peace, jealousy, anger. BT: Jealous Guy, Gimme Some Truth, How Do You Sleep?

👍
View Author
Tue Mar 09 2021
4

Ive always found John though a good songwriter a little bit cheesy. And well, listening to this album was very nice, but sadly, still a little bit too nice at some moments.

👍
View Author
Tue Oct 26 2021
4

My first exposure to the title track was when I was in 6th grade and we read someone's article about them cowering in fear of the communist lyrics. I was never a fan of Lennon as a person. I was a McCartney fanboy and sided with his criticisms. Growing up, I realized I loved Lennon's songs just as much, and honestly I think the title track "Imagine" made me think Lennon was the one in charge of the Beatles ballads like "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be" (turns out McCartney wrote both of them). But these days I appreciate Lennon a lot more knowing that the hard, energetic Beatles songs were sung by his fuzzy vocals. The beginning of "Crippled Inside" strongly reminds me of another Beatles song (from the White album?) but I can't put my tongue on it. "Jealous Guy" is probably my favorite on this album, despite being one of the softer songs I've been known not to be a huge fan of. Not a big fan of the next two tracks. I do appreciate the antiwar sentiment and the psychedelic fuzz in the latter song. Much prefer the second side. Makes sense considering this is where Harrison makes most of his contributions. Many of the Beatlesesque songs on this album certainly feels like they belong on the White album, except much more polished. My favorite of these is "Oh My Love." In fact, I swore that song was on the White album until just today. Such a beautiful song. And yes, even "How Do You Sleep?" is a fantastic song, despite the savagery on McCartney. Album ends on a lovely note with "Oh Yoko" which grows with each listen. Some fantastic songs interdispersed. A few weak songs. But the remainder is great. Coherent and has great mixing and Harrison's guitar work, reminding me that Harrison was not being carried by any means, and dramatically enhances the experience.

👍
View Author
Fri Feb 18 2022
4

Although not my favourite Lennon album I'd forgotten how brilliantly vicious an attack on Macca 'How do you sleep' was.

👍
View Author
Wed Nov 09 2022
4

It's fascinating to me to be able to hear the distinct parts that make up the Beatles. I am a Beatles fan, but I'm only really familiar with the George and Paul solo works. I think I heard The Plastic Ono Band at some point and wrote John off as "lost his mind". This was nice though, a pretty solid album. John has an impeccable voice. Some of the songs are a bit bland, but I do enjoy quite a few. This album is definitely worth a listen to hear the John Lennon dimension of the Beatles Express itself.

👍
View Author
Sat Nov 25 2023
4

A cultural landmark, from a flawed man that wrote great songs.

👍
View Author
Sat Oct 02 2021
3

Enjoyable listening. I prefer George Harrison's solo albums, he really flourished when he was liberated from John's tyranny. The one thing everyone needs to know is that the track Imagine was largely written by Yoko Ono, who John selfishly decided wasn't worth crediting because she's "just a wife, y'know?" He was a total douchebag, but it is easy listening.

👍
View Author
Mon Dec 20 2021
3

kind of bland. Huge start with Imagine and then lots of filler.

👍
View Author
Sat Sep 23 2023
3

Being a good old Beatles hater, I wasn't looking forward to this, but it's pretty tolerable. The piano ballads (Imagine, Jealous Guy) stand out much more to me than the bluesier songs on there, they kind of pass by without much thought. Outside of the significance of the opening track i'm not really seeing why it was included in the list, there's nothing exceptional in the music here.

👍
View Author
Sat Feb 10 2024
3

Should preface this by saying I’m a big Beatles fan, but have never really embraced much of their solo work (with the exception of George’s All Things Must Pass). Lennon’s solo stuff is pretty hit or miss for me. Obviously he can pen some great songs. A few are here: Imagine, Jealous Guy, and Oh Yoko. But there are songs that lack imagination (pardon the pun) here too, like Crippled Inside and It’s So Hard. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier sounds like an experimental track that doesn’t quite land. That said, there are some interesting tracks here too, like How? and How Do You Sleep? Overall, I guess what I’m saying is this album is very inconsistent, and I’m a bit surprised it’s so highly rated on these greatest album lists.

👍
View Author
Mon Aug 22 2022
2

How? - This is definitely John Lennon. Some okay strings and stripped back production. The main motif is pretty annoying to me. This is about what I expect from this album Jealous Guy - whining about being an abusive fuck. boohoo. also produced by fucking Phil Spector lmao holy shit. Abuse abuse abuse for everyone! It's So Hard - some real booty ass rock n roll bluesy vibes. Not into it. Kinda like the lyrics though. Pretty standard blues stuff. Life is hard and sometimes I feel like giving up but eating out my girl makes me feel better. I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama - A little bolder production, a little bluesy and rock n roll with a washy psychedelic reverb feel, kinda fun. Actually kinda like this one. More pretty standard stuff about fears of growing up and being a man in the world. Not bad at all. Nice little psych-rocky bridge solo thing. Oh My Love - I like the guitar intro, piano compliments it nicely. Somber little number about finally reaching some clarity amidst a probably pretty chaotic life. Can't really relate. Kinda bored tbh. I might like this one much later in life. Imagine - The big one, the classic, the meme. This song is fine. nothing really great to say, nothing really bad to say. It's catchy, it's inspirational, it's fantastical. Yeah, it is what it is, no real strong feelings after hearing it everywhere my whole life only for it to become a meme during covid. Crippled Inside - quirky little guitar intro with some buttass piano folksy shit. Kind of a fun bounce to it though. Criticism of keeping up appearances when you're actually a piece of shit. Ironic. Literally talks about being judged for the color of his skin what the fuck lmao. Meh. Oh Yoko! - The music is fun on this one. Nice vocal melodies. I do not like the lyrics though. extremely repetitive and just not saying much. "in the middle of ____ I call your name" "Oh Yoko" "My love will turn you on". That's the whole fucking thing. Fuck this song. Your harmonica solo can't save you now John. Gimme Some Truth - Musically this is more like what I can appreciate from the Beatles crew. I like the aggression coming from his vocals in this one. That slide guitar kinda rips. I can get into this one. Anger and distrust towards people in positions of power. Yeah this is more like it. How Do You Sleep? - oh this one has some groove okay. Guitar is great. Nice funky keys. Great pad of strings. This is just a fucking beef track against Paul though lmao. Not bad though, It sounds good, has at least one or two nice burns, the music backs up the feeling and the attitude of John feeling angry but also more cool and collected. Pretty good track despite just being a diss. Had some surprises in it honestly but overall was about what I expected. I just don't care about the Beatles or their individual solo endeavors. I respect it, but this shit gets so boring so fast. I recognize that that's mostly just on me but there's nothing I can do to change that. Probably won't even return to my favorites from the album because I largely enjoyed them as a novelty. Pretty overrated and mediocre album to my ears. 2 or 3 out of 5.

👍
View Author
Tue Sep 19 2023
2

Huh, I wonder why I've never heard of any of these songs besides the title track? Oh, they're all shitty blues songs made by an Englishman.

👍
View Author
Wed Oct 05 2022
1

Didn’t even listen to it. IMAGINE that. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

👍
View Author
Sat Jun 19 2021
5

weirdly surprised by this. I think because I don’t like the Beatles much, I assumed I wouldn’t like this guy. but his voice is pretty and talented and songs like “How Do You Sleep?” are just really great. this guy clearly knew what he was doing.

👍
View Author
Thu Jun 03 2021
5

Amazing, one of my favorites

👍
View Author
Mon Jul 12 2021
5

Really really good. Oh Yoko and I Don’t Wanna be a Soldier were a bit too repetitive for me, and I’ve heard Imagine so many times I could scream, but I gotta give it up because it’s a great song.

👍
View Author
Tue Nov 09 2021
5

9/10 everyone should hear this album at least once it’s got a few moments that are a little awkward but for the most part it’s amazing

👍
View Author
Mon Dec 20 2021
5

Great album. John was always my favorite Beatle, especially lyrically. Some absolutely great songs on this one, especially the title track.

👍
View Author
Fri Dec 31 2021
5

50 years later, you can hear the genius shining through each song.

👍
View Author
Tue Jan 18 2022
5

It's a good one for sure, imagine is obviously the best song of the album, but the other songs ain't too bad either.

👍
View Author
Thu Jan 20 2022
5

Venga, un 5 por la canción de Imagine. El resto del disco, agradable sin más.

👍
View Author
Sat Jan 22 2022
5

Classic Album. Classic songs. Classic Rating: 5. Very interesting to hear "Give Me Some Truth" in the Get Back documentary.

👍
View Author
Tue Feb 08 2022
5

There’s still a hint of the sadness that permeates deep within his first solo album, but there’s also some hope and sweetness here too. “How Do You Sleep?” still makes me sad even if it is a banger musically.

👍
View Author
Mon Feb 28 2022
5

How timely for this album to come up today? Yesterday, I was listening to two radio stations both of which had segments of peace songs. And on both stations, the first song they played was "Imagine." There are two other anti-war/political songs, "I Don't Want Be A Soldier Mama" and "Gimme Some Truth," but really this album is a collection of songs, mostly great ones. One connective thread is that most of these songs sound very personal, although more loosely personal than his first album, "Plastic Ono Band" (where Yoko and his primal scream therapy strongly influenced). The songs were written from 1968 to 1971 with three written during the "Let It Be" Sessions. The album seems to go back and forth between piano (softer) and guitar-driven ( more rockin) songs. Four are love songs highlighted by the incredible "Jealous Guy." There is an anti-Paul song with whom John was feuding with at the time. John also delivers a stunning vocal performance, along with George Harrison's slide guitar, on " Gimme Some Truth," probably the highlight of the album for me (title song excluded).

👍
View Author
Sat Mar 05 2022
5

One of my all-time favorite albums.

👍
View Author
Sat Apr 09 2022
5

Ha passat a la història pel contenir un dels grans himnes immortals del pop, que dóna títol al disc i que és ja un clàssic de la cultura pop. Però el mèrit principal és que la resta del disc no està per sota. De fet, en casos com 'Jealous Guy', 'Gimme Some Truth' o 'How', està per sobre, i a les lletres tan d'aquests temes com d''I Don't Want to Be a Soldier' o la pròpia cançó títol, es concentra tota la ideologia i filosofia de l'artista. 'How Do You Sleep' continua sent la millor cançó de revenja contra un antic company i amic, des de l'elegància, però amb tota la mala llet imaginable

👍
View Author
Tue Apr 12 2022
5

What a glorious album. Like most people, I was only familiar with the title track - which may have been overplayed at this point. But the rest of the album is perfect, track after track. Really worth your time. Added, with pleasure.

👍
View Author
Fri Apr 15 2022
5

Epic start with Imagine. 2 Paul diss songs (Crippled Inside and How do you sleep?). LOVE How? Jealous Guy, Gimme Some Truth, and It's So Hard. And Oh, Yoko is just plain fun. "In the middle of a shave, in the middle of a shave, I call your name, Oh, Yoko... My love will turn you on." Although, I prefer the Plastic Ono album.

👍
View Author
Fri Apr 22 2022
5

Pensé que no le iba a poner 5 estrellas porque Imagine está muy muy muy quemada. Quizá no haya persona de más de 15 años que no haya oído esta rola hasta el cansancio (COVID, Juegos Olímpicos, eventos de paz, lo que sea) y pues sí, ahora suena y difícilmente me da gusto. Pero es que el resto del disco tiene joyas de dos de las personas importantes de Lennon: Yoko y Paul. Rolas melosas (tal vez hasta demasiado para ser suyas) dedicadas a Yoko (How?, Oh my love y Jealous Guy), y rolas muy muy muy enojadas y agresivas dedicadas a Paul (How Do You Sleep y en cierta medida Give Me Some Truth) y todas ellas son excelentes.

👍
View Author
Tue Apr 26 2022
5

Classic album right after the Beatles split

👍
View Author
Fri May 06 2022
5

Классика жанра :)

👍
View Author
Sat May 14 2022
5

It was great to revisit this album which is so wrapped up in Lennon’s charisma and my memory of listening to it as a teen.

👍
View Author
Thu Jun 30 2022
5

Yeah this guy knows what he's doing

👍
Load more reviews