John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
The first John Lennon solo album has had its fair share of acclaim. It was well-reviewed upon its initial release, and reached the top ten in both the US and UK, despite the absence of a major hit single on the album.
The album was released on the 11th of December 1970 and it is under the label called ‘Apple’ which was made famous by ‘The Beatles’ among many other loved artists.
The album lasts for a rough duration of forty minutes and it is definitely worth every second of it..
In the past 48 years since its release it has turned up in all those critics’ lists of best-ever albums, way below the most admired Beatles sets. I think it should be one of those albums that you grow to enjoy over time due to it being so raw.
But here’s what I think, the Plastic Ono Band is still grossly underrated in every way shape and form.
But in reality the Plastic Ono Band contains eleven of Lennon’s most accessible and gorgeous melodies and riffs; it’s pure craftsmanship, but with the layers of studio sophistry stripped away to reveal the heart of the album.
The heartbreaking scream of his personal loss is captured perfectly in ‘Mother’.
Starting with a sinister tolling bell which symbolizes the death of his mother when John was a teenager, the song suddenly enters a realm of raw and untamed prayer with choppy piano chords and bass notes along with Ringo’s steady drum beat.
Actually a cry to both parents (who Lennon pretty much grew up without), this ode to abandonment, the final lyric which is repeated nearly a dozen times with increasing intensity and dramatic effect helps set the mood for the rest of the album.
In contrast to the previous song, the bitter sweet and soft “Hold On” changes the tone entirely from the inner battle that has been going on forever to a hopeful mood of optimism and a open eyed look on life.
Musically, this is led by fantastic, jazzy tremolo guitar by Lennon.
We then finally return to the primordial scream, frustrated with the world material with ‘I Found Out’. Starting with heartfelt, raw blues as Lennon’s vocals mimicks his guitar riff, the song takes off when Voorman and Starr break in with upbeat rhythms, with the bass line being the true highlight of this dark but intricate tune.
Speaking of dark things, ‘Working Class Hero’ is a perfect solo folk performance where Lennon provides all at once a slightly profound anthem to the ‘regular guy’ and a bitch fest to suppress all hope of escaping to a better life, which we all know is impossible!
One of my personal favourites off the album would have to be Isolation it is a largely underrated classic as a great desperate ballad where Lennon’s vocal skills are at their best, well to me at least. A beautiful piano is upfront while the rhythm is very refined and laid back and everything is staggered (or “isolated” so to speak), eventually reaching a climaxing in a crescendo with exquisite timing..
With a consistent, hard driving beat and vocals methodically delivered with long dramatic pauses between each verse line, “Remember” is another gem from the heart of this deep, dark album.
During the well-spaced chorus sections the song briefly changes its direction with more standard, melodic rock timings. Lyrically, this song handles with remembering events of the past and how some memories are not that cheery but they still help you shape your today.
For the song’s climax, Lennon mentions “The Fifth of November”, a British holiday known as Guy Fawkes Night and celebrated with fireworks, hence the ending with a loud explosion, which catches me off guard every time..
‘Love’ is a very soft and sad ballad, which works well as a perfect counterbalance on this emotional album. Musically, the song features piano by Spector and a mellow, tender acoustic guitar by Lennon. This song was eventually released as a single in 1982, in the wake of Lennon’s assassination.
The weakest part of the album begins with ‘Well Well Well’, which is essentially a six minute filler that is not at all focused or anywhere nearly as interesting as the other raw, gritty tracks.
Aside from some interesting stomping and crunchy guitar riffs which are pretty meaty, this song has about as much merit as a prolonged conversation where no one says anything of any relevance. ‘Look At Me’ is another weak track in my eyes, at least it is a bit moody and melodic to say the lease.
The only song to predate The Beatles’ breakup, this song was written during sessions for the ‘White Album’ in 1968 and contains a finger-picked acoustic technique similar to that album’s ‘Dear Prudence’.
The album does recover perfectly with the philosophical closer called ‘God’, featuring Billy Preston on piano.
The song features a totally unique compositional formation with long, repetitive mid-section which works very well.
Here, Lennon blatantly declares what he believes in and (most prominently) doesn’t believe in, with a whole list of terrestrial idols culminating with The Beatles themselves which was very brutal..
This is then followed by the sad closing section where Lennon repeatedly declares “the dream is over”, ultimately addressing the elephant in the room to which all previous subjects have built towards, which is the heavy hit we all needed.
Much like the much loved classic ‘Abbey Road’ a year earlier, Plastic Ono Band ends with a song after the final song, in this case a low-fi demo of a brief diddy called ‘My Mummy’s Dead’, which needs no explanation..
The album reached Top 10 and spent several months in 1971 in the charts. Lennon followed up on the success of this album with ‘Imagine’, another self-confessional album which was another worldwide hit for Lennon.
Ellie Thornton Music 