Reissue Review: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – The Ultimate Mixes (Apple)

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John Lennon’s stark, startling solo album gets the once-over 50 years after its initial release with newly-heard outtakes.

At age 15, I was a huge Beatles fan, but sadly, in 1970, the band had just broken up. To me, they were an astonishing source of musical delights…the best pop songs on the radio.

So, when John Lennon released this, his “debut” solo album in December of 1970, I was all over it. Earlier in the year I had started collecting the Beatles’ back catalogue along with Paul McCartney’s McCartney album.

But nothing prepared me for what I heard on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

This was songwriting that took the listener directly into the heart and soul and psyche of John Lennon, who, fresh out of primal therapy, reached inside himself and dealt directly and honestly with the death of his mother, the abandonment of his father, the dissolution of The Beatles and his feelings for Yoko.

I remember distinctly feeling, after my first spin of that album 50 years ago, that pop music had been changed and so had I…I and it had grown up.

Listening back to this 2-disc set (there is a 6-CD/2 Blu-Ray version), the songs, the production and the performances remain as powerful  as ever.

Disc one includes new “”ultimate” mixes of the original album plus singles Give Peace A Chance, Cold Turkey and Instant Karma!

Also included in the package are lyrics and essays with an intro written by Yoko and insights from engineer Phil McDonald about the sessions (produced by Phil Spector).

For long-time fans, the second disc, The Out-Takes, is justification for the price of admission. Each song off the album is represented with an alternate take and, while they rarely stray far from the known version, little asides and alterations can be fun and illuminating.

Mother (Take 61!) features a rawer vocal, the piano is more prominent and Lennon gives a little “Oh no” somewhere in there.

Hold On follows with a slightly different drum pattern from Ringo and is “Cookie” free.

I Found Out has John shouting Yoko during the outro and on Working Class Hero (Take 1) we hear Lennon comment, “Okay, I’ll try it, okay?”, before that familiar acoustic guitar riff kicks in.

There’s nothing too revelatory here but plenty to keep trainspotters like myself interested. And, if you’re hungry for more, check out the 8-disc set with 11 hours of unheard material. You might want to set aside a few days for that one.

Marty Duda

 

Marty Duda
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