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Imagine (album)
Encyclopedia
Imagine is the second album by John Lennon
. Recorded and released in 1971, the album tended toward songs that were gentler, more commercial and less avant-garde than those on his critically acclaimed previous album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
. The album is considered the most popular of his works. In 2003, Rolling Stone
magazine listed Imagine as the 76th greatest album in history.
were also added. As on his last album, Phil Spector
joined Lennon and Yoko Ono
as co-producer on Imagine. Extensive footage of the sessions, showing the evolution of some of the songs, was compiled on a video documentary entitled Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine.
The first songs, "It's So Hard
" and "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier", were recorded at EMI Studios on Abbey Road, London
, during sessions for Lennon's 1971 single "Power to the People
". A cover of The Olympics
' 1958 song "Well (Baby Please Don't Go)", later released on John Lennon Anthology
, was also recorded during this time.
The title track "Imagine
" became Lennon's signature song and was written as a plea for world peace. "Jealous Guy
" has also had enduring popularity and was originally composed as "Child of Nature" during the songwriting sessions in India in 1968 that led to The Beatles
' double-album The Beatles
. "Oh My Love" and the song "How?" were influenced by his experience with primal therapy
: "How?" contains the questions he was facing while going through the changes produced in him during the ongoing process of primal therapy, while "Oh My Love" was written to communicate the joy and growth Lennon was experiencing as a result of the therapy.
Lennon also indulged his love of rock and roll with "Crippled Inside
" and "It's So Hard". "Gimme Some Truth
", originally heard in the Let It Be
sessions, appears on the album with a new bridge. The politically-themed "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" closes the first half of Imagine in a cacophonous manner.
George Harrison
guested on a few of Imagines tracks, including "How Do You Sleep?". Although Lennon softened his stance in the mid-70s and claimed he wrote the song about himself, he revealed in 1980, "I used my resentment against Paul... to create a song... not a terrible vicious horrible vendetta... I used my resentment and withdrawing from Paul and The Beatles, and the relationship with Paul, to write 'How Do You Sleep'. I don't really go 'round with those thoughts in my head all the time".
The last track on the album was "Oh Yoko!". EMI pushed for this track to be the single, but Lennon thought it was too "pop".
featuring a photo of Lennon holding a pig in mockery of Paul McCartney's
similar pose with a sheep on the cover of his Ram
album released earlier that year.
It was also originally released in quadrophonic.
ed reissue. It was reissued in 2003 by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
on gold CD
and on 180 gram half-speed mastered vinyl.
Another remaster was released in 2010.
On 23 November 2010, Imagine became available for download for the Rock Band 3 video game, exploiting the music game's use of a keyboard.
The album went to #1 worldwide and became an enduring seller, with the title track reaching #3 in the U.S. (but unreleased in the UK until 1975).
, McCartney spoke positively of Imagine, considering it to be less political than Lennon's previous solo albums. (Lennon countered, in a subsequent edition of the same publication, characterising the album as " 'Working Class Hero
' with sugar for conservatives".)
Like its title track, Lennon's Imagine became a posthumous hit worldwide. The album re-entered the charts during 1981, peaking at #3 in Norway, #5 in the United Kingdom, #34 in Sweden, and #63 in the United States. In February 2000, remastered and remixed edition reached #11 on the Japanese chart. In October 2010, the album re-entered the Billboard Top 200 at #88.
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine listed Imagine as the 76th greatest album in history.
The Record Plant piano on which Lennon re-recorded the album was sold at auction in 2007.
Side one
Side two
Detailed credits were published in Disc and Music Echo, 2 October 1971.
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. Recorded and released in 1971, the album tended toward songs that were gentler, more commercial and less avant-garde than those on his critically acclaimed previous album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was received with high critical praise upon release. Critic Greil Marcus remarked, "John's singing in the last verse of 'God' may be the finest in all of rock." In early 1971, the album reached number eight on the UK and went to number six in the US, spending eighteen...
. The album is considered the most popular of his works. In 2003, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine listed Imagine as the 76th greatest album in history.
Recording and structure
Although the basic tracks for the album were initially recorded in his home studio (Ascot Sound Studios in Tittenhurst Park), many of the instruments were re-recorded at the Record Plant in New York City, where strings and saxophone by King CurtisKing Curtis
Curtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...
were also added. As on his last album, Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
joined Lennon and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
as co-producer on Imagine. Extensive footage of the sessions, showing the evolution of some of the songs, was compiled on a video documentary entitled Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon's Imagine.
The first songs, "It's So Hard
It's So Hard
"It's So Hard" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. Shortly after the album's release, the song was released as the B-side to the single "Imagine."...
" and "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier", were recorded at EMI Studios on Abbey Road, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, during sessions for Lennon's 1971 single "Power to the People
Power to the People (song)
"Power to the People" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971 by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple R5892 in the United Kingdom and Apple 1830 in the United States. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the British singles chart...
". A cover of The Olympics
The Olympics (band)
The Olympics were an American doo-wop group, formed in 1957 by lead singer Walter Ward . The group included Eddie Lewis , Charles Fizer , Walter Hammond and Melvin King and except for Lewis were friends in a Los Angeles, California, high school...
' 1958 song "Well (Baby Please Don't Go)", later released on John Lennon Anthology
John Lennon Anthology
John Lennon Anthology is a box set of home demos, alternative studio outtakes and other unreleased material recorded by John Lennon over the course of his solo career from "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969 up until the 1980 sessions for Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey.The anthology was divided by its...
, was also recorded during this time.
The title track "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
" became Lennon's signature song and was written as a plea for world peace. "Jealous Guy
Jealous Guy
"Jealous Guy" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several...
" has also had enduring popularity and was originally composed as "Child of Nature" during the songwriting sessions in India in 1968 that led to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' double-album The Beatles
The Beatles (album)
The Beatles is the ninth official album by the English rock group The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is also commonly known as "The White Album" as it has no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed on its plain white sleeve.The album was written and recorded during a...
. "Oh My Love" and the song "How?" were influenced by his experience with primal therapy
Primal therapy
Primal therapy is a trauma-based psychotherapy created by Arthur Janov, who argues that neurosis is caused by the repressed pain of childhood trauma. Janov argues that repressed pain can be sequentially brought to conscious awareness and resolved through re-experiencing the incident and fully...
: "How?" contains the questions he was facing while going through the changes produced in him during the ongoing process of primal therapy, while "Oh My Love" was written to communicate the joy and growth Lennon was experiencing as a result of the therapy.
Lennon also indulged his love of rock and roll with "Crippled Inside
Crippled Inside
"Crippled Inside" is a song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine.The song combines the bleak lyrical content of Lennon's prior solo recording, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, with the more upbeat musical arrangements typical to the rest of Imagine...
" and "It's So Hard". "Gimme Some Truth
Gimme Some Truth
"Gimme Some Truth" is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine.Like several songs on the album, such as the title track "Imagine", "Gimme Some Truth" has blatant political references emerging from the time it was written, during the latter years of the Vietnam...
", originally heard in the Let It Be
Let It Be (album)
Let It Be is the 12th and final studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It was released on 8 May 1970 by the band's Apple Records label shortly after the group announced their break-up....
sessions, appears on the album with a new bridge. The politically-themed "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" closes the first half of Imagine in a cacophonous manner.
George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
guested on a few of Imagines tracks, including "How Do You Sleep?". Although Lennon softened his stance in the mid-70s and claimed he wrote the song about himself, he revealed in 1980, "I used my resentment against Paul... to create a song... not a terrible vicious horrible vendetta... I used my resentment and withdrawing from Paul and The Beatles, and the relationship with Paul, to write 'How Do You Sleep'. I don't really go 'round with those thoughts in my head all the time".
The last track on the album was "Oh Yoko!". EMI pushed for this track to be the single, but Lennon thought it was too "pop".
Initial release
The album was released on 9 September 1971 in the US and a month later on 8 October in the UK. Early editions of the LP included a postcardPostcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
featuring a photo of Lennon holding a pig in mockery of Paul McCartney's
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
similar pose with a sheep on the cover of his Ram
Ram (album)
Ram is an album by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, released in 1971, the only album credited to the pair. It was the second of the two albums McCartney released between leaving The Beatles and forming Wings...
album released earlier that year.
It was also originally released in quadrophonic.
Further Releases
In 2000, Yoko Ono supervised the remixing of Imagine for its remasterRemaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed reissue. It was reissued in 2003 by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound...
on gold CD
Gold CD
A gold CD is one in which gold is used in place of the super purity aluminiumcommonly used as the reflective coating on ordinary CDs or silver on ordinary CD-RsThe gold coats more evenly and reacts with oxygen more slowly, thus...
and on 180 gram half-speed mastered vinyl.
Another remaster was released in 2010.
On 23 November 2010, Imagine became available for download for the Rock Band 3 video game, exploiting the music game's use of a keyboard.
Reception
Upon the album’s release, Rolling Stone reported that "it contains a substantial portion of good music" but, regarding the album’s predecessor as superior, warned of the possibility that "his posturings will soon seem not merely dull but irrelevant".The album went to #1 worldwide and became an enduring seller, with the title track reaching #3 in the U.S. (but unreleased in the UK until 1975).
Aftermath
In a 1971 interview for Melody MakerMelody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, McCartney spoke positively of Imagine, considering it to be less political than Lennon's previous solo albums. (Lennon countered, in a subsequent edition of the same publication, characterising the album as " 'Working Class Hero
Working Class Hero
"Working Class Hero" is a song from John Lennon's first post-Beatles solo album, 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.-Theme:The song is a take on the class split of the 1940s and 1950s, and of the 1960s in which he was famous. The song appears to tell the story of someone growing up in the working...
' with sugar for conservatives".)
Like its title track, Lennon's Imagine became a posthumous hit worldwide. The album re-entered the charts during 1981, peaking at #3 in Norway, #5 in the United Kingdom, #34 in Sweden, and #63 in the United States. In February 2000, remastered and remixed edition reached #11 on the Japanese chart. In October 2010, the album re-entered the Billboard Top 200 at #88.
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine listed Imagine as the 76th greatest album in history.
The Record Plant piano on which Lennon re-recorded the album was sold at auction in 2007.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by John Lennon, except "Oh My Love" co-written by Yoko Ono.Side one
- "ImagineImagine (song)"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
" - 3:01 - "Crippled InsideCrippled Inside"Crippled Inside" is a song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine.The song combines the bleak lyrical content of Lennon's prior solo recording, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, with the more upbeat musical arrangements typical to the rest of Imagine...
" - 3:47 - "Jealous GuyJealous Guy"Jealous Guy" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several...
" - 4:14 - "It's So HardIt's So Hard"It's So Hard" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. Shortly after the album's release, the song was released as the B-side to the single "Imagine."...
" - 2:25 - "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" - 6:05
Side two
- "Gimme Some TruthGimme Some Truth"Gimme Some Truth" is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine.Like several songs on the album, such as the title track "Imagine", "Gimme Some Truth" has blatant political references emerging from the time it was written, during the latter years of the Vietnam...
" - 3:16 - "Oh My LoveOh My Love"Oh My Love" is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that appeared on Lennon's Imagine album in 1971. George Harrison contributed guitar on this and several other songs for the album.-Information:...
" - 2:44 - "How Do You Sleep?" - 5:36
- "How?" - 3:43
- "Oh Yoko!Oh Yoko!"Oh Yoko!" is a 1971 song, written and performed by John Lennon, that can be found on his album Imagine and the greatest hits compilation Working Class Hero: The Definitive Lennon....
" - 4:20
Personnel
The following musicians performed on Imagine:
|
Joey Molland Joseph "Joey" Charles Molland is an English composer and rock guitarist whose recording career spans four decades... – acoustic guitar (3, 5) Tom Evans (musician) Thomas Evans Jr was a musician who was most notable for his work with the band Badfinger.- Badfinger :In 1969, The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger and Paul McCartney of The Beatles gave the group a boost by offering them his song "Come and Get It" which he produced for the band... – acoustic guitar (3, 5) Ted Turner (guitarist) -External links:*.*.*.... – acoustic guitar (2) Phil Spector Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.... – backing vocals (10) |
Detailed credits were published in Disc and Music Echo, 2 October 1971.
Chart positions
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report Chart Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
1 |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
2 |
| Dutch Mega Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
1 |
| French SNEP Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
5 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
1 |
| Japanese Oricon LP Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
1 |
| Norwegian Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... VG-lista VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... Albums Chart |
1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| West German Media Control Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
10 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1972) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 13 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 13 |
| Chart (1981) | Position |
| UK Albums Chart | 73 |