John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Encyclopedia
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 weeks in the Top 100.
The album was particularly successful in the Netherlands
, knocking George Harrison's blockbuster All Things Must Pass from the top of the chart and remained in the number-one spot for 7 consecutive weeks.
placed John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band at number sixty-two in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 1987, it was ranked number four on Rolling Stones list of the 100 best albums of the period 1967–1987, and in 2003, it was placed at number twenty-two in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
In 2006, the album was placed by Pitchfork Media
at number sixty of its Top 100 Albums of the 1970s list. In 2006, the album was chosen by Time
as one of the 100 best albums of all time.
Side one
Side two
2000 reissue bonus tracks
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
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 weeks in the Top 100.
The album was particularly successful in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, knocking George Harrison's blockbuster All Things Must Pass from the top of the chart and remained in the number-one spot for 7 consecutive weeks.
Legacy
In 2000 QQ (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
placed John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band at number sixty-two in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 1987, it was ranked number four on Rolling Stones list of the 100 best albums of the period 1967–1987, and in 2003, it was placed at number twenty-two in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
In 2006, the album was placed by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
at number sixty of its Top 100 Albums of the 1970s list. In 2006, the album was chosen by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
as one of the 100 best albums of all time.
Track listing
All songs written by John Lennon.Side one
- "MotherMother (John Lennon song)Mother is a song by British musician John Lennon, first released on his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. An edited version of the song was issued as a single in the United States on Apple Records, catalogue 1827, about three weeks after the album. The single runs about fifteen seconds...
" – 5:34 - "Hold OnHold On (John Lennon song)"Hold On" is a song from the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon. It features only vocals, tremolo guitar, drums, and bass guitar, typical of the sparse arrangements Lennon favoured at the time...
" – 1:52 - "I Found OutI Found Out"I Found Out" is a song by the English musician John Lennon from his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The song is angry and intensely bitter, expressing Lennon's disillusionment with a world dominated by what he saw as false religion and idols....
" – 3:37 - "Working Class HeroWorking 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...
" – 3:48 - "IsolationIsolation (John Lennon song)"Isolation" is a 1970 song appearing on John Lennon's first official solo album release, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.-Personnel:The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:*John Lennon – vocals, piano, organ...
" – 2:51
Side two
- "RememberRemember (John Lennon song)"Remember" is a 1970 song appearing on John Lennon's first official solo album release, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.The song was influenced by Lennon's primal therapy sessions with Dr Arthur Janov, and the lyrics reflect things typically remembered in therapy. The memories described are unpleasant...
" – 4:33 - "LoveLove (John Lennon song)"Love" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, originally released in 1970 on the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album.-Song:The song first came out on Lennon's 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. "Love" later appeared on the 1982 compilation The John Lennon Collection, and was released...
" – 3:21 - "Well Well WellWell Well Well (John Lennon song)"Well Well Well" is a song from the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon.-Personnel:The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:*John Lennon – vocals, guitar*Ringo Starr – drums*Klaus Voormann – bass...
" – 5:59 - "Look at MeLook at Me (John Lennon song)"Look at Me" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, from his solo debut album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Written during the extended White Album sessions of 1967–1968, it was shelved until its release on Lennon's 1970 debut album...
" – 2:53 - "GodGod (John Lennon song)"God" is a song from John Lennon's first post-Beatles solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The album was released on 11 December 1970 in the United States and the United Kingdom....
" – 4:09 - "My Mummy's DeadMy Mummy's Dead"My Mummy's Dead" is the closing song on the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon. It is one of the songs John wrote concerning his mother, along with "Julia" and "Mother"...
" – 0:49
2000 reissue bonus tracks
- "Power to the PeoplePower 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...
" – 3:22 - "Do the Oz" – 3:07 (Lennon/Ono)
Personnel
- John LennonJohn LennonJohn 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...
: vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, piano/keyboards - Klaus VoormannKlaus VoormannKlaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
: bass - Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
: drums - Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
: piano on "Love" - Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
: piano on "God" - Yoko OnoYoko Onois 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...
: wind - Mal EvansMal EvansMalcolm Frederick 'Mal' Evans was best known as the road manager, assistant, and a friend of The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr....
: "tea and sympathy"
Chart positions
| Chart (1970/71) | 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... |
3 |
| 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 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 8 |
| 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... |
5 |
| 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 |
4 |
| 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... |
8 |
| U.S. 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... |
6 |
| West German Media Control Albums Chart | 39 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1971) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 22 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 36 |
| U.S. Billboard Year-End Billboard Year-End Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November... |
84 |