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I Found Out: John and Yoko's "Plastic Ono Band" Box Due in April

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John Lennon Plastic Ono Band Ultimate Box

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The July 1969 single release of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" marked the first time that the name of the Plastic Ono Band appeared on a record label.  Lennon and his new wife Yoko Ono - they'd married in March - resolved to use the flexible band handle for whichever group happened to be playing with them; the onstage document Live Peace in Toronto 1969 was credited to the band, as was the harrowing single "Cold Turkey."  "Instant Karma!" modified the name slightly to "John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band," and then the Lennons decided to each release an album titled, simply, after the malleable band name.  Now, John's Plastic Ono Band is seeing reissue once more, in a joint box set.  The 6-CD/2-BD John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection is due on April 16 from UMe.  This comprehensive set contains everything recorded by John and Yoko during the sessions for John's LP, totaling 159 tracks on CD and 131 on Blu-ray, or 11 hours of music, all completely remixed from the original multitracks.  This set follows the 2018 release of Imagine: The Ultimate Collection and the 2020 release of Lennon's solo career-spanning Gimme Some Truth.  The complete live-in-the-studio session for Yoko's LP is also featured on Blu-ray with the songs at their original length and speed.

The twin Plastic Ono Band albums arrived from Apple Records on December 11, 1970, just months after the May 8 release of The Beatles' swansong, Let It Be.  John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band bore striking, complementary cover photos and shared musicians including Lennon, Ono, Ringo Starr and Klaus Voormann.  Billy Preston and co-producer Phil Spector showed up on John's LP; George Harrison appeared on Ono's set.  Lennon's first proper solo album of music made explicit his split from Paul, George and Ringo. His songwriting was heavily influenced by the primal scream therapy of Dr. Arthur Janov, and filled with painful confessions, including the shocking proclamation of the song "God": "I don't believe in Beatles."  Fab Four fans didn't turn their back on Lennon, however, and the album reached No. 8 on the U.K. album chart and No. 6 in the U.S., where it spent eighteen weeks in the Top 10.  The album's songs were uniformly bracing, but "Working Class Hero" became an anthem, and the haunting "Mother" a touchstone of Lennon's unflinching confessional songwriting.

Ono's Plastic Ono Band was a much looser affair than her husband's.  An early and powerful example of what would now be deemed art-rock, Ono blended musical jamming with lyrical improvisation on its six tracks.  Indeed, it's hard to imagine the post-punk and alt-rock genres flourishing without inspiration from trailblazing records such as this one.  John contributed some of his most searing guitar on these experimental pieces.  The connection with free jazz is also significant to note; one track on the LP, "AOS," was recorded two years earlier with The Ornette Coleman Quartet.  (Because of its earlier lineage, this track is not represented on The Ultimate Mixes.)  Despite the artistic and visual connection to John's album, Yoko's Plastic Ono Band stalled at No. 182 on the Billboard 200, and it took years before critics and audiences alike came around to Ono's ahead-of-her-time creations.  Both Lennon and Ono's LPs bared the artists' souls through music, and now comes the chance to reevaluate them anew.

The tracks here encompass remixed versions of John's master takes plus demos, alternate takes, alternate mixes, jams, and live material.  The CDs feature The Ultimate Mixes, Outtakes, The Elements Mixes, The Raw Studio Mixes, and The Evolution Documentary with each disc in album order; plus one CD of The Jams and The Demos.  The two Blu-ray Discs present the material in high-resolution stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos.  The Blu-rays also have exclusive content not on the CDs, such as 110 minutes of Yoko's uncut live-in-the-studio session for Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band.

It's all been overseen by the team of engineer Paul Hicks and mixers/engineers Rob Stevens and Sam Gannon, with Yoko serving as executive producer.  The accompanying 132-page hardcover book designed and edited by compilation producer Simon Hilton boasts essays, lyrics, photos, tape box images, and memorabilia.  A "War Is Over!" poster and two postcards are also included.

In addition to the box, 1CD, 2CD, and 2LP versions are also available.  All of the configurations' track listings can be found below.  John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection arrives April 16 from Capitol/UMe!

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection (Apple SW 3372 (U.S.) / PCS 7124 (U.K.), 1970 - reissued Capitol/UMe, 2021)

6CD/2BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD (includes contents of CD 1 & 2 below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1CD (includes contents of CD 1 below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (includes tracks marked by + below) : Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Box Set:

CD 1: The Ultimate Mixes 

  1. Mother (Ultimate Mix) 5:35 +
  2. Hold On (Ultimate Mix) 1:52 +
  3. I Found Out (Ultimate Mix) 3:37 +
  4. Working Class Hero (Ultimate Mix) 3:47 +
  5. Isolation (Ultimate Mix) 2:52 +
  6. Remember (Ultimate Mix) 4:32 +
  7. Love (Ultimate Mix) 3:22 +
  8. Well Well Well (Ultimate Mix) 5:57 +
  9. Look At Me (Ultimate Mix) 2:53 +
  10. God (Ultimate Mix) 4:12 +
  11. My Mummy's Dead (Ultimate Mix) 0:51 +
  12. Give Peace A Chance (Ultimate Mix) 4:54
  13. Cold Turkey (Ultimate Mix) 5:02
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Ultimate Mix) 3:20

CD 2: The Ultimate Mixes - Outtakes

  1. Mother (Take 61 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 4:18 +
  2. Hold On (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 2:11 +
  3. I Found Out (Take 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 3:46 +
  4. Working Class Hero (Take 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 3:50 +
  5. Isolation (Take 23 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 2:51 +
  6. Remember (Rehearsal 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 3:11 +
  7. Love (Take 6 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 2:36 +
  8. Well Well Well (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 3:34 +
  9. Look At Me (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 2:50 +
  10. God (Take 27 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 4:05 +
  11. My Mummy's Dead (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 1:15 +
  12. Give Peace A Chance (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 6:00
  13. Cold Turkey (Take 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 5:23
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Take 5 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) 2:53

CD 3: The Elements Mixes

  1. Mother (Elements Mix) 4:59
  2. Hold On (Elements Mix) 1:52
  3. I Found Out (Elements Mix) 5:25
  4. Working Class Hero (Elements Mix) 3:10
  5. Isolation (Elements Mix) 2:44
  6. Remember (Elements Mix) 8:38
  7. Love (Elements Mix) 5:39
  8. Well Well Well (Elements Mix) 5:57
  9. Look At Me (Elements Mix) 2:56
  10. God (Elements Mix) 4:09
  11. My Mummy's Dead (Elements Mix) 0:53
  12. Give Peace A Chance (Elements Mix) 4:54
  13. Cold Turkey (Elements Mix) 5:02
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Elements Mix) 3:20

CD 4: The Raw Studio Mixes

  1. Mother (Take 64 / Raw Studio Mix) 5:12
  2. Hold On (Take 32 / Raw Studio Mix) 1:51
  3. I Found Out (Take 3 / Extended / Raw Studio Mix) 5:34
  4. Working Class Hero (Take 9 / Raw Studio Mix) 4:07
  5. Isolation (Take 29 / Raw Studio Mix) 2:52
  6. Remember (Take 13 / Raw Studio Mix) 4:58
  7. Love (Take 37 / Raw Studio Mix) 4:27
  8. Well Well Well (Take 4 / Extended / Raw Studio Mix) 6:47
  9. Look At Me (Take 9 / Raw Studio Mix) 3:07
  10. God (Take 42 / Raw Studio Mix) 4:26
  11. My Mummy's Dead (Take 1 / Raw Studio Mix) 0:53
  12. Give Peace A Chance (Take 4 / Extended / Raw Studio Mix) 6:34
  13. Cold Turkey (Take 2 / Raw Studio Mix) 5:06
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Take 10 / Raw Studio Mix) 3:31
  15. Mother (Take 91/ Raw Studio Mix)
  16. I Found Out (Take 7 / Raw Studio Mix)
  17. God (Take 1 / Raw Studio Mix)

CD 5: The Evolution Documentary

  1. Mother (Evolution Documentary) 9:16
  2. Hold On (Evolution Documentary) 8:46
  3. I Found Out (Evolution Documentary) 6:01
  4. Working Class Hero (Evolution Documentary) 3:34
  5. Isolation (Evolution Documentary) 9:39
  6. Remember (Evolution Documentary) 7:01
  7. Love (Evolution Documentary) 7:36
  8. Well Well Well (Evolution Documentary) 4:50
  9. Look At Me (Evolution Documentary) 5:51
  10. God (Evolution Documentary) 8:09
  11. My Mummy's Dead (Evolution Documentary) 1:36

CD 6: The Jams & The Demos

  1. Johnny B. Goode (Jam) 1:02
  2. Ain't That A Shame (Jam) 1:54
  3. Hold On (Jam 1) 2:22
  4. Hold On (Jam 2) 1:36
  5. Glad All Over (Jam) 1:12
  6. Be Faithful To Me (Jam) 0:44
  7. Send Me Some Lovin' (Jam) 1:05
  8. Get Back (Jam) 1:05
  9. Lost John (Jam 1) 1:55
  10. Goodnight Irene (Jam)1:50
  11. You'll Never Walk Alone (Jam) 1:43
  12. I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama, I Don't Wanna Die (Jam 1) 3:30
  13. It'll Be Me (Jam) 1:07
  14. Honey, Don't! (Jam) 1:39
  15. Elvis Parody (Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog, When I'm Over You) (Jam) 2:48
  16. Matchbox (Jam) 1:57
  17. I've Got A Feeling (Jam) 0:19
  18. Mystery Train (Jam) 2:44
  19. (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care (Jam) 0:28
  20. I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama, I Don't Wanna Die (Jam 2) 1:46
  21. Lost John (Jam 2) 0:48
  22. Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow) (Jam) 2:06
  23. Mother (Home Demo) 5:00
  24. Hold On (Studio Demo) 2:17
  25. I Found Out (Home Demo) 4:08
  26. Working Class Hero (Studio Demo) 3:50
  27. Isolation (Studio Demo) 2:55
  28. Remember (Studio Demo) 5:24
  29. Love (Home Demo) 2:38
  30. Well Well Well (Home Demo) 1:15
  31. Look At Me (Home Demo) 2:48
  32. God (Home Demo) 3:51
  33. My Mummy's Dead (Home Demo) 1:18

Blu-rays:

THE ULTIMATE MIXES (53 mins)

  1. Mother
  2. Hold On
  3. I Found Out
  4. Working Class Hero
  5. Isolation
  6. Remember
  7. Love
  8. Well Well Well
  9. Look At Me
  10. God
  11. My Mummy's Dead
  12. Give Peace A Chance
  13. Cold Turkey
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)

THE ULTIMATE MIXES / THE OUT-TAKES (49 mins)

  1. Mother / Take 61
  2. Hold On / Take 2
  3. I Found Out / Take 1
  4. Working Class Hero / Take 1
  5. Isolation / Take 23
  6. Remember / Rehearsal 1
  7. Love / Take 6
  8. Well Well Well / Take 2
  9. Look At Me / Take 2
  10. God / Take 27
  11. My Mummy's Dead / Take 2
  12. Give Peace A Chance / Take 2
  13. Cold Turkey / Take 1
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) / Take 5

THE ELEMENTS MIXES (60 mins)

  1. Mother
  2. Hold On
  3. I Found Out
  4. Working Class Hero
  5. Isolation
  6. Remember
  7. Love
  8. Well Well Well
  9. Look At Me
  10. God
  11. My Mummy's Dead
  12. Give Peace A Chance
  13. Cold Turkey
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)

THE DEMOS (45 mins)

  1. Mother (Home Demo)
  2. Hold On (Studio Demo)
  3. I Found Out (Home Demo)
  4. Working Class Hero (Studio Demo)
  5. Isolation (Studio Demo)
  6. Remember (Studio Demo)
  7. Love (Home Demo)
  8. Well Well Well (Home Demo)
  9. Look At Me (Home Demo)
  10. God (Home Demo)
  11. My Mummy's Dead (Home Demo)
  12. Give Peace A Chance (Home Demo)*
  13. Cold Turkey (Home Demo)*
  14. Instant Karma! (Studio Demo)*

THE RAW STUDIO MIXES (59 mins)

  1. Mother / Take 64
  2. Hold On / Take 32
  3. I Found Out / Take 3 Extended
  4. Working Class Hero / Take 9
  5. Isolation / Take 29
  6. Remember / Take 13
  7. Love / Take 37
  8. Well Well Well / Take 4 Extended
  9. Look At Me / Take 9
  10. God / Take 42
  11. My Mummy's Dead / Take 1
  12. Give Peace A Chance / Take 4 Extended
  13. Cold Turkey / Take 2
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) / Take 10

THE RAW STUDIO MIXES / THE OUT-TAKES (50 mins)

  1. Mother / Take 91
  2. Hold On / Take 18*
  3. I Found Out / Take 7
  4. Working Class Hero / Take 10*
  5. Isolation / Take 1*
  6. Remember / Take 1*
  7. Love / Take 9*
  8. Well Well Well / Take 5*
  9. Look At Me / Take 3*
  10. God / Take 1
  11. My Mummy's Dead / Take 2*
  12. Give Peace A Chance / Take 4*
  13. Cold Turkey / Take 2*
  14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) / Take 5*

THE EVOLUTION DOCUMENTARY (93 mins)

  1. Mother
  2. Hold On
  3. I Found Out
  4. Working Class Hero
  5. Isolation
  6. Remember
  7. Love
  8. Well Well Well
  9. Look At Me
  10. God
  11. My Mummy's Dead
  12. Give Peace A Chance*
  13. Cold Turkey*
  14. Instant Karma (We All Shine On)*

THE JAMS / LIVE AND IMPROVISED (36 mins)

  1. Johnny B. Goode
  2. Ain't That A Shame
  3. Hold On (1)
  4. Hold On (2)
  5. Glad All Over
  6. Be Faithful To Me
  7. Send Me Some Lovin'
  8. Get Back
  9. Lost John (1)
  10. Goodnight Irene
  11. You'll Never Walk Alone (Parody)
  12. I Don't Want To Be To be A Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna Die (1)
  13. It'll Be Me
  14. Honey Don't
  15. Elvis Parody (Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog / When I'm Over You)
  16. Matchbox
  17. I've Got A Feeling
  18. Mystery Train
  19. You're So Square
  20. I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna Die (2)
  21. Lost John (2)
  22. Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow)

YOKO ONO / PLASTIC ONO BAND - THE LIVE SESSIONS (110 mins)

  1. Why*
  2. Why Not*
  3. Greenfield Morning I Pushed An Empty Carriage All Over The City*
  4. Touch Me*
  5. Paper Shoes*
  6. Life*
  7. Omae No Okaa Wa*
  8. I Lost Myself Somewhere In The Sky*
  9. Remember Love*
  10. Don't Worry Kyoko*
  11. Who Has Seen The Wind*

(*) exclusive to Blu-ray Discs

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. As a Beatle fan and a record collector, what bothers me about this is the $70.00 list price of the 2 LP set. The remastered double vinyl for "Imagine" was $40.00 and last years' double "Gimme Some Truth" was $60.00. Just because vinyl is popular again, I wish they'd stop ripping us record collectors off on the price of these new releases.

    Reply

    • looks incredible .. now that's how you treat surround sound fans .. can't believe everything, and more, on the cds is in surround sound on the blurays .. fab, gear.. very groovy indeed. i hope the walrus is seeing this ...

      Reply

  3. Maybe a little off-topic, but does anyone know what happened with Yoko’s reissue program? I seem to remember that all of her albums were supposedly being reissued through Simply Canadian or something but they seem to have stalled out after the first few.

    Reply

  4. In April, Universal Music has two fantastic boxed sets coming with "John Lennon-Plastic Ono Band" & "The Who Sell Out". Now, if they could finally persuade The Beach Boys to stop arguing over the contents of the "Feel Flows" 5-CD set, which has been mixed and mastered, but in limbo, for more than a year>

    Reply

  5. Wow... A lot to digest here. Not sure if I need ALL of this or not (But the jams/outtakes is aure intriguing). Looks amazing though.

    Here’s what I’m hoping is a simple question: Are any of the “Instant Karma!” versions here the slightly longer version with the cold ending (Where you hear the choir, a small flourish of organ, and it ends with a guitar riff)?

    I love that version of the song, and it’s damned near impossible to find. Chris Carter often plays it on Breakfast With The Beatles, and I’ve wanted it since I first heard it.

    If it’s included here, I may just buy it for that alone.

    Reply

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