One of the most incendiary periods of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's life together is about to be re-explored in a new 9CD/3Blu-ray box set coming on October 10 (one day after what would have been Lennon's 85th birthday) from Capitol Records/UMe.  Power to the People features 123 tracks (90 of which are previously unreleased) to tell the full story of Lennon and Ono's political activism, spanning the prolific period between 1969's anthem "Give Peace a Chance" and 1972's controversial live album Sometime in New York City as well as that year's One to One concerts at Madison Square Garden.  Sadly, those shows would be John's only full-length, post-Beatles concerts, and also the final concerts he and Yoko ever performed together.  The story is told via live tracks, demos, home recordings, jams, and much more.

The box opens with three discs of the One to One concerts: the afternoon show, the evening show, and a hybrid blending the best performances from both.  The charity shows raised over $1.5 million (or $11.5 million in 2025 dollars) to support children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.  The concerts have been completely remixed by Paul Hicks and Sean Gannon from the original multitrack tapes as transferred by Rob Stevens; Alex Wharton has mastered the audio at Abbey Road.  The CDs are in stereo while the Blu-rays offer mixes in high-resolution stereo, Dolby Atmos, and 5.1 surround.  This marks a significant upgrade for the material, some of which appeared on the 1986 release Live in New York City.  This presentation follows the documentary release One to One: John & Yoko which premieres this fall on HBO Max following a limited theatrical run earlier in the year; whereas that film utilized portions of the shows, a full concert film will arrive next year under the same title of Power to the People.

Power to the People, the box set, continues with brand-new Ultimate Mixes and an Evolution Documentary (following the formats of previous Lennon boxes including last year's Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection) based on the studio material released on the 1972 double album Sometime in New York City.  (Note that the album's original opening track, "Woman is the Nigger of the World," has been dropped, and does not appear in its live incarnations, either.)   The Evolution Documentaries are audio montages which chronicle a song from demo to final master.

A disc of studio jams with John, Yoko, drummer Jim Keltner, and the members of Elephant's Memory features numerous oldies ("Ain't That a Shame," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Honey Don't," "Yakety Yak," "My Babe") and anticipates John's Rock 'n' Roll album; that disc is rounded out by a quartet of Elements Mixes from Sometime in New York City isolating and illuminating the orchestral aspects of each song.

The second LP of the original Sometime in New York City featured two live dates. "Cold Turkey" and "Don't Worry Kyoko" on Side Three were culled from a 1969 UNICEF benefit, with George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Keith Moon, Delaney and Bonnie, Klaus Voormann, and others in the band.  Side Four offered four jams from June 6, 1971 at New York's Fillmore East with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention (at that time including The Turtles' Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman, and Jim Pons along with Aynsley Dunbar, Ian Underwood, Don Preston, and Bob Harris).  CD 7 of the new box reprises both the 1969 and 1971 sets, while CD 8 dips into the vaults for (mostly) previously unreleased live performances from The David Frost Show, the 1972 Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon, a 1971 benefit at the Apollo for families of the victims of the Attica State riot, and a 1971 show with David Peel and The Lower East Side for the John Sinclair Freedom Rally.

The ninth and final CD is another treasure trove from the archives, premiering home jams and recordings at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan (including more classic tunes such as "Wake Up, Little Susie," "Peggy Sue," and "Hi-Heel Sneakers') and three songs recorded with folk hero Phil Ochs.

Yoko Ono writes in the Preface to the box, "The One to One concert was our effort in Grassroots Politics. It embodied what John and I strongly believed in - Rock for Peace and Enlightenment. And this one in Madison Square Garden turned out to be the last concert John and I did together. Imagine Peace. Peace is Power. Power To The People!"  John Lennon concurred; he told NME in 1972, "That Madison Square Garden gig was the best music I enjoyed playing since the Cavern or even Hamburg.  It was just the same kind of feeling when The Beatles used to really get into it."

Compilation producer Sean Ono Lennon adds in the press release, "I was completely floored putting this collection together and getting to remix the concerts and hearing all the unreleased material from my parents' archive for the first time.  People may not realize how special it is for me to hear my dad talking or to see him. I grew up with a set number of images and audio clips that everyone's familiar with. So to come across things that I've never seen or heard is really deep for me, because it's almost like getting more time with my dad. When I was eleven, my mum put out the Live in New York City album and film. So I grew up listening to it. It was a concert that had a legendary status in my mind, because it was my dad's last concert. For the concerts, Paul Hicks and Simon Hilton and I spent a lot of time finding the best possible balance to keep the feeling of a live show while refining the overall sound as much as possible and Sam Gannon did some meticulous and miraculous work with audio restoration. I won't disclose all our techniques but there was some 'movie magic' required, and I think in the end, the shows sound better than ever."

The 12 discs are housed in a 10-inch slipcase with silver foil titling and a lenticular cover of John and Yoko's faces that give a 3D effect layered on top of each other.  A 204-page hardcover book edited and designed by Simon Hilton includes an oral history of the music within, plus previously unreleased photos and memorabilia images (tape boxes, lyrics, drawings, and more).  The set also includes a newspaper print poster, sticker sheets, and an envelope containing replica concert tickets, backstage and post-show passes.

For those interested only in the One to One concerts, they will be released outside of the box set as an Audiophile 4LP Deluxe Collector's Edition containing four 180-gram black vinyl LPs with rice-paper inner sleeves and an 8-page booklet housed in a 12-inch lift-off-lid box, with the same silver foil titling and lenticular cover as the boxed set as well as the same replica envelope with concert tickets, passes, and poster.

A 2CD Deluxe Edition with a triple gatefold digi-sleeve featuring a lenticular cover of John and Yoko's faces includes a 20-page booklet. The "best-of" hybrid concert will also be available as a standalone release on CD and 2LP audiophile 180-gram black vinyl.  The vinyl version has an 8-page, 12-inch booklet with a 6-panel newsprint poster and two postcards.  "Come Together," featuring Jim Keltner and Elephant's Memory, from the One to One evening show is streaming now.

John and Yoko's political and musical activism has been dissected in books, films, articles, television specials, and every format conceivable; now their art speaks for itself with this new box set.  Power to the People is due on October 10 from Capitol/UMe.  You'll find pre-order links below, and we'll add Amazon links when available.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band with Elephants Memory & Special Guests, Power to the People (Capitol/UMe, 2025)

9CD/3BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store
4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD / Official Store
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD / Official Store

* previously unreleased

CD 1: The One to One Concert - Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - 8/30/1972 with Elephant's Memory and Special Guests (Hybrid "Best-Of" - also released as 2LP or 1CD)

+ afternoon show - all other tracks from evening show

1. Power to the People (intro) + *
2. New York City +
3. It's So Hard +
4. Move On Fast + *
5. Well Well Well *
6. Born in a Prison + *
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) +
8. Mother +
9. We're All Water *
10. Come Together *
11. Imagine +
12. Open Your Box + *
13. Cold Turkey + *
14. Don't Worry Kyoko + *
15. Hound Dog
16. Law and Order
17. Give Peace a Chance

CD 2: The One to One Concert - Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - 8/30/1972 with Elephant's Memory and Special Guests (afternoon show - also released in 4LP and 2CD)

1. Power to the People (intro) *
2. New York City
3. It's So Hard
4. Move On Fast *
5. Well Well Well
6. Born in a Prison *
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We're All Water *
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box *
13. Cold Turkey *
14. Don't Worry Kyoko *
15. Hound Dog *

CD 3: The One to One Concert - Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - 8/30/1972 with Elephant's Memory and Special Guests (evening show - also released in 4LP and 2CD)

1. Power to the People (intro) *
2. New York City *
3. It's So Hard *
4. Move On Fast *
5. Well Well Well *
6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) *
7. Mother *
8. We're All Water *
9. Born in a Prison *
10. Come Together *
11. Imagine *
12. Open Your Box *
13. Cold Turkey
14. Hound Dog
15. Law and Order
16. Give Peace a Chance

CD 1/2, Tracks 2-3, 5-8 and 11; CD 2, Track 10; and CD 3, Tracks 13-16 previously released on Live in New York City - Parlophone PCS 7301 (U.K.)/SV-12451, 1986
CD 2, Tracks 7 and 13-14 and CD 3, Track 5 also released on Lenono/Mercury Studios/UMR Record Store Day EP 7576665, 2025

CD 4: New York City (The Ultimate Mixes) with Elephant's Memory plus Invisible Strings

1. New York City
2. Sisters, O Sisters
3. Attica State
4. Born in a Prison
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Extended)
6. The Luck of the Irish
7. John Sinclair (Extended)
8. Angela
9. We're All Water

Original mixes of CD 4 released on Sometime in New York City - Apple PCSP 716 (U.K.)/SVBB 3392 (U.S.), 1972

CD 5: New York City (Evolution Documentary) with Elephant's Memory plus Invisible Strings (same track order as CD 4) *

CD 6: New York City (Studio Jam and Elements Mixes) with Elephant's Memory plus Invisible Strings *

1. Jazz Freakout
2. You Can't Sit Down
3. Roll Over Beethoven
4. Honey, Don't
5. Ain't That a Shame
6. My Babe
7. Send Me Some Lovin'
8. Fools Like Me
9. Down in the Caribbean
10. Happy Birthday Yoko Ono
11. That's Right
12. Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog
13. Yoko's Rhythm
14. Whole Lotta Shakin'/It'll Be Me
15. Yakety Yak
16. Road Runner
17. Sisters, O Sisters (Elements Mix)
18. Born in a Prison (Elements Mix)
19. The Luck of the Irish (Elements Mix)
20. Angela (Elements Mix)

CD 7: Live Jam 1

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band and A Star Studded Cast of Thousands - Peace and Love for Christmas, in aid of UNICEF: Live at The Lyceum Ballroom, The Strand, London, England - 12/15/1969

1. Cold Turkey
2. Don't Worry Kyoko

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Frank Zappa and The Mothers - Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY - 6/6/1971

3. Well (Baby Please Don't Go)
4. Jamrag (Say Please/King Kong/Aawk)
5. Scumbag
6. Aü

Original mixes previously released on Sometime in New York City - Apple PCSP 716 (U.K.)/SVBB 3392 (U.S.), 1972

CD 8: Live Jam 2

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with David Peel and The Lower East Side - Live at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI - 12/10/1971

1. Attica State *
2. The Luck of the Irish
3. Sisters, O Sisters *
4. John Sinclair

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band - Live at the Benefit for the families of the victims of the riot at Attica State Correctional Facility, The Apollo Theater, New York, NY - 12/17/1971

5. Attica State
6. Sisters, O Sisters *
7. Imagine

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band - Live on The David Frost Show, The Little Theatre, 240 West 44th Street, New York, NY - 12/16/1971

8. Attica State *
9. Sisters, O Sisters *
10. John Sinclair *

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band - Live at the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Americana Hotel, New York, NY - 9/4/1972

11. Imagine *
12. Now or Never *
13. Give Peace a Chance *

CD 8, Tracks 2, 4-5 and 7 released on John Lennon Anthology - Capitol 72438 30614 2 6, 1998

CD 9: Home Jam

The St. Regis Hotel, New York, NY - 9/10/1971

1. Shazam *
2. Honey, Don't *
3. Glad All Over *
4. Lend Me Your Comb *
5. Wake Up Little Susie *
6. New York City *
7. Wake Up Little Susie *
8. 'Hey, que pasa?' *
9. You're So Square (Baby I Don't Care) *
10. Vacation Time *
11. Heartbeat *
12. Peggy Sue Got Married *
13. Peggy Sue *
14. 'Phone call from Henry Gotsello' *
15. Peggy Sue *
16. 'Now we'd like to change the mood a little...' *
17. Maybe Baby *
18. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues *
19. Rave On! *
20. Twelve Bar Blues *

The St. Regis Hotel, New York, NY - 10/27/1971

21. I Got You *
22. Hi-Heel Sneakers *
23. Slippin' and Slidin' *
24. Gone from This Place *

The Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, MI - 12/10/1971

25. Send Me Some Lovin' *
26. He Got the Blues *
27. When the Teacher *
28. Pill *
29. It's Real
30. I Ain't Marching Anymore (with Phil Ochs) *
31. Joe Hill (with Phil Ochs) *
32. Chords of Fame (with Phil Ochs) *
33. Ringing of Revolution (with Phil Ochs)

Blu-ray 1: The One to One Concert (contents of CDs 1-3)

Blu-ray 2: New York City (contents of CDs 4-6)

Blu-ray 3: Live Jam and Home Jam (contents of CDs 7-9)