Don’t Worry, Kyoko: Three More Yoko Ono Reissues Announced
Secretly Canadian, in partnership with Chimera Music, last year announced a back catalogue campaign covering the challenging musical works of Yoko Ono. The second batch of three expanded albums will be released next month, the label announced today.
Three albums from the early ’70s recorded for Apple Records–1971’s Fly and 1973’s Approximately Infinite Universe and Feeling the Space–will be repressed on CD and LP for the first time in many years on July 14. Each release will feature bonus tracks previously found on Rykodisc’s career-spanning Onobox (1992) and subsequent individual album reissues.
These three albums represent Ono’s esoteric artistic progression against the backdrop of her husband John Lennon’s first popular musical statements in the year following The Beatles’ breakup. Fly, recorded around the same time as Imagine, features raw, unbridled musical statements including the blues-based tune “Don’t Worry, Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow),” a raw tune about the separation of Ono’s first daughter (with whom she finally reunited in the late 1990s). Lennon appears throughout with bassist Klaus Voorman and drummer Jim Keltner; “Don’t Worry, Kyoko” was famously backed by Lennon, his former bandmate Ringo Starr on drums and Eric Clapton on guitar.
Ono closed out her time on Apple in 1973 with two decidedly more conventional yet entirely unique albums. Approximately Infinite Universe and Feeling the Space dealt with increasingly feminist themes, especially on Feeling the Space (a direct reaction to the second-wave feminism taking Western civilization by storm at the time). The band Elephant’s Memory back up Ono on Universe; Space is credited to “Plastic Ono Band & Something Different” and featured a slate of all-star session musicians, including Keltner, jazz pianist Kenny Ascher, saxophonist Michael Brecker and Sneaky Pete Kleinow on pedal steel. (Lennon appears sparingly on both records; affected in part by the beginning of his “lost weekend” temporary estrangement from Ono, he was credited as “Joel Nohnn” on Universe and John O’Cean on two tracks from Space.)
All albums are newly remastered with bonus tracks, with Feeling the Space offering the most rarities (including songs from the cancelled 2LP arrangement of the album, resurrected for Onobox). Pre-order links and full track lists are available below; exclusive bundles from Secretly Canadian include limited edition white vinyl pressings with a custom slipmat or CD sets with a replica of the Approximately Infinite Universe iron-on patch John affixed to his guitar case.
Fly (originally released as Apple SAPTU 101/102 (U.K.)/SVBB-3380 (U.S.), 1971 – reissued Secretly Canadian SC282, 2017)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
Disc/LP 1
- Midsummer New York
- Mindtrain
- Mind Holes
- Don’t Worry, Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)
- Mrs. Lennon
- Hirake
- Toilet Piece/Unknown
- O’Wind (Body is the Scar of Your Mind)
Disc/LP 2
- Airmale
- Don’t Count the Waves
- You
- Fly
- Telephone Piece
- Between the Takes (bonus track from Rykodisc RCD 10415/16, 1997)
- Will You Touch Me (bonus track from Rykodisc RCD 10415/16, 1997)
- Head Play (Medley: You/Airmale/Fly) (from Onobox – Rykodisc RCD 10224/29, 1992)
Approximately Infinite Universe (originally released as Apple SAP 101/102 (U.K.)/SVBB-3399 (U.S.), 1973 – reissued Secretly Canadian SC283, 2017)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
Disc/LP 1
- Yang Yang
- Death of Samantha
- I Want My Love to Rest Tonight
- What Did I Do!
- Have You Seen a Horizon Lately?
- Approximately Infinite Universe
- Peter the Dealer
- Song for John
- Catman (The Rosies Are Coming)
- What a Bastard the World Is
- Waiting for the Sunrise
Disc/LP 2
- I Felt Like Smashing My Face In a Clear Glass Window
- Winter Song
- Kite Song
- What a Mess
- Shiranakatta (I Didn’t Know)
- Airtalk
- I Have a Woman Inside My Soul
- Move On Fast
- Now or Never
- Is Winter Here to Stay?
- Looking Over From My Hotel Window
- Dogtown (Acoustic Demo) (bonus track from Rykodisc RCD 10417/18, 1997)
Feeling the Space (originally released as Apple SAPCOR 26 (U.K.)/SW-3412 (U.S.), 1973 – reissued Secretly Canadian SC284, 2017)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
- Growing Pain
- Yellow Girl (Stand By For Life)
- Coffin Car
- Women of Salem
- Run, Run, Run
- If Only
- A Thousand Times Yes
- Straight Talk
- Angry Young Women
- She Hits Back
- Woman Power
- Men, Men, Men
- I Learned to Stutter/Coffin Car (Live @ The First International Feminist Conference, Cambridge, MA – 6/1 to 6/4/1973) (bonus track from Rykodisc RCD 10419, 1997)
- Potbelly Rocker (from Onobox – Rykodisc RCD 10224/29, 1992)
- It’s Been Very Hard (from Onobox – Rykodisc RCD 10224/29, 1992)
- Warrior Woman (from Onobox – Rykodisc RCD 10224/29, 1992)
- Left Turn’s the Right Turn (from Onobox – Rykodisc RCD 10224/29, 1992)
- Mildred, Mildred (bonus track from Rykodisc RCD 10419, 1997)
- Mildred, Mildred (Demo) (from Onobox – Rykodisc RCD 10224/29, 1992)
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I have all of the Rykodisc Ono CD’s(except “Onobox”), and all of Yoko’s original “Apple” vinyl L.P.’s. If there had been some actual unreleased material amongst the bonus tracks, I would have bought the new CD series, but there isn’t any, so i’ll pass.
It wouldn’t have been unreasonable to expect Yoko to include the unedited 8 minute version of “Don’t Worry Kyoko”. Oh well, it circulates with full fidelity on an unofficial release.
Perhaps Ms.Ono’s poor health meant that she couldn’t get deeply involved in this reissue series. In recent instances when she’s ventured out of her apartment, Ms. Ono has been transported in a wheelchair.