John Lennon-Plastic Ono Band (1970)

 

Artist:  John Lennon

Title: Plastic Ono Band

Label: Apple

Format: LP

Cat #: SW 3372

Year of Release: 1970

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1970 Scranton Press

Listed Condition: VG+/VG+ with original inner sleeve

Sell Date: 3/7/21

Sell Price: $14.99

Discogs Last Sold: 2/8/21

Low:  $2.99 G+/VG+

Median: $9.09

High:  $47.62 NM/VG+ cover could be mint

Current low price:  $2.89 G/missing cover, $3.49 G/G, VG/VG with inner sleeve $10.49

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 22

Have/Want: 1061/375

Where Sold:  Miami, FL

Time it took to sell: 5 years

Where and When Bought: Worcester, Al Bums early to mid 80's used around $6.99

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A+

Sad To See It Go: yes

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.-John Milton

Long considered my favorite album of all time.  I can't think of a reason to drop it a peg.  What would I replace it with?  Pink Floyd's Animals?  Ramones' Ramones? Rocket To Russia?  Black Sabbath Master of Reality? Black Flag Damaged? Dylan's Desire? Beatles Revolver?  Abbey Road?  These are my inner sanctum toppermost of the poppermost A+ albums for various reasons, but I think Plastic Ono Band is a special breed.

Coming out of the Beatles and clearly not happy, Lennon created a perfect song cycle.  Perfect instrumentation.  Perfect lyrics.  Honest (that week) ideology.  Perfect musical complements (Klaus Voorman and Ringo).  Stripped and raw.  Perfect sounding guitar.  Perfect sounding vocals.  Nothing like Phil Spector ever had a hand in before.  

He sends off the Beatles and God himself.  He doesn't even believe in Yoga, let alone Zimmerman, Elvis or Kings!  Then he leaves with an uplifting take on "Three Blind Mice": "My Mummy's Dead."  Now that my own Mummy has been gone a decade, it has a different meaning, but I always connected to this song.  I love a good epitaph and this one serves it cold.  A single tear from a self perceived performance clown who can no longer play his role with conviction.

Then the tears begin to flow.  Dr. Arthur Janov's Primal Scream permeates throughout the record and none beat the opener's ending fade out.  Some of the best tribute to childhood dysfunction one could ever know.  John sees little joy in fame and fortune, it's just another thing to suffer and with the fools that accompany it and idolize it.

Plastic Ono Band has always had an impact on my worldview, more than any piece of rock.  Perhaps only Pink Floyd's The Final Cut can come close to such a single minded statement of post-World War II outlook from a former child's point of view.  They carried their permanent wounds into adulthood.  

There is beauty within.  "Love" yes.   "Yoko and Me," something he CAN believe in, when the rest of the world is flipped off in a line list.  Is it Love or is it a modus operandi to blow it all up?  Better ask May Pang.  Soaring vocals in "Remember" and a little Lennon comedy remembering Guy Fawkes night.  Guy Fawkes was tortured on the rack until he named his co-conspirators after being caught nearly blowing up the House of Parliaments in 1605.  Thus, the 5th of November is celebrated with fireworks and charred effigies of Fawkes.

If you ever feel so sad.  And the whole world is driving you mad.  

Remember today.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bob Dylan-Blood On The Tracks (1975)

Image
  Artist:  Bob Dylan Title: Blood On The Tracks Label: Columbia Format: SACD Cat: CH 90323 Year of Release: 1975 Country and Year of Edition: US 2003 SACD Promo sticker over barcode Sell Price: $12.20 VG+/VG+ 7/15/24 Discogs Last Sold: 7/7/24 NM/VG+ $8.99 Low: $3.00 Median: $11.63 Average: $12.38 High: $27.00 Current low price: $1.99 F/G+, $9.98 VG/VG+ Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 27 Have/Want: 334/242 Where Sold: Ypsilanti, MI Time it took to sell: 11 years Where and When Purchased: promo Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A+ Sad To See It Go: No "I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form..." "And when finally the bottom fell out I became withdrawn..." Bob's public precursor to his own divorce has taken a strange turn in the public narrative over the years, whether reflecting domestic tranquility or turbulence.   Beyonc é  might tell you she flips pancakes or boils an egg to Blood On The Tracks on a Sunday morning.  Jakob Dylan might rail that ...
Read more

The Byrds-Live At The Fillmore-February 1969 (2000)

Image
  Artist: The Byrds Title: Live At The Fillmore February 1969 Label: Columbia/Legacy Format: CD Cat #: CK 65910 Year of Release: 2000 Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 2000 Listed Condition VG+/VG+: hole punch in UPC Sell Date: 5/6/24 Sell Price:$3.75 Discogs Last Sold: 4/25/24 $7.87 VG/VG Low: $1.75 Median: $4.24 Average: $4.28 High: $7.87 Current low price: $2.50 Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 30 Have/Want: 524/45 Where Sold:Charlotte, NC Time it took to sell: 12 years Where and When Bought: early aughts not sure where in NYC Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A- Sad To See It Go: No One of those releases that looks great on a shelf, but it took me 24 years after buying it to get around to paying any attention to this excellent live recording.  I guess that means I should force myself to read David Fricke's liner notes as well.  Sweetheart Of The Rodeo came out August 30, 1968 only 8 months after The Notorious Byrd Brothers and Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde came out a week before ...
Read more

Bob Dylan-Bob Dylan (1962)

Image
  Artist: Bob Dylan Title: Bob Dylan Label: Columbia Format: LP Cat #: PC 8579 Year of Release: 1962 Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1970's reissue Listed Condition VG/VG+ Sell Date: 5/2/24 Sell Price:$8.93 Discogs Last Sold: 3/5/24 NM/VG+ $9.00 Low: $3.98 M/VG+ Median: $12.49 Average: $12.81 High: $24.99 M/NM Current low price: $12.00 Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 16 Have/Want: 285/176 Where Sold: Minneapolis, MN Time it took to sell: 9 years Where and When Bought: Worcester used That's Entertainment mid 80's Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A Sad To See It Go: No "You're No Good!" the 3 year old Reverse Collector proclaimed to his mother.  "David! That's an awful thing to say!  Go to your room!"  I was just saying what was on the cover of the Bob Dylan song list on the album I had.  I was a fluent reader by age 3, as opposed to simply memorizing text my parents read to me when I was 2.  I understood the concept of "Good" and "Ba...
Read more