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Listen to âIsolationâ, the sparse fifth track on âPlastic Ono Bandâ (John Lennonâs first post-Beatles record), a meditative piano ballad on which he laments the fact that âthe world may not have many yearsâ, and you may find it difficult to believe that the album turns 50 this year. Featuring both the brittle, paranoid âWorking Class Heroâ and the unabashedly romantic âLoveâ, itâs a timeless collection that truly encompasses the complex singer-songwriterâs duality.
It would have been John Lennonâs 80th birthday earlier this month. To celebrate both this and the albumâs anniversary, publisher Thames & Hudson has released John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band, a lush coffee table book that gathers together interviews new and old, hand-written song lyrics and previously unseen photos â from Lennonâs childhood snaps to candid studio pics â that tell the story of this singular musician and magnificent record.
Itâs all here, beginning with his feelings about the last days of Beatlemania. âThe music wasnât being heard,â he says in one excerpt, âit was just sort of a freak show. The Beatles were the show and the music had nothing to do with it. And as we were musicians, we felt there was no enjoyment in it.â Later, Ringo Starr, who played drums on âPlastic Ono Bandâ, reflects on the disparity between the hoopla and the sense of calm that permeates this album: âI hadnât played this one in a long time. I just went back to it because of this interview and itâs so incredible, the emotion on this record. It is just mind-blowing. The sparseness of the band, the force of John. Thatâs why heâs one of the greats.â
And this beautiful tome is a fine tribute to the man who offered the soundtrack to the age of isolation 50 years before anyone had ever heard the phrase âsocial distancingâ. Below is a small selection of images from John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band â the final two previously unseen â labelled as they are in the book, as per the publisherâs request.
If youâre looking for something to help while away your own period of recalibration, look no further than this new fascinating new collection.
âGive Peace a Chanceâ shoot
Instamatic snaps
Young John family shots
Instamatic snaps
Pool shot
Young John family shots
JOHN & YOKO/PLASTIC ONO BAND by John Lennon and Yoko Ono published by Thames & Hudson on October 29 at ÂŁ40
The post Check out previously unseen photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from new book ‘John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band’ appeared first on NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM.
