267. JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND by John Lennon

It's hard to believe that I was only around a couple months old when John Lennon's 1970 solo debut record came out. Considered by most as his best record, it represented quite a departure from his Beatles output, even his late Beatles material which tended to be more off the beaten path.

If anyone thought that the recently broken up Beatles may have had a chance of getting back together, this album put a nail in the coffin to that idea (even though Beatles drummer Ringo Starr plays on this record). In fact, Lennon would make it a habit to include some sort of 'kiss off' track or tracks in several of his subsequent records.

Lennon's piano weighs heavily here with many of the tracts very sparsely arranged by producer Phil Spector. Start out with bluesy 'Isolation' which I think is the standout track here, possibly second only to the last song I will recommend down below. Move on to 'Working Class Hero' which only Lennon can somehow infuse an almost deadpan performance with such emotion. 'Mother' comes next, again with a very minimal arrangement that suits Ringo's drumming to the T. Round out your Lennon sampler with 'God' in which the bright and sprightly opening piano riff belies the deeper, darker themes of the song. Starting around the 2:30 mark and running through to the last notes of the song wrecks me every time I listen - this is probably true of anyone who grew up listening to the Beatles. But don't just jump to that timestamp - you really have to listen to the whole song and let the tension build up to that point to really understand what I'm talking about. Have the lyrics (and a box of Kleenex) in front of you.