The definitive exploration of John Lennon’s first major solo album after the break-up of the Beatles

Described by Lennon as ‘the best thing I’ve ever done’, and widely regarded by critics as his best solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was released alongside the remarkable Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band on 11 December 1970. With first-hand commentary by John & Yoko, members of the Plastic Ono Band and other key figures in their lives, and packed with evocative and revealing letters, artworks and photographs, this incisive volume offers new insights into the raw emotions and open mindset of Lennon after marriage to Ono and the break-up of the Beatles.

Following their wedding in March 1969, Lennon and Ono decided that their future musical endeavours should be credited to a conceptual vehicle, the Plastic Ono Band. The band featured an ever-changing line-up of musicians, including Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Ringo Starr, Alan White, George Harrison, Billy Preston and Jim Keltner, all of whom played live with Lennon and Ono, and contributed to their recordings. The fearless honesty that John & Yoko inspired in one another in their search for truth, meaning and peace had a huge impact on Lennon’s song writing, resulting in the creation of tracks that are intensely personal and unlike anything previously heard in popular music, including ‘Mother’, ‘Working Class Hero’ and ‘God’. This book takes those lyrics as a starting point and explores Lennon’s life, relationships and world view during this transformative period.

Contents List:

YOKO ONO / PREFACE
WHO ARE THE PLASTIC ONO BAND?

Singles
Bed Peace / Montreal
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
Derek Taylor / What Is The Plastic Ono Band?
Live Peace In Toronto
COLD TURKEY
Peace And Love For Christmas
INSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON)
Arthur Janov / Primal Scream Therapy

Back Stories
MOTHER
HOLD ON
I FOUND OUT
WORKING CLASS HERO
ISOLATION
REMEMBER
LOVE
WELL WELL WELL
LOOK AT ME
GOD
MY MUMMY’S DEAD

Recordings
JOHN LENNON / PLASTIC ONO BAND
Ringo Starr / Drums
Klaus Voormann / Bass
Billy Preston / Piano
YOKO ONO / PLASTIC ONO BAND
Album Artworks

Promotions
Jann S. Wenner / Founder and Editor, Rolling Stone
Annie Leibovitz / Photographer

About the Authors:

John Lennon (1940–1980) was an English singer, songwriter and peace activist who co-founded the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. Yoko Ono is a globally renowned multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and activist. She married John Lennon in 1969 and became his creative partner and muse. She continues to work to preserve his legacy, funding, among other projects, Strawberry Fields in Manhattan’s Central Park, the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Iceland and the ‘Imagine There’s No Hunger’ campaign.

 

Personally compiled and curated by Yoko Ono, Imagine John Yoko is the definitive inside story – told in revelatory detail – of the making of the legendary album and all that surrounded it: the locations, the creative team, the artworks and the films, in the words of John & Yoko and the people who were there.

In 1971, John Lennon & Yoko Ono conceived and recorded the critically acclaimed album Imagine at their Georgian country home, Tittenhurst Park, in Berkshire, England, in the state-of-the-art studio they built in the grounds, and at the Record Plant in New York. The lyrics of the title track were inspired by Yoko Ono’s ‘event scores’ in her 1964 book Grapefruit, and she was officially co-credited as writer in June 2017.

Imagine John Yoko tells the story of John & Yoko’s life, work and relationship during this intensely creative period, featuring 80% exclusive, hitherto-unpublished archive photos and footage sequences of all the key players in situ, together with lyric sheets, Yoko’s art installations, and exclusive new insights and personal testimonies from Yoko and over 40 of the musicians, engineers, staff, celebrities, artists and photographers who were there – including Julian Lennon, Klaus Voormann, Alan White, Jim Keltner, David Bailey, Dick Cavett and Sir Michael Parkinson. It transports readers to home and working environments showcasing Yoko’s closely guarded archive of photos and artefacts, using artfully compiled narrative film stills, and featuring digitally rendered maps, floorplans and panoramas that recreate the interiors in evocative detail. John & Yoko introduce each chapter and song; Yoko also provides invaluable additional commentary and a preface.

All the minutiae is examined: the locations, the key players, the music and lyrics, the production techniques and the artworks – including the creative process behind the double exposure polaroids used on the album cover.

With a message as universal and pertinent today as it was when the album was created, this landmark publication is a fitting tribute to John & Yoko and their place in cultural history.

Contents List:

Preface • 1. Tittenhurst • 2. Recording Imagine • 3. Album Artwork • 4. Filming Imagine • 5. This Is Not Here • 6. Legacy

About the Authors:

John Lennon (1940–1980) was an English singer, songwriter and peace activist who co-founded the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music.

Yoko Ono is a globally renowned multimedia artist, singer, songwriter and activist. She married John Lennon in 1969 and became his creative partner and muse. She continues to work to preserve his legacy, funding, among other projects, Strawberry Fields in Manhattan’s Central Park, the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Iceland and the ‘Imagine There’s No Hunger’ campaign.