John Lennon had always been quite a political sort of person during his lifetime, railing against the Capitalist based class system that has been predominantly present in the UK. This may explain why he eventually moved to New York with his wife, artist Yoko Ono and this album shows that clearly. In any case, John Lennon released this album after the critically acclaimed and memorable Plastic Ono Band and Imagine albums. Due to the fact that the material here was seen as more of a mixed effort and the fact that this album was divided into a double album, one side studio and one side live, it was a failure commercially. Still, this album was better received than John Lennon’s rather awful experimental solo albums of the late 1960s. The album cover is an interesting one, showing, for example, the then Republican USA president Richard Nixon and the Chinese Communist dictator Chairman Mao dancing in the nude, amongst other things on the cover. That is rather a humourous statement from John Lennon. Still, John Lennon was a legend in many ways and this album is worth covering. Let’s take a listen and hear how this double album sounds.

Woman Is The Nigger Of The World is a very provocative song title. It launches into an awesome piece of music with expressive saxophone and John Lennon singing nicely over an acoustic guitar backdrop. Obviously intended to cause a stir, John Lennon sounds great on this song, although it is an unusual one. The sounds, playing and instrumentation are really fantastic here. Although this is a very out there statement, it is a musical masterpiece of sorts, with the saxophone and guitars sounding very wonderful here. A lively and interesting statement, the lyrics and music match each other well and this no doubt was banned from many radio stations back in the day. The drumming and sound throughout are both very powerful and uplifting. A neat and interesting song for sexual equality, this is a brilliant listen and something comparing women’s rights in most circumstances to slavery. A bit repetitive and lengthy, but nonetheless, a great tune from the 1970s. An awesome listening experience, this sounds really cool, clever and interesting. It fades out at the end, nice.

Sister, O Sisters begins with a stab at the “male chauvinist pig engineer” and quickly launches into a song sung by Yoko Ono. It is better than her experimental wailing from earlier on in John Lennon’s career, that is for sure. This song gets going into an another horn based based piece of music that is okay, although Yoko Ono really wasn’t a great singer to be frank, and this song proves that quite clearly. Her voice is tuneless and strained, even without the wailing/shrieking that she did earlier on. All the same, this song is a very feminist tune. “Freedom, O Freedom, that’s what we ask for, that’s what we live for now” is sung here, followed quickly by a good guitar solo that sounds quite decent. Nonetheless, a good listen without being a great one. It is good that both John Lennon and Yoko Ono had each other in their lives, but Yoko Ono is hardly a great singer here. This drags the album down somewhat, but it’s okay nonetheless. An okay song, but John Lennon and Yoko Ono had done better than this before.

Attica State begins with some raunchy USA style guitar licks, before launching into another political song with both John Lennon and Yoko Ono railing against incarceration and the unjust justice system in countries like the USA. This is another fairly average tune that could have been better sung and recorded, to be frank. Although Phil Spector was producing this album, it is not a really great effort to listen to by this point. This tune has not aged at all well, it sounds like John Lennon and Yoko Ono attempting to imitate The Beatles very poorly. Regardless, it’s not outright bad, just a big disappointment from earlier works. It ends with some crashing drums and a quick conclusion. Just okay here.

Born In A Prison begins with some nice drumbeats, saxophone and organ, and sounds very decent and classy. Again, Yoko Ono sings here and sings about the institutionalised nature of growing up in school, hence the song title. Nonetheless, this is quite a good listen, even with Yoko Ono on lead vocals. A smooth, sweet saxophone solo enters and this tune sounds really quite good. This is not a million miles away from the ideas and concepts of The Wall by Pink Floyd later on in 1979. Indeed, this directly political statement sounds more like a rant than an intellectual statement here. Still, this is okay but not the best song on the album. The saxophone breathes life into this tune, and the whole thing sounds better for it. This is definitely a more unusual song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, but an understandable one. Listenable, even with all its flaws. It fades out gently.

New York City begins with some guitars, launching into a retro Rhythm and Blues sort of tune. Nonetheless, this is a good listen but not at all a great listening experience. John Lennon, at least sings this song. It sounds like he is attempting to record a song that The Rolling Stones would do here instead of what John Lennon himself would do instead in his solo days. There is quite a good and loud guitar solo towards the middle that sounds vibrant, bright and humbuckery. It is an okay tune to listen to, but nothing spectacular on this song. In any case, this is a straightforward tune that defines John Lennon’s new life in New York and this album in general. A great piano solo is here in the second half that is likened to some of the 1950s musical pianists of yesteryear (e.g. Fats Domino). A good listen, but a bit too long and naff sounding really to be enjoyed. It fades out nicely at the end. Worth it from this album.

Sunday Bloody Sunday is a protest song about violence in Northern Ireland. It begins with some interesting marching like drums and percussion, launching into another similar sounding song to that before this song. John Lennon sings well here, and it is not a politically correct sounding listen. Indeed, most people in the West are unaware of the horrors of war, and John Lennon’s own political views are front and centre in this song. Yoko Ono is here again, doing backing vocals in the chorus. A searing guitar solo emerges eventually, and this tune is quite a lot better than what has come before it. Fun, funky and very 1970s, it is a good song without being a great song. It is a direct protest against the UK government overtaking Northern Ireland and just owning it for greedy purposes. A great saxophone part is here as well, which makes this song really awesome. There is some relative truth in John Lennon’s statement about the British government here, no matter if you are a Socialist or Capitalist politically speaking. After all, the British Raj and Hong Kong, amongst many other areas of the world were ruthlessly conquered by the UK. Musically, this is a good listen that would have been bettered without Yoko Ono’s vocals in the background here, she is not a great singer. A good song for the message at hand. This political statement may have rubbed off on Tony Blair, the British New Labour PM who wanted (and temporarily achieved) peace in Northern Ireland. All the same, this is quite a long song with a lengthy faded outro which occurs early, before fading right back in. Yoko Ono sounds terrible at the end here, which destroys the song. It’s okay, but not phenomenal.

The Luck Of The Irish is more of the same lyrically but musically is completely different. It has a flute, acoustic guitar and a bit of a Hippie sound to the whole thing. It is beautiful, nonetheless. “If you had the luck of the Irish, you’d be sorry and wish you were dead…” is the opening line to the song and reveals a bad set of circumstances for those Irish people who hated what the English did to them over the centuries. Which is understandable. Yoko Ono sings here as well, and the whole tune is decent, and her singing is actually okay on this song. It is a great historical summary that is pro-Irish and anti-colonial, set to Hippie music sounds. Again, this is good, but not great. It is a good listen about a terrible historical chapter of war and bloodshed between the English and the Irish. Still, it is an okay listen but far from perfect. A good history lesson for the listener, however. The outro sounds lush.

John Sinclair begins with some country style acoustic slide guitars, and sounds really different and awesome as a result. An awesome listen inspired no doubt by Southern USA music, this is a great listening experience. There is a neat adlib of synchronised vocals and slide guitar parts throughout here which repeats, and are pretty cool. Very interesting, this proves that The Beatles were quite limited in their outlooks and aims, and John Lennon was able to better articulate his feelings in his solo career. The slide guitar playing, drumming and vocals are just simply delicious throughout. A really interesting and awesome listening experience, and something that is quite memorable from this song. A great USA based story tale, this is really fine and excellent within its simplicity here. This is reminiscent of Blues music, with a Country edge to it. Which is where Rock and Roll music originated from. There is some sweet slide guitar soloing at the end here, which lasts throughout the fade-out. Sweet. Nice to hear.

Angela begins with strings, slide guitars and a warm, reassuring sound. John and Yoko sing about someone who is thrown into a political prison. The said lady may not be known to many, but regardless, this is a powerful, sweet and enjoyable listen for what it is. A lively, lovely and pretty listen with thundering drums and a great sense of gorgeous and beautiful melodies throughout. An organ part is here that sounds pretty and unique, and this is a lovely listen. Unfortunately, many people are easily thrown into political prison during their lifetime who don’t need to be. A luscious string section and saxophone are here to enjoy. Really a better listen from this album, it points to the light at the end of the tunnel for said lady. All in all, this is a better song that deserves to be heard if you feel oppressed by a government that doesn’t like nor agree with you and what you do. Great all the same, it ends sweetly.

We’re All Water is an extended seven minute long piece to conclude the first half of this album. With saxophone, drums and searing electric guitars, this sounds quite nice to begin with. It sings about the two political leaders on the front cover of the album, Richard Nixon and Chairman Mao. It points out that both Communism and Capitalism (at least according to John Lennon and Yoko Ono) are both political brands that, ultimately fail the people. This is a good jam based song that sounds really quite good, and points to the fact that, at the end of the day, we are all human, be it either man or woman. A good listen to conclude a fairly average first half of the album, with some totally awful shrieking by Yoko Ono. Goodness knows why that was considered a good idea to add here. It references the sameness of many historical figures that people look up to. Interesting listening, and again, very political. It’s okay, but Yoko’s shouting and screaming aren’t needed here. The guitar solo and the shrieking do not make any sense here, Yoko really needs a musical psychologist therapy session big time. A weird song that drags on with Yoko’s absolutely horrible screaming, please skip this song. You won’t regret it. John Lennon may have been in love with Yoko Ono, sure. But this is absurd to put onto an album. In any case, the outro jam is great, without Yoko Ono screaming away. This latter section shows real potential musically, with piano, saxophone and pummelling drums. Yoko returns to destroy a perfectly good song with her fingernails down a blackboard yelping and screaming. Terrible, just shockingly bad. Fortunately, this cringeworthy moment is skippable. Rubbish and the first half of the album ends here.

Cold Turkey – Live is a cover of the John Lennon classic about heroin addiction. This is the first song on the second half of the album, which has John Lennon and an all star cast playing with him on the second half of this album, including the likes of Frank Zappa and Eric Clapton, of which the full list of musicians can be found on Wikipedia. Regardless, this begins with some drumming and guitar feedback over some chatter. In any case, John Lennon and crew give us an anticipated wait for this performance. John Lennon quirkily pretends to be an English Opera singer (which is actually quite funny) before loud and searing guitars enter. Eventually loud electric guitars enter, and this song gets going with some audience applause. John Lennon sings very nicely here, and this enters into a fantastic and very Hard Rock version of the original tune. This makes up for any of the nonsensical tracks on the first half of the album. For anyone who has ever struggled with drug addiction, this is the perfect listen for you to enjoy. An excellent tune and although the mixing here isn’t that terrific, this is still a winner. Nicky Hopkins plays a neat electric piano here, and this whole thing comes alive. This is certainly a decent and interesting rendition of the original song, and this is likely a listen that would have inspired many young men to pick up guitars for generations. The raunchy Blues of this song is terrific, and super catchy. John Lennon’s voice is in surprisingly good form here , and he and the band sound terrific. Some sexual sounding moans are here which turn into screaming, whilst the rest of the band delivers extremely well a live performance here. A great listen. The jam continues on very nicely and amazingly for some time, sounding top and superb. A really great performance, although the mix is fairly muddy here. The mash-up of sound and performance is really awesome here. This jam could have been cut down a little in terms of length for some time, and the wordless yelping is a bit too Yoko Ono-ish here. Regardless, a very interesting song to listen to. The guitar work towards the end is great, and this concludes with the band crashing back down to earth and applause from the crowd. John Lennon and crew then get ready for the next piece with the tuning of their instruments and a bit of chatter. This ending could have been edited out, but it’s okay.

Don’t Worry Kyoko – Live begins with Yoko Ono’s awful screaming, which sounds downright bad. It is a rather ordinary listen, poor at best and horrible at worst. Soon enough, this launches into one of the saddest moments in musical history. A great song is destroyed by a lady who, quite clearly, lacked musical talent and could not sing. Regardless, if you can listen past the nonsensical screaming and hear the tune for what it is, it is okay. Still, the screaming is absolutely terrible. If you thought Liam Gallagher was a poor singer after the heyday of Oasis, wait until you hear this trash. This is appalling, no other way to describe this garbage. Understandably, John and Yoko loved each other deeply, but the fact is that Yoko Ono was no Beatle. The jam is best off without her, and the jam itself is actually quite good on its own. Every millisecond that Yoko Ono does not sing here is a relief, otherwise, it is torture. A sad and pathetic attempt at a piece of music with some of the most horrible screaming you will ever hear. This is not a classic album at all. If you can skip it, do so right now. Even the supporting instrumentation sounds messed up. Even meth addicts could sing better than this. An absolute disaster of a piece, ruined by Yoko Ono. This sounds like a bad LSD trip and is torturous to get through. Surely a reasonable person would tell this lady to be quiet and step aside? Not much more can be said about this awful tune. It may be deemed “experimental” but hey, so were The Velvet Underground, who made critically acclaimed music. An absolute disaster and the less said of this, the better. One of the most shameful recordings in musical history. The whole thing is a disgrace. John Lennon needed to clean out his ears here. Headshakingly bad. Awful. A piece of musical torture. Unfortunately, this has actually been recorded and released on an album. It may not be as bad as the weird experimental albums that John Lennon and Yoko Ono did a few years prior, but it still stinks. The fact that this goes on for 16 minutes is a musical crime as well. Without Yoko Ono, this would be listenable. Eventually, in the second half, Yoko shuts up for a bit, until she inevitably returns. A real nightmare of a listen, you’ll be glad when it is over. Fingernails down a blackboard would be better listening than this. The tempo change towards the end is not reassuring, either. The audio equivalent of projectile vomiting. There is very little applause at the end, and obviously for a good reason. The audience sounds angry, in fact. They chant for John instead, a wise decision. Some noise occurs and some chatter as well. Terrible.

Well (Baby Please Don’t Go) is, fortunately, much shorter. It begins with the audience clapping and cheering loudly before Frank Zappa addresses the crowd with this second live session recorded for this album. John Lennon then speaks and introduces the song as a number he hasn’t covered for years. Soon enough, this tune launches into an excellent listening experience and performance that sounds great. This has some really great guitar work throughout, and the whole tune is really cool. Awesome, cool and interesting listening, the band play wonderfully here. Frank Zappa shreds away very nicely on guitar here, and he makes this song really come alive. This eventually leads back into the chorus of the song, and this sounds awesome and mind-blowing. There is some distracting squealing in the left channel throughout, by Yoko Ono. Still, despite that, this is actually fairly listenable. All in all, a good listening experience with some awesome playing that is swamped by cheering and applause at the end. Nice.

Jamrag – Live continues with Yoko Ono doing her horrible screaming, and the crowd approving of it. She sounds awful and there is instrumentation to match. This is totally weird and not very good. Pretty pathetic and nonsensical. Eventually the band launches into some of the worst music you will ever hear. The drums are interesting and good, but the rest of Yoko Ono’s involvement shouldn’t be here, to be honest. The whole thing would have been better without her. A Progressive Rock like instrumental occurs with her stupid vocals, but the instrumental itself sounds good. Once again, this is totally unnecessary to hear. The music here via organ is pretty cool to hear, but it is ruined by Yoko Ono’s involvement. The wah-wah guitar is best left on its own, to be frank. An extended musical jam that isn’t really great with the vocals, this is pretty much like taking an Impressionist painting and using AI modelling to destroy it, in postmodern terms anyway. There is an awful continuation towards the end here with Yoko’s stupid vocals ongoing. Really retarded sounding, and not worth your time. It concludes with dramatic sweeps and segues into the next track.

Scumbag – Live launches straight into it, with pounding and interesting drums and organ. This is actually quite nice to hear, it sounds great without Yoko Ono. John Lennon gets singing away very nicely the song title and sings wonderfully here. A welcome change from the wailing of the previous tune, this is an interesting and a joyfully emotionally evocative listening experience. John Lennon delivers a better tune whilst Yoko Ono keeps her mouth shut for the most part. She eventually does return, but is fortunately mixed out here which is great and necessary. The second half gets quiet and Frank Zappa addresses the crowd about the song, which is pretty cool. The audience sings along afterwards and this tune comes alive throughout the second half. A really interesting listening experience, this eventually concludes in a barrage and noise and chanting. Excellent, good for a change. It segues into the next song.

Au – Live is next, and begins with Yoko Ono’s dreadful vocals. Eventually, this launches into a call-and-response piece from John and Yoko, and some awful musical instrumentation to match. In any case, this is the last tune of this double album. It does not sound good, however, and is too awful and terrible to really want to be listened to. Frank Zappa wishes the crowd goodnight over guitar swells and feedback, and this does not sound really nice at all. It sounds horrible, in fact. No playing of notes, just sustained feedback is here. Goodness knows why this was added to the album. The feedback sounds horrid and something you do not want to hear. This continues for some time and is really unnecessary. Eventually, Yoko Ono returns over the feedback and you can grab the gun and cyanide to relieve the pain whilst listening to this rubbish. It is awful. A needless and stupid addition to this album, this is exactly what never should have been put on a record. Even Eddie Van Halen sang better than this, which says a lot. A pathetic excuse for a recording, it’s just guitar feedback and Yoko doing her stupid thing. Hit stop and go and do something else for a change. In any case, you have been warned. A terrible joke of a musical experience, the guitars are switched off and Yoko Ono finally shuts up. The crowd cheers at the end, and this is a joke. Anyway, things wrap up here and Frank Zappa thanks the crowd. Yoko speaks briefly as well. Just plain weird. The double album ends here.

This is not a very good listen as a double album. In fact, it is absolutely pathetic. A good set of songs is basically ruined by one of the least musical people on the planet, Yoko Ono. John Lennon, later on, gave his solo career a rethink as a result. It is a tedious listening experience and a listen that should not happen at all. Should you listen to this album? No, no and no. It’s trash basically and John Lennon knew he could do much better than this rubbish.

Terrible, just avoid this album.

3/10