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10.55am
19 April 2010
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For overall staying power – in my opinion nothing John has done comes close to Plastic Ono Band – that is an album that you can keep in rotation and it just never gets old.
Walls and Bridges comes close – but really every other solo album sounds like John was trying too hard not to sound like John – unfortunately he usually suceeded.
A hallmark of the Beatles brand was quality – this included quality production. For the most part John and George seemed to reject that value – and it showed. Whenever Ringo went with quality production he usually got a hit off an album.
Paul almost always went for quality production – and thus got hits of records that otherwise might not have been hits except for the fact that they were so damn well produced.
Ok, I'm off topic – so I'll go back – Plastic Ono Band – John's best – hands down. Interesting to note that I believe this was recorded during one of his intermittent breaks off herion.
1.11pm
4 December 2010
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For me:
1. Mind Games
2. Some Time In New York City
3. Imagine
4. Plastic Ono Band
5. Double Fantasy
6. Walls and Bridges
Haven't heard Milk and Honey, and I'm just ignoring Rock'n'Roll.
Mind Games is great IMO, I really like 8 of the 12 tracks, and the other three are solid too. Nutopian National Anthem is no 4:33 though.
Some Time… is a bit dated, but I listen to the political songs for their artistic merit, not their messages. It also has my favourite Yoko song (We're All Water) and some great production (Woman is the Nigger of the World and Sunday Bloody Sunday).
Imagine, I love it, but the weaker tracks aren't as good as Mind Games's IMO.
Plastic Ono band swings between genius and average.
Double Fantasy has three class tracks, I especially love Watching the Wheels, but I don't think the rest are Lennon class.
I've never really "got" Walls and Bridges.
2.23pm
31 March 2008
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I think WAB might be more popular in America than in Britain. It's got a very US feel to it, if that makes sense to anyone. I think The Beatles' and most of Lennon's songs always sounded very British, but not on that album. On songs like Whatever Gets You Thru The Night and #9 Dream you can tell he was trying to appeal to radio stations and listeners in his adopted home country.
I wish I could explain that better.
The Walrus – that's the first time I've ever heard someone praising Mind Games over Imagine. I've always thought it was quite an uninspired album. Which songs don't you like?
2.59pm
19 September 2010
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I defininetely agree Joe
4.42pm
14 April 2010
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Joe said:
I think WAB might be more popular in America than in Britain. It's got a very US feel to it, if that makes sense to anyone. I think The Beatles' and most of Lennon's songs always sounded very British, but not on that album. On songs like Whatever Gets You Thru The Night and #9 Dream you can tell he was trying to appeal to radio stations and listeners in his adopted home country.
I wish I could explain that better.
I think you explained it very well.
On a somewhat related note, I remember reading your article on Revolver in the Albums section of this site where Macca said they almost recorded it on this side of the pond. He talked about a different sound in the American recording studios themselves. Of course, that was back in 1966 when recording technologies / equipment could have been different in each country. I don't think that would have been the case in 1974 though do you?
As for this specific topic, my favorite is definitely Plastic Ono Band.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, Let it roll for all its worth.
2295 6972
5.23pm
31 March 2008
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I think the tech might have been similar, but the sounds available would have been different. It could have been the producers, engineers, studio acoustics, even the climate and spirit of a city that could dictate how a record sounds. I can't imagine something like Hotel California being made here in the UK – it would lack authenticity.
8.19pm
25 November 2010
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Zig said:
I think you explained it very well.On a somewhat related note, I remember reading your article on Revolver in the Albums section of this site where Macca said they almost recorded it on this side of the pond.
Wow, what a sentence to spark the imagination! Did Paul get a listen to Pet Sounds before it was officially released? I have in my mind something that sounds while not surfy, but a lot sunnier and less trippy an album. Of course, I'm assuming they would have recorded in California.
8.39pm
4 December 2010
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Joe said:
I think WAB might be more popular in America than in Britain. It's got a very US feel to it, if that makes sense to anyone. I think The Beatles' and most of Lennon's songs always sounded very British, but not on that album. On songs like Whatever Gets You Thru The Night and #9 Dream you can tell he was trying to appeal to radio stations and listeners in his adopted home country.
I wish I could explain that better.
The Walrus – that's the first time I've ever heard someone praising Mind Games over Imagine. I've always thought it was quite an uninspired album. Which songs don't you like?
On Mind Games, I'm not a fan of "I'm Sorry", "Intuition", or "I Know (I Know)", though that's relative. If one of my favourite modern bands put out those tracks, they'd probably be amongst the strongest on the album.
On Imagine, "It's So Hard", "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier…", "Oh My Love", "How?" and "Oh Yoko!" aren't songs I've "got". Again, they're still fairly solid tracks.
I heard "Out the Blue" before "Oh My Love", and they're fairly similar songs, so I don't think I appreciate "Oh My Love" as much as someone who heard it first. I prefer the imagery of the former song to the latter's.
Uninspired is how I'd describe "How?", "It's So Hard" and "Oh Yoko!" to be honest.
Finally, "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier…". I think that would have been better as a Plastic Ono Band track with the odd primal scream. As it is, it's a boy bumbling about careers he does not want to persue, rather than screaming about how the world is wrong.
Okay, that wasn't finally… the title tracks. "Imagine" is beautiful, I can't imagine someone who doesn't smile at the chorus and "yoo hoo hoo!" bits. However, "Mind Games" has more depth IMO. The "love is the answer" bridge, for example, and some of the one liners. It doesn't have the hypocrisy (rich man singing "imagine no possessions"… I know, I know…), but still has the anti-war, pro-love messages.
I hope that clears up why I think what I do, though I'm sure few will agree, and that's cool.
8.57pm
14 April 2010
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StarWisher – I know that, on Anthology, Paul and George talked about the Beach Boys and other groups they were trying to "keep up with". Can you imagine? Caliifornia could have been a logical place to record since Capital Records is headquartered there.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, Let it roll for all its worth.
2295 6972
9.01pm
19 September 2010
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I Think the Plan for Revolver was Memphis, Tennessee, not California
9.15pm
25 November 2010
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mr. Sun king coming together said:
I Think the Plan for Revolver was Memphis, Tennessee, not California
Ahhh! Even better!
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