Yoko Ono Starpeace

Written, recorded and released January 1970, in a span of just ten days, Instant Karma! was to become one of John Lennon’s most popular singles, reaching #5 in the UK and #2 in the US. Featuring George Harrison alongside bassist Klaus Voormann, drummer Alan White and keyboardist Billy Preston, it marked the first time any Beatle collaborated with legendary producer Phil Spector, who later that year worked on the band’s final album (Let It Be) and solo albums from John and George. Newly mixed audio.

In her 85 years, Yoko Ono has played the pioneer of the primal scream, the icy avant-disco diva, the abstract poetess of peace, and many other challenging roles. She’s also a consummate rebel who refuses to become creatively complacent or remain silent about the world’s ills. Ono’s last major project, the two volumes of Yes, I’m A Witch, invited younger fans like Cat Power and Tune-Yards to help reinvent her songbook. Warzone is another radical act of re-creation, taking 13 songs from across her career and revamping them in startling ways. Just compare the original 1970 version of “Why,” featuring John Lennon’s thrashing proto-punk guitar, with this new take in which Ono shrieks into an unsettling void. Expressly political, Warzone, Ono’s 14th proper studio album, ranks as one of her most difficult listens, full of eerie ambiance, off-kilter arrangements, and scalding vocals. But it’s playfully experimental, too, especially in its lighter second half, which features the giddy, grooving “Children Power” and the blunt-but-beautiful “I Love You Earth.”

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's much-maligned 1968 experimental album consists of noises, instrumental feedback, and mumbling. It's not for anyone expecting "Imagine," but if you are a Beatles or Lennon completist, you’ll want to check it out. Of interest is the bonus track, “Remember Love.” It was the b-side to “Give Peace A Chance” and the track makes it CD debut on this 1997 Ryko reissue. It's just Lennon on acoustic guitar and Ono on vocal, and it is quite an unexpected surprise. The original LP tracks (tracks 1 and 2 on the CD) each took up a side of the record and ran about 14 minutes each. Because “Remember Love” is the real attraction here it is offered as a stand-alone .wav file for those not wishing to suffer through the rest of the album. With complete booklet scans at 600 d.p.i.