ALBUM REVIEW: Yoko Ono - Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band

    Sometimes my insatiable thirst to hear almost everything Beatles-adjacent leads me down dark paths where few dare to venture - the Yoko Ono catalog is the very definition of a path few dare to tread. It isn't just the fact that Ono's avant-garde stylings have garnered an infamous (if sometimes deserving) status amongst many, but her controversial reputation amongst Beatles fans certainly doesn't help - even looking past the erroneous claim that she broke up The Beatles, a statement that completely glosses over all the business troubles and creative differences that had been brewing since Magical Mystery Tour, Ono is an artist that just draws a lot of discourse. Of course, I consider myself brave enough to dive into nearly anything, so now is as perfect of a time as any to listen to Yoko's lengthy solo catalog, which began in tandem with John's with her own Plastic Ono Band album. Don't let the cover fool you, as this is no pop rock masterclass that John's post-Beatle debut was (I almost mistook this album for a copy of John's album at a record store, and boy did I feel silly). Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono Band is, in some sense, exactly what you'd expect from Yoko Ono, and yet you'd be surprised at how really not that bad the record is. While some of it becomes too much howling for me to bear, most of Plastic Ono Band is surprisingly interesting in its own right, with some moments even being kind of cool? I'm as surprised as you, believe me.

    The most surprising thing about Plastic Ono Band for me was how musically agile a lot of the record is, and not just in the rock department - Ono is obviously not the rock icon that John Lennon was, and while her record certainly has plenty of rock, it's not anywhere near the pop sensibility of John's work. The actual musical contents of this album is far noisier, leaning on noise rock and punk at points throughout, and it makes for a far more aggressive listening experience than John's sister (or brother?) album. Even more shocking is the additional influence from other genres, including the free jazz of "AOS", admittedly one of my least favorite moments on the album, but a moment that I respect for being completely out of left field - it even features free jazz originator Ornette Coleman on trumpet, as well as his drummer and bassist in Ed Blackwell and Charlie Haden respectively. When your backing band has some of the men behind The Shape of Jazz to Come on it, it's safe to say you're doing at least something right. Outside of that fascinating moment, other songs like the opening "Why" are genuinely kind of interesting, and while you'll find your fair share of Yoko screaming, the energy of the band is just too great to pass over - they sound fucking great here. Other moments like the "Greenfield Morning" track have blending of ideas with its weird space-y vocals over the band - the vocals almost remind me of Tim Buckley's "Star Sailor" track. Hardly a bad thing.

    To decipher the meaning of the album is pretty much an impossible task, as many of the songs boil down to Yoko's unique vocal styling without many written lyrics, which in the case of some moments like "Paper Shoes" isn't necessarily a bad thing, and with other moments like the plodding "Why Not" it almost certainly is. What meaning can be gathered, to me, is in the song titles, most obviously with "Greenfield Morning I Pushed an Empty Baby Carriage All Over the City", which is yet another artistic reflection over her miscarriage, and a much better work than anything on Life With the Lions. The song itself also has a very unique structure, based around a Ringo Starr drum break that's looped repeatedly throughout a majority of the track - clearly Yoko Ono was innovating in the world of hip-hop on this release. Jokes aside, it is pretty forward-thinking for 1970 in my opinion. "Touch Me" is a decisively gritty tune, just as much as other moments on the album, and I particularly love Klaus Voorman's thumping bass on this song - it builds some great intensity. The same can be said for album closer "Paper Shoes" with its driving tom parts and reverb-heavy atmosphere. There's something surprisingly modern feeling about some of these songs, which is by no small means a bad thing.

    I'm as surprised as the next guy. I went into Yoko Ono's solo debut with some amount of caution, because I wasn't overly thrilled to dive in, but what I got wasn't nearly as horrible as you may think. Ono's avant-garde stylings certainly aren't for everyone, and if you can't get past the vocals than this certainly isn't your bag, but it's a fascinating listen if nothing. The Plastic Ono Band is as tight as on John's record, and frankly their willingness to experiment with sounds gives it a very interesting feel compared to her husband's coinciding record. That being said, I can't say that I see myself returning to this on the regular, nor do I prefer it to John's record, but it's an album that can certainly stand on its own. Yoko, I am sorry I ever doubted you.

RATING: ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

Listen to Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band.