Imagine

[The Big Guy]

Released in 1971.

[Kylenz]

It's a good album, but I don't think it's as strong as Plastic Ono Band. I enjoy Some Time In New York City and Double Fantasy (if you skip Yoko's stuff with the exception of Kiss Kiss Kiss heheh) more than Imagine. Favourite song would either be Jealous Guy or How Do You Sleep. 'Sleep' has a ton of intensity on it, brilliant arrangement / production by Phil Spector too. The title track of course, is one of the best (and most truthful / insightful) songs of all time ever written. It goes without saying. What do you guys think of the Imagine album? I know it gets a lot of praise and acclaim from fans and critics - it's definitely good, but is it great? For me, it has 3 or 4 absolutely brilliant songs.. among the best songs ever written in mankind, but 6 or 7 tracks of filler (but good filler, pleasant filler). By filler, I mean Oh Yoko - a pleasant track, a good tune, nothing wrong with it. I'd be interested in what the rest of the membership here think of this album. 

[Paperback Writer]

Gimme Some Truth is not to be over-looked!  Music and  lyrics are both biting and timeless!

[Kylenz]

Yeah that's the 4th one I was hedging over as a great song, it really does grab you by the scruff of the neck! 

[mervap]

I must start this post by saying that I do not own "Plastic Ono Band", although I am quite familiar with the songs on it. Why would I say this? In comparing that album with "Imagine", I would liken "POB" to a meat cleaver: sharp, cutting, abrasive and painful. "Imagine", while covering some of the same territory, does so in a less painful way...it's almost gentle in places, but still cutting when cornered.

The title track is as timeless as timeless can be...its relevance will live on for as long as thinking people listen to music. So what may be said for the rest of the album? Nothing comes close to the 'classic' status of "Imagine", but almost every track is good...the notable exception, at least in my book, is "How", in which JL sounds genuinely confused. "Crippled Inside" is a jaunty rocker with a sweet upright bass, and "Jealous Guy" is a song with which most guys can identify, myself included. "Gimme Some Truth" is closely related to "POB", with a cutting lyric decrying falseness in general, with a special mention of Richard Nixon, who was a thorn in Lennon's side for many years. "How Do You Sleep"...if you strip away the obvious references to Paul McCartney and take Lennon at his word, is a brilliant slice of self-parody.

Production-wise, "Imagine" is a bit over-produced in places and sounds like Lennon had been stung by some people's reaction to the starkness of "POB"...most of Lennon's solo career from this point until his 'retirement' in 1975 would suffer from this issue...

"POB" may have been Lennon's finest moment after the Beatles' demise, but "Imagine" took a large measure of that brilliance and packaged it in a way the general public would accept more readily.

[Paperback Writer]

........and "Jealous Guy" was originally "Child of Nature" written after the  India trip for try-out for The White Album.

[lampie1970]

That post could go here, or on "Did you know..."...you is smart, PW! How do you know all this stuff?

Anyway, I think "Jealous Guy" is my favorite on this album, but i can listen to the whole thing...but when i am with you know who, i can not listen to "Oh Yoko" it is not allowed!! ha ha

I even listen to How do you sleep? cause yeah, i believe him when he says its mostly autobiographical.

And as for as "How?", I agree that he sounds confused, cause he is...I think John was one of those people that just couldn't reconcile the persona that got created from the fame and his actual self...he was supposed to be John Lennon and he strained to live up to it, and then just abandoned it altogether.

Reminds me of that Cary Grant quote...dont know where its from but an interviewer said to Mr. Grant: "Everybody wants to be Cary Grant." and he replied "So do I."

[EddieV]

I agree not as good as Plastic Ono Band, but a great selection of songs!!

How Do You Sleep? is probably the highpoint!!

[acebackwords]

I'd be interested in what the rest of the membership here think of this album. 

Pretty good album.  Probably Lennon's most "Beatle-esque" album.  Can't stand the song "Imagine."  Its just a little too maudlin for me, kinda' weepy, reminds me of "Amazing Grace" or something.  Could just be I've heard it too many times.  Love "How Do You Sleep."  Totally blistering guitar track (I think by George).  Classic Lennon, the kind of thing only he'd come up with.

Best Lennon album as an artistic concept has got to be the "Primal Scream" album.  Favorite is probably "Walls & Bridges" because its so whacky and because "Number 9 Dream" is his last classic bit of psychedelia.  The thing thats great about all Lennon's albums, to me, is that they're all kind of like concept albums in a way.  Each one has a different theme and exactly reflects where Lennon's head was at at the time.  Which is a key touch he added to all those Beatles albums.  McCartney's albums are a lot more tuneful for my money.  Always wish I could've heard those Lennon albums with all McCartney's musical touches added to them.

[Borris]

Pretty good album.  Probably Lennon's most "Beatle-esque" album...
Best Lennon album as an artistic concept has got to be the "Primal Scream" album.  Favorite is probably "Walls & Bridges" because its so whacky and because "Number 9 Dream" is his last classic bit of psychedelia. 

Lennon was the first Beatle I got into big time. But times change. I love his voice and I love his work with the Beatles. POB is powerful but mostly i find it too hard to listen to it. Imagine is much more listenable and I think the title track is John's solo gem, but as an album it doesn't wow me. What marks John's solo career was his adherance to only writing about himself and I find this a real artistic strait jacket. This seems like a view he shared with Yoko and may well have come from her, as Walls and Bridges is the only album that he really departs from that & that was done during their separation. While Walls shows promise I think John was deeply unhappy & doesn't have much sense of direction on that album, so it doesn't come across as strongly as POB, or the final two albums. As a solo career John's actually disappoints me the most of all the Beatles.

I hope the above doesn't come across as Yoko bashing, I think she was intellectually stronger than John and I quite enjoyed her book grapefruit, her art was intriguing and i think John and Yoko were very much in love. She can be a good interviewee too. I just think that the idea that you can only write about yourself had an adverse effect on John's art.