Imagine

"Imagine" is the John Lennon album that really speaks to people and convinces them he's a brilliant songwriter. The way he is able to take his emotions -no matter how angry, sad or happy- and accurately and honestly put them on record for the entire world to listen to is just amazing. He's also a pretty diverse and creative musician as well. Nothing can prepare you for these kind of raw emotions. To say he's unlike ANYONE else even to this day would be exactly correct. Most musicians aren't able to deliver believable emotions the way classic John Lennon could.

The title song is extremely beautiful and sad at the same time. We all know the song, and we all love singing along to it from time to time as well. There are certain times when the lyrics to this incredible song speak to us in a way that can make it remain an important song forever. Other songs such as the boogie rock "Crippled Inside" are bouncy, upbeat songs musically, but emotionally a whole other monster. "Jealous Guy" is brilliant for being totally honest.

"How?" and "Oh Yoko" are really melodic songs that you MUST have heard at some point in your lives. What a classic album. That's all I can say about a man who was never afraid to reveal his honest feelings on whatever topic he happened to take interest in.

John once described this album as POB with chocolate frosting, a rather fitting description. Though it deals with much of the same themes, it also seems a bit less heavy and somewhat more pop-like, not quite so much a deeply personal project for which critical praise wasn't so important. It also helps that he was working with a lot of great musicians on this album. Out of all of John's solo albums, it's my second-favorite, only after POB itself.

The title track is without a doubt John's best-known song, a bona-fide classic, and the song which he said he most hoped to be remembered for. Sure it might be really overplayed on the radio, but that shouldn't take away from how great it is, a truly universal anthem of love and peace. If only more people would take heed of the lyrics, the world might not have half of the problems it has today. It's followed by the catchy upbeat "Crippled Inside," which also has lyrics which are very insightful into the human condition and how hypocritical a lot of people are. "Jealous Guy" is an absolutely beautiful love song, and like many of John's other songs of this nature, reveals him to be just an insecure vulnerable little boy underneath the tough posturing exterior. Next comes "It's So Hard," whose lyrics are a bit cliché and shallow (come on, he was capable of doing so much better than lyrics like "You got to eat/You got to drink/You got to feel something/You got to worry"!), but which still carries a very truthful message. The music is also nice and rough, kind of making up for the lacklustre lyrics. "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama" is a haunting rocker, even though its lyrics too might not be as deep or complex as those of some of the other songs on here.

"Gimme Some Truth" is so one of the best songs on here, and also possibly one of the best rockers of John's solo career. It's such a biting commentary on the political situation of the time. "Oh My Love," which he co-wrote with Yoko, is a softer number, and very pretty. Though the lyrics aren't hugely complex, sometimes a song is better-served by being simple. Why does a song always need complex or highly-developed lyrics when talking about something so basic, primitive, and primal an emotion as love? "How Do You Sleep?" is another of the best-known songs on here, and an awesome rocker. Yes it's a lyrical attack on Paul and the embarrassing fluff he too often made, but it's not as though the attack came out of thin air or were unjustified. They were both feuding at the time, and they did eventually make peace. "How?" is very understated and quiet, similar to the POB songs "Love" and "Look at Me." The album closes with "Oh Yoko!," a peppy upbeat number, perhaps not the most ideal closer, but which brings the listening experience to a satisfying close nonetheless.

Overall, it's a great album, and an ideal starting place apart from POB. It might even appeal to some people more than POB, given how the prevailing mood isn't as dark and angry. And it's so loaded with good material that even the less-than-perfect songs don't come across as throwaways or filler.

A mere three solo John Lennon albums have achieved legendary status: this, Plastic Ono Band, and the mythical fiasco (which I haven't heard, though believe it or not I want to just to see how bad it really is) Sometime in New York City. Out of the three, I think only Plastic Ono band really merits the hype - this one's good, but slightly uneven and VERY overrated.

First, the good news. This contains my all-time favorite John Lennon song. I bet you think you know what it is, right? You're probably just about to guess the title track. Well I love that song too (it's a bit naive, but I'm a sucker for a piano ballad with a great melody), but my top pick is Jealous Guy. So much emotion is poured into it it's unbelievable - it literally once brought me to the brink of tears (granted, it was because I was reminiscing about a similar situation I had been in, but what is this, a tabloid or amazon.com? I thought so). And like Imagine itself, it's a piano ballad with a great melody. Classic. You know what else is classic? I'll tell you. The ironic jaunty music-hall Crippled Inside. That has some of the best lyrics on this album, and the title metaphor rules (though it's since been ridiculously overused). So does George Harrison's Dobro. That Dobro is also a major part of the protest I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier (which I have also seen titled I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama and I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna Die). A lot of people don't like it for some reason, but I think it's a very cool song. The aforementioned dobro, the sax (played by Bobby Keys! The Overlord of Session Musicians! Just listen to his work with the Stones!) and the mantralike lyrics all come together to make it one of my favorites. I'm big on protests, so Give Me Some Truth (which I will be SCREAMING in front of the White House lawn if you need me) also makes the list. As a protest I think it's better than Imagine - certainly less naive (though Imagine's my second-favorite song on the album, so I can't rip it too badly). The last one that gets my full support is Oh Yoko!, which actually kinda sounds like Van Morrison's Bright Side of the Road. Just kind of, though - I'm not suggesting Van the Man was copying John.

So now we get to the decent-to-bad material. There's the infamous How Do You Sleep, a Paul McCartney attack that's (of course) hypocritical - not only to the title track's message, but also to that of Give Me Some Truth. As he attacks Macca, it makes me think one thing: isn't HE being psychotic, neurotic and pig-headed here? I like the strings, though, and the beat. But lyrically it's just a proto "diss track". It's So Hard is a random boogie-rocker lifted from mediocrity only by Bobby Keys on sax. Then we get to the two truly boring, slow, treacly love ballads (Oh My Love; How?) What was the point of either of those? Aah! Bad songs. Lennon rarely simply bores me (he sometimes annoys me, but more often than not I practically worship him), and he sure bores me here.

Those expecting a Plastic Ono Band (or one of those John-dominated Beatles classics like Revolver) will be let down. Go in with your expectations slightly lowered, though, and you just may get a lot out of Imagine.

Even though this is his second solo album, a fair amount of the material had its roots in the "White Album" and "Get Back" sessions. So I guess you're getting a few "outtakes" that could've been the next Beatles album. George and Ringo are on here as well.

"Imagine" is considered one of the greatest songs of the 20th century. That's a debate for another day, but the bottom line is that he's no saint, he was just a guy who wanted an even playing field and something to bring us all together, not letting things divide us.

I think that they can put out a nice CD/DVD of this with the "Gimme Some Truth" documentary and the "Imagine" promos.

He does get a little more political this round with "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier".

Phil Spector held back with his modified "Wall of Sound" on "Plastic Ono Band" (he sounds less agitated here too) but brings it back for "How Do You Sleep" and a few other songs.

"Jealous Guy" is an outstanding track, with Lennon's vulnerable vocal in full effect.

On of the great albums/disks of all time. Just imagine how great the "next" Beatles albums/disks would have been if the best of "Imagine," other early 70's disks by Lennon, early 70's McCartney, Harrison and Star had been released as Beatles material!