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For his first proper solo album, John Lennon easily could have rested on his Beatles laurels and put out a safe, nostalgic collection of songs that borrowed heavily from the sound of his old band. But that wouldn’t have been John Lennon, now, would it? On John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Lennon delved deep into his personal pain and laid it bare for the entire world to see in a startlingly raw collection of tough rockers and quiet ballads that made no concessions whatsoever for the pop charts. The album is now revered by rock critics for that very reason, but how does it all sound today? Let’s let a song-by-song review tell the tale.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970, Apple Records)

Side A

Mother: **** Listen
Opening with ominous tolling bells, “Mother” finds Lennon confronting his father, who abandoned him, and his mother, who sent him off as a child to live with an aunt and then died young. The song is harrowing but beautiful, with the stark arrangement allowing plenty of room for Lennon’s haunting screams to take center stage.

Hold On: ** Listen
This gentle number tends to recede alongside all of the big statement songs around it, but it’s still notable for Lennon’s tender singing.

I Found Out: *** Listen
Lennon clearly didn’t have much use for religion at this point in his life, but his point here seems to be more about taking responsibility for one’s own self, even if it means dealing with harsh truths (“Can’t do you no harm to feel your own pain”). And he accentuates his point with some gritty lead guitar, which he rarely got a chance to play with the Fab Four.

Working Class Hero: ****- Listen
Hearing this unsparing evisceration of any institution that would promote conformity and restrain individuality, you could easily imagine it fitting in on one of Bob Dylan’s pre-electric folk albums, right alongside “Masters Of War” or the like. These are some of John’s best lyrics.

Isolation: *** Listen
One of the bravest things about the album is how Lennon opens up about feelings of fear and loneliness, not exactly your typical rock-star bluster. The bluesy piano here is another one of Lennon’s underrated instrumental contributions.

Side B

Remember: *** Listen
Although Lennon’s message on this one is a bit murky, it’s one of the album’s catchiest numbers. It’s a good time to note that, with the sparse instrumentation throughout the album, any lackluster drumming would be magnified. Good thing, then, that John brought Ringo Starr along for his metronomic precision.

Love: ** Listen
John’s lovely singing and the gorgeous melody (that’s producer Phil Spector on piano, by the way), almost redeems the hippy-dippy lyrics. Almost.

Well Well Well: *** Listen
The three-piece band of Lennon on guitar, Ringo on drums, and Klaus Voorman on bass kick up quite a ruckus here, as they punctuate the song with a blistering instrumental passage during which Lennon once again cathartically lets loose with primal screams, influenced by the therapy he and Yoko had recently undergone.

Look At Me: *** Listen
Reminiscent musically of “Julia,” Lennon’s White Album ode to his Mom, this song is all aching vulnerability. It’s as if Lennon is asking his fans to see him for the very first time.

God: **** Listen
First of all, how about the clever use of gospel piano (provided by Billy Preston) to back up a song denouncing religion? And imagine the shock waves this must have sent through Beatles fans when they first heard it, as Lennon saves his old band for last on his list of things in which he no longer believes. Trying to set his fans free from worshipping anyone, while at the same time asking to be set free from any expectations himself, Lennon set the tone for his post-Beatles life and work right here. It is one of his most indelible moments.

My Mummy’s Dead: *** Listen
This murky-sounding little demo, inserted at the end of the album, seems to be Lennon’s way of saying that, even with the progress that he’s made through therapy, he still has a long way to go. Heartbreaking.

The Bottom Line

And so, to anyone who ventures to say that the Beatles’ solo efforts weren’t worthwhile, I would offer this album as Exhibit A in their defense. Uncompromising, unafraid, and unforgettable, just like Lennon himself.

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