John Lennon regarded himself as an artist first and a musician second by the time The Beatles ended. Though his focus had shifted, he was no longer writing disposable rock and roll songs for the general public, even though he was still capable of writing many excellent songs in his solo career. To him, nothing topped what he’d done on Plastic Ono Band. So, if he was going to make something, it had to mean something, too.
This was the first batch of original material that John Lennon had released since The Beatles broke up. Despite this, he had spent the majority of his solo career releasing various experimental albums with Yoko Ono. John Lennon also had a lot of unanswered questions because he was the one who initiated the entire process in the first place.
Lennon was receiving intensive primal therapy from Dr. Arthur Janov before he even began production, which helped him to open up about his suppressed childhood memories. For the first time, the new John Lennon was expressing all of his feelings. Listening to songs like “Mother” and “I Found Out” was far more intimate than we were accustomed to.
Although Lennon had previously taken political action, this was an examination of his mental state. Speaking about how he no longer believed in the Beatles concept on “God,” Lennon was content to roll around in the wreckage while Paul McCartney was gradually coming to terms with the fact that he was a bit of an outsider on songs like “Isolation” and “Look At Me.”
Lennon declared that this album was one of his best ever. Though he had an incredible solo career and Fab Four career. He explained, “I was really doing a sort of inward trip.” There were more unexpected and strange things in there as well. That remains my all-time favourite work. I do not play this kind of game for enjoyment. I just got right to the point. Every track has just three people, and no additional personnel felt requested.
The songs’ strength comes from their sparseness. Lennon could have simply asked Phil Spector to add as many session musicians as possible to round out the sound. Even so, you get the impression that you can peek into John Lennon’s head about half the time because the majority of the record is recorded with just him, bassist Klaus Voorman, and drummer Ringo Starr.
It may not have the kind of hit potential you would expect from the same writer of “She Loves You,” but that wasn’t the album’s intended outcome. By the time Lennon returned to the public eye, he had recorded some of the most frank songs ever by a mainstream pop artist. It was more about creating something that could capture a particular moment in his life.
Lennon was also able to finally put an end to that chapter of his life. By this time, the other members of his band had released solo albums. However, Lennon was clearing the air and at last able to move on to the next stage of his life. Plastic Ono Band was the sound of John Lennon’s eventual awakening, even though it was enjoyable while it lasted.
