John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Archives

JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND Released Their Debut LP 55 Years Ago Today

Significant longplayers from the past

11 December 2025

JOHN LENNON had his first solo LP, following the split of The Beatles out today 55 years ago, on 11 December 1970. The album was credited to John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

It went to #8 in the UK, #6 in the US,
#1 in Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands.

Co-produced by Lennon, Ono, and Phil Spector the record contains a largely raw
production sound with songs heavily influenced by Lennon‘s recent primal therapy.
Its lyrics reflect Lennon‘s personal issues and include themes of child-parent
abandonment and psychological suffering.

Creem (legendary American rock magazine said: “It’s totally enthralling to see
that Lennon has once again unified, to some degree, his life and his music into a
truly whole statement”

John Lennon: “You’re just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway.
You’ve got to get down to your own God in your own temple. It’s all down to you,
mate.”

Yoko Ono: “My husband John Lennon was a very special man. A man of humble
origin, he brought light and hope to the whole world with his words and music.”

Turn Up The Volume: Lennon always was my favourite Beatle – the rocker,
the big mouth, the challenger, the dreamer, the maverick, the misfit, the open
minded musician/human – and this solo debut is his best post-Beatles work.

Singles.

– MOTHER –

– WORKING CLASS HERO –

ALBUM

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All LENNON Albums

JOHN LENNON Released ‘IMAGINE’ Album 50 Years Ago Today

Posted on September 9, 2021 by JL

Back in time

9 September 2021

Artist: JOHN LENNON and Plastic Ono Band
Liverpool, 9 October 1940 – New York, 8 December 1980

Anniversary album: IMAGINE – 2nd solo LP
Released: 9 September 1971 – 50 years ago today

Rolling Stone wrote at the time: Imagine is John’s Self-Portrait. Most of it centers around issues which have already been dealt with on POB, only here handled less passionately and, strangely, less fastidiously as well. For POB, in its singing and instrumental work, was as much a triumph of artifice as of art. It managed to sound both spontaneous and careful, while Imagine is less of each. Even though it contains a substantial portion of good music, on the heels of POB it only seems to reinforce the questioning of what John’s relationship to rock really is. Full review here.

Turn Up The Volume: After the brilliant John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band debut LP
rocker Lennon wanted to rock again, which lead to an average longplayer, except
for a few exceptions and of course, the single Imagine (we’re all tired of hearing it,
meaning that it was a 24-Carat gold classic), a song they even know on Mars.

– IMAGINE –