Yoko Ono

Happy 90 YOKO ONO!

Posted on by JL

18 February 2023

YOKO ONO (小野洋子, Ono Yōko) was
born in Tokyo, on 18 February 1933.

Happy 90 to John Lennon‘s widow.

Whether you love or hate her, Ono was/is a legendary multimedia artist,
singer-songwriter, peace activist, humanist, and a flamboyant personality
who was married to Beatles icon John Lennon from 1969 to 1980, the year
her husband was shot by a mentally ill individual.

Most of her haters blamed Yoko for breaking up The Fab Four and turning
John into her slave and influencing his music in a negative way. But Macca,
Ringo and George Harrison said, more than once, after the split that the
relational/musical problems of the band started long before Ono arrived.

The end of the best group ever was already written on the wall. Here’s my
middle finger to all Yoko Ono haters who had no clue whatsoever who she
really was.

Three great Yoko Lennon Ono moments.

– Hell In Paradise –
Funky dance track/single from her 1985 solo LP ‘Starpeace’.

– We’re All Water –
A track that she wrote for The Plastic Ono Band‘s
1972 album Sometime In New York City

A live version with John on guitar.

With John at the infamous Toronto Festival in 1969.

YOKO ONO: Bio – Discography – Instagram

(Image on top: cover of her ‘I’m A Witch’ album)

DAVID BYRNE & YO LA TENGO Cover YOKO ONO

Posted on by JL

22 February 2022

Last week legendary all-around artist and John Lennon‘s famous
widow YOKO ONO celebrated her 89th birthday (18 February).

Over the years she received lots of critical praise on a regular basis (not followed by big commercial success) for her musical exploits (14 solo albums, 8 with Lennon). To celebrate her birthday several famous artists (David Byrne, Sharon Van Etten, Death Cab For Cutie, The Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, and more) paid tribute to Yoko with an album of mesmerizing covers of songs of her, called Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono.

To my ears, the highlight of the record is David Byrne and Yo La Tengo joining forces for a wonderful rendition of Who Has Seen The Wind. A song recorded in 1970 and the B-side of Lennon‘s hit Instant Karma.

Hear the thing of beauty here…

Original Yoko version…

YOKO ONO: Discography – Instagram

Happy Birthday To Ocean Child YOKO ONO

Posted on by JL

18 February 2022

YOKO ONO was born as oʊnoʊ (pronounced OH-noh in English and romanized
Ono Yōko), on 18 February 1933), in Tokyo, Japan. Happy 89 to the multimedia and performance artist, singer-songwriter, and peace activist.

For millions of people, she’s only known as John Lennon‘s widow and for being, allegedly, responsible for The Beatles break-up in 1970, although she made 14 solo albums (with the fascinating Warzone LP as the most recent one, released in 2018) and 8 LPs with husband John Lennon.


Front cover of the tribute album

She received lots of critically praise on a regular basis for her musical exploits and today, on her birthday, several famous artists (David Byrne, Sharon Van Etten, Death Cab For Cutie, The Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, and more) pay tribute to Yoko with an album of mesmerizing covers, called Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono .

Here’s one of the highlights…

Stream full album here…

.
YOKO ONO: Story – Discography – Instagram

(Photo on top: Cover of tribute LP ‘I’m A Witch’ 2007)

JOHN & YOKO Giving Peace A Change In Previously Unseen Bed Footage

Posted on by JL

14 April 2021

Anti-war song GIVE PEACE A CHANGE was written by JOHN LENNON
(but credited to Lennon–McCartney) and recorded with his PLASTIC ONO
BAND, including his wife Yoko Ono and a bunch of famous friends in
Montreal, Canada back in 1969.

Previously unseen footage has now come to the surface with John & Yoko
in the Sheraton Oceanus Hotel in the Bahamas a week before Montreal, while
on their bed-in tour, with Lennon playing a rough, at times crazy, version of
Give Peace A Chance.

Here we go…

Studio version…

YOKO ONO – Her Tribute Single ‘WALKING ON THIN ICE’ Came Out 40 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

6 February 2021

Artist: YOKO ONO (88)

Single: WALKING ON THIN ICE
Written: by John and Yoko
Released: 6 February 1981 – 40 years ago today

Note: the song was covered by Elvis Costello in 1984
Score: #35 in the UK, #1 on the US Dance Charts

John Lennon was clutching a tape of a final mix when he was shot.

Whatever you may think of Yoko,
this is a 24 Karat dance classic…

YOKO ONO: Facebook

Debut Longplayer JOHN LENNON And PLASTIC ONO BAND Released 50 Years Ago Today

Posted on by JL

11 December 2020

Band: JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND

Album: PLASTIC ONO BAND

Released: 11 December 1970 – 50 years ago today
Score: #8 in the UK, #6 in the US, #1 in Japan,
Canada and The Netherlands.

AllMusic / Stephen Erlewine: “It’s an unflinching document of bare-bones
despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique
not only in Lennon’s catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albums are ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.”
Full review here. Score: 5/5.

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. Imperishable passionateness.”

Outstanding tracks: Mother / Working Class Hero

– MOTHER –

– WORKING CLASS HERO –

Full album…

.
JOHN LENNON: Facebook / YOKO ONO: Facebook