Product Description

Considered together, IMAGINE and its startling predecessor,PLASTIC ONO BAND, paint a vivid picture of the state of John Lennon immediately post-Beatles. If PLASTIC ONO BAND foundJohn working out his hitherto repressed feelings about childhood and stardom, then the abiding impression of IMAGINE isJohn's one certainty in this storm of doubts and recrimination: his love for Yoko. "Jealous Guy", with its peerless vocal and a spot-on arrangement for strings, is sublime. "Oh MyLove" is all delicacy and melodiousness. "Oh Yoko!" is a celebratory finale with none of the cloying self-obsession of John and Yoko's home movies.
On two other songs where Yoko is not the dominant theme, she is nevertheless invoked through the "oh no, oh no" refrain. That's not to say that lovesongs predominate. Half of the material covers similar terrain to PLASTIC ONO BAND, but the themes are balanced by hopeand even light-heartedness. "Crippled Inside" is leavened by its country stylings including Dobro, courtesy of George Harrison, who also spices up two of the album's pivotal tracks, "Gimme Some Truth" and "How Do You Sleep?" (the latter isa vitriolic attack on Paul McCartney). Outside of PLASTIC ONO BAND, this may be Lennon's finest solo album.

Track Listing

1. Imagine
2. Crippled Inside
3. Jealous Guy
4. It's So Hard
5. I Don't Want To Be A Soldier
6. Give Me Some Truth
7. Oh My Love
8. How Do You Sleep
9. How
10. Oh Yoko

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1902 in Music
• Released on: 2000-02-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Amazon.co.uk Review
The song "Imagine" is so much a part of our culture, it is impossible not to feel something for the album that shares its title. It's also difficult to remember that there are other great tracks here: "How Do You Sleep" is fascinating in its pure, unadulterated bitchiness towards Lennon's former bandmate Paul McCartney, while "Jealous Guy" is undeniably sweet. It is at times brilliant, but Imagine is hardly the greatest and most important album ever. So why bother re-releasing it? Well, it's been "remastered and remixed", but don't expect reworkings by Orbital or Mint Royale (not a bad idea come to think of it), because this Imagine sounds pretty much the same as it ever has. The thing is, it's now so steeped in history, will anyone really judge the songs on their own merit, or just decide to like them because they've been told they should? --Emma Johnston

Customer Reviews

Essential Listening
A more listenable and commercial record than John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Imagine has perhaps been over-defined by the title song. However, there are some great tracks on this album and a couple of (by Lennon's standards) also-rans. I don't like O Yoko much and find How rather awkward to listen to due to its stop/start structure.

The highlight of the album for me is George Harrison's guitar work: whether it's the menacing and mocking slide on How Do You Sleep, the lovely accompaniment on Oh My Love, or the vicious solo on Gimme Some Truth, his playing really makes the album.

The other musicians are in top form and John's vocals are great - especially when he's being angry, as in Gimme Some Truth and How Do You Sleep.

The CD doesn't sound that much different to the LP and has no bonus tracks, which in this case is a good thing.

The DVD documentary about how this album was made is worth seeking out. I particularly like John's encounter with the confused hippie and Yoko telling John to tell the musicians to "stop improvising". How George didn't clobber her on the head with his Stratocaster, I don't know.

Recommended

a classic john lennon R.I.P.
this is an essential even just for imagine and jealous guy alone but i feel as an allrounder this is a fab album imagine and jealous guy takes away the shine of the other songs shame but essential album everyone should have this even if like me youre a big beatles fan buy it!!

Masterpiece
A fantastic album. All the songs are amazing especially "how do you sleep" and "Imagine", an all time classic and "jealous guy". I reccomend this album to any John Lennon fan. GO JOHNNY GO!