John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Some Time in New York City

Some Time in New York City is frequently cited as being the worst John Lennon album outside of his late sixties avant-garde work with Yoko. The sound is somewhat dated, the mix is muddy (or at least the original mix is, the remix is somewhat better) and it’s very political in a naive way. There is also a 16 minute rendition of Don’t Worry Kyoko on the second disc, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

All of the songs, with the exception of New York City and the live tracks on the second disc, have a political angle to them. Ironically, at one point in Attica State there is a lyric which goes: “Free the prisoners, jail the judges, free all the prisoners everywhere”. Coincidentally the man who would go on to kill Lennon outside of the Dakota is now a prisoner there. Some of the commentary is actually very good (Woman is the Nigger of the World, We’re All Water).

I guess for a lot of people the other main reason to malign the record is the strong prominence of Yoko. Let’s get one thing straight: Yoko was the worst thing happen to the Beatles, but the best thing to happen to John. She actually writes most of the material on the album when the significant contributions to John’s material are taken into account.

The album is a double, and it’s the second disc where it starts to fall away a bit. The second disc is part of a concert John and Yoko did with Frank Zappa in 1971. Now I like experimental music. 16 minutes of Don’t Worry Kyoko pushes it, even for me. Frank Zappa’s band is a much more conducive atmosphere for this kind of thing, but it is too long, and the rest of the show is sort of unengaging as it is.

The really good tracks on the album are far more compelling than anything from Mind Games, or even Imagine, it’s only really the filler that kills the studio side of the album. As far as the live record goes, Cold Turkey and Well (Baby Please Don’t Go) are the best bits and even then, Cold Turkey pales in comparison to the studio cut.

Woman is the Nigger of the World: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asf4InKVo8k

We’re All Water: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEdHjyLZvLA