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John Lennon & Yoko Ono / Power to the People box set – reviewed

SDE on the newly released 12-disc package

By Jamie Atkins

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Firstly, let’s talk about what is here. While we idly daydream of a Rubber Soul SDE, the resurrection of Paul McCartney’s Archive Collection and ‘Carnival Of Light’, the John Lennon estate keeps the lavish box sets coming. Across its 12 discs (9CD + 3 x blu-ray) and meticulously detailed book, Power To The People joins the dots between the Imagine and Mind Games sets with 123 tracks (92 of which are previously unreleased) of home demos and doodles, studio jams, live tracks, both afternoon and evening sets from the August 1972 One To One benefit gigs, and ‘Evolution’ and ‘Ultimate’ mixes of almost the entirety of John and Yoko’s 1972 album Some Time In New York City.

But it’s what isn’t included on Power To The People that has raised hackles. In keeping with the ‘Ultimate Collection’ releases so far, Some Time In New York City has been entirely remixed. But in a break from the reissue series, the album has been renamed – here it’s New York City, losing the topicality that Lennon intended for what is essentially a protest album – and reconfigured. New York City features extended versions of two songs (‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ and ‘John Sinclair’), pushes the new title track to the top of the running order, and, most controversially by far, omits the album’s opening track and lead single ‘Woman Is The N****r Of The World’.

Unsurprisingly, news of the missing song provoked an online melee, from nuanced discussions of racism, sexism and the changing nature of language to howls of “you can’t say anything anymore” and attempts to divine Lennon’s thoughts on the matter from beyond the grave. It’s obvious why the song remains contentious. Lennon’s title succeeds in shocking and drawing attention to sexism – as intended when Ono first used it during a Nova magazine interview in 1969 – but by today’s standards, it’s clumsy, the offending word is not his to use, and we learn nothing by comparing one oppressed group to another. The title is so impactful that it overshadows nuanced verses which explore deeply ingrained misogyny, discuss its damaging effects and encourage men to reconsider their relationship with the women in their lives. Most of the controversy, however, overlooked a crucial point – whether we have made enough progress for the song to be no longer necessary. A glance at the news on any given day tells that, shamefully, 50-plus years since its release, the underlying message of ‘Woman…’ is as relevant as ever. Hopefully, record labels of the future will have enough faith in their audiences to allow them to make an informed decision about what the song means to them. Meanwhile, the original Some Time In New York City is still out there.

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The music that is included on Power To The People works alongside Kevin Macdonald’s 2024 documentary One To One: John And Yoko to give a sense of the chaos and creativity surrounding the couple during their first year in New York. It picks up the story on 10 September 1971, the day after Imagine was released in the US and roughly a month after Lennon and Ono arrived in the city for what was intended to be a flying visit. Holed up in the St Regis Hotel with a tape machine rolling and acoustic guitar in hand, Lennon performs an impromptu and meandering set of beloved rock’n’roll classics – ‘Honey Don’t’, ‘Wake Up Little Susie’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Peggy Sue’ – which makes up the first 20 tracks on the set’s Home Jam disc.

Chords are scuffed, lyrics half-remembered and absurd voices abound, but it’s a joy to hear Lennon casually rifling through his musical rolodex and reaching for songs, so much of his past – learnt during adolescence; hammered home by Hamburg – as if for a comfort blanket. It’s also great to hear that voice in such an intimate setting, singing purely to please himself. And this being John Lennon, he can’t help but break out the party tricks; imitating Elvis’ quivering low murmur on ‘You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)’ and Buddy Holly’s hiccups on ‘Peggy Sue’. Nobody’s world is going to be changed by this stuff but if nothing else, let’s hope McCartney hears it and for just a moment, feels as if his old friend is back in the room.

Nobody’s world is going to be changed by this stuff but if nothing else, let’s hope McCartney hears it and for just a moment, feels as if his old friend is back in the room.

Next up are four songs recorded at the same hotel, just over a month later. Alongside a couple of golden oldies (‘High Heel Sneakers’ and ‘Slippin’ And Slidin’) are two previously unreleased Lennon originals. ‘I Got You’ is a slinky, pent-up blues which calls to mind an undeveloped ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ while ‘Gone From This Place’ is taken at a slower pace than the version familiar from The Complete Lost Lennon Tapes bootlegs and is all the better for it.

Home Jam ends with nine songs recorded at the Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan, on 10 December 1971 with Lennon and Ono were in town for the John Sinclair Freedom Rally. After warming up with the Little Richard hit ‘Send Me Some Lovin’, Lennon moves on to ‘He Got The Blues’, a bittersweet little sketch with hints of Imagine’s ‘Oh Yoko!’ which will also be familiar to bootleg collectors. ‘When The Teacher’ is the real find – an unbootlegged original reminiscent of the drifting majesty of Van Morrison’s ‘Sweet Thing. Lennon ad libs words and melodies, feeling his way towards the song. He may never have found it, but this lightning in a bottle moment remains. ‘Pill’ is another much-bootlegged bluesy bit and the whimsical gem ‘It’s Real’ has a vocal and the beginnings of a lyric, rather than the whistled snippet which tailed ‘Serve Yourself’ on 1998’s Anthology. The remaining four tracks capture Lennon gamely backing Phil Ochs as the folk great runs through a selection of rabble rousers.

Power To The People’s two Live Jam discs shift the focus to Lennon and Ono’s public appearances. Live Jam 1 replicates the ‘bonus disc’ of Some Time In New York City with raw and wild versions of ‘Cold Turkey’ and ‘Don’t Worry Kyoko’ (no room for the full 40-minute version?) dating back to a December 1969 UNICEF benefit held at the Lyceum, London, followed by Lennon and Ono’s encore appearance with Frank Zappa & The Mothers at Fillmore East, New York, June 1971, which peaks with the swaggering Lennon vocal on ‘Well (Baby Please Don’t Go)’.

The Power to the People 9CD + 3 x blu-ray box set

Live Jam 2 brings home the extent to which the couple threw themselves into activism. “In those days we were doing all sorts of different concerts,” says Ono in the set’s book, “Somebody calls us and says, ‘Well look, we’re having this problem here, do you want to come and do a concert?’ ‘Yes, we’ll do it.’” As with the Home Jam disc, it’s not a set which will be returned to often – let’s be honest, there’s only so many times you’ll want to hear multiple acoustic takes of ‘Attica State’ – but there’s no denying the conviction and urgent energy Lennon brings to these performances. It also captures his readiness to put his reputation on the line for causes he believed in – here you’ll find one of the biggest pop stars the planet will ever know willing to “busk” radical and outspoken songs that deal with prison riots (‘Attica State’), The Troubles (‘Luck Of The Irish’) and lobby for the release of political activists (‘John Sinclair’). 

Lennon’s infatuation with rock’n’roll resurfaces on Studio Jam, 16 songs recorded during the making of Some Time In New York City. This is the sound of Lennon and the Elephant’s Memory Band unwinding by blasting through the likes of ‘Ain’t That A Shame’ and ‘Yakkity Yak’, or embarking on unhinged jams (‘Jazz Freakout’). When Lennon’s vocals are at full throttle, as on an unfettered and thrilling ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, he’s a force of nature and throughout there’s a sense of spontaneous fun sorely missing from 1975’s Rock ’N’ Roll. 

The ‘Ultimate Mix’ of New York City is a massive improvement.

In keeping with previous Lennon box sets, the ‘Evolution’ mixes of New York City track the development of each of its nine songs using demos, rehearsals, snatches of dialogue, and early takes. It’s a thrill to hear these songs take shape and to hear an unguarded and uncompromising Lennon lead the sessions. “I know we’re gonna end up with that clean, clean recorded sound which I hate,” he frets before tearing into a ferocious version of the title track. We hear ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ transform from an eerie home demo to a rollicking boogie, with some choice Lennon witticisms along the way – “Of course, anyone daft enough to decide to play saxophone deserves torturing” and, when attempting to chivy things on, “C’mon, I want to get on to that female lib song before McCartney gets on to that!”. Meanwhile, the studio sessions for ‘Luck Of The Irish’ show Lennon’s softer side as he coaches Ono through her vocal.  

Missing song aside, the ‘Ultimate Mix’ of New York City is a massive improvement. The up-tempo tracks – ‘New York City’, ‘Attica State’, ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ – thunder out of the speakers compared to the disappointingly thin originals. Elsewhere, Yoko’s call for female empowerment ‘Sisters, O Sisters’ no longer sounds as if it’s playing on a flexi-disc, ‘The Luck Of The Irish’ benefits hugely from losing its chintzy flute, and removing a few layers of noise from ‘We’re All Water’ reveals the dynamic rocker at its core. Lennon’s voice is pushed to the fore throughout, often at the expense of saxophone – clearly Sean has a similar view on them to his father.

The final three discs of Power To The People are devoted to The One To One Concert, two shows – Lennon’s only full concerts as a solo artist – held on 30 August 1972 at Madison Square Garden to raise funds for Willowbrook State School, a facility for children with disabilities. Afternoon and evening shows are presented on their own discs, while an amalgamated ‘best of’ set features on a separate disc. It all adds up to an expanded and remixed version of 1986’s Live In New York City, though the omission of a certain song (as well as, puzzlingly, ‘Sisters, O Sisters’) means that it’s not the complete set. Still, it’s another vast improvement on what we already have, with the beefed up sound doing Elephant’s Memory justice and accentuating the ragged wonder of Lennon’s vocals.

As with previous Lennon sets, Power To The People’s accompanying book is hugely impressive, telling the story of the period in meticulous detail and illustrated beautifully. It’s indicative of the love and attention that his estate are pouring into these sets. Roll on Walls And Bridges. 

Review by Jamie Atkins for SDE. John & Yoko’s Power to the People box set is out now.

Tracklisting

John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band: Power to the People 9CD+3BR deluxe box set

Power to the People John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band / 9CD + 3 x Blu-ray box set

    • CD 1 / Blu-ray 1 – The One To One Concert ⋆ Hybrid ‘Best Of’ Show
      1. Power To The People (intro) †
      2. New York City*
      3. It’s So Hard*
      4. Move On Fast* †
      5. Well Well Well †
      6. Born In A Prison* †
      7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)*
      8. Mother*
      9. We’re All Water †
      10. Come Together †
      11. Imagine*
      12. Open Your Box* †
      13. Cold Turkey* †
      14. Don’t Worry Kyoko* †
      15. Hound Dog
      16. Law And Order
      17. Give Peace A Chance
      * denotes afternoon show, otherwise the performance is from the evening show
      † denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks

    • CD 2 / Blu-ray 1 – The One To One Concert ⋆ Afternoon Show
      1. Power To The People (intro) †
      2. New York City
      3. It’s So Hard
      4. Move On Fast †
      5. Well Well Well
      6. Born In A Prison †
      7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
      8. Mother
      9. We’re All Water †
      10. Come Together
      11. Imagine
      12. Open Your Box †
      13. Cold Turkey †
      14. Don’t Worry Kyoko †
      15. Hound Dog †
      † denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks
    • CD 3 / Blu-ray 1 – The One To One Concert ⋆ Evening Show
      1. Power To The People (intro) †
      2. New York City †
      3. It’s So Hard †
      4. Move On Fast †
      5. Well Well Well †
      6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) †
      7. Mother †
      8. We’re All Water †
      9. Born In A Prison †
      10. Imagine†
      11. Come Together
      12. Open Your Box †
      13. Cold Turkey
      14. Hound Dog
      15. Law And Order
      16. Give Peace A Chance
      † denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks
    • CD 4 / Blu-ray 2 – New York City (The Ultimate Mixes)
      1. New York City (Ultimate Mix)
      2. Sisters, O Sisters (Ultimate Mix)
      3. Attica State (Ultimate Mix)
      4. Born In A Prison (Ultimate Mix)
      5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Ultimate Mix, extended)
      6. The Luck Of The Irish (Ultimate Mix)
      7. John Sinclair (Ultimate Mix, extended)
      8. Angela (Ultimate Mix)
      9. We’re All Water (Ultimate Mix)
    • CD 5 / Blu-ray 2 – New York City (The Evolution Documentary)
      1. New York City (Evolution Documentary) †
      2. Sisters, O Sisters (Evolution Documentary) †
      3. Attica State (Evolution Documentary) †
      4. Born In A Prison (Evolution Documentary) †
      5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Evolution Documentary) †
      6. The Luck Of The Irish (Evolution Documentary) †
      7. John Sinclair (Evolution Documentary) †
      8. Angela (Evolution Documentary) †
      9. We’re All Water (Evolution Documentary) †
      † denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks
    • CD 6 / Blu-ray 2 – New York City (Studio Jam)
      1. Jazz Freakout †
      2. You Can’t Sit Down †
      3. Roll Over Beethoven †
      4. Honey, Don’t †
      5. Ain’t That A Shame †
      6. My Babe †
      7. Send Me Some Lovin’ †
      8. Fools Like Me †
      9. Down In The Caribbean †
      10. Happy Birthday Yoko Ono †
      11. That’s Right †
      12. Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog †
      13. Yoko’s Rhythm †
      14. Whole Lotta Shakin’ / It’ll Be Me †
      15. Yakety Yak †
      16. Road Runner †
      † denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks
    • CD 7 / Blu-ray 3 – Live Jam 1
      John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band and A Star Studded Cast of Thousands. Peace and Love for Christmas, in aid of UNICEF, Live at the Lyceum Ballroom, The Strand, London, 15 December 1969
      1. Cold Turkey (live)
      2. Don’t Worry Kyoko (live)
      John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with Frank Zappa and The Mothers, Fillmore East, New York, 6 June 1971
      1. Well (Baby Please Don’t Go) (live)
      2. Jamrag [Say Please / King Kong / Aawk] (live)
      3. Scumbag (live)
      4. Aü (live)
    • CD 8 / Blu-ray 3 – Live Jam 2
      John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with David Peel and The Lower East Side Live at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 10 December 1971
      1. Attica State (live) †
      2. The Luck Of The Irish (live)
      3. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
      4. John Sinclair (live)
      John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band. Live at the Benefit for the families of the victims of the riot at Attica State Correctional Facility, Apollo Theater, Harlem, NYC, 17 December 1971
      1. Attica State (live)
      2. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
      3. Imagine (live)
      John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band. Live on the David Frost TV Show, The Little Theatre, 240 West 44th Street, NYC, 16 December 1971
      1. Attica State (live) †
      2. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
      3. John Sinclair (live) †
      John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory Band. Live at the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Americana Hotel, NYC, 4 September 1972
      1. Imagine (live) †
      2. Now Or Never (live) †
      3. Give Peace A Chance (live) †
      † denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks
    • CD 9 / Blu-ray 3 – Home Jam
      John Lennon. Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York, 10 September 1971
      1. Shazam †
      2. Honey, Don’t †
      3. Glad All Over †
      4. Lend Me Your Comb †
      5. Wake Up Little Susie †
      6. New York City †
      7. Wake Up Little Susie †
      8. ‘Hey, que pasa?’ †
      9. You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care) †
      10. Vacation Time †
      11. Heartbeat †
      12. Peggy Sue Got Married †
      13. Peggy Sue †
      14. ‘Phone call from Henry Gotsello’ †
      15. Peggy Sue †
      16. ‘Now we’d like to change the mood a little…’ †
      17. Maybe Baby †
      18. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues †
      19. Rave On! †
      20. Twelve Bar Blues †
      John Lennon. Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York, 27 October 1971
      1. I Got You †
      2. Hi-Heel Sneakers †
      3. Slippin’ And Slidin’ †
      4. Gone From This Place †
      John Lennon. Home Recordings at Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 10 December 1971
      1. Send Me Some Lovin’ †
      2. He Got The Blues †
      3. When The Teacher †
      4. Pill †
      5. It’s Real
      John Lennon and Phil Ochs. Home Recordings at Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 10 December 1971
      1. I Ain’t Marching Anymore †
      2. Joe Hill †
      3. Chords Of Fame †
      4. Ringing Of Revolution
      † denotes never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks

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