Monday, March 7, 2011

John Lennon-- Some Time In New York City (1972)


Critically disregarded and commercially unimpressed, Lennon's third post-Beatles album is the gutsiest music he's ever recorded.
Some Time In New York City has Chuck Berry rock 'n roll ("New York City"), radical politics ("Woman is the Nigger of the Wold", "Attica State") and two tracks on Irish misfortune ("Sunday Bloody Sunday", and the satirical "The Luck of the Irish").

So it's clear why this often abrasive and politically charged record didn't give the Lennon fan clubs more of the Beatles-carry over heard on Imagine or even Plastic Ono Band. Lennon and Yoko had just moved to New York City. They were living in Greenwich Village. Immediately, they joined wits with leftist pranksters Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin and whatever other yippies were around. He was writing protest songs about people getting busted with joints and how women were "the nigger of the world". It's Imagine with a clenched fist.

The songs don't reach the substantialness of the previous solo efforts form John, and no tracks from New York City will ever make another posthumous Lennon compilation album, but anyone who questions the rawness of Lennon, should check this record out. grab it in the comments.

also, dig the picture of a butt-naked Nixon and Mao two-steppin' it on the news print cover.

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