Some Time in New York City
Some Time in New York City | ||||
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live album by | ||||
Released | 12 June 1972 | |||
Recorded | Studio: December 1971 – 20 March 1972 Live: 15 December 1969, 6 June 1971 | |||
Venue | 15 December 1969, Lyceum Ballroom, London 6 June 1971, Fillmore East, New York City | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 90:52 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Producer | John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector | |||
John Lennon chronology | ||||
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Yoko Ono chronology | ||||
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Singles from Some Time in New York City | ||||
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Some Time in New York City
Recording for the album's studio portion took place between December 1971 and March 1972 while the live portion, released as Live Jam, was recorded on 15 December 1969 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London for a UNICEF charity concert and on 6 June 1971 at Fillmore East in New York City. Musicians who contributed to the 1969 performance included Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Nicky Hopkins, Keith Moon and Klaus Voormann, while the 1971 performance featured Frank Zappa and his band the Mothers of Invention.
Preceded by the single "Woman Is the Nigger of the World", which caused controversy due to its title, Some Time in New York City received scathing reviews on release and performed poorly commercially. Reviewers were especially critical of its politically charged content. Zappa was critical of Lennon and Ono's handling of the recordings of the Mothers performance, eventually releasing his own version of the performance on Playground Psychotics (1992). Some Time in New York City was reissued on compact disc in 2005 as a single album, removing several of the Live Jam songs while adding other non-album singles, and again on CD in 2010 in its original double album format.
Background
John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to New York City in September 1971 and continued their involvement in political, peace and social justice causes of the
Lennon and Ono, along with
Recording
The original double album contained the live album Live Jam, featuring the
Throughout January, until the 21st, Lennon mixed the live album at the Record Plant.[1] Lennon also mixed the recordings of the John Sinclair rally, as well as the Apollo Theatre and Lyceum Ballroom performances, for possible release as EPs; however, only the Lyceum performance was released.[1] Lennon and Ono, with the assistance of studio drummer Jim Keltner, hired Elephant's Memory, a local band known for their hard partying and anti-establishment musical style[citation needed], to back them for a series of albums and live performances. Lennon once again brought in Phil Spector to co-produce the new studio album, which was completed on 20 March 1972.[1] Around this time, Lennon and Ono were producing Elephant's Memory's self-titled album.[1] Several jams were recorded, featuring Lennon and Elephant's Memory, all of which remained unreleased: "Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", "Send Me Some Lovin'", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "It'll Be Me", "Not Fade Away", "Ain't That a Shame" and "Caribbean".[1]
Music and lyrics
The opening song of the studio album, "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (a phrase Ono had coined in the late 1960s), was intended as a negation of sexism and was also issued as a single in the US to controversial reaction, and – as a consequence – little airplay. The Lennons went to great lengths (including a press conference attended by staff from Jet and Ebony magazines) to explain that the word "nigger" was not meant as an affront to black people. A quote from Ron Dellums, referring to the use of the word "nigger", appeared in an issue of Billboard (referred to on an episode of The Dick Cavett Show). Lennon's other tracks include the biographical "New York City", a Chuck Berry-styled rocker that details the Lennons' early months in their new home, as well as "John Sinclair", his musical plea for Sinclair's release from a ten-year sentence for giving two marijuana joints to an undercover policewoman.
Ono, a feminist, responds musically with "Sisters, O Sisters", tackles the lacking education system with "Born in a Prison", and celebrates a culture of one in "We're All Water". Together, Lennon and Ono lament police brutality in "Attica State", the hardships of war-torn Northern Ireland in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "The Luck of the Irish" (see Bloody Sunday), and pay tribute to Angela Davis with "Angela".
Release
Some Time in New York City was issued in the US on 12 June 1972 but delayed until 15 September in the UK, due to a dispute with Northern Songs over publishing rights on songs co-written by Lennon and Ono.[1] The album was packaged like a newspaper (an approach previously employed on The Four Seasons' The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette, Jefferson Airplane's Volunteers and Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick), depicting the events covered in the album's songs, causing even more consternation with an image of Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong dancing nude together. (The photo was stickered over on many of the issued copies, with a non-removable seal.)
With most of the gatefold cover space taken up by printed lyrics and photographs, the album credits appeared on the first disc's inner sleeve. The customised label, featuring the face of Lennon morphing into Ono's, was created by
Initial copies of the US edition included a photograph of the Statue of Liberty and a mailable petition to allow citizenship for John and Yoko. Also, the message "John and Yoko forever Peace on earth and goodwill to all men '72" is inscribed in the dead wax on Side 1.
Although the UK release managed a number 11 chart peak, it only went to number 48 in the US. Lennon was reportedly stunned by the album's failure and consequently did not record new music for almost a year.[9]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Boston Phoenix | [11] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C[12] |
Mojo | [13] |
MusicHound | 3/5[14] |
Paste | [15] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
Uncut | [17] |
On release, Some Time in New York City provided a startling contrast for listeners expecting a repeat of the well-received Imagine in 1971. According to author Robert Rodriguez, the new album received "abysmal reviews".[18] In a scathing critique published in Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden wrote that "the Lennons should be commended for their daring", but not before calling the album "incipient artistic suicide". Holden added: "except for 'John Sinclair' the songs are awful. The tunes are shallow and derivative and the words little more than sloppy nursery-rhymes that patronise the issues and individuals they seek to exalt. Only a monomaniacal smugness could allow the Lennons to think that this witless doggerel wouldn't insult the intelligence and feelings of any audience."[19]
More recently, Garry Mulholland of
Legacy
On 30 August 1972, Lennon and Ono performed two benefit concerts for the Willowbrook State School for the mentally challenged at Madison Square Garden, at friend Geraldo Rivera's request. The shows, known as One to One, were filmed and recorded, with the evening show broadcast on ABC Television, and the earlier matinée show compiled for release as the 1986 live album and video, Live in New York City. New York mayor John Lindsay declared the date "One to One Day", and the performances proved to be Lennon's last full live concerts.
Frank Zappa criticized the presentation of the Mothers' performance on Some Time in New York City, as the vocals of Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan had been removed, and Zappa did not receive writing credit for "King Kong", which was wrongly identified on this release as "Jamrag".[23][24] He and Lennon had also agreed that each would release their own version of the performance, but Zappa was legally prevented from issuing his version, which did not appear until the release of Playground Psychotics in 1992.[5]
After
Track listing
All songs written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, except where noted.
+ Originally written by Frank Zappa, titled "King Kong". However John Lennon and Yoko Ono claimed copyright, giving "King Kong" the new title "Jam Rag" (British slang for tampon).
- Side one
- "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" – 5:15
- "Sisters, O Sisters" (Ono) – 3:46
- "Attica State" – 2:54
- "Born in a Prison" (Ono) – 4:03
- "New York City" (Lennon) – 4:30
- Side two
- "Sunday Bloody Sunday" – 5:00
- "The Luck of the Irish" – 2:56
- "John Sinclair" (Lennon) – 3:28
- "Angela" – 4:06
- "We're All Water" (Ono) – 7:11
- Side three
- Performed live on 15 December 1969 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, England for a UNICEF charity concert with George Harrison
- "Cold Turkey" (Lennon) – 8:35
- "Don't Worry Kyoko" (Ono) – 16:01
- Side four
- Recorded live on 6 June 1971 at the Fillmore East in New York City with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention
- "Well (Baby Please Don't Go)" (Walter Ward) – 4:41
- "Jamrag" + [23] – 5:36
- "Scumbag" (Lennon, Ono, Frank Zappa) – 4:27
- "Aü" – 8:04
- Alternate version of Side 4
Frank Zappa's version of the live recordings captured on side four of Some Time in New York City was released in 1992 on Frank Zappa's album Playground Psychotics.[1] These mixes/edits make Zappa and his band more prominent in the mix (most notably in the song "Scumbag" where Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan's vocals are audible) than they had been on Some Time in New York City.[24] In some cases the songs were given new titles: "Say Please" and "Aaawk" are edited from "Jamrag" (a longer piece on Some Time in New York City), and "Aü" is retitled "A Small Eternity With Yoko Ono". The songs, which appear as tracks 22 through 26 on disc one of the CD, are denoted as follows:
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
22. | "Well" | Walter Ward | 4:43 |
23. | "Say Please" | John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Zappa | 0:57 |
24. | "Aaawk" | Lennon, Ono, Zappa | 2:59 |
25. | "Scumbag" | Lennon, Ono, Howard Kaylan, Zappa | 5:53 |
26. | "A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono" | Lennon, Ono | 6:07 |
2005 CD reissue
This remixed/remastered edition, issued on a single disc, omits much of the live material with Zappa (though it is available in a different mix/edit on Zappa's Playground Psychotics) and includes two bonus tracks. Some of the track times, notably for "We're All Water" and "Don't Worry Kyoko", differ from those on the original vinyl LPs.
- "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" (Lennon, Ono) – 5:17
- "Sisters, O Sisters" (Ono) – 3:48
- "Attica State" (Lennon, Ono) – 2:55
- "Born in a Prison" (Ono) – 4:05
- "New York City" (Lennon) – 4:29
- "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Lennon, Ono) – 5:03
- "The Luck of the Irish" (Lennon, Ono) – 2:59
- "John Sinclair" (Lennon) – 3:30
- "Angela" (Lennon, Ono) – 4:08
- "We're All Water" (Ono) – 5:19
- "Cold Turkey" (Live Jam) (Lennon) – 8:35
- "Don't Worry Kyoko" (Live Jam) (Ono) – 15:20
- "Well (Baby Please Don't Go)" (Live Jam) (Ward) – 4:33
- Bonus tracks
- "Listen, the Snow Is Falling" (Ono) – 3:06
- "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (Lennon, Ono) – 3:34
Personnel
Studio album
- vocals
- Yoko Ono – vocals
- percussion
- Elephant's Memory:
Live Jam
All credits taken from Lennon's handwritten credits on the Live Jam inner sleeve.[27]
15 December 1969
- John Lennon – guitar, vocals
- Yoko Ono – bag, vocals
For everyone except himself and Ono, Lennon made up pseudonyms:
- Eric Clapton ('Derek Claptoe') – guitar
- Delaney & Bonnie ('Bilanie & Donnie') – guitar, percussion (and friends, brass, percussion)
- Jim Gordon ('Jim Bordom') – drums
- George Harrison ('George Harrisong') – guitar
- Nicky Hopkins ('Sticky Topkins') – electric piano (overdubbed in N.Y. as organ was lost)
- Bobby Keys ('Robbie Knees') – saxophone
- Keith Moon ('Kief Spoon') – drums
- Billy Preston ('Billy Presstud') – organ
- Klaus Voormann ('Raus Doorman') – bass
- Alan White ('Dallas White') – drums
The audience in attendance is credited on the label as "a cast of 1000's" and on the dust jacket as a "star-studded cast of thousands!!"
Uncredited
- Jim Price – trumpet
6 June 1971
- John Lennon – guitar, vocals
- Yoko Ono – bag, vocals
- Aynsley Dunbar – drums
- Bob Harris – keyboards, vocals
- Howard Kaylan – vocals
- Jim Pons – bass guitar, vocals
- Don Preston – Mini-Moog
- Ian Underwood – keyboard, vocals, woodwinds
- Mark Volman – vocals
- Klaus Voormann – bass guitar, vocals
- Frank Zappa – guitar, vocals
Charts
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Kent Music Report Chart | 10 |
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[28] | 6 |
Japanese Oricon LPs Chart | 15 |
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[29] | 2 |
UK Albums Chart[30] | 11 |
US Billboard 200[31] | 48 |
US Record World Album Chart[32] | 30 |
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[33]
|
26 |
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34] | 77 |
References
- Footnotes
- Citations
- ^ ISBN 9780711983076.
- ^ "Luck of the Irish – A Videotape by John Reilly".
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-37938-3.
- ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-275-99180-7.
- ^ ISBN 9781423406099.
- ISBN 0-600-20466-9.
- ^ a b c Blake 1981, p. 91
- ISBN 0-9662649-5-9.
- AllMusic
- ^ Boston Phoenix. Archived from the originalon 23 September 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 1 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Doyle, Tom (November 2010). "John Lennon Signature Box". Mojo. p. 114.
- ISBN 1-57859-061-2), p. 667.
- ^ a b Kemp, Mark (23 October 2007). "John Lennon – Reissues". Paste. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
- ^ "John Lennon: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Mulholland, Garry (November 2010). "John Lennon – Remasters". Uncut. p. 108. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-4165-9093-4.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (20 July 1972). "Some Time in New York City". Rolling Stone. No. 113. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. p. 48.
- ^ Marsh, Dave (August 1972). "John Lennon: Sometime In New York City (Apple); Elephant's Memory: Elephant's Memory (Apple)". Creem. Retrieved 10 March 2021 – via Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
- Journal Communications: 9.
- IPC Ignite!. p. 65.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8021-1783-0. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
At the same time John and Yoko claimed copyright on the entire jam, giving 'King Kong' the new title 'Jam Rag' (British slang for tampon)
- ^ a b Zappa, Kurt (1988). "The Rolling Stone interview with Frank Zappa". The Rolling Stone (Interview). Interviewed by Kurt Loder. Archived from the original on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2010. "They put out this record and took 'King Kong' – which obviously has a tune, and a rhythm, and chord changes – and they called it 'Jam Rag', and accredited the writing and publishing to themselves ... the way they mixed it, you can't hear what Mark and Howard are singing."
- ^ a b Blaney 2005, p. 203
- ^ "John & Yoko / Sometime in New York City". sometimeinnyc.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Some Time in New York City (Inner sleeve). John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory & Invisible Strings. Apple, EMI. 1972.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 23 January 2024. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "John Lennon" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
- ^ "Norwegian Charts -". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "JOHN LENNON | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "John Lennon". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "Record World Magazine" (PDF). 12 August 1972.
- ^ "Cash Box Magazine" (PDF). 19 August 1972.
- ^ "John Lennon Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
External links
- Some Time in New York City at Discogs (list of releases)