John Lennon - "Imagine" (1971)

Another one of these classic albums a record collection worthy of it’s name probably must include, whether you like the album or not. Though I must immediately admit that Imagine hasn’t been long in my collection, just a few weeks. I found it in a store for used record in Gothenburg for the excellent price of 35 Swedish kronor (= 5 USD), a bargain I couldn’t resist. The low price can be explained by the record’s semi shabby condition, but a simple cleaning of the record made it much fresher. The first half of the opening song and also the title track is not possible to listen to, thaks to a small dent (which of course affects the opening track on the B-side in the same way). Who is to blame, the previous owner or the company pressing the album?

Although I haven’t owned the album, I’ve had the music from Imagine at home since my early teens, on the classic and now extinct format cassette tape. My aunt's husband recorded this album and gave me as a Christmas present, so my relationship to the music is long despite the album’s absence in the shelf. And there is a tendency with classic albums like Imagine that you hear the songs in different contexts - radio, television, advertising, in the form of covers, old concert clips, etc. which makes it kept alive.

Imagine is produced by madman Phil Spector together with John and Yoko, and the sound is different from the predecessor John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band. At Imagine the listener gets to hear more spacious productions with fat strings and a large piano sound, something I suspect Mr. Spector should get credit for. Most of the songs are more readily available and the album is on the whole more commercially viable, a bit gentler and nicer than its predecessor. This is not to say that all the songs are easy and straightforward, also Imagine contains its more challenging creations, such as I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier.
The album was recorded in Lennon’s home studio in London, and some extra recordings were made in New York.

The two big hits Imagine and Jealous Guy are in a way quite cheezy songs to be honest. At the same time the former, in its desire for peace and equality, becomes a political statement in a turbulent time, and the latter has a dark undertone consisting of jealousy’s consequences. Although the song Imagine is one of the last hundred years most classic songs, I've heard it too much. I’ve simply grown tired of it. Therefore, the rest of the album is more interesting in my eyes and ears. If you want to hear a couple of other beautiful songs that are not as worn out I recommend How? and Oh Yoko! where the latter is more up-tempo and energizing. At the moment Give Me Some Truth is my favorite song from Imagine, a song that was around already at the time of the Beatles' recording of Let It Be. It’s a song with a political content where you hear George Harrison play guitar.

To be somewhat negative, I’ve never been fond of John’s a bit thin and nasal voice that puts its mark on most songs. To me his voice conveys bitterness, criticism and a somewhat neurotic feeling that creates a picture of a person I problably would find hard to hang out and chill with. This also goes for his more relaxed love songs. Moreover, one can debate whether the texts with an often political content is relevant today. Has the world changed? Unfortunately, a lot of what he sings about is as relevant today as it was then, although some references, eg to Nixon, are outdated. At the same time there are new politicians today representing what Nixon did then, so perhaps Lennon's contemporary criticism is timeless.

In the end, Imagine is an album I would be a sinner if I didn’t recommended. It really is a classical album and a nice piece of history from the early 70's. I don’t think all the songs are great, some are even quite boring, but it’s still a must have in the record shelf (which of course is easy for me to say now, since I finally actually own it). A lot of people claim that Imagine was the high point of Lennon’s solo career.

　
Tracklist

Side A
1. Imagine 3:01
2. Crippled Inside 3:47
3. Jealous Guy 4:14
4. It’s So Hard 2:25
5. I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier 6:05

Side B
1. Give Me Some Truth 3:16
2. Oh My Love 2:50
3. How Do You Sleep 5:36
4. How? 3:43
5. Oh Yoko! 4:20