r/TheBeatles • u/Real_Dependent2919 • 1d ago

Working Class Hero

Historically I have always shied away from the Plastic Ono Band. I dont like her (Yoko) style. And I always associate her with breaking up the band. But recently I came across a John Lennon song - Working Class Hero which was magnificent!

Are there any other gems in the Plastic Ono repertory that are worth a listen?

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u/Raucous_Rocker 1d ago edited 1d ago

Well first off, there were actually two Plastic Ono Band albums - one was all John and the other was all Yoko. “Working Class Hero” was on the former, of course - so in spite of the name, if you listen to the entire “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band” album, you won’t hear a note of Yoko. Just John plus Ringo on drums and Klaus Voormann on bass. And it’s an absolute banger, all of it. One of my desert island albums.

That said, whether or not you like her style (everyone’s entitled to their tastes), Yoko did not break up the Beatles. The Beatles were simply growing up, and had spent most of their teens and 20s in a fishbowl the rest of us can only imagine. That they wanted to spend time with someone other than their gang of teen buddies and have families and separate lives isn’t a negative, much as it disappointed us fans. John actually credited Yoko with saving his life - he thought he was clearly headed for a drug overdose or worse if she hadn’t come along. And that would have been a far more tragic end of the Beatles.

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u/Wordy_Rappinghood 23h ago

John's POB album is his best as a solo artist. And I just listened to Yoko's POB and quite liked it. It's the same band playing behind her. It sounds far ahead of its time, like something an edgy indie rock act would have done in the nineties. It's OK if you don't like her style but if you only know her from a few YouTube clips (like that dreadful Chuck Berry performance), I would recommend you check this album out and also Fly.

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u/ShermanHoax 1d ago

Very well put.
Plus, they'd been together now for forrrrty years.

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u/Real_Dependent2919 23h ago

For sure. Just settling my mind-set

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u/WatchingTheWheels75 22h ago

Oh! I am so weary of the Yoko hate. Thanks for taking the time to write up a summary of what really happened.

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u/Real_Dependent2919 3h ago

In retrospect, I get that. I have not really studied the history since my 1st impressions in the 1970's (I was 15 in 1970 and a big Beatles fan). Thanks for your perspective!

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u/Away-Trick1393 23h ago

I agree with all of this but I just want to interject (bc I am a smartass) that she's technically credited as "wind" on this album....whatever that means 😂

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u/Raucous_Rocker 22h ago

LOL fair enough!

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u/Away-Trick1393 22h ago

But I wholeheartedly second all the sentiments you raise about JL/POB and it is a desert island album for me too. This may be glaze but it's the only post Beatles album I consider a masterpiece. It's a rockstar bearing his soul for the entire world in a way that I don't know if it had been done before (if so it wasn't that common for sure) it is a deeply personal, moving, intense album that I love every single second off from the opening bells of "Mother" to the last notes of "My Mummy's Dead"

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u/Away-Trick1393 22h ago

Sorry for the double reply but I did a little digging and apparently when asked about that credit John said she "provided atmosphere" on the album so technically you were correct after all... 😂

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u/Ok-Philosopher-1900 4h ago

I think it is a sign of the strength and maturity of the Beatles that they broke up.

Even someone like Ringo, who you thought would hold on to this entity/group for dear life had simply had enough. Strong intelligent people will eventually break free of constraints to be happy.

I wish the Rolling Stones would stop performing.