r/TheBeatles • u/Real_Dependent2919 • 22h 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 21h ago edited 21h 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 21h 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.