Plastic Ono Band - Fly (1971)

Following the release of The Man Who Sold the World and George Harrison's departure, John Lennon decided to take some time off from recording to spend time with his wife, Yoko Ono. During this time, he would hone his primal therapy that he and Ono had learned through Arthur Janov's classes in Los Angeles for most of the previous year. They never finished their classes due to their expiring visas, but they were taught to scream their way to enlightenment and to release emotional pain from their respective childhoods. They had also visited New York City during this time, and they would move to the city in August. But, despite his time off, he knew he needed an outlet for the therapy he was going through. Feeling that his newest material was far too personal for use in the Beatles, Lennon and Ono decided to record an album with just them and the Plastic Ono Band, made up of Klaus Voormann, Alan White and Billy Preston. Beatle Ringo Starr and former Beatle George Harrison also made appearances during the recording.

The resulting album was Fly, credited solely to the Plastic Ono Band. The album was half rock, half experimental, and all extremely personal and sometimes uncomfortable. The album was built around Lennon's songs with Ono's experimental pieces being placed in between them. It was released on September 21, 1971 to generally positive reviews. Critics would say that Lennon's songs were some of his best ever, even with the Beatles. Ono's songs weren't as lucky, with critics mostly calling them "drab". She would get redemption retrospectively, with some even saying that her songs predated the creation of krautrock.

PLASTIC ONO BAND - FLY

Released: 21 September 1971

Genre: Singer-songwriter, avant-folk, piano rock, experimental, pop rock

Producer: John Lennon, Yoko Ono

Side A

Fly (Prologue)

Mother

Hold On

Mind Holes

Look at Me

Who Has Seen the Wind?

The Path

Side B

Don't Worry Kyoko

Do the Oz

Open Your Box

I Don't Want to Be a Soldier

Fly (Part 2)

Side C

Oh Yoko!
Isolation

Listen, the Snow Is Falling

How?

Mrs. Lennon

God

Side D

Fly

My Mummy's Dead [hidden track]

Track list sources:

Lennon's songs are sourced from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, with "Do the Oz" taken from the Ultimate Collection and "How?" being Take 40. Yoko Ono's songs are from Fly, and "Who Has Seen the Wind?" and "Listen, the Snow Is Falling" are from the CD reissue of Wedding Album. "Fly (Prologue)" is "Head Play (Medley: You/Airmale/Fly)", and "Fly (Part 2)" is "You".