Plastic Ono Band - Free the People (1973)
Following the massive successes of the Ziggy Stardust duology, the Beatles finally decided to give into demand and go on a world tour, their first since 1966. The tour went from July of 1973 to March of 1974, starting in Europe before going to North America, then Japan and then back to North America. They mostly played their hits from the 70's, although a select few 60's songs were added as the tour on to keep things interesting. As expected, every concert played was sold out, and the reception was incredibly positive. After all these years, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were just as in sync as ever, and David Bowie's stage presence was almost trance-inducing.
During the tour's off-time, Lennon, McCartney and Bowie all took up solo projects to keep themselves busy. Fly had been a commercial failure, but Lennon didn't want to stop working with Yoko Ono. The two worked on a new, more commercial-friendly studio album along with the Plastic Ono Band. As with Fly, Starr appeared on a few tracks alongside close friend Harry Nilsson. The album, Free the People, was released on October 29, 1973, to much better reception from critics. However, the constant, dark political banter turned many people off from listening the entire way through, and some were confused how this could be the same Lennon as the jovial one they heard on Beatles records and on stage. In reality, Lennon's marriage and mental health was going down fast, something that would only get worse as the year went on.
The back cover, completely blank white, was done as a nod to Lennon and Ono's conceptual country, Nutopia. It was established as a satirical way to deal with Lennon's immigration problems. The country's anthem appears as the album's hidden track.
All songs are sourced from Approximately Infinite Universe, Mind Games, and Some Time in New York City.
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