I've had copies of this from first release and always liked it, but it has been a lonesome road. Most of my friends back then didn't take notice and those who did hated it. I don't think that was all about the music. For many at this time she was seen as the one who kidnapped Lennon and destroyed Beatles. She was older and from another culture, strong and self-sufficient, and created art no one of us could grasp. We wanted The Beatles and we got that instead. But if you forget about Beatles and Lennon and just see it as an album by a an exotic female avant-garde artist, backed by a rock'n'roll band, using a classic Japanese vocal technique reminding of the old Kabuki performances, it's suddenly more interesting and very much ahead of its time. Record two of this 2-LP set consists of sound experiments beyond my understanding, but record one has avant-garde garage rock I find very attractive. Seventeen minute "Mindtrain" is pure krautrock, "Midsummer New York" and "Don't Worry Kyoko" electric garage blues and "Hirake" (earlier as B-side "Open Your Box") has jazzy vocal licks to a rock backing. It's rough and it's cheeky, not like anything else and I love it. Plastic Ono Band did all backing with Ringo and Clapton playing on one track. Produced by Lennon and Ono. First US issue with label as shown here, laminated f/o cover, lyric inner sleeves, gigant poster and order-card for Onos book "Grapefruit". UK release (Apple SAPTU 101/102) came with same inserts. Re-issued on CD by Rykodisc in Japan and US 1997. (BÄ*)(FÄV*)(ÄZC*) (YZÄ*)(JYZÖ*) (ÄPLÄ*)
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