Yoko One – Plastic Ono Band

If you were to really think about it Yoko Ono is one of the most unfairly criticized musicians in the history of music. Most of the criticism is not really about the quality of the work rather people’s feelings about the woman herself. Or the angry feelings about her relationship with John Lennon and the part she might or might not have played in the break-up of the Beatles. Without any biases the woman has made her mark as an avant-garde artist. She might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but she is good at what she does. That being said, it was long overdue that Plastic Ono Band, originally released in 1970, gets this reissue. It was the album in which she truly came into her own as a musician. She managed to separate the creator of art from her musical side. Yet there is still art involved. Experimentation with sound and feeling out her way in the time after the heyday of punk rock. She wanted to remain a punk artist but what that meant in 1970. Yoko Ono wanted to make music that was visceral and forced a reaction from whoever listened to it. At different times over the tracks you find your mind working in overdrive while others you find it so jarring it causes a physical reaction. Breaks a lot of rules using non-traditional instruments or sounds meshed with screeching guitar work and the fact that there are no choruses in the songs. Listening to the album you know that songs like “Why” and “Touch Me” influenced artists/acts to come like B-52s, Public Image Limited, the Slits and Gang of Four. She goes beyond traditional boundaries to explore what could be done with the medium