Don’t be cynical about a sudden renewed interest in John Lennon via film to presume this compilation a cash-in. In the works for more than a minute now, the idea of opening up the vault on Lennon’s better half to a variety of top-shelf talent to remix or ‘rework’ is one that should have been thought up a decade ago.
But it’s a good thing to have waited, as we would not have had a chance to hear Chan Marshall sing ‘Revelations’ against a solo piano, or Peaches run ‘Kiss Kiss Kiss’ though her particular snap beat. We might have heard Spiritualized overdrive the feedback for ‘Walking on Thin Ice,’ but Jason Pierce has been quiet for a moment, so we appreciate his reintroduction. And, of course, Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy’s The Bomb Squad would certainly not have dropped a d&b rhythm on the album’s intro and closer back in the day.
Ono handpicked each of the artists found here, which points to the fact that, at 74 years old, Ono seems as in touch with the current music scene as she ever was. And as a result, none of the pairings are out of place (a fault of many tribute-type albums). One could argue that most of these versions sheath Ono’s avant-garde tendencies. But if your knowledge of Ono’s musical output is lacking, this CD should certainly inspire you to do some investigation.

RELATED POSTS:

No related posts.