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The Plastic Ono Band

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Plastic Ono Band was an English rock band and artists' collective, formed in 1968 and 1969 by John Lennon and Yoko Ono for their collaboration on music, sound art, films and conceptual projects. The idea of an open, plastic band came from Ono, as an exhibition idea in Berlin in 1967. For Lennon it was a way of separating his own work from that of The Beatles. They declared that the audience were themselves members of the band.

Music and breakthrough

The group had a changing line-up that included Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Alan White, Billy Preston, Jim Keltner, Keith Moon and Lennon's bandmates George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The first single under the name, Give Peace a Chance, was recorded in June 1969 during a bed-in in Montreal and released in July. It was the first single Lennon released outside The Beatles. Cold Turkey followed, with Starr on drums. In September 1969 the group played the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival.

Influence

Two albums appeared in 1970: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band. After moving to New York in 1971, Lennon and Ono worked with Elephant's Memory, which led to Some Time in New York City (1972). From 2009 to 2015 Ono and her son Sean Lennon led a new version of the group. The Plastic Ono Band shows that pop music can also be an art project, in which a protest song and an experiment sit side by side.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Give Peace a Chance and notice the simple, repeated line in the chorus. Why can a large crowd of people sing along with a song like this?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists