WORKING CLASS HERO

Released on Apple Records in December 1970, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, was Lennon's debut solo album. The same day Yoko Ono released an album with the same title. They had already released three experimental albums, Unfinished Music 1, Two Virgins (1968), Unfinished Music 2, Life With The Lions (1969) and Wedding Album (1970) along with the 1969 live album, Live Peace In Toronto.

On his debut album the Plastic Ono Band included Klaus Voormann (bass guitar), Ringo Starr (drums) and Billy Preston (piano). Lennon played electric and acoustic guitars, piano and organ.

Produced by Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector the album with its raw production, was heavily influenced by Lennon's recent primal scream therapy. It reflected his personal issues with themes including abandonment and psychological suffering.

Recorded during sessions in September and October 1970 at Abbey Road, it featured eleven tracks including, Mother, I Found Out, Working Class Hero, Love, Look At Me and God.

The cover image, taken by actor Dan Richter on an instamatic camera at Lennon's Tittenhurst Park home, featured Lennon lying in Yoko Ono's arms under a tree, identical in every way to Ono's album except the roles are reversed and she is lying in his arms. The original did not have any title or artist name on the front although the first CD release did list both. It reverted back to the original cover on future releases.

The original release had no track listing on the back, just a picture of a young Lennon. It did include an insert with lyrics on one side. Surprisingly, Capitol Records in America, who had issues over some of the lyrics in both I Found Out and Working Class Hero, chose to print the lyrics uncensored. However, in the UK every mention of the word 'fucking' in Working Class Hero was replaced with astericks!

In the United Kingdom it peaked at #8 while it managed to reach #6 in America. Regarded as one of his best solo releases it was voted #4 in a 1987 Rolling Stone list of 'The 100 Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years' and in 2012 was ranked at number 23 in their '500 Greatest Albums of All Time.'

Remixed and re-released in 2000, with two extra tracks, Power To The People and Do The Oz, it has finally been given the ultimate release with the 6 CD and 2 Blu-ray Ultimate Collection box set. Also available as a single CD, 2-CD, vinyl and download it is the Ultimate Collection I will be reviewing here.

There is over eleven hours (on the Blu-ray discs) of audio in hi-res stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos all remixed from the original multitrack session tapes. The two Blu-ray discs feature all the material on the six CDs along with more than twenty-five extra tracks. Of course, this is not great for those without a Blu-ray player but, as I seem to be collecting more and more Blu-ray audio discs I recently treated myself to a player.

The first CD features the original eleven track album with three extra tracks that were released as singles around the same time... Give Peace A Chance, Cold Turkey and Instant Karma (We All Shine On).

Out-takes of all the tracks appear on the second CD while the third features the Elements Mixes. These isolate certain elements of each recording giving deeper levels of clarity and detail.

The raw studio mixes on CD#4 gives the listener the opportunity to hear the songs before any effects were added, tape delay, reverb etc. It is like being in the studio when the songs were recorded... raw and live. There are also three out-takes in the same format.

The fifth CD is the Evolution Mix on which each track is presented as an audio montage detailing the evolution of each song from demo to finished master with instructions, studio chatter, rehearsals and much more.

With all the other CDs featuring the same fourteen tracks (albeit in different formats) the final CD is a pleasant departure featuring a number of jams that find John and the band having fun between takes. They jam on rock 'n' roll classics and early versions of other Lennon songs.. Among the twenty-two tracks are Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode, Fats Domino's Ain't That A Shame, Little Richard's Send Me Some Lovin and Carl Perkin's Matchbox. A medley of Elvis Presley's Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog and When I'm Over You finds Lennon sending up Elvis and apparently showing his love of early rock 'n' roll. I'm not sure about this medley though. There is also an early version of I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama I Don't Want To Die, a Lennon original that would appear on his next album, Imagine.

This final CD also includes demos of all the album tracks and the three singles. These are either from recordings made at home on cassette or early studio rehearsals. It is interesting to note when listening to these demos how close to the finished recordings these were before they even bought them to the studio.

Besides giving the listener the opportunity to hear all the tracks in surround sound and hi-res stereo, the Blu-ray discs also include several songs not included on the CDs.

Having enjoyed the set up to this point it was a shock to hear the Yoko Ono tracks on the second Blu-ray disc. I don't know who told her she could sing or had any talent but, and I'm sorry if I offend anyone, her wailing and screaming sounds like a demented cat being strangled! I only played a few minutes from a handful of tracks, which was more than enough, and I certainly won't be playing them again.

The 132-page book is a delight. There is background to the Plastic Ono Band, full details on the three singles included, track-by-track details for the album with full recording information and informative text, lyrics, details on the various mixes, demos, jams and much more. Fully illustrated with photos, rare memorabilia, album and single sleeves and, of interest to me, tape boxes and recording sheets. The set also includes two postcards and a 'War Is Over' poster.

I enjoyed this release, despite the Yoko Ono tracks, and it sits nicely alongside the Imagine (Ultimate Collection) and the Gimme Some Truth set.