Sometime In New York City
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Some Time In New York City was John Lennon's third solo album, recorded in his new home, New York City. This was Lennon's Greenwich Village and protest rock period. He was hanging out with Jerry Rubin's crowd. Lennon went into the studio with the newly formed Elephant's Memory band. In addition to drawing assistance from the Elephant's Memory band he enlisted wife Yoko Ono.
"Woman Is The Nigger Of The World", based on a phrase Yoko Ono had used in the sixties, is a soaring attack at sexism in the world scene. The title can be taken very offensively, which prevented the song from becoming a serious hit and radio play. The song was written in the gospel style of "House Of The Rising Sun" and featuring one his more powerful outros. It was also featured at the Live Peace In Toronto 1969 album.
The album can also be noted for its incorporation of many Ono songs, all of which were controversial moves, seeing as Ono was very unpopular in public eye at the time.
The album is often criticised for utilizing politics too often. Drawn strongly from the events happening in the United States (Attica State Prison riots) and from the struggle for Irish rights in the United Kingdom. It was during this time that Lennon donated 75,000 pounds to the terrorist organization the IRA. The subject of such a donation later became part of the FBI investigation into Lennon's private life.
By the time "Cold Turkey" had reached the charts John was becoming increasingly radical in his political views. In a note to the Queen of England he returned his MBE for a number of reasons, one of them being that "Cold Turkey" had slipped in the charts.
The follow-up album Mind Games saw a return to form.
Track listing
All tracks written by Lennon except where noted.
- "Woman Is The Nigger Of The World"
- "Sisters O Sisters" (Ono)
- "Attica State"
- "Born In A Prison" (Ono)
- "New York City" (Lennon)
- "Sunday Bloody Sunday"(Lennon/Ono)
- "The Luck Of The Irish" (Lennon/Ono)
- "John Sinclair"
- "Angela" (Lennon/Ono)
- "We're All Water" (Ono)
- "Cold Turkey"
- "Don't Worry Kyoko" (Ono)
- "Well (Baby Please Don't Go)" (Walter Ward)
- "Jamrag/Say Please/Aawk"
- "Scumbag"
- "Au: A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono"
Songs 14-16 feature Frank Zappa's band