New Yoko album called Warzone! Seems to be re-recordings of previous records. Track Listings Warzone Hell In Paradise Now Or Never Where Do We Go From Here Woman Power It's Gonna Rain Why Children Power I Love All of Me Teddy Bear I'm Alive I Love You Earth Imagine
The reissue series seems to have been put on the back burner with Yoko's new album, but I just learned that a CD released with Rolling Stone in Germany, this volume done in conjunction with Secretly Canadian, contains a demo of Hell In Paradise. Various - Rare Trax Vol. 113 - Hell In Paradise I've heard it. It's just Yoko at the piano. The German notes seem to say "previously unreleased version, later re-recorded for the album Starpeace." I don't know if it will be included as a bonus track on the eventual reissue, or if it will be exclusive to this compilation. The track is also listed as Hell Hell In Paradise (1985 Demo) (note the extra "Hell"...)
Well, I decided to just go ahead and complete my Yoko collection. I finally got Open Your Box, and have the Ryko editions of It's Alright and Starpeace on the way. And I've made myself a mega Yoko playlist. It clocks in at 40 hours. Now, it's a bit different from most of my mega playlists, because I decided not to get completely comprehensive with including every single thing that Yoko ever did in it. That's of course because there would be some over lap with the Beatles, and then plenty of overlap with John. So, STINYC, Double Fantasy, and Milk And Honey (and all associated tracks and bootlegs) are all excluded, as is anything and everything from Live In New York. I'll include them when I do a Lennon deep dive. Somewhat arbitrarily, I am including Live Peace In Toronto, and I'll include it again in the eventual Lennon playlist (I might leave out Two Virgins, Life With The Lions, and The Wedding Album from the Lennon one). Oh, and aside from Open Your Box (and the song Hold Me) I am skipping the dance remixes from ONO. There's probably 40 hours of just that material out there... Oh, and this 40 hour time does not include the two albums that I'm waiting for, or any additional related material from them. I'll plug them in when they arrive. I hope they come before I reach that point in the playlist.
I forgot to add that although the pre-Lennon recordings and even the early experimental albums might not be the easiest of listens, I enjoyed them. The only thing I'm less than excited about is when I get up to New York Rock...
So, I found these recordings of Nilsson doing some unreleased Yoko covers. But the last song, Smile, is not a song Yoko ever released. In fact, it doesn't even show up on her BMI page (while most of her unreleased songs are registered there.) Is this an unreleased Yoko song given to Harry? Going through my Yoko collection has been fun so far. I'm now halfway through New York Rock (it's not as bad as I sometimes make it out to be, but then part of the enjoyment comes from how corny and campy it can be!) Oh, and I still haven't gotten Starpeace (it's on its way), so I of course skipped over it for now. But I did listen to It's Alright (I See Rainbows) for the first time. It definitely comes off as a bit "low budget" compared to Season Of Glass, but maybe that's being a bit harsh. It's certainly more sparse, and it's overall a much lighter album, and with a pretty short runtime. The only track that I couldn't get into was the version of Loneliness. The way she rearranged the refrain just comes off as awkward. Speaking of New York Rock... on the cast recording, they sing Loneliness in the same way that Yoko did it in '74, which I think works much better. I also re-read the Yoko section of the Deeper Undercover book, and it mentions that in June-July 1980, Yoko worked on an album produced by Roy Cicala. None of the recordings were released, and she re-recorded the songs at the Hit Factory with John. Now there's something I'd like to hear! Apologies for hijacking this thread a bit. Hopefully after Warzone, we'll get more news about the reissue project!
I'm sure I recall reading about someone who asked her about "Smile," and she had no recollection of it whatsoever. It does sound like a Yoko Ono song though, in a way. My guess is that Harry Nilsson wrote it intentionally in her style.
It kinda sounds like something Harry would write too... Oh well, I guess between that and it not being on her BMI page, it's not her song after all. It is however a nice tune, and the singer ain't too shabby either!
I now have It's Alright and Starpeace. For It's Alright, all featured tracks are the same mix as the original album. This mix is otherwise unavailable on CD, as the RYKOdisc cd is a new remix. Starpeace has three songs on Onobox. Two of them are the original mixes, while Hell In Paradise is an exclusive mix. It is very similar to the 7 inch single remix, but it does have some differences. The entire original mix of Starpeace was issued on CD in Japan. The later Rykodisc CD is a new mix.
I have a question regarding the Blueprint for a Sunrise Japanese CD. It has 2 bonus tracks "Yume O Moto" and "Joseijoi Banzai" but I'm not certain if these are the original mixes or not. The times listed on the CD I have are: Yume O Moto - 3:47 Joseijoi Banzai - 2:56 I know that both songs were remixed for Onobox but I'm not sure if the same was done here. The timing for "Joseijoi Banzai" seems to match up with the "Part 1" version that appeared on the A-Side of the Japanese single (according to Discogs) and is much shorter than the Onobox version, so I assume this the original version but I could be wrong. As for "Yume O Moto", the timing seems similar to the Onobox version but also to the original single version (according to Discogs) so I don't know what to make of that.
As far as I'm aware these were exclusive to the Japanese CD release. I think they are remastered versions of the original 7" mixes. I've been after these for years and would be eternally grateful if you'd be willing to share the mp3s with me?
Just posted this interview thread in the "Warzone" new album thread, but thought I'd include it here for the following information: For inquisitive Ono-ologists, a last batch of re-releases from the labels Secretly Canadian and Chimera Music of her past solo albums, including Wedding Album (made with Lennon in 1969) and those of more recent decades, will be issued next year. https://hyperallergic.com/467704/yoko-ono-warzone-2018/
My favorite thing about seeing New York Rock was the well known petite elderly Japanese woman who sat right behind me
So it seems they are planning on releasing the last 5 albums all in one batch. Looking forward to seeing these albums back in print. I'm not expecting much in terms of previously unreleased material, but I hope the Hell in Paradise Demo from the Rare Trax compilation is included on Starpeace.
Wedding Album to be reissued on March 22. Here are the links for the LP and CD editions: https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Album-John-Lennon-Yoko/dp/6317707219/ https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Album-John-Lennon-Yoko/dp/6317706425/ Originally released in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Wedding Album was the couple's third experimental, album-length record, and one of the most remarkable of the duo's testaments to an intense romantic and artistic partnership that would last fourteen years, until Lennon's tragic passing in 1980. On March 20, 1969, John and Yoko were married in a civil service in Gibraltar. To celebrate the event, in lieu of a conventional honeymoon, the newlyweds spent a week in bed at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, inviting members of the press into their room for interviews and photo sessions, and using their fame and the publicity generated by their "Bed-in" to call attention to their campaign for world peace. With Wedding Album, John and Yoko created an enduring snapshot of a vibrant pop-cultural moment, with the hostilities of the Vietnam War as it's bracing backdrop. It captures the humor, earnestness, and spontaneity that marked the early years of the "Ballad of John and Yoko" era. Wedding Album's innovative, original packaging, created by graphic designer John Kosh, included a box filled with souvenirs of John and Yoko's nuptials: photographs, a copy of the couple's marriage certificate, both Lennon's and Ono's drawings, a picture of a slice of wedding cake, and more. Now, with a faithful recreation of Wedding Album in limited-edition, white-vinyl LP; compact disc; and digital-download formats, Secretly Canadian and Chimera Music are making one of the most unusual and emblematic recordings of the Sixties available again - fifty years after John and Yoko were married - to mark the golden wedding anniversary of two of the 20th century's most emblematic cultural figures.
By 'faithful recreation' I take it they mean a new boxed version. It's a bit disappointing (though not surprising) that the bonus tracks added to the Rykodisc reissue are not included here, even on the cd. 'Listen the snow is falling' is one of the few Yoko songs that I really like. $39 for a white box and a bunch of ambient sound? Oh hell ..... ordered.
I was hoping for outtakes - wasn't side 1 "John and Yoko" a remake, I want to hear the original heartbeats! But seriously, if it really is a faithful recreation, box and inserts, for only 39 dollars then I'm definitely in!
It's disappointing there's only one release announced -- I was hoping they would at least do "A Story" with it.
Not trying to derail the topic but I saw Yoko was at the Women's March in NYC , but was being wheeled in a wheel chair. I found it sad but of course inevitable. Maybe she just couldn't do the whole walk on foot, I don't know.
From 2014-17, I worked as a dispatcher for a limo company, and one of our clients was Yoko, whom we had a standing order to have a car outside the Dakota every day, whether she actually needed it or not (except for the times she was away from home, of course). Yoko hasn't really been able to walk for the past four years now. Sad contrast to the time she sped past me on foot on 5th Ave (around 38th Street) just seven or so years ago.
