Live Peace in Toronto 1969

Live Peace in Toronto 1969
Live album by Plastic Ono Band
Released	12 December 1969
Recorded	13 September 1969
Genre	Rock, blues rock, rock and roll, hard rock, experimental rock
Length	39:49
Label	Apple/EMI
Producer	John & Yoko
Plastic Ono Band chronology
Wedding Album (John Lennon & Yoko Ono) (1969) Live Peace in Toronto 1969 (1969) John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon) (1970) Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band (Yoko Ono) (1970)

Live Peace in Toronto 1969 is a live album released by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple Core 2001 in the United Kingdom and Apple SW 3362 in the United States. Recorded at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival, it was the first live album by any member of The Beatles separately or together. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified a gold album by the RIAA. The original LP came with a thirteen-month 1970 calendar; cassette tape versions of the album included a mail-in coupon for the calendar.

Background

Toronto rock promoters John Brower and Kenny Walker organised a festival held at Varsity Stadium on 13 September 1969, around the notion of a revival of rock and roll stars from the 1950s, booking Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, and Gene Vincent. They also booked more modern acts such as Alice Cooper, Chicago, and The Doors, and contacted Lennon to see if he would be willing to be the Master of Ceremonies. Lennon responded that if he came over at all, it would be to play.

Since the Beatles had to all intents already broken up at this point, Lennon hastily assembled a band under the Plastic Ono Band moniker, consisting of Eric Clapton on leave from the soon-to-be-disbanded Blind Faith, Klaus Voormann, and future Yes drummer Alan White, to accompany himself and Ono. Their only rehearsal was during the transatlantic flight from London to Toronto.

Recording

The album is technically a soundtrack recording, being part of the audio portion of the documentary film being made of the festival by D.A. Pennebaker, later released as Sweet Toronto. Lennon and Ono made a deal with Pennebaker to license their portion of the show for record, in exchange for rights to include their appearance. According to the Beatles Monthly, due to the adverse reaction to Ono's performance, Pennebaker removed the segments with Lennon and Ono after limited screenings of the film, later re-edited as Keep On Rockin′. Showtime ultimately presented the performance in 1989, and the full movie appeared later on home video and DVD.

The album features the complete Plastic Ono Band set. To synchronise with the festival, Lennon chose three rock and roll oldies, two of which had been recorded and released by the Beatles. He also selected "Yer Blues" from The Beatles because Clapton had performed it with Lennon for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus and his two recent solo singles, "Give Peace a Chance" and "Cold Turkey." Ono selected a song which had been the b-side of "Cold Turkey," "Don't Worry Kyoko," and another extended number consisting of her screaming the title repeatedly to the feedback of the guitars. With their stage remarks, Lennon and Ono linked the appearance here to their ongoing campaign for peace.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	C
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

The album was released to quash any bootleg versions that Lennon was sure would leak onto the market. EMI were reluctant at first to issue the album, after the commercial failures of their three experimental albums Two Virgins, Life with the Lions, and the Wedding Album.^{[citation needed]} The album's American success came as a pleasant surprise, changing EMI's perceptions about Lennon and Ono's collaborations.^{[citation needed]}

Criticism was directed at Side two of the LP, the side consisting entirely of two Yoko Ono songs. Richard Ginell of Allmusic remarks:

Side two, alas, was devoted entirely to Ono's wailing, pitchless, brainless, banshee vocalizing on "Don't Worry Kyoko" and "John John (Let's Hope for Peace)" -- the former backed with plodding rock rhythms and the latter with feedback. No wonder you see many used copies of the LP with worn A-sides and clean, unplayed B-sides -- and Yoko's "art" is just as irritating today as it was in 1969. But in those days, if you wanted John you had to take the whole package.

Ono supervised a remixing of Live Peace in Toronto 1969 for its 1995 compact disc reissue. While the earlier fadeout between sides was eliminated for compact disc, the original closing remarks by festival MC Kim Fowley were cut. The CD booklet included a 1995 calendar, in mimic of the original release. Currently the album is available from the audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab as catalogue UDCD 763, and from the iTunes Music Store. The booklet for the 2006 Mobile Fidelity release also included a current calendar.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Blue Suede Shoes"	Carl Perkins	3:50
2.	"Money (That's What I Want)"	Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy	3:25
3.	"Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"	Larry Williams	3:24
4.	"Yer Blues"	John Lennon, Paul McCartney	4:12
5.	"Cold Turkey"	Lennon	3:34
6.	"Give Peace a Chance"	Lennon, McCartney	3:41

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)"	Yoko Ono	4:48
2.	"John John (Let's Hope for Peace)"	Ono	12:38

Personnel

• John Lennon — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Yoko Ono — vocals
• Eric Clapton — lead guitar, backing vocals
• Klaus Voormann — bass
• Alan White — drums
• Kim Fowley — spoken introduction

External links

• Live Peace In Toronto (an oral history)