Wedding Album
| Wedding Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono | ||||
| Released | 20 October 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 25–31 March 1969, at Room 902, Hilton Hotel, Amsterdam 22 and 27 April 1969, at Abbey Road Studios, London |
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| Genre | Avant-garde[1] | |||
| Length | 47:38 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Producer | John Lennon, Yoko Ono | |||
| John Lennon and Yoko Ono chronology | ||||
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Wedding Album is the final in a succession of three experimental albums by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Contents |
Recording [edit]
"Amsterdam", the second side, had been recorded first, in a hotel room in Amsterdam, Holland, during 25–31 March 1969.[2] The piece consists of interviews, conversations and captured sounds during the couple's "Bed-In" honeymoon.[2] An early form of what would become "John John Let's Hope for Peace" forms the beginning of "Amsterdam".[2] Lennon sings a brief excerpt of the Beatles song "Good Night".[2] "John & Yoko", the first side, a recording made on 22 and 27 April 1969, is of Lennon and Ono calling to each other, through a range of emotions, over the sound of their heartbeats.[2] Lennon described the heartbeats as "like African drums", and the piece being "like an extended, very extreme, John and Marsha that was out year's ago by Stan Freeburg. It really makes your hair stand on end".[2] Outtakes, and interviews from Lennon and Ono's Bed-In, from making the album were released as promo 7" vinyl acetates by Bell.[3]
Release and reception [edit]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [4] |
Wedding Album was initially released on Apple on 20 October 1969 in the US,[nb 1] and 7 November 1969 in the UK.[nb 2][2] The record came as an elaborate box set designed by John Kosh, including sets of photos, drawings by Lennon, a reproduction of the marriage certificate,[nb 3] a picture of a slice of wedding cake (inside a white sleeve), and a booklet of press clippings about the couple.[2] Wedding Album was no-show in the British charts, but managed to peak at number 178 in the US chart.[2] The album was available on vinyl, cassette tape and 8-track tape, each with the same deluxe packaging. The album was also advertised through magazine print advertisements, which Lennon and Ono's previous two albums had not. The album was reissued in 1997 through Rykodisc with three bonus cuts – two of them B-sides by The Plastic Ono Band composed by Ono.
When Wedding Album was released, at least one music press reviewer was led to believe that the album was more experimental than it actually was. Richard Williams, who had been given two single-sided test pressings for his Melody Maker review, each with a blank side featuring only an engineer's test signal, took it to be a double album.[5] Reviewing it as such, he noted that sides two and four consisted entirely "of single tones maintained throughout, presumably produced electronically". This led Lennon and Ono to send the following telegram to Williams:
DEAR RICHARD THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC REVIEW ON OUR WEDDING ALBUM INCLUDING C-AND-D SIDES. WE ARE CONSIDERING IT FOR OUR NEXT RELEASE. MAYBE YOU ARE RIGHT IN SAYING THAT THEY ARE THE BEST SIDES STOP WE BOTH FEEL THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A CRITIC TOPPED THE ARTIST. WE ARE NOT JOKING. LOVE AND PEACE STOP JOHN AND YOKO LENNON.[6]
Track listing [edit]
All pieces by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, except where noted.
- Side one
- "John & Yoko" – 22:44
- Side two
- "Amsterdam" – 25:00
- CD bonus tracks
- "Who Has Seen the Wind?" (Ono) – 2:05
- "Listen, the Snow is Falling" (Ono) – 3:25
- "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow) (Ono) – 2:35
Personnel [edit]
- John Lennon – guitars, keyboards, heartbeat sounds, vocals
- Yoko Ono – vocals, rare sounds, heartbeat sounds
- Klaus Voormann – electric guitar, bass guitar
- Nicky Hopkins – piano, chimes
- Hugh McCracken – piano, chimes
References [edit]
- Footnotes
- Citations
- ^ Shepherd, John, ed. (2003). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: Volume 1: Media, Industry and Society (Volume 1. ed.). London., [England]: Continuum. p. 154. ISBN 9780826463210.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "John Lennon Discography". Homepage.ntlworld.com. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Borack, John M. (2010). John Lennon: Music, Memories, and Memorabilia. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 124. ISBN 9781440216497.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Wedding Album - John Lennon, Yoko Ono : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ John Lennon: listen to this book, by John Blaney
- ^ Calkin, Graham. "The Wedding Album". Jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
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