Published on October 16th, 2013 | by Mike Conlon
0Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band – Take Me to the Land of Hell
If you’d told the seventeen-year-old version of me that one day I’d really dig a Yoko Ono album, I’d have yakked on the spot. Like any self-respecting Beatles fan, I’ve always eyed Ono with a degree of suspicion. Though there’s much more to the story, she was poking and prodding from the sidelines when the best band of all time broke up. So, I’ll admit I came in ready to dislike the new Plastic Ono Band record, ‘Take Me to the Land of Hell.’ However, after having the album on consistent rotation for the past two weeks, it’s clear my instincts were wrong — the album is great.
Ono has recruited a broad, talented cast for ‘Take me to the Land of Hell.’ Collaborators range from Mike D and Ad Rock, tUnE-yArDs, and ?uestlove, to her son Sean Lennon.
The album opens with ‘Moonbeams,’ a track with Zen-like beginnings that escalates into a post-rock frenzy. ‘Moonbeams’ sets the tone for the rest of the album, which refuses to reside in any musical box, instead embracing a broad range of styles. It’s hard to find a connecting thread to these disparate tracks, but together they reveal a talented maker. At 80 years old, you’d expect Ono’s voice to be a little worse for wear. But it’s held up amazingly well, although many would argue that she never had much of a voice to begin with.
It shouldn’t be surprising that ‘Take me to the Land of Hell’ is as good as it is. Ono co-wrote and sang many of the songs on Lennon’s classic album, ‘Some Time in New York City.’ Ono recently said, “The energy I have right now, and the desire to continue to make as much great work as I can, is really moving me forwards all the time.” Amen to that.
Here’s hoping that Ono, going strong after all these years, has finally shaken her destroyer-of-Beatles image, and can be embraced as the talented artist she is.