The John Lennon album he thought was better than The Beatles: “It’s something else”
Following the demise of The Beatles, each member experienced a set of complex emotions that they found themselves attempting to navigate. The Fab Four was all they’d known for the entirety of their adult lives, but now they were forced to adapt to a new environment of their own making, which some found easier than others. For one, John Lennon felt liberated by his new existence.
For many years, The Beatles were a creative vessel that allowed John Lennon to express the full width of his artistry; he began to feel trapped by the end of their tenure. Although he and Paul McCartney were once co-captains of the ship, McCartney’s grip on the wheel got tighter as time passed, leaving Lennon feeling like a spare part. Therefore, upon the group’s separation, Lennon could spread his wings and do as he pleased without compromising his art with three other bandmates.
As a result of his newfound freedom, Lennon felt he was making the best work of his career and finally had the platform to do however he pleased in a studio. He also had animosity in his heart during this time, which perhaps led to his decision to trample on The Beatles’ back catalogue on plentiful occasions, labelling beloved songs “garbage”, “granny shit”, and whatever other insult popped into his mind on a given day.
Admittedly, Peter Jackson’s documentary, Get Back, dispels many myths surrounding the end of The Beatles and concludes that the band came to their natural end rather than resting solely on the shoulders. However, there’s no denying that Lennon couldn’t flex his creativity fully within the vehicle of the Fab Four towards the close of their tenure.
At the same time as The Beatles were ending, Lennon had a new muse. Although Yoko Ono wasn’t responsible for the split of The Beatles, she and John had a creative partnership that allowed Lennon to flourish in a new direction compared to his previous musical outlet. It was a source of incredible joy for Lennon, who felt at home in his new environment and believed it allowed him to hit a new ceiling.
While on the promotional trail of their debut album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, the duo spoke to Jann Wenner from Rolling Stone in 1970 and was full of enthusiasm for their new project. Yoko proclaimed: “People say something like ‘Oh, that’s the peak,’ and I’m just so amazed. John’s done all that Beatle stuff and everything. But this new album of John’s [John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band] is a real peak that’s higher than any other thing he has done.”
Lennon reportedly agreed with her statement and believed that John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band eclipsed anything he made with The Beatles. “I think it’s Sergeant Lennon,” he declared. “I don’t really know how it will sink in, where it will lie, in the spectrum of rock ‘n’ roll and the generation and all the rest of it, but I know what it is. It’s something else, it’s another door.”
While John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is a much-revered record which features classic tracks such as ‘Working Class Hero’, ‘Isolation’, and ‘Mother ‘, it doesn’t have the same cultural cache as Sgt Pepper’s or The White Album. On the other hand, it’s incredibly personal to Lennon and the direct result of primal scream therapy, which helped him deal with his inner demons.
Whether the view is genuinely held or said for merely marketing purposes, every artist should confidently believe their latest release is the best of their career so far. Every creative should strive to improve and grow with every work they produce rather than accepting their best days are behind them. If Lennon believed that John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band wasn’t as artistically merited as his previous output, it simply wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Music is entirely up for interpretation, and for a moment in time, there’s no doubt that Lennon genuinely regarded it as a finer body of work than anything by The Beatles.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.