John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s most political musical era, when the pair moved to New York City in 1971, is the focus of a massive upcoming box set featuring over 90 unreleased recordings.
Power to the People (Super Deluxe Edition) — releasing via Capitol/UMe on October 10, one day after Lennon would have been 85 — collects recordings from 1969 to 1972, from their 1969 bed-in anthem “Give Peace a Chance” to their One to One concerts at Madison Square Garden, Lennon’s only full shows after leaving the Beatles, and the last concerts Lennon ever performed.
The “Super Deluxe” box set features 12 discs — nine audio and three Blu-ray — and was compiled and produced by their son Sean Ono Lennon. “I was completely floored putting this collection together and getting to remix the concerts and hearing all the unreleased material from my parents’ archive for the first time,” Sean Ono Lennon said in a statement.
“People may not realize how special it is for me to hear my dad talking or to see him. I grew up with a set number of images and audio clips that everyone’s familiar with. So to come across things that I’ve never seen or heard is really deep for me, because it’s almost like getting more time with my dad. When I was eleven, my mum put out the Live in New York City album and film. So I grew up listening to it. It was a concert that had a legendary status in my mind, because it was my dad’s last concert.”
Ahead of Power to the People’s release, Capitol/UMe have shared an unreleased live version of the Beatles’ “Come Together,” recorded during the evening One to One show:
The box set features both the afternoon and evening One to One shows, plus live recordings of Lennon, Ono, and the Plastic Ono Band from the era, including June 1971 jam with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore East. Lennon’s own unreleased home recordings from late 1971 are also included, as well as never-before-heard tracks from Lennon and Phil Ochs’ joint set in December 1971.
The super deluxe edition is accompanied by a 204-page book, newsprint poster, postcards, stickers and other replica ephemera from the era. Power to the People, which follows the recent deep dive into Lennon’s Mind Games, will also be available in scaled-down 4LP, 2LP and CD editions boasting highlights from the collection. All versions are available to preorder now.
Power to the People Super Deluxe Edition Track List
CD1 / BR1
HYBRID ‘BEST OF’ SHOW
1. Power To The People (intro)* †
2. New York City*
3. It’s So Hard*
4. Move On Fast* †
5. Well Well Well †
6. Born In A Prison* †
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)*
8. Mother*
9. We’re All Water †
10. Come Together †
11. Imagine*
12. Open Your Box* †
13. Cold Turkey* †
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko* †
15. Hound Dog
16. Law And Order
17. Give Peace A Chance
* denotes afternoon show, otherwise the performance is from the evening show
CD2 / BR1
AFTERNOON SHOW
1. Power To The People (intro) †
2. New York City
3. It’s So Hard
4. Move On Fast †
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison †
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother
9. We’re All Water †
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box †
13. Cold Turkey †
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko †
15. Hound Dog †
CD3 / BR1
EVENING SHOW
1. Power To The People (intro) †
2. New York City †
3. It’s So Hard †
4. Move On Fast †
5. Well Well Well †
6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) †
7. Mother †
8. We’re All Water †
9. Born In A Prison †
10. Come Together †
11. Imagine †
12. Open Your Box †
13. Cold Turkey
14. Hound Dog
15. Law And Order
16. Give Peace A Chance
CD4 / BR2
NEW YORK CITY (THE ULTIMATE MIXES)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory plus Invisible Strings
1. New York City (Ultimate Mix)
2. Sisters, O Sisters (Ultimate Mix)
3. Attica State (Ultimate Mix)
4. Born In A Prison (Ultimate Mix)
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Ultimate Mix, extended)
6. The Luck Of The Irish (Ultimate Mix)
7. John Sinclair (Ultimate Mix, extended)
8. Angela (Ultimate Mix)
9. We’re All Water (Ultimate Mix)
CD5 / BR2
NEW YORK CITY (THE EVOLUTION DOCUMENTARY)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory plus Invisible Strings
1. New York City (Evolution Documentary) †
2. Sisters, O Sisters (Evolution Documentary) †
3. Attica State (Evolution Documentary) †
4. Born In A Prison (Evolution Documentary) †
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday (Evolution Documentary) †
6. The Luck Of The Irish (Evolution Documentary) †
7. John Sinclair (Evolution Documentary) †
8. Angela (Evolution Documentary) †
9. We’re All Water (Evolution Documentary) †
CD6 / BR2
NEW YORK CITY (STUDIO JAM)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory
1. Jazz Freakout †
2. You Can’t Sit Down †
3. Roll Over Beethoven †
4. Honey, Don’t †
5. Ain’t That A Shame †
6. My Babe †
7. Send Me Some Lovin’ †
8. Fools Like Me †
9. Down In The Caribbean †
10. Happy Birthday Yoko Ono †
11. That’s Right †
12. Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog †
13. Yoko’s Rhythm †
14. Whole Lotta Shakin’ / It’ll Be Me †
15. Yakety Yak †
16. Road Runner †
NEW YORK CITY (THE ELEMENTS MIXES)
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Invisible Strings
17. Sisters, O Sisters (Elements Mix) †
18. Born In A Prison (Elements Mix) †
19. The Luck Of The Irish (Elements Mix) †
20. Angela (Elements Mix) †
CD7 / BR3
LIVE JAM 1
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band and A Star Studded Cast of Thousands
Peace and Love for Christmas, in aid of UNICEF
Live at the Lyceum Ballroom, The Strand, London
15 December 1969
1. Cold Turkey (live)
2. Don’t Worry Kyoko (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with Frank Zappa and The Mothers
Fillmore East, New York
6 June 1971
3. Well (Baby Please Don’t Go) (live)
4. Jamrag [Say Please / King Kong / Aawk] (live)
5. Scumbag (live)
6. Aü (live)
CD8 / BR3
LIVE JAM 2
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with David Peel and The Lower East Side
Live at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 December 1971
1. Attica State (live) †
2. The Luck Of The Irish (live)
3. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
4. John Sinclair (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band
Live at the Benefit for the families of the victims of the riot at Attica State Correctional Facility
Apollo Theater, Harlem, NYC
17 December 1971
5. Attica State (live)
6. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
7. Imagine (live)
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band
Live on the David Frost TV Show, The Little Theatre, 240 West 44th Street, NYC
16 December 1971
8. Attica State (live) †
9. Sisters, O Sisters (live) †
10. John Sinclair (live) †
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory Band
Live at the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Americana Hotel, NYC
4 September 1972
11. Imagine (live) †
12. Now Or Never (live) †
13. Give Peace A Chance (live) †
CD9 / BR3
HOME JAM
John Lennon
Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York
10 September 1971
1. Shazam †
2. Honey, Don’t †
3. Glad All Over †
4. Lend Me Your Comb †
5. Wake Up Little Susie †
6. New York City †
7. Wake Up Little Susie †
8. ‘Hey, que pasa?’ †
9. You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care) †
10. Vacation Time †
11. Heartbeat †
12. Peggy Sue Got Married †
13. Peggy Sue †
14. ‘Phone call from Henry Gotsello’ †
15. Peggy Sue †
16. ‘Now we’d like to change the mood a little…’ †
17. Maybe Baby †
18. Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues †
19. Rave On! †
20. Twelve Bar Blues †
John Lennon
Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York
27 October 1971
21. I Got You †
22. Hi-Heel Sneakers †
23. Slippin’ And Slidin’ †
24. Gone From This Place †
John Lennon
Home Recordings at Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 December 1971
25. Send Me Some Lovin’ †
26. He Got The Blues †
27. When The Teacher †
28. Pill †
29. It’s Real
John Lennon and Phil Ochs
Home Recordings at Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan
10 December 1971
30. I Ain’t Marching Anymore †
31. Joe Hill †
32. Chords Of Fame †
33. Ringing Of Revolution
† previously unreleased
