The 1970 breakup of the Beatles was a traumatic time for John, George, Paul and Ringo. Each dealt with it in their own way. Paul lived the life of a recluse on the Mull of Kintyre, whereas John resorted to psychoanalysis to get rid of his demons. His first, brilliantly stark album, is the direct result. 

John consulted the American psychoanalyst Arthur Janov and subjected himself to the extreme ‘Primal Scream’ therapy. Janov was a follower of Freud and Jung, believing that adult problems can be found in a child’s formative years. His therapy stripped away all the protective psychological barriers to determine where the childhood problems lay.

Once any hurt was exposed, the patient was encouraged to release the pain and frustration with a huge ‘Primal Scream’. John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band was straight from the psychiatrists couch, and Lennon released his pain, screaming through intensely personal tracks such as ‘Mother’, ‘I found Out’, ‘Working Class Hero’ and of course ’God’ where Lennon upset millions of Beatle fans……

“I don’t believe in Beatles…..I just believe in me, and Yoko, and that’s reality………..The dream is over, What can I say? The dream is over, Yesterday. I was the dreamweaver, But now I’m reborn. I was the Walrus, But now I’m John. And so dear friends, you just have to carry on………………….The dream is over…………..” God by John Lennon

It still upsets me when I hear those words, but the whole album is a musical masterpiece, a complete contrast to the much happier ‘Imagine’ and ‘Mind Games’ albums. If you have any interest in the Beatles and John Lennon, you need to hear this album – It’s a unique experience.

John McNally 
PS. If you want to know just how poignant this album is, listen to the short fade out track “My Mummy’s Dead”: