Rocks In The Attic #121: John Lennon - ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’ (1970)

Although this album is starkly minimalist and deals with pain, anger and isolation, I find it to be a really chilled-out album. Of the four debut solo albums by the recently split Beatles in 1970, this is probably my favourite, closely followed by Ringo’s Sentimental Journey. McCartney’s debut is too childlike and home-made; and Harrison’s All Things Must Pass is too self-indulgent, warranting a lengthy amount of time to sit down and listen to it in full.

I can definitely imagine relaxing to this, with a joint, on its release - but like most people I would probably have been a little let down with its unBeatleness. All of the four albums are as removed from The Beatles as possible, with each member trying to escape from that shadow, but Lennon’s album sounds to me to be the furthest away.

Although McCartney’s album sounds like a hastily assembled bunch of demo recordings, Lennon’s album sounds more mature - and even though there is a very minimal arrangement and production, it doesn’t come off as sounding infantile like his former writing partner’s debut offering.

Hit: Working Class Hero

Hidden Gem: Look At Me

Rocks In The Attic #110: Wilson Pickett - ‘Wilson Pickett In Philadephia’ (1970)

I found this in the sale racks at Real Groovy in Auckland. I figured it must be a relatively decent release as the record was brand new - indicating that it was a reissue - so I quickly surmised that the general bad taste of New Zealand record buyers had left it languishing in the ‘New Items’ racks for so long that the staff decided to put it in the sale racks. I held onto it until I got it out of the shop - and what a find!

This album represents Pickett’s first recording outside of the Deep South, and away from the familiarity of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. It has a slightly grittier and funkier sound than his earlier work, but it’s nicely held together by the studio band and producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Hit: Help The Needy

Hidden Gem: Get Me Back On Time, Engine Number 9 (Part 1)

Rocks In The Attic #38: Ringo Starr - ‘Sentimental Journey’ (1970)

I bought this recently, really as research for a piece of writing I’m working on, thinking it would be terrible, but it’s actually pretty good. This is Ringo’s first solo album - the first Beatles solo album in fact, not including live or avant-guarde releases - and is comprised of old standards arranged by the likes of Paul McCartney, George Martin, Maurice Gibb and Elmer Bernstein. Mostly it’s big band arrangements, with Ringo doing his best to croon over the top of them.

This might give me a bit of confidence to listen to his second album - Beaucoups Of Blues - again, although I’m not sure my initial opinion of that will change much. Maybe it will.

You have to wonder what teenybopper Beatles fans would have made of this, and its country follow-up. ‘Disappointed’ is a word that I’m sure would have been bandied about. Three weeks after this came McCartney and that’s so home-made it almost sounds like a demo recording. It wouldn’t be until much later in the year, when Harrison released All Things Must Pass that one of them released something that sounded vaguely Beatle-ly.

Hit: Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Hidden Gem: Dream