My Amazon Reviews: John Lennon "Imagine"

100 Proof, Undiluted, Lennon  
5 Out of 5 Stars  

"Imagine" is the pinnacle of John Lennon's solo albums. Coming after the experiment "Two Virgins" and the primal scream motivated "Plastic Ono Band," it was his turn to classic, accessible melodies and multi-faceted look at his complex personality. The title track alone is one of the best songs ever written, an anthem to Utopian vision that still rings true some five decades later.

In the course of "Imagine's" eleven songs, you hear Lennon the hippie romanticist on the title track, the hard edged political commentator ("Gimme Some Truth," "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier"), the artist battling self doubt ("How?," "Jealous Guy") and the lovesick puppy ("Oh! Yoko!"). Of course, there's also the infamous divorce from Paul McCartney, "How Do You Sleep," where he snarls "the best thing you done was "Yesterday"...the sound you make is muzak to my ears." George Harrison adds a wicked slide guitar, which left little doubt to whose side he was on at the time (he also added a great solo to "Gimme Some Truth").

Probably more than any of his other solo albums, "Imagine" was Lennon's statement of purpose. It was his very public dismissal of The Beatles, an openly obvious attempt to prove that he could make 'hits' on his own, and proof to himself that he was still on solid musical footing in the seventies. "Imagine" was a kiss goodbye to the sixties as well as John Lennon's look to a hopeful future.