Some Time in New York City is the fourth collaborative studio album, and second live album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as Plastic Ono Band. A double album, it includes backing by the American rock band Elephant's Memory. Released in June 1972 in the US and in September 1972 in the UK on Apple Records, it is Lennon's sixth album to be released under his own name, and his fourth collaboration with Ono. Like Lennon's previous solo albums, it was co-produced by Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector. The album's agitprop lyrics are politically charged compared to its predecessors, addressing political and social issues and topics such as sexism, incarceration, colonialism, and racism.

Recording for the album's studio portion took place between December 1971 and March 1972 while the live portion, released as Live Jam, was recorded on 15 December 1969 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London for a UNICEF charity concert and on 6 June 1971 at Fillmore East in New York City. Musicians who contributed to the 1969 performance include Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Nicky Hopkins, Keith Moon and Klaus Voormann, while the 1971 performance features Frank Zappa and his band the Mothers of Invention.

Preceded by the single "Woman Is the Nigger of the World", which caused controversy due to its title, Some Time in New York City received scathing reviews on release and performed poorly commercially. Reviewers were especially critical of its politically charged content. Zappa was critical of Lennon and Ono's handling of the recordings of the Mothers performance, eventually releasing his own version of the performance on Playground Psychotics (1992). Some Time in New York City was reissued on compact disc in 2005 as a single album, removing several of the Live Jam songs while adding other non-album singles, and again on CD in 2010 in its original double album format.

Background

John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to New York City in September 1971 and continued their involvement in political, peace and social justice causes of the counterculture era. When they settled in Greenwich Village, in October, On 9 December, Lennon and Ono flew to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the John Sinclair rally, which was due to start the next day. for a UNICEF charity show billed as the "Peace for Christmas Concert". In addition to Lennon and Ono, the supergroup featured George Harrison, Billy Preston and Legs Larry Smith, among others. The ballroom had its interior covered by posters declaring "WAR IS OVER, if you want it, love John and Yoko." For "Cold Turkey", Ono sat inside a white bag located near Lennon's feet, later jumping out of the bag during "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)", facing the crowd and screaming at them. The album also featured a recording of Lennon and Ono performing with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore East on 6 June 1971, a collaboration instigated by Andy Warhol.

Critical reception

On release, Some Time in New York City provided a startling contrast for listeners expecting a repeat of the well-received Imagine in 1971. According to author Robert Rodriguez, the new album received "abysmal reviews". In a scathing critique published in Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden wrote that "the Lennons should be commended for their daring", but not before calling the album "incipient artistic suicide". Holden added: "except for 'John Sinclair' the songs are awful. The tunes are shallow and derivative and the words little more than sloppy nursery-rhymes that patronise the issues and individuals they seek to exalt. Only a monomaniacal smugness could allow the Lennons to think that this witless doggerel wouldn't insult the intelligence and feelings of any audience."

Dave Marsh wrote a mixed review for Creem, stating that "it's not half bad. It may be 49.9% bad, but not half." The Milwaukee Sentinel declared that John and Yoko had produced "another crude, superficial look at trendy leftist politics and have plunged even further into their endless echo chamber". In the NME, Tony Tyler presented his album review in the form of an open letter, titled "Lennon, you're a pathetic, ageing revolutionary". After criticising Lennon for "the general tastelessness of the presentation", particularly the album's lyrics and cover art, Tyler concluded: "Don't rely on cant and rigidity. Don't alienate. Stimulate. You know, like you used to."

More recently, Garry Mulholland of Uncut magazine has described Some Time in New York City as "a contender for the worst LP by a major musical figure, its list of '70s left-wing clichés hamstrung by the utter absence of conviction within the melodies and lyrics". He and Lennon had also agreed that each would release their own version of the performance, but Zappa was legally prevented from issuing his version, which did not appear until the release of Playground Psychotics in 1992. Some Time in New York City was remixed, remastered and reissued in November 2005 as a single CD, removing, in the process, several of the Live Jam cuts, while adding "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "Listen, the Snow Is Falling". On this remastered release, "John Sinclair" and "Attica State" were not remixed. In 2010, the album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD in its original double album format.

Another remix (part of the "ultimate mix" campaign following the Imagine, Plastic Ono Band, and Gimme Some Truth albums) was slated for 2022, but was delayed for unknown reasons.

After releasing the ultimate mix of Lennon's following album Mind Games in July 2024, the ultimate mix of Some Time in New York City was revisited, where the One to One shows were the main focus. Retitled, Power to the People, the set included both One to One shows, as well as a reimagined version of Some Time in New York City, simply titled New York City (The Ultimate Mixes), where "Woman is the Nigger of the World" was dropped from the track listing. "New York City" was moved up as the opening track, while "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "John Sinclair" have also been extended. This collection was released on October 10, 2025.

Track listing

Notes:

  • Side one of Live Jam recorded live on 15 December 1969 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, England, for a UNICEF charity concert with George Harrison
  • Side two of Live Jam recorded live on 6 June 1971 at the Fillmore East in New York City with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention
  • "Jamrag" was originally written by Frank Zappa, titled "King Kong". Lennon and Ono claimed copyright, giving "King Kong" a new title (British slang for sanitary towel)

15 December 1969

  • John Lennon – guitar, vocals
  • Yoko Ono – bag, vocals

For everyone except himself and Ono, Lennon made up pseudonyms:

  • Eric Clapton ('Derek Claptoe') – guitar
  • Delaney & Bonnie ('Bilanie & Donnie') – guitar, percussion (and friends, brass, percussion)
  • Jim Gordon ('Jim Bordom') – drums
  • George Harrison ('George Harrisong') – guitar
  • Nicky Hopkins ('Sticky Topkins') – electric piano (overdubbed in N.Y. as organ was lost)
  • Bobby Keys ('Robbie Knees') – saxophone
  • Jim Price – trumpet
  • Keith Moon ('Kief Spoon') – drums
  • Billy Preston ('Billy Presstud') – organ
  • Klaus Voormann ('Raus Doorman') – bass
  • Alan White ('Dallas White') – drums

The audience in attendance is credited on the label as "a cast of 1000's" and on the dust jacket as a "star-studded cast of thousands!!"

Uncredited

  • Jim Price – trumpet

6 June 1971

  • John Lennon – guitar, vocals
  • Yoko Ono – bag, vocals
  • Aynsley Dunbar – drums
  • Bob Harris – keyboards, vocals
  • Howard Kaylan – vocals
  • Jim Pons – bass guitar, vocals
  • Don Preston – Mini-Moog
  • Ian Underwood – keyboard, vocals, woodwinds
  • Mark Volman – vocals
  • Klaus Voormann – bass guitar, vocals
  • Frank Zappa – guitar, vocals

Charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+Chart performance for Some Time in New York City

!Chart (1972)

!Peak<br />position

|-

!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report Chart)

|align=center|10

|-

! scope="row"| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)

|align=center|6

|-

!scope="row"|Japanese Oricon LPs Chart

|align=center|15

|-

!scope="row"|Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart

|align=center|2

|-

!scope="row"|UK Albums Chart

|align=center|11

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|align=center|48

|-

!scope="row"|US Record World Album Chart

|align=center|30

|-

!scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100 Albums

|align=center|26

|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+2023 chart performance for Some Time in New York City

!Chart (2023)

!Peak<br />position

|-

|}

References

; Footnotes

; Citations