YOKO ONO "Fly" 2LP NM/NM 1971 Gatefold, Apple Records ?– SVBB 3380

$

25

AllMusic Review by Ned Raggett  [-]

By the time Fly emerged, the battle lines had long been drawn, and those who preferred to place Ono's domestic situation rather than her music in the foreground were never going to give it a fair shake. Very much their loss -- not only is it that rarest of all beasts, a '70s double album that rewards repeated listening, but Fly also shows the work of a creative artist working with a sympathetic set of backing players to create inspired, varied songs. At points, the appeal lies simply in Ono's implicit "to heck with you" approach to singing -- compositions like "Midsummer New York" are easygoing rock chug that won't surprise many, but it's her take on high-pitched soul and quivering delivery that transforms them into something else. The screwy blues yowl of "Don't Worry Kyoko" is something else again, suggesting something off Led Zeppelin III gone utterly berserk. Meanwhile, check the fragile, pretty acoustic guitar of "Mind Holes," her singing swooping in the background like a lost ghost, while the reflective "Mrs. Lennon," as wry but heartfelt a portrait of her position in the public eye as any, ended up being used by Alex Chilton for "Holocaust," which gives a good sense of the sad tug of the melody. Perhaps the best measure of Fly is how Ono ended up inventing Krautrock, or perhaps more seriously bringing the sense of motorik's pulse and slow-building tension to an English-language audience. There weren't many artists of her profile in America getting trancey, heavy-duty songs like "Mindtrain" and the murky ambient howls of "Airmale" out to an English-language audience. Such songs readily match the work of Can, another band with a Japanese vocalist taking things to a higher level. As for "Fly" itself, the mostly unaccompanied wails and trills from Ono will confirm stereotypes in many folks' minds, but it's a strange, often beautiful performance that follows its own logic.

Yoko Ono ?– Fly

Label:

Apple Records ?– SVBB 3380

Format:

2 × Vinyl, LP, Album

Country:

US

Released:

20 Sep 1971

Genre:

Rock

Style:

Avantgarde, Experimental

TracklistHide Credits

A1 Midsummer New York

Bass – Klaus Voormann

Dobro – Chris Osborne

Drums, Percussion – Jim Keltner

Guitar, Piano – John Lennon

Voice – Yoko Ono

3:50

A2 Mindtrain

Bass – Klaus Voormann

Dobro – Chris Osborne

Drums – Jim Keltner

Guitar – John Lennon

Voice [Voices] – Yoko Ono

16:52

B1 Mind Holes

Guitar [Guitars] – John Lennon

Voice [Voices] – Yoko Ono

2:45

B2 Don't Worry Kyoko

Bass – Klaus Voormann

Drums – Ringo Starr

Guitar – Eric Clapton, John Lennon

Voice – Yoko Ono

4:55

B3 Mrs. Lennon

Bass, Guitar, Bells – Klaus Voormann

Piano, Organ – John Lennon

Voice – Yoko Ono

4:10

B4 Hirake

Bass – Klaus Voormann

Drums – Jim Gordon

Guitar [Guitars] – John Lennon

Voice – Yoko Ono

3:32

B5 Toilet Piece / Unknown 0:30

B6 O'Wind (Body Is The Scar Of Your Mind)

Claves – Bobby Keyes*

Cymbal – Klaus Voormann

Drums, Tabla – Jim Keltner

Guitar – John Lennon

Tabla – Jim Gordon

Voice – Yoko Ono

5:22

C1 Air Male (Tone Deaf Jam)

Instruments [Automatic Instruments] – Joe Jones Tone Deaf Music Co.*, John Lennon

Voice, Claves – Yoko Ono

10:40

C2 Don't Count The Waves

Drum [Tuned] – Jim Keltner

Instruments [Automatic Instruments] – Joe Jones Tone Deaf Music Co.*, John Lennon

Percussion – Klaus Voormann

Voice, Claves – Yoko Ono

5:26

C3 You

Instruments [Automatic Instruments] – Joe Jones Tone Deaf Music Co.*

Voice [Voices] – Yoko Ono

9:00

D1 Fly

Guitar – John Lennon

Voice – Yoko Ono

22:53

D2 Telephone Piece

Voice – Yoko Ono

1:01

Companies, etc.

Published By – Ono Music, Inc.

Manufactured By – Apple Records, Inc.

Mastered At – Bell Sound Studios

Recorded At – Ascot Sound Studios

Recorded At – Record Plant, N.Y.C.

Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Jacksonville

Credits

Design [Front And Back Cover] – John Lennon

Design [Inside Cover] – George Maciunas

Design [Inside Sleeve] – Yoko Ono

Design Concept [Poster Concept] – Allan Steckler

Engineer [Assistant] – Dennis Ferrante, Jack Douglas, Jay Messina

Engineer [Uk] – Eddie Klein, Eddie Veale*, Eddie Offord*, Phil McDonald

Engineer [Usa] – Bob Fries*, Roy Cicala

Illustration [Inside Sleeve Drawings] – Yoko Ono

Lyrics By, Music By – Yoko Ono

Mastered By – Sam Feldman

Photography By [Front And Back Cover] – John Lennon

Photography By [Gypsies] – Kyoko*

Photography By [Inside Cover] – Iain McMillan*

Photography By [Jim Keltner, Fred Astaire, The Statue Of Liberty] – May Pang

Photography By [Poster] – Raeanne Rubenstein

Producer – John & Yoko*

Supervised By [Production Assistant] – Dan Richter, George Maciunas, May Pang, Peter Bendrey, Tom Basalari

Notes

Packaged in a gatefold sleeve with printed b&w inner sleeves with lyrics and credits plus 23" square, b&w poster and double-sided, b&w postcard with die cut hole to order Yoko Ono's book "Grapefruit" as well as being Ono's piece "A Hole To See The Sky Through".

Recorded at Ascot Sound Studios and Record Plant, N.Y.C.

Published by Ono Music Inc. BMI.

All lyrics © Ono Music Inc.

C1 also on John Lennon's film Erection.

D1 also on Yoko Ono's film Fly.

Credited to "Yoko Ono & Plastic Ono Band (With Joe Jones Tone Deaf Music Co.)" on inner sleeve, "Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band" on labels and just "Yoko Ono" everywhere else.

B2 listed as "Don't Worry Kyoko (Mommy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)" on lyrics sheet.

GOLDMINE GRADING

MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.

NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.