Video: 'John Lennon - Sometime In New York (Full Album)' (16 videos)

(Saturday, July 1, 1972) — Some Time in New York City, a part-studio, part-live double album by ex-Beatle John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, as Plastic Ono Band that included backing by the American rock band Elephant’s Memory, debuted at #190 on today’s Billboard Top LP’s chart.

It was the third non-experimental studio album to bear Lennon’s name and was co-produced by Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector since he left The Beatles. The album’s agitprop lyrics are very politically charged compared to its predecessors, discussing political and social issues and topics such as sexism, incarceration, colonialism, and racism.

Recording for the album’s studio portion took place in February and March 1972 while the live portion, released as Live Jam, was recorded on Dec. 15, 1969, at the Lyceum Ballroom in London for a UNICEF charity concert and on June 6, 1971, at Fillmore East in New York City. Musicians who contributed to the 1969 performance included Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Nicky Hopkins, Keith Moon, and Klaus Voormann, while the 1971 performance featured 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).