Revisiting John and Yoko’s New York years
John Lennon’s politically charged New York years are being reimagined in a new release, Power To The People, curated by Yoko and Sean Ono Lennon.
Following last year’s Mind Games reissue, the collection dives into Lennon and Ono’s 1971–72 era—a time when the pair threw themselves into grassroots activism alongside Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, and released the fiercely debated Some Time in New York City.
The new box set offers a remixed and “reimagined” version of that album, alongside unreleased demos, out-takes, home recordings, and raw studio jams. Among the highlights are the legendary One To One concerts at Madison Square Garden, which Lennon once called “the best music I enjoyed playing since The Cavern or even Hamburg.”
In her preface, Yoko frames the shows as “our effort in Grassroots Politics. It embodied what John and I strongly believed in – Rock for Peace and Enlightenment.”
Sean Ono Lennon, who oversaw the release, admits the process was deeply personal:
“People may not realise how special it is for me to hear my dad talking or to see him. I grew up with a set number of images and audio clips that everyone’s familiar with. So to come across things that I’ve never seen or heard is really deep for me, because it’s almost like getting more time with my dad.”
Sean also revealed the painstaking work of remixing and restoring the One To One concerts: “We spent a lot of time finding the best possible balance to keep the feeling of a live show while refining the overall sound. There was some meticulous and miraculous work with audio restoration… I think in the end, the shows sound better than ever.”
Power To The People will arrive in multiple editions—from a single CD hybrid of both One To One shows through to a sprawling Super Deluxe box loaded with nine CDs, three Blu-Rays, a 204-page book, poster, postcards, stickers and more.
The release lands October 10, the day after what would have been Lennon’s 85th birthday.
