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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Power To The People (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 2. Gimme Some Truth (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 3. Woman (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 4. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 5. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 6. Cold Turkey (Single Version) (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 7. Jealous Guy (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 8. #9 Dream (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 9. (Just Like) Starting Over (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 10. Mind Games (2010 - Remaster) | |||
See all 15 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Power To The People (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 2. Gimme Some Truth (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 3. Woman (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 4. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 5. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 6. Cold Turkey (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 7. Jealous Guy (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 8. #9 Dream (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 9. (Just Like) Starting Over (2010 - Remaster) | |||
| 10. Mind Games (2010 - Remaster) | |||
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See all 16 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Review
Only the most passionate, or blinkered, Lennon fan could argue that the former Beatle never released a duff solo record. Two of his long-players, 1970’s Plastic Ono Band and the following year’s Imagine, are genuinely magnificent, as shimmering today as they were while blessed by the shine of the time, by the artist’s seemingly innate pop genius. But Lennon wouldn’t produce another collection of comparable quality until 1980’s muddled, but sporadically magical, Double Fantasy – a set forever associated with his murder, just three weeks after its release.
Newcomers to Lennon (if such a person exists), then, should investigate one of his singles compilations – and Power to the People is the latest in a long line of similar packages, following the likes of 2005’s Working Class Hero, 1997’s Lennon Legend and 1982’s John Lennon Collection. What this offers that its predecessors did not is an accompanying DVD featuring videos for all of the 15 featured tracks. Of course, one could just watch these clips on the internet. But if you are without access to the ‘net (although if that’s the case, just how are you reading this?) then no doubt this bonus content will be appealing.
As for the songs, well – surely anything (fresh) yet to be written about Lennon’s most famous hits isn’t fit to print. Imagine will never not feel relevant to the modern world – it offers such a simple message, but one that still cuts deep and should resonate throughout any audience. Would the lyrics seem as affecting without the piano accompaniment? Could the song work as a rocker? Possibly not, but it doesn’t matter – as it is, Imagine is perfect. Cuts from the same album, Jealous Guy and Gimme Some Truth, are equally brilliant (what, no How Do You Sleep?) – the former excellently understated, the latter wonderfully rollicking. Lennon’s sole solo number one in the US during his lifetime, Whatever Gets You Thru the Night, is a barrelling funk number which benefits from the input of a certain Elton John. Woman – Double Fantasy’s tender heart – is sentimental without the schmaltz. Instant Karma is spiky and zesty, sounding every second the speedily recorded anthem it is. Happy Xmas (War Is Over), produced by Phil Spector, is the greatest festive hit of all time (even if that wasn’t Lennon’s intent).
Chances are you have these songs already. But it’s nice of EMI to make the effort, again, just in case…
--Mike Diver
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A pointless release,
By
This review is from: Power To The People: The Hits (Audio CD)
During the years several Lennon "Best of" compilations have been released, ranging from "Shaved Fish" (compiled by Lennon himself) and the posthumous "The John Lennon Collection" (1982), "Lennon Legend" (1997) and the 2-disc "Working Class Hero" (2005), so what's the point of releasing yet another compilation? Whereas "Lennon Legend" contained 20 tracks, "Power To The People" contains only 15, leaving out "Mother", "Love" "Beautiful Boy", "Nobody Told Me", "Borrowed Time" and "Working Class Hero". Personally, I would go for "Lennon Legend" anytime, which has a better running order and superior sound compared to "The John Lennon Collection" (which contains nothing from "Milk And Honey") or maybe the more comprehensive "Working Class Hero". In my opinion, "Power To The People" is a pointless and non-essential release.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
JOHN LENNON DISTILLED,
By
This review is from: Power To The People: The Hits (Audio CD)
This is a fine compilation containing the pick of John Lennon's most accessible solo material. I agree with a previous reviewer who felt that the earlier LENNON LEGEND collection had a somewhat "bloated" track selection and at 15 songs POWER TO THE PEOPLE redresses the balance considerably.I am pleased with the new remastering, having felt that the previous Lennon reissues sounded jarringly bright in some cases. This was particularly true of the ROCK AND ROLL album. Now, hearing that LP's single 'Stand By Me' on this new compilation the track in question sounds much nicer, as does the more overtly produced material from DOUBLE FANTASY like 'Woman' and 'Watching The Wheels'. But of course it is the songs themselves which are the most important thing, and POWER TO THE PEOPLE illustrates how the sheer diversity present across The Beatles' catalogue continued when the group members embarked on their solo work. Lennon's output was no exception, and it is striking to think that the abrasive, claustrophobic atmosphere of 'Cold Turkey', the plaintive idealism of 'Imagine', or the toe-tapping 'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night' could have come from the same writer. If you buy the edition of POWER TO THE PEOPLE containing the bonus DVD, you can then view a promo video for each of the 15 tracks. However, I suspect a number of these have been updated with fresh footage (as with 'Happy Xmas') or have been re-made from scratch (I don't think such technology existed back in 1980 to create the footage used to accompany 'Just Like Starting Over', and it has a style similar to The Beatles' 'Free As A Bird' video). Meanwhile, 'Cold Turkey' appears to be the studio recording grafted on to film of Lennon performing the song on stage sometime during the 1970s - his Madison Square Garden gig most likely - rather than the hastily assembled promo that Apple put together back in 1969. Nontheless, the clips for 'Imagine' and 'Woman' seem untouched, while 'Instant Karma!' is the classic TOP OF THE POPS performance with Yoko Ono doing her knitting, although the studio audience isn't present; I should have realised that this was shot in colour, but I'd only seen black and white stills from it before. The quality of the footage is pretty good, but it does use the American NTSC system rather than the sharper British PAL format, so the older material does exhibit a certain reddish-yellow tinge. Die-hard fans of John Lennon will no doubt want to buy all these new remasters, but for his more casual observers POWER TO THE PEOPLE is a pretty much perfect collection containing - almost - all the big songs and no filler. I said "almost", didn't I?. Well, the inclusion of 'Nobody Told Me' from the posthumous MILK AND HONEY album would have been nice - it did make the top ten after all - but this is a minor fault in an otherwise flawless compilation.
25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Power to the People Indeed!,
By
This review is from: Power To The People: The Hits (Audio CD)
So, this month, October, sees what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday and it seems Yoko is giving herself a pretty good party as a result, but none of us has been invited. Let me explain.First there was `Lennon Legend', a 20 track very best of, which begat `Lennon Legend', a 20 track best of with the addition of a DVD that had, surprisingly, 20 videos of those songs (it also included six extra videos). That, in itself begat `Working Class Hero', a 38 track double CD that included all those `Lennon Legend' songs. Following close behind was a three disc `Working Class Hero' that added the DVD from the second `Lennon Legend' CD. Still with me? Good, because there's more. To commemorate Lennon's birthday (and it isn't that long to Christmas, remember), amongst other things is yet another hits package, only this time it's a 15 track collection that comprises a non hit in `Gimme Some Truth', which is only included as that's the name of the entire campaign. However, not only can you get a CD that contains just the music, but alongside it sits the same thing with a DVD. Now, who can tell me what you think this DVD might contain? Anyone? Yes, it's all the same videos as previously released twice before. Well done those who got the correct answer. Nevertheless, you don't get a gold star just yet. How many realised that the anomaly is the video for `Gimme Some Truth'? Hmm, that many, eh! Want to know what this particular video is like? The good; it has film of Lennon in the studio doing the vocals. The bad; unfortunately, it's only a brief excerpt. The ugly; disgracefully, it repeats bits already seen in the video to `Power to the People'. Not only is that unacceptable, but if you buy this or either of the two box sets, you get a card that gives you access to an Internet site called `John Lennon Universe', an immersive and interactive online experience around the man's life and musical career. Sounds interesting and maybe it is but I cannot tell you because at the time of writing, it was `coming soon'. Congratulations to all involved; like me, many will either mislay their access code or simply lose interest. Still, the music on here is good but if you want a `best of', try and get the three disc `Working Class Hero' instead.
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