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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Half Brilliant, 20 Nov 2005
Let’s be honest. Side One (Lennon) is superb. Side 2 (Yoko) is at best of historical interest. Yoko has done far better than this. This is Yoko at her most violently avant garde and it grates on the ears. She would find her mark with later albums, in particular on ’Approximately Infinite Universe’ (1972) and ’Feeling The Space’ (1973) and of course later on the wonderful ’Double Fantasy’ sessions. But here she is just annoying I am afraid.
But so to Side One. Here we hear Lennon in front of a live audience for the first time since the Beatles’ last tour of 1966. He is altogether a different animal. He sings a riveting version of Carl Perkins’ ’Blue Suede Shoes’, a really heavy and magnificent version of ’Money’ so that it is a different song altogether. There follows loud and slightly ragged versions of ’Dizzy Miss Lizzy’, ’Cold Turkey’ and the White album track ’Yer Blues’. They had after all only rehearsed for this concert on the plane on the way over to Toronto. There is also a spirited version of ’Give Peace A Chance’. So most of all this is historical document. Lennon…in concert….without the Beatles. Quite an event in itself.
But it is this Side One from Lennon which makes this album memorable. And even then we have to put up with intrusive yelps and screams for Yoko on these Lennon numbers. Which are completely misjudged. Don’t get me wrong. I am a big Yoko fan both of her music and her spirit. But here she is just intruding. And is seemingly completely unoblivious to the fact.
So this album is somewhat frustrating. To either buy or to listen to. But, at its best, for me for example on the heavy version of ’Money’ which runs rings around its 1963 Beatles’ recording, it is utterly brilliant. Almost worth 4 stars, but reduced to 3 on account of Side 2 I am afraid.
And what happened to the free calendar?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
historical recording better viewed than heard, 16 Sep 2005
'Live Peace in Toronto' features the famous august 1969 show given by Lennon and an ad hoc Plastic Ono Band including Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman and Alan White, notable as being the first solo performance by one of the Beatles before their break up. This is also the only one of the four early Lennon albums you're likely to play more than once. Given they hadn't rehearsed much the band play well, especially on the oldies ('Blue suede shoes', 'Money', 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy'), which are enjoyable. The then-new Lennon numbers ('Cold turkey' and 'Give peace a chance') sound half-finished, however, and don't add much to the single versions you may know - hearing GPAC on this concert makes you realise it's only a fragment of a song really. The Yoko numbers, originally conveniently tucked away on the B-side of the album, aren't really songs but noise manifestations. The extensive CD booklet is a 1995 calendar with nice photos and John and Yoko quotes. Altogether, this is only a half-enjoyable album with mainly historical value. But, since it starts out agreeably, this album is ideal for subtly letting your guests know it's time to go home: by the time they have sat through a couple of minutes of the first Yoko track, they'll probably reach for their coat. If you're truly interested in what this show was like, the Lennon DVD 'Sweet Toronto' is a much better bargain: it's much cheaper than this album, includes footage of the whole POB show PLUS some good rock 'n' roll tracks by Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard, and a small Yoko documentary.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE FIRST LENNON GIG WITHOUT THE BEATLES, IN REMIXED SOUND!, 7 Jul 2001
Historic is the word to definite this CD, because it contains the entire live performance that John Lennon and his brand new group, the Plastic Ono Band, gave in September 1969 in a Rock and Roll Revival in Toronto, Canada. It was the first time that John appeared live without the Beatles. Lennon himself, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, and Alan White formed this new Plastic Ono Band. The songs included in this set are classics, and derived from the Lennon's Liverpool and Hamburg days, like Money, Dizzy Miss Lizzy, and Blue Suede Shoes. The other songs were from the late Beatles era, Yer Blues, Cold Turkey and the great Give Peace a Chance. There are two Yoko songs included on this album too, but they are extremely experimental, with heavy electric guitar feedbacks and the endless Yoko's screaming vocals. The sound of this CD is simply amazing, due to the remix that Yoko gave to the original tapes in 1997. Definitely, a must, for all Lennon and Beatles fans. Buy it NOW!
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