The upcoming John Lennon and Yoko Ono box set Power to the People features a bevy of recordings from the early 1970s, focusing on the couple’s politically charged music of the period. In addition to complete recordings of Lennon and Ono’s historic 1972 One to One benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden and from the sessions for their 1972 album Sometime in New York City, the collection includes a treasure of previously unreleased demos, home recordings, studio jams, and more.
Among the unreleased tracks are songs from the soundtrack of an experimental 1971 film Lennon made with Ono called Clock. The hourlong movie was shot on September 10, 1971, at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, where the couple was staying at the time. The film features footage of a carriage clock on a shelf in front of a mirror. Reflected in the mirror are John and Yoko on a couch in the hotel room. Over the course of the movie, Lennon is captured playing various songs on an acoustic guitar, joking around, and conversing with Ono.
A previously unseen clip from Clock of Lennon playing the Carl Perkins gem “Honey Don’t” has debuted on John’s official YouTube channel. The candid performance features Lennon showcasing his guitar skills, as he breaks into some deft country/rockabilly riffs. When John finishes the tune, he whistles and comments, “At exactly 20 to [the hour,] he lit her cigarette.” He proceeds to light a cigarette for Yoko as the clip ends.
The Beatles recorded “Honey Don’t” in 1964, with Ringo Starr on lead vocals.
More About Clock
Lennon and Ono filmed Clock at the same time that they were making Imagine, the longform music film that accompanied John’s classic album of the same name.
Lennon came up with the concept of Clock. His idea was that while the clock was being filmed for an hour, he and Yoko would perform different actions at specific times that would captured in the mirror. The movie could then serve as an hourly clock.
In the dialogue from the film, Lennon explained the concept while talking with Ono.
“We’re gonna be one hour doing this,” John said. “On the quarter past, you should walk through and then they know it’s quarter past, you know what I mean? Whenever there’s a quarter of an hour, somebody should do something specific, right, so people get to know it by the picture of what’s going on. … At the hour we should just go completely barmy or something. On the hour, we’ll just run out hysterically, OK? Directly on twelve, we’ll run right out the room.”
As mentioned earlier, audio of all the songs Lennon played in the Clock film appear on the Power to the People box set. Besides “Honey Don’t,” John played a variety of classic early rock ‘n’ roll tunes. They included The Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie,” Elvis Presley’s “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care),” and Buddy Holly’s “Heartbeat,” “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Peggy Sue,” “Maybe Baby,” and “Rave On.”
More About the Power to the People Box Set
As previously reported, the Power to the People collection will be released on October 10. It will be available in multiple configurations and formats, including a 12-disc Super Deluxe Edition box set.
The Super Deluxe package features nine CDs and three Blu-ray discs. The collection includes remastered audio of both One to One concerts; a new version of Sometime in New York City, retitled New York City; and a treasure trove of rare demos, home recordings, jam sessions, live performances, and unique mixes.
Packaged with the recordings will be a 204-page book, and various pieces of replica memorabilia. Among the latter are postcards, sticker sheets, a poster, concert tickets, and a backstage pass.
Power to the People was produced by Lennon and Ono’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, with his team of studio collaborators.
Less-expansive versions Power to the People also will be released featuring just recordings from the One to One concerts. They include four-LP and two-CD sets featuring all 31 performances from both shows, and two-LP and single-CD collections boasting 17 highlights culled from the two concerts.
You can pre-order the Power to the People releases now. For more information, visit JohnLennon.com.
(Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)