Unfinished Music No.1 - Two Virgins

John Lennon
 
Two Virgins - Front cover Two Virgins - Rear Cover
Two Virgins - Front Cover with Brown Paper Two Virgins - Rear Cover with Brown Paper
Two Virgins - Front cover Two Virgins - Rear Cover
Two Virgins - A-Side Label Showing "Track Records" Catno. Two Virgins - B-Side Label Showing "Track Records" Catno.
 

GENESIS CHAPTER 2

21. And the Lord God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept:
and he took one of his ribs, and closed
up the flesh instead thereof;
22. And the rib, which the Lord God
had taken from the man, made he a woman,
and brought her unto the man.
23. And Adam said, This is now bone
of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she
shall be called Woman, because she was
taken out of man.
24. Therefore shall a man leave his
father and his mother, and shall cleave
unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh.
25. And they were both naked, the
man and his wife, and were not
ashamed.
Two Virgins - Front cover Two Virgins - Rear Cover
Two Virgins - Front Cover Two Virgins - Rear Cover

Label Apple
Catalogue No. SAPCOR 2   or .... Track Records 613 012
Release date 29th November 1968
Total time 29:07
U.K. Album Chart Detail : Did NOT Chart.
Detail : John's first solo album release, and first of his "experimental" outings.
Credited to John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The original premise of the "Unfinished Music" series was that John and Yoko
were going to chronicle their lives together on record release, this is the first of these.

Recorded one May morning between midnight and dawn in 1968 at John's Kenwood mansion in Weybridge (probably Sunday 19th May 1968).
John's wife, Cynthia, had gone on holiday to Greece with Jennie Boyd and Magic Alex.
Yoko had expressed an interest in John's avant-garde recordings using his home recording system, and they decided to make an album together.
So, John's first recording venture without his fellow Beatles was this wierd album of sound effects and bodily noises.

More interesting than the "music" (sorry, John) was the album cover.
The naked photographs were taken in the basement of Ringo's gaff in Montague Square, London in early October 1968.
There was no way John was going to allow a professional photographer to take the pictures as he was too embarrased,
so he set the camera up using a delayed shutter release and took them himself.
That was the easy bit ... next was convincing the other Beatles to approve the project ... that took almost six months !
And even though Paul was strongly against the sleeve, he still contributed with a one line sleeve note which reads:
"When two great Saints meet, it is a humbling experience. The long battles to prove he was a Saint."
Next obstacle was the record company, who refused release unless the pictures were changed.
But, eventually the album was distributed by Track records in the U.K. (as catalogue number 613 012) ...
under one condition ... that it was wrapped in a brown paper bag.
But even with approval, the record company printers wouldn`t print it, and many record shops refused to stock it.
Even the music press opposed it and no editor would accept any of the adverts.

Not surprisingly, it sold only around 5,000 copies and did not enter the charts.
It was also the first solo Beatles album to be deleted by E.M.I. ...
although it was re-instated into the catalogue in January 1975 when being distributed by Charmdale.
But, by 1978 it was deleted again.


Side 1

Time - 14:04

Although there are tracks listed, there is certainly no discernable difference between any part, nor any gaps.

Track Composer Recording Information
Two Virgins 1 Lennon-Ono Mostly whistling, piano, and guitar strings being hit, and Yoko shrieking.
Key timings for side 1 :
   0-3:30 Whistling (like "Clangers") and random instrumentation.
   4:40 Yoko starts shrieking.
   6:12 John can be heard talking.
   6:50 Big piano chord, then repetitive single note .. over and over.
   7:53 John shouts.
   9:06 "Together" can be heard.
 12:25 Yoko says, "Hey there, is that you ?"
 12:34 John says, "No f***ing tin-opener you see"
 12:55 John says, "It's just me Hilda, I`m home for tea"
 14:03 John ends with, "Excuse me - thank you."
Together De Silva-Brown-Henderson
Two Virgins 2 Lennon-Ono
Two Virgins 3 Lennon-Ono
Two Virgins 4 Lennon-Ono
Two Virgins 5 Lennon-Ono

Side 2

Time - 15:03

Although there are tracks listed, there is certainly no discernable difference between any part, nor any gaps.

Track Composer Recording Information
Two Virgins 6 Lennon-Ono Mostly wierd random instrumentation, and Yoko shrieking.
Key timings for side 1 :
   0-3:33 Piano, shrieking and feedback.
   3:43 John says, "Stop laughing".
   3:53 "Hushabye Hushabye" - an old 78 ?
   9:10 John says, "and from Wiltshire".
 12:12 John says, "That's right dear, spit it out"
 12:18 John says, "It is true dear, you've won a major prize"
 12:26 John says, "Are you ready ? ... as we did before"
 13:20 Yoko says, "Corny"
Hushabye Hushabye Not listed
Two Virgins 7 Lennon-Ono
Two Virgins 8 Lennon-Ono
Two Virgins 9 Lennon-Ono
Two Virgins 10 Lennon-Ono


Released Versions (Rarities)

First pressings (1968) - Mono
APCOR 2 - Mono version
black inner sleeve
NO track listing
"Merrie In England" on the front cover.
First pressings (1968) - Stereo
SAPCOR 2 - Stereo version
black inner sleeve
WITH track listing
"Merrie In England" on the rear cover.
PLUS a "Track" logo on the label.

C.D.

Released in January 1993 on the "Rock Classics" label with catalogue number SSI 9999 this had the same tracklist as above.

Two Virgins - C.D. Front cover Two Virgins - The C.D.
Two Virgins - C.D. Front Cover Two Virgins - The C.D.

A further CD release occured on 9th June 1997 on the Rykodisc label with catalogue number RCD 10411.
It was digitally remastered under the supervision of Yoko.
It also has a BONUS track ! .... giving it a run time of 33:14.

The Bonus Track :

Track Composer Recording Information Time
Remember Love Ono Recorded 1st June 1969 in room 1742 of the Queen Elizabeth hotel in Montreal during their bed-in.
This was the same day that "Give Peace A Chance" was recorded.
John plays acoustic guitar, whilst Yoko sings.
4:05


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