Some Time In New York City

John Lennon
 
Sometime In New York City - Front cover Sometime In New York City - Rear Cover
Some Time In New York City - Front Cover Some Time In New York City - Rear Cover
Sometime In New York City - Inner Gatefold
Some Time In New York City - Inner Gatefold
Sometime In New York City - Inner Sleeve Album 1 Sometime In New York City - Inner Sleeve Album 2
Some Time In New York City - Inner Sleeve Album 1 Some Time In New York City - Inner Sleeve Album 2

Label Apple
Catalogue No. PCSP 716
Release date 15th September 1972
Total time 90:55
U.K. Album Chart Detail :
Entry Date :14th October 1972
Highest Position :11
Weeks in Chart :6
Detail : John's seventh "solo" album release, and first double album.
Record One was credited to John and Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephants Memory and Invisible Strings.
Record Two was credited to John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with The Mothers of Invention and star studded cast of thousands !!

The first thing to mention is that the album is called "Some Time In New York City" and NOT "Sometime In New York City".

This double album was frustratingly released in America THREE MONTHS before here in the U.K. which meant that import copies were appearing before it`s release, which then means lower sales figures are achieved here. The reason for the delay was again copyright problems with Yoko's name appearing as co-writer on some songs. Northern Songs refused to acknowledge this claim.
Also the album was meant to be a single album WITH a FREE bonus album of the "Live Jam", but as usual, it was assigned a catalogue number pushing it into a higher retail price bracket.

Record One was recorded between 1st March and 20th March 1972 in New York with John and Yoko and Phil Spector producing.
As well as the tracks for record one, a number of unreleased tracks are also recorded with Elephants Memory which are :
"Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", "Send Me Some Lovin", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Whole Lotta Shakin Going On", "It'll Be Me", "Not Fade Away", "Ain't That A Shame", and "Caribbean".
Elephants Memory were a New York rock band who were best known at the time for their musical contribution to the 1969 movie "Midnight Cowboy" which starred Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight (George once owned a car previously owned by Jon Voight).

Record two details are listed below with the tracklisting.

The album cover is designed to look like a newspaper, and along with the lyrics has a few political statements too.
The face in the apple top left is Phil Spector, and underneath the picture it says, "To know him is to love him".
On the rear it says, "This album was completed on March 20th 1972, our third wedding anniversary".
Sleeve concept was by John and Yoko and realized by Al Steckler.
The sleeve design was by Michael Gross.
The record labels do not feature an Apple, but have the John and Yoko "merging heads" design.
The double album also came with a postcard of the Statue of Liberty and a petition about John's expulsion from the U.S. (not included in the American release).

Sometime In New York City - Free Postcard
Sometime In New York City - Free postcard sized picture.
Written by John and signed by John and Yoko.


Record 1 - PCS 7161

Side 1

Personnel :
John - Lead Vocal, guitar.
Yoko - Vocals, drums.
Jim Keltner - Drums, percussion.
Elephants Memory.
      Stan Bronstein - Saxophone, flute.
      Richard Frank Jr. - Drums, percussion.
      Gary Van Scyoc - Bass.
      Adam Ippolito - Piano, organ.
      Wayne 'Tex' Gabriel - Guitar.
John Las Bosca - piano (on "Born In A Prison").

Track Composer Recording Information Time
Woman Is The Nigger Of The World Lennon-Ono Originally scheduled as the first single from the album, due to be released on 5th December 1972. It was even assigned a catalogue number, R 5953 and promo's were sent out. But E.M.I. had second thoughts about the potentially awkward words and withdraw it. 5:14
Sisters O Sisters Ono Yoko multi-tracked on lead vocal. 3:45
Attica State Lennon-Ono Written about the killing of prisoners AND guards by troops that had been sent in by Governer Nelson Rockefeller during the "Attica Uprising" at the Attica State prison in New York on 13th September 1971. 2:53
Born In A Prison Ono Yoko on solo vocal. 4:03
New York City Lennon A good rocking number from John in which he mentions many sights of New York. David Peel gets a mention, "The Pope Smokes Dope", as does, Elephants Memory.
Que pasa, New York !
4:29

Side 2

Personnel :
John - Lead Vocal, guitar, (slide guitar on "John Sinclair").
Yoko - Vocals, drums.
Jim Keltner - Drums, percussion.
Elephants Memory.
      Stan Bronstein - Saxophone, flute.
      Richard Frank Jr. - Drums, percussion.
      Gary Van Scyoc - Bass.
      Adam Ippolito - Piano, organ.
      Wayne 'Tex' Gabriel - Guitar.

Track Composer Recording Information Time
Sunday Bloody Sunday Lennon-Ono John and Yoko protesting about the "Bloody Sunday" massacre in Northern Ireland on 30th January 1972. 4:59
The Luck Of The Irish Lennon-Ono Another Irish protest, this time just generally complaining of the British interference in Northern Oreland.
"Luck Of The Irish" was almost released as the main track of an E.P. featuring four tracks recorded live 10th December 1971, at the "Free John Sinclair" concert, but was scrapped due to the furore surrounding Paul's single of the same subject.
2:56
John Sinclair Lennon This time protesting about the 10 year prison sentence given to John Sinclair in July 1969 for possession of marijuana, he had in fact been freed three days after John's concert mentioned above when the courts decided that Michigan’s marijuana laws were unconstitutional. 3:28
Angela Lennon-Ono The final protest song on the album, this time in support of Angela Yvonne Davis.
Davis's political activities earned her international attention in 1970. Through the Black Panthers, Davis became an advocate for black political prisoners and spoke out in defense of the inmates known as the Soledad Brothers. After the killing of inmate George Jackson by guards at Soledad Prison, Jackson's younger brother, Jonathan, attempted to free another prisoner from a Marin County, California, courthouse by taking hostages. Four people were killed in the shoot-out that followed. The guns Jackson used belonged to Angela Davis. Even though she was not near the courthouse at the time, she was charged with kidnapping, conspiracy, and murder. When Davis defied the arrest warrant and went into hiding, she was placed on the FBI's ten-most-wanted list. Her capture in a New York motel room and subsequent imprisonment inspired "Free Angela" rallies around the world. Davis spent 16 months in jail before she was released on bail in 1972. She was later acquitted of all charges.
4:05
We're All Water Ono A sterling effort by Yoko. 7:10

Record 2 - PCS 7162

Side 3

Side three is from a live performance recorded live Monday 15th December 1969 at The Lyceum, in the Strand, London at a concert in aid of UNICEF. Due to contractual problems the sleeve lists pseudonyms for most of the stars joining John and Yoko as shown below.

The Plastic Ono Supergroup was :
John - vocals and guitar.
Yoko - vocals and "Bag".
George Harrison - guitar. (George Harrisong)
Eric Clapton - guitar. (Derek Claptoe)
Delaney Bramlett - guitar. (Bilanica Donnie)
Klaus Voorman - bass. (Raus Doorman)
Keith Moon - drums. (Kief Spoon)
Alan White - drums. (Dallas White)
Jim Gordon - drums. (Jim Bordom)
Billy Preston* - organ. (Billy Presstud)
Bonnie Bramlett - vocals and percussion.
Bobby Keyes - Saxophone. (Robbie Knees)
Jim Price - Trumpet.
with assisting ... Legs "Larry" Smith (Bonzo's) and Dino Danelli (Rascals).
*Billy Preston's part was lost during the recording process, and had to be replaced by an overdub in New York by Nicky Hopkins (Sticky Topkins) on electric piano.

Track Composer Recording Information Time
Cold Turkey Lennon There is 55 seconds of intro and tuning, plus 1:02 at the end of the track. 6:37
Don't Worry Kyoko Ono Yoko in free-flow performance 16:00

Side 4

Side four is a live performance, recorded live at Fillmore East in New York on 6th June 1971, when John and Yoko appeared at the insistence of Andy Warhol, live with Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention during their encore.
Players :
John - vocals and guitar.
Yoko - vocals and "Bag".
Frank Zappa - Guitar, dialog.
Mark Volman - Vocals, dialog.
Howard Kaylan - Vocals, dialog.
Ian Underwood - Woodwinds, Keyboard, vocals.
Aynsley Dunbar - Drums.
Jim Pons - Bass, vocals, dialog.
Bob Harris - 2nd keyboard, vocals.
Don Preston - Mini-moog.
Klaus Voorman - Not at the concert, but later overdubbed bass on "Well" in the studio.

John introduces "Well" as a song he used to play in the cavern, it was originally by The Olympics in 1958. After that first track, the rest is basically a live jam with no real gap between the tracks.

27th October 1992 newly remixed versions of these tracks plus unreleased tracks, "Say Please" and "Aaawk" appear on a Frank Zappa C.D. called "Playground Psychotics"

Track Composer Time
Well ... (Baby, Please Don't Go) Ward 3:41
Jamrag Lennon-Ono 5:36
Scumbag Lennon-Ono-Zappa 5:54
Au Lennon-Ono 6:36


Released Versions (Rarities)

First pressings (1972) - with printed inner sleeves, and postcard.

C.D.

10th August 1987 the double C.D. was first issued on catalogue number CDPCSP 716 with international number CDP 7 46782 8 with no bonus tracks.
The double C.D. kept to the same track split as the two L.P.'s, with C.D. 1 running for 43:30, AND C.D.2 for 47:25.
It also comes with a 16-page booklet, but adds nothing that is already on the original cover, just everything a LOT smaller.
At the same time the "Live Jam" C.D. is listed as a separate release in the catalogue on CDP 7 46783 2.
This was deleted August 1989.

4th October 2010, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of John's birth a campaign was launched with all John's original albums remastered.
They were each available singularly or as part of the eleven c.d. boxset:
The Signature Box
This album was issued with no extra tracks on EMI with a catalogue number of 906 5072
It failed to chart.



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