On October 8, 1971, John Lennon’s album Imagine was released

On October 8, 1971, John Lennon's second solo studio album, Imagine, was released in the UK. In the US the record was issued earlier, on September 9, and it only reached British shops on October 8. Lennon recorded it together with his wife Yoko Ono and producer Phil Spector, who had also worked with him on the previous record.

The 1971 sessions took place at Ascot Sound Studios in Berkshire, at EMI in London and at Record Plant in New York. Among the musicians who helped Lennon were his former Beatles colleague, guitarist George Harrison, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, bassist Klaus Voormann, and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner.

After the austere and minimalist Plastic Ono Band, released a year earlier, the sound of Imagine softened. Instead of the modest arrangements of a small lineup, the record featured the dense playing of invited studio musicians and strings.

The title song, "Imagine", became Lennon's signature piece, known even by those who do not listen to his music. The album topped the British UK Albums Chart and the American Billboard 200, and in 2012 Rolling Stone placed it 80th on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The record contains ten songs in total, among them Jealous Guy, Gimme Some Truth and How Do You Sleep?. The cover photographs were taken by Yoko Ono.

The disc has been reissued several times, and in 2018 a six-disc version, Imagine: The Ultimate Collection, came out with demos and studio outtakes.

Image: Bob Gruen; Distributed by Capitol Records Public domain

Translation editor: Ловушкин А.