Skip to content
play
Out of stock

Alan Licht's minimal Top Ten

Alan Licht's revelatory lists of rare and obscure minimalism releases.

See all

John Lennon, Yoko Ono

Unfinished Music No. 2: Life With The Lions (LP)

LP

Sold out

Out of stock

Tracked express shipping from Italy, no customs or import VAT in the EU. Shipping costs

*2022 stock* "These two need no introduction, but "Cambridge 1969," which takes up all of side one, is a completely unheralded classic.  For twenty minutes Yoko vibratoes her way around a single note while Lennon provides terrifying power-drone feedback accompaniment.  This is the ultimate punk/metal take on La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela's Black Album (which, considering Ono & Young's history together, might be both figurative and literal).  Towards the end John Stevens and John Tchichai chime in for some free jazz/minimal crossover a la Hermann Nitsch.  On side two there's "Radio Play," nanosecond snippets of radio played at regular intervals--almost Bernard Gunterish heard in 1997.  It's hard to imagine how betrayed Beatlemaniacs must have felt at the time or since--it's far more blasphemous than Metal Machine Music, but Lou didn't have a non-caucasian female collaborator for his fans to blame it on. I maintain that this album is a must for any outside music listener." Alan Licht

detail

Details
Cat. number: SC 290LP
Year: 2016

Format

The front cover photo of John and Yoko was taken in Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital in Hammersmith, London, where Yoko had a miscarriage. The back cover photo was taken outside the Marylebone court by the Daily Mirror as J&Y were leaving the court on 28 Nov 1968.

Release notes

Comes with download code for the album (MP3/320Kb) incl. two bonus tracks (previously unreleased): Song For John (1:31) / Mulberry (8:58)

Tracklist
ACambridge 196926:33
B1No Bed For Beatle John4:41
B2Baby's Heartbeat5:10
B3Two Minutes Silence2:00
B4Radio Play12:40
Credits
John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Design [Sleeve], Producer, Written-By
Susan Wood
Photography By [Front Photo]
Daily Mirror
Photography [Back Photo By Permission Of]