''Approximately Infinite Universe'' is a
double album by
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
, released in early 1973 on
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Ma ...
. It represents a departure from the experimental
avant garde rock of her first two albums towards a more conventional pop/rock sound, while also dabbling in
feminist rock. It peaked at number 193 in the United States. The 1997 CD reissue on
Rykodisc
Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.
History
Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record la ...
added two acoustic demos of songs from this era, that were later released on 1981's ''
Season of Glass''. It was released again by Rykodisc in 2007.
The album was recorded at
The Record Plant
The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...
in New York City, except for the basic tracks for "Catman" and "Winter Song", which were taped at Butterfly Studios. Ono produced the album with
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, whose participation marked a rare music-related activity for him after the failure of the couple's politically themed 1972 double album ''
Some Time in New York City
''Some Time in New York City'' is a part-studio, part-live double album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono as Plastic Ono Band that included backing by the American rock band Elephant's Memory. Released in June 1972 in the US and in September 1972 in ...
''. Lennon also sang the final verse of the song, "I Want My Love to Rest Tonight." As on the latter album, Ono used the New York band
Elephant's Memory
Elephant's Memory (also billed as Elephants Memory, without the apostrophe) was an American rock band formed in New York City in the late 1960s, known primarily for backing John Lennon and Yoko Ono from late 1971 to 1973. For live performance ...
as her backing musicians.
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
dropped into the studio for some of the sessions. He recalled playing guitar very loudly with Lennon. Jagger also said that Ono "was really trying to sing properly. She's not screaming, she's really trying to sing."
The inside gatefold sleeve contained Ono's essay "The Feminization of Society". An abridged version of this essay was previously published in ''The New York Times'' in February 1972. The full essay was published in Sundance Magazine in May 1972.
Track listing
All songs written by
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
.
Original release
Side one
# "
Yang Yang" – 3:52
# "
Death of Samantha
Death of Samantha is an American underground post-punk band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1983, the quartet debuted at a Ground Round family restaurant in Parma Heights. Death of Samantha played a farewell show on December 15 ...
" – 6:23
# "I Want My Love to Rest Tonight" – 5:11
# "What Did I Do!" – 4:11
# "Have You Seen a Horizon Lately?" – 1:55
Side two
#
"Approximately Infinite Universe" – 3:19
# "Peter the Dealer" – 4:43
# "Song for John" – 2:02
# "Catman (The Rosies Are Coming)" – 5:29
# "What a Bastard the World Is" – 4:33
# "Waiting for the Sunrise" – 2:32
Side three
# "I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window" – 4:09
# "Winter Song" – 3:37
# "Kite Song" – 3:19
# "" – 2:41
# "Shiranakatta (I Didn't Know)" – 3:13
# "Air Talk" – 3:21
Side four
#"I Have a Woman Inside My Soul" – 5:31
# "Move on Fast
"Move on Fast" is a song by Yoko Ono, originally released in 1972 on the album '' Approximately Infinite Universe'', and on the B-side to the single " Now or Never". The song was later included on Ono's compilation album ''Onobox''.
Composition
I ...
" – 3:40
# " Now or Never" – 4:57
# "Is Winter Here to Stay?" – 4:27
# "Looking Over from My Hotel Window" – 3:30
CD reissue
Tracks 1–22 per sides one to four of the original album, with the following bonus tracks on disc two:
#"Dogtown" (acoustic demo) – 2:51
# " She Gets Down on Her Knees" (acoustic demo) – 2:45
*"She Gets Down on Her Knees" (acoustic demo) is not present on the 2017 reissue
Personnel
*Yoko Ono – vocals, piano on "Looking Over from My Hotel Window" and "She Gets Down on Her Knees", arrangements
*Joel Nohnn (anagram of John Lennon) – guitar, backing vocals
*Stan Bronstein – saxophone, flute, clarinet
*Rick Frank – drums, percussion
*Daria Price – castanets
*Gary Van Scyoc – bass guitar, trumpet
*Adam Ippolito – piano, Hammond organ, harmonium, trumpet
*Wayne "Tex" Gabriel – guitar
*Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
- guitar on "Is Winter Here to Stay?"
Production credits
*Produced by Yoko Ono and John Lennon
*Arrangement – Yoko Ono
*String orchestration – Ron Frangipane
*Chief engineer – Jack Douglas
*Assistant engineer – Danny Turbeville
*Butterfly Studio engineer – Kurt Munkacsi
*Re-release produced by Yoko Ono and Rob Stevens (1997)
*Remastered by George Marino
George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s.
Biography
Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...
and Rob Stevens, Sterling Sound, New York City (1997)
*Bettina Rossner, John Lennon, Yoko Ono - artwork
*Bob Gruen
Bob Gruen (born October 23, 1945) is an American author and photographer known for his rock 'n' roll photographs. By the mid 1970s Gruen was already regarded as one of the foremost photographers in music working with major artist such as John Len ...
, Iain MacMillan - photography
Charts
Release history
In popular culture
The post-punk rock band Death of Samantha
Death of Samantha is an American underground post-punk band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1983, the quartet debuted at a Ground Round family restaurant in Parma Heights. Death of Samantha played a farewell show on December 15 ...
, founded in 1983, named themselves after the song of that name on this album.[Christopher Evans, "Death of Samantha: Notes from the Underground," ''The Plain Dealer Magazine,'' February 22, 1987, p. 6.]
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Yoko Ono albums
1973 albums
Apple Records albums
Rykodisc albums
Albums produced by John Lennon
Plastic Ono Band albums