Yes, I’m a Witch is a remix album, and includes songs which have all been previously released on a variety of her old albums, some with John Lennon. Ono had many artists contribute and redo songs, all of which took her singing and added their own music as accompaniment.
Some of these artists include; Peaches, Shitake Monkey, Le Tigre, Cat Power, The Polyphonic Spree, The Flaming Lips, and Sleepy Jackson.
The album has a wide variety of musical influences and every song is very different from the previous one, but the singing of Yoko Ono just brings the whole work down. There are many different messages in the songs, and the contributing artists do an alright job in portraying the message that Ono wanted to send.
Ono and Rob Stevens produced the album. It was released in February 2007 on Astralwerks, the same label that brings you Chemical Brothers, The Beta Band, and VHS or BETA.
Yes, I’m a Witch is worth listening to, but I certainly would not buy it. Ono does not need any more money to support her sub par art.
Favorite song: Walking On Thin Ice with Jason Pierce of Spiritualized
www.astralwerks.com/ono
In an attempt for further discussion on this topic I just wanted to point out the Ono will be releasing a new album in April.
Some of the songs (in Yes, I am a Witch) were originally released more than twenty years ago. She asked a wide variety of musicians to contribute because she is trying to create a new generation of fans.
All the bands contributing have a solid fan base. They are well known in the indie art scene and although not many people like all of the bands, they are probably dedicated to the bands they do enjoy.
There is an interesting group of “sub top forty” (© Baylen Forcier) listeners who are really commanding the direction of music. They are probably more educated about the history of their music and are more open to different music than the “American Top Forty” fan base.
I believe that they are going to change American music over the next few years, as we can see from bands like Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, and Dead Prez. These bands were top indie bands and their genres are popping up all over the top forty stations.
Of course music has always been like this in some respects.
But …
I smell another grunge era.
Ono is trying to be a part of this movement, good for her. Maybe she hopes that the children of the people who hate her (a.k.a Beatles loving baby boomers) will forget that she “killed” The Beatles. (I don’t think she did. Lennon was crazy.)
What do you think?
4 comments:
I am well aware that she is trying to push more albums to make more money for her "sub par art" (if you read the original post). I was just pointing out that she has found her market to make that money, and I was going beyond that and talking about that market in general.
She did not kill the Beatles she was merely the catalyst, in a broad definition. She just helped along what was already happening, and what was going to happen. She made the pain faster and much less severe.
John was insane. That cannot be argued against, he was a crazy man. I didn’t say he wasn’t great, but he was insane.
If The Beatles, and their principle song writers (Lennon/McCartney), were really lovey dovey and wanted good things for the world, they would have donated the rights to all their music to a charitable organization, like J.M. Barrie. He donated the rights to “Peter Pan and Wendy” to the leading children’s hospital in London at the time. So whenever you hear that story, hurt children get the money. John and Paul should have done that because they were already rich enough and Michael Jackson wouldn’t be in charge today.
I am also well aware that Ono sucks and is living off of her husband’s legacy, and (to my knowledge) she has not shared that legacy with his former wife and family because HE left EVERYTHING to her.
Case in point John is insane, killed The Beatles, but it would have happened anyway.
I dont think this has anyting to do with making money. Yoko has never been "popular". She has always been an avant garde artist into conceptual art and has always been pushing the boundaries.
Yoko got to choose the bands on this album but i am sure there would have been a huge list lined up. Half of the bands on this album are only vaguely popular on the popularity scale - hell i love half the bands but wouldn't buy this on ono's name alone
Also I think your idea of "sub top 40" commanding the music scene is way off the mark. If anyone commads the top 40 music scene these days it is those behind tv shows such as the OC and Greys Anatomy. Most popular music has always included some "indie outsiders".
I sense a return to the grunge style as well. But maybe that's because this whole decade had a lot to do with nostalgia (fashion, music, pop-culture, etc).
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