ALBUM OF THE WEEK: JOHN LENNON LIVE PEACE IN TORONTO

You might have noticed I have recently had several albums of the week, sometimes, like today, even within the same 24 hour period. DO NOT BE ALARMED! I am simply making up for lost time in not having this feature and will resume a normal weekly schedule in the future.

The John Lennon "Live Peace In Toronto" album is an interesting gig with some great music. Clapton on guitar, Lennon on guitar and vocals, Klaus Voorman (noted Beatle friend and damn good bassman) and future Yes drummer Alan White do some serious jamming here and it is absolutely a great listen.

Except for the parts that Yoko sings. They are, of course, unbearable for me to listen to. There is one song where she is literally tied into a canvas bag with a microphone and wails and sings.

It's a notable album as the first appearance of the first version of the Plastic Ono Band. I recall reading an interview some years ago with Alan White and he said they were learning the songs on the airplane flight over to Toronto from England. He was playing the songs with his drumsticks on the back of an airline seat.

You can find some pictures of this band and of them practicing on the airplane at Klaus Voorman's site here http://www.voormann.com/biography in about the middle of the page.

But as always, take four outstanding musicians and combine them with some songs they are familiar with, and often a stupendous jam occurs. It's a one take only thing baby, the magic you can get from four great musicians having that energy playing together the first time sometimes, like this effort, makes for a magic occasion.

Except for the Yoko parts.

My favorite song that Lennon ever wrote was "Cold Turkey." I played it for many years in a great band I was in, and I think we did it justice. Cold Turkey appears on this live album and it totally rocks out. Side two is occupied by the caterwailing of Yoko.

I'll write more about artist and bassist Klaus Voorman later on. He's an overlooked personality in the importance of much good music made in those great years of British rock. Just give his basslines a listen on this effort. They rock.