Fly (Yoko Ono album)
Fly is the second album by Yoko Ono, produced by her and John Lennon, and released in 1971. It was a complete avant-garde/Fluxus package in a gatefold sleeve that came with a full-size poster and a postcard to order Ono's book Grapefruit. Notable songs include the singles "Midsummer New York" and "Mrs. Lennon", "Hirake" aka "Open Your Box" and "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)", dedicated to Ono's daughter Kyoko Cox. "Airmale" is the soundtrack to Lennon's film Erection, showing a building being erected in time lapsed photography,[1] while "Fly" is the soundtrack to Ono's film Fly.
Fly | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 20 September 1971 | |||
Recorded | 1969–71 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 94:52 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Producer | John Lennon, Yoko Ono | |||
Yoko Ono chronology | ||||
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Singles from Fly | ||||
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Recording
The album was recorded around the same time as Lennon's Imagine.[1] Ono had to re-record her vocals on "Open Your Box", on 4 March 1971 at Abbey Road Studios, after a managing director of EMI called the lyrics "distasteful";[1] In the verse "Open your trousers, open your skirt, open your legs and open your thighs",[1] the words "Trousers", "skirt", "legs", and "thighs" were changed to "houses", "church", "lakes", and "eyes".[1] Lennon and Ono didn't complain about the change of words, and only "wanted to get the record out", as a spokesman said.[1]
"Will You Touch Me" was first recorded during the Fly sessions. It was later re-recorded for Yoko's shelved 1974 album A Story and for 1981's Season of Glass. The original demo version was included on the Rykodisc reissue of Fly in 1997.[1]
Each edition of the US, UK and Japanese albums utilized that country's distinctive telephone ring in the track "Telephone Piece" (i.e. each edition of the album used entirely different recordings) – the Rykodisc CD edition used the US variation.
Release
Fly peaked at number 199 in the Billboard charts. On 1 February 1972, Lennon and Ono Lennon performed "Midsummer New York" backed by Elephant's Memory for an episode of The Mike Douglas Show, which aired on 15 February.[1]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Pitchfork | 8.7/10[3] |
Rolling Stone | (not rated) [4] |
Spill |
The album was a significant influence to British power electronics musician William Bennett of Whitehouse fame.
Track listing
All songs written by Yoko Ono.
Side one
- "Midsummer New York" – 3:50
- "Mind Train" – 16:52
Side two
- "Mind Holes" – 2:45
- "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)" – 4:55
- "Mrs. Lennon" – 4:10
- "Hirake" (previously released as "Open Your Box") – 3:32
- "Toilet Piece/Unknown" – 0:30
- "O'Wind (Body Is the Scar of Your Mind)" – 5:22
Side three
- "Airmale" – 10:40
- "Don't Count the Waves" – 5:26
- "You" – 9:00
Side four
- "Fly" – 22:53
- "Telephone Piece" – 0:33
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "Between the Takes" | 1:58 |
7. | "Will You Touch Me" (Demo) | 2:45 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
8. | "The Path" | 5:43 |
9. | "Head Play" (Medley: You/Airmale/Fly) | 2:35 |
Personnel
- Yoko Ono – vocals, claves on "Airmale" and "Don't Count the Waves"
- John Lennon – guitar, piano on "Mrs. Lennon", organ, automated music machines on "Airmale" and "Don't Count the Waves"
- Klaus Voormann – guitar, bass guitar, bells on "Mrs. Lennon", cymbal on "O'Wind", percussion on "Don't Count the Waves"
- Bobby Keys – claves on "O'Wind"
- Eric Clapton – guitar on "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)"
- Jim Keltner – drums, tabla, percussion
- Ringo Starr – drums on "Don't Worry, Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)"
- Jim Gordon – drums on "Hirake", tabla on "O'Wind"
- Chris Osborne – dobro on "Midsummer New York" and "Mind Train"
- Joe Jones – automated music machines on "Airmale", "Don't Count the Waves" and "You"
- George Marino – mastering engineer
Charts
Chart (1971) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
---|---|---|
U.S. Billboard 200 | 199 | 2 |
Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 20 September 1971 | 2xLP | Apple Records | SVBB 3380[6] |
2x8-Track | 8VV 3380[7] | |||
United Kingdom | 13 December 1971 | 2xLP | SAPTU 101/102[8] | |
Japan | 1971 | AP-93021B [9] | ||
United States | 10 June 1997[10] | 2xCD | Rykodisc | RCD 10415/16[11] |
United Kingdom | 1997 | |||
Japan | VACK-5371/2[12] | |||
24 January 2007 | Rykodisc, Apple Records | VACK-1309[13] | ||
United States & Europe | 14 July 2017 | 2xLP | Secretly Canadian, Chimera Music | SC282/CHIM21[14] |
2xLP (White)[15] | ||||
2xCD[16] | ||||
Japan | 2 August 2017 | 2xCD | Sony Records International | SICX-84[17] |
9 August 2017 | 2xLP (White) | SIJP-49[18] |
References
- Miles, Barry; Badman, Keith, eds. (2001). The Beatles Diary After the Break-Up: 1970–2001 (reprint ed.). London: Music Sales Group. ISBN 978-0-7119-8307-6.
- Fly at AllMusic
- Masters, Marc (14 July 2017). "Yoko Ono: Fly / Approximately Infinite Universe / Feeling the Space Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- Ferris, Tim (9 December 1971). "Fly | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- Badgley, Aaron (2017). "Spill Album Review: Yoko Ono - Fly (Reissue)". Spill. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-Fly/release/879465
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-Fly/release/5736150
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-Fly/release/3022628
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-Fly/release/12654511
- http://www.mtv.com/news/509113/ready-or-not-yoko-ono-albums-to-be-reissued/
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-With-Plastic-Ono-Band-Fly/release/2202417
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-Fly/release/9976399
- https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/VACK-1309
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-With-Plastic-Ono-Band-Fly/release/10559369
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-With-Plastic-Ono-Band-Fly/release/10559369
- https://www.discogs.com/Yoko-Ono-With-Plastic-Ono-Band-Fly/release/10559020
- https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICX-84
- https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SIJP-49