Vinyl Reports

Sean Ono Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon, in conjunction with Mercury Studios and Universal Music Recordings (UMR), have finally answered a decades-long fan request for release of the One To One Concerts, a pair of benefit performances at Madison Square Garden in New York City held in the afternoon and evening of August 30, 1972,. It was an important event that marked the last time John Lennon performed a complete show onstage. Long bootlegged, this new release — now officially named Power to the People, in celebration of the Ono-Lennons’ inspiring and tumultuous political activist years in NYC, and officially credited to John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band — is as near-perfect a home run release as we can hope for in these 21st century times.

Before I dig down into the depths of the Power to the People 180g 4LP box set — released on October 10, 2025, and produced by Sean Ono Lennon and his five-time, Grammy Award-winning “Ultimate Mixes” team — let’s explore the underlying DNA of this fine collection. From the official press materials, we learn that: “All tracks have been completely remixed and re-engineered from the original analog tapes by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon, using brand new HD multitrack transfers by Rob Stevens with the mixes mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. [. . .] This 180g Audiophile 4LP Deluxe Collector’s Edition is housed in a lift-off-lid box, featuring a lenticular cover of John & Yoko’s faces with a layered, dynamic 3D effect. Inside, a rigid clear O-card encases [all] 4 x 180g black vinyl records and an 8-page booklet.”

From those same press materials, we also learn some very interesting details related to the concert itself, and the music that we’re hearing on this set: “The centerpiece of Power to the People is the One To One Concerts, which presents both the matinee and evening performances together for the first time. The concerts raised more than $1.5 million (2025 equivalent of $11.5 million) to support children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” It is also important to note that the original films of the “remixed, restored and re-edited concerts” are expected to be released in 2026 as Power to the People, directed by Simon Hilton and edited by Ben Wainwright-Pierce.

Besides that informative 12x12in booklet, the 31-track Power collection also includes two postcards, two sticker sheets, a newsprint poster, and a VIP envelope with two replica concert tickets, a backstage pass, and an after-show pass, the latter of which is certainly a treat for serious fans — especially people like me who never got to see Lennon or The Beatles play live! All four 180g LPs are housed in audiophile-grade, plastic-lined inner sleeves, each of them emblazoned with repetitive Power to the People graphics on the rice-paper-thin exterior covers, reflecting a style of artwork no doubt created back in the early 1970s. Note that the tracklistings that appear on both the box set’s back cover and the interior O-card sleeve run contiguously from 1-31 instead of being broken down as to how many tracks appear on each LP side, and that none of the LP labels themselves include any of the track names at all.

The Power to the People LPs were manufactured in Germany, per the small white sticker on the back-cover shrink wrap. Thus, as we’ve come to expect from the Universal universe proper, that means they were likely made at Optimal, one of the best vinyl production plants in the world. (AP editor Mike Mettler tells me he saves all his hype stickers like the “Made in Germany” one, and will also affix them to the covers themselves, if they’re still sticky enough to do so — how about you?)

The 4LP set, which sports a hefty SRP of $169.98 and is currently available at the official Lennon site store here, is not the only Power configuration, of course. If your budget is a bit tight at the moment, you can obtain the 2LP highlights edition (seen below) subtitled as the “Hybrid Best of Show” at Music Direct here for $64.99.

And, for those seeking an even more in-depth dive into the One To One proceedings, the 9CD/3BD version of essentially the entire show (plus Home Jams, Studio Jams, Live Jams, and more) is available via Music Direct here for an admittedly formidable SRP of $239.99 here.

Now, I would imagine that most readers familiar with the One To One concerts are interested in knowing just how the new mixes of this music presented here stack up compared to Lennon’s 11-track highlights LP on Capitol, February 1986’s Live in New York City. In short, there is no contest, for the Power to the People 4LP set is a night-and-day better listening experience!

One of the factors that always annoyed me with that 1986 release was how the album’s producers at that time tried to “modernize” the drum sounds in particular — likely so the music would play well on radio alongside other new releases of the times. (Footnote 1) I’m not sure whether they used the then-popular gated snare drum effect — the one responsible for that big smacking pow sound on so many hits of the mid/late 1980s — or perhaps they doubled up certain snare drum tracks with some reverb to give it that thicker flavor. I find it unlistenable today, to be honest, especially knowing how the original recordings sound.

Fact is, recorded and live drums simply did not sound that way in 1972, so kudos to engineers Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon (as well as producer Sean Ono Lennon) for keeping the music on this box set sounding as authentic and organic as possible. Indeed, Elephant’s Memory, the band you hear backing John & Yoko on Power to the People, sounds very much like what they sounded like. Elephant’s Memory were a great rocking band, but they always felt a bit loosey-goosey to my ear, even on their studio recordings. Thus, it was a brilliant move on the part of Lennon and Ono that — both on their June 1972 Some Time in New York City 2LP set on Apple, and for this concert — they brought drummer/studio marvel Jim Keltner into the mix, clearly to stabilize and tighten up the band.

As I was working on this review, I watched Universal/Mercury’s new promotional videos supporting this release — one of them being one of the Power versions of The Beatles’ 1969 Abbey Road classic “Come Together,” which you too can now see above. It’s an amazing performance, as it more or less marks the first time anyone heard any Abbey Road-era tracks performed live!

Prior to that moment, I honestly had never stopped to even consider the presence of a session ace like Keltner. Watch that “Come Together” videoclip closely to see how resigned, calm, and precise Keltner’s playing is compared to that of Elephant Memory’s drummer Richard Frank Jr., who looks more intent on delivering rock star showmanship vs. a steady rhythm section when supporting one of the greatest composers of our times. Keltner clearly got it — and that comes across loud and clear on these live recordings, which are no doubt grounded by his presence. (No disrespect to Frank’s overall playing style, of course; just looking at the situation objectively.)

It is, of course, hard to pull out favorite tracks from an emotional and ultimately one-of-its-kind concert where every note, breath, and drop of sweat mattered. Personally, I find Yoko Ono’s tunes to be some of the most riveting of the whole show — especially tunes like the then-controversial single “Open Your Box” that was the B-side of Lennon’s iconic March 1971 “Power to the People” single. Here on the Power box, it shows up on LP2’s Afternoon Show – Side A, Track 12, as well as on LP4’s Evening Show – Side A, Track 27. (Technically speaking, “Box” is the fourth track on both respective sides.)

I am also happily in total agreement with the other songs that have been put forth to promote this collection. The One To One version of “Imagine,” the title track from John Lennon’s like-named September 1971 masterpiece, is incredibly poignant — and you can check it out for yourself, via the official YouTube clip below.

Additionally, “Well Well Well,” also seen below, and initially from December 1970’s John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band, is a powerful bluesy rocker — and it is probably the first time it was performed live before an audience.

Before we go too much further, I must point out that there are technically two tracks missing from the Power collection. One of them in particular — which shall remain unnamed here, for reasons we know you’ll understand — was on the aforementioned Some Time in New York City release, and indeed was performed live at Madison Square Garden for these One To One concerts. It was also included on Live in New York City — but perhaps, given the incendiary nature of a certain word in the song title and its lyrics, the powers that be decided to keep it under wraps.

That said, the omission of the other track, Yoko Ono’s fine “Sisters, O Sisters,” is perplexing unto itself. You can find it on the original Some Time in New York City 2LP set, and there are videos of Yoko performing it at the One To One concert elsewhere on YouTube. We’re not entirely sure why it wasn’t included here — but if we get any officials updates as to why, we’ll include them here if/when we do.

Back to the review. As far as the overall sound of the Power to the People 4LP box set goes, I think Sean Ono Lennon and his team have done a terrific job of restoring and delivering a solid-sounding release that retains the time-and-place feel of the One To One concert, while also enhancing the fidelity and clarity. The aforementioned drums now sound natural and alive, and the band sounds hot, loose, and rocking. Perhaps most importantly, the collection captures the electricity of the moment — I mean, it’s the first full concert Lennon performed since the breakup of The Beatles! (Footnote 2) — and that energy is palpable throughout. I’m happy to give the Sound of this collection a solid 9 for fidelity, as well as a 9 for the Music. (Footnote 3)

While we don’t have a separate rating category for packaging, I do have to compliment the exemplary design of the Power to the People box set. It was a brilliant idea to create a motion-activated lenticular image from the still-frame photography of John and Yoko, as culled from photos that originally graced the Apple labels of the Some Time in New York City album (see the above example), which are also found repeated on the record labels in this new set. Hey, it’s a super-cool thing! And I greatly appreciate all the concert goodies and promotional materials included in the box that I noted at the outset of this review, which all give us a better sense of the event and the times.

Even without those two earlier-noted omitted tracks, Power to the People delivers the long-awaited One To One concert recordings in great sound, with honor and historical perspective. This is essential listening for Beatles and Lennon/Ono fans alike, and its content remains a model example for superstar talent who wish to push for positive change in the face of dark energies that were impacting the world at that time.

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

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Footnote 1: AP editor Mike Mettler adds: I too am not a fan of the addition of that gated drum sound to any vintage recordings. Another particularly egregious of-era “reworking” came with 1987’s The ZZ Top Six Pack 3CD set (Warner Bros. 25661-2), wherein some marketing genius decided to replace Frank Beard’s original drums with synthesized sounds, deeply betraying the down-home flavor of those half-dozen original ZZ LPs. Thankfully, the Six Pack never saw a vinyl release, though its crap mixes were used on subsequently issued CDs. Thankfully, cooler heads ultimately prevailed, and, at various points in this century, properly remastered LPs retained/restored the original mixes (ditto with the comparable CD reissues). The lesson here is, don’t mess with Texas — and never, ever mess with our man John Lennon’s mixes on vinyl either, for that matter.

Footnote 2: Mettler here again: Prior to these 1972 One To One performances, the closest standalone equivalent would be Live Peace in Toronto 1969, an eight-song set performed by Lennon, Ono, and their hastily assembled Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival that was held at Varsity Stadium in T.O. on September 13, 1969, and released on Apple on December 12, 1969.

Footnote 3: Mettler once more: My ratings are just a tick different than Mark’s, as I give the Power box an 8.5 for the Sound, and an 8.5 for the Music. Those are cumulative ratings, respectively, as some tracks rate upwards of 9 and even 10, while others dip to 8. Regardless of the semantics, having a much more complete One To One concert selection on vinyl like this has been well, well, well worth the wait, so if you can spring for the full 4LP edition, please do so. And, if you’re a Lennon completist like both Mark and I are, ponying up for the 9CD/3BD Power collection is also worth your while.

JOHN & YOKO / PLASTIC ONO BAND
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
180g 4LP (Mercury Studios/UMR)
MUSIC: 9
SOUND: 9

Original concert produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Power to the People album produced by Sean Ono Lennon
Concert recordings remixed/re-engineered from original analog tapes by Paul Hicks and Sam Gannon
New HD multitrack transfers by Rob Stevens at Abbey Road Studios
New mixes mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios
Power to the People album manufactured in Germany (Optimal)

LP1 & LP2 – The One To One Concert ⋆ Afternoon Show
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band With Elephant’s Memory Plus Special Guests

LP1 / Afternoon Show – Side A
1. Power To The People (Intro) †
2. New York City
3. It’s So Hard
4. Move On Fast †

LP1 / Afternoon Show – Side B
5. Well Well Well
6. Born In A Prison †
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
8. Mother

LP2 / Afternoon Show – Side A
9. We’re All Water †
10. Come Together
11. Imagine
12. Open Your Box †

LP2 / Afternoon Show – Side B
13. Cold Turkey †
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko †
15. Hound Dog †

Evening Show
LP3 & LP4 – The One To One Concert ⋆ Evening Show

LP3 / Evening Show – Side A
1. Power To The People (Intro) †
2. New York City †
3. It’s So Hard †
4. Move On Fast †

LP3 / Evening Show – Side B
5. Well Well Well †
6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) †
7. Mother †
8. We’re All Water †

LP4 / Evening Show – Side A
9. Born In A Prison †
10. Come Together †
11. Imagine †
12. Open Your Box †

LP4 / Evening Show – Side B
13. Cold Turkey
14. Hound Dog
15. Law And Order
16. Give Peace A Chance

† never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks

JOHN & YOKO / PLASTIC ONO BAND
POWER TO THE PEOPLE – HYBRID “BEST OF” SHOW EDITION
180g 2LP (Mercury Studios/UMR)

LP1 / Side A
1. Power To The People (Intro)* †
2. New York City*
3. It's So Hard*
4. Move On Fast* †

LP1 / Side B
5. Well Well Well †
6. Born In A Prison* †
7. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)*
8. Mother*
9. We're All Water †

LP2 / Side A
10. Come Together †
11. Imagine*
12. Open Your Box* †
13. Cold Turkey* †
14. Don’t Worry Kyoko* †

LP2 / Side B
15. Hound Dog
16. Law And Order

* afternoon show performance (others being from the evening performance)
† never-before-heard, previously unreleased tracks