Ono - Yes, I'm a Witch

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 24 / 2 / 2007

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Review

While it is a set of remixes and collaborations between herself and several well known current acts on the alt. rock scene, Yoko Ono's new CD is, however, credited just to ‘Ono’. The hardcore Beatles fans that buy this may be, however, be disappointed as most of the artists that work on this have removed her music and added their own. A lot of other people, however, dislike Yoko and for them this may though be a relief. While Yoko was a main reason for the Beatles splitting up by introducing John to outside influences, some good some bad, I have always liked her avant-garde rantings and work outs. Although the majority of her guests have, however, added their own flavours to this project, it is her guests on this occasion that will probably sell the CD for her this time. Hank Shocklee opens up Ono with his backing to ‘Witch Shocktronica’. It now has Bjork based break beats,while Yoko's vocal sounds like Clare Grogan of early Altered Images, who released their debut single, Dead Pop Stars', in the same week in December 1980 that John died. Peaches flavours up the wonderful ‘Kiss, Kiss, Kiss’, which was the B side of John's comeback single, ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’. While it caused a fuss at the time of its release again in 1980 because Yoko had an orgasm on record to it, it is now reworked as pure New York disco pop. ‘O'oh’ has Shitake Monkey adding his magical smooth beats, while Yoko sounds at her most chilled on this track. Blow Up's version of ‘Every Man, Every Woman’ is meanwhile reworked as a disco punk number in the style of the Rapture. Le Tigre, put prog new wave over her ‘Sisters O Sisters’ track from the Plastic Ono Band’s 1972 album ‘Somewhere in New York City’. Yoko’s vocal here was to later prove an influence on the B52's. Porcupine Tree add easy-on-the-ear acoustic arrangements to Yoko's 1973 single, ‘Death of Samantha’. DJ Spooky does a house remix of the title track from her 1995 solo album ‘Rising’. It is very experimental and has lots of scratching. Apples in Stereo add perfect backing to ‘Nobody Sees Me Like You Do’, which originally appeared on her 1981 solo album, ‘Seasons of Glass’. The title track is reworked by the Brother Brothers as a heavy hard rock number, which has very slick guitars and finds Yoko at her most angry. Cat Power adds her piano backing to ‘Revelations’, while the Polyphonic Spree give ‘You and I’ a jazz reworking. Jason Pierce of Spiritualized steals the show by giving psychedelic backing to the new wave disco number, ‘Walking on Thin Ice’, which was the song that John was working on with Yoko on the day of his death. Anthony of the Johnsons meanwhile gives Yoko's ‘Toyboat’ an ambient edge. The Flaming Lips take up the challenge of reworking ‘Life from the Lions’. a track from the 1969 album ‘Unfinished Music No.2’ which they have renamed as ‘Cambridge 1969/2007’. Whereas the original was a live jam by the Plastic Ono Band, the Lips add an experimental weirdness of their own to it, and make it one of the stronger tracks here. Sleepy Jackson take on ‘I'm Moving On’ from ‘Double Fantasy’ giving it a disco flavour. Hank Shocklee reprises ‘Witch Shocktronica’ in a more ambient version, while Craig Armstrong ends it all by providing orchestral arrangements to the cinematic ‘Shiranakatta.’(I Didn't Know)’, a new song which finds Yoko singing in her native Japanese.

Track Listing:-

1 Witch Shocktronica Intro [feat. Hank Shocklee]
2 Kiss Kiss Kiss [feat. Peaches]
3 O'Oh [feat. Shitake Monkey]
4 Everyman...Everywoman [feat. Blow Up]
5 Sisters O Sisters [feat. Le Tigre]
6 Death Of Samantha [feat. Porcupine Tree]
7 Rising [feat. DJ Spooky]
8 Nobody Sees Me Like You Do [feat. Apples In Stereo]
9 Yes, I'm A Witch [feat. Palumbo Of The Brothers Brothers]
10 Revelations [feat. Cat Power]
11 You And I [feat. The Polyphonic Spree]
12 Walking On Thin Ice [feat. Jason Pierce]
13 Toyboat [feat. Antony & Hahn Rowe]
14 Cambridge 1969/2007 [feat. The Flaming Lips]
15 I'm Moving On [feat. The Sleepy Jackson]
16 Witch Shocktronica Outro [feat. Hank Shocklee]
17 Shiranakatta [feat. Craig Armstrong]

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