Thursday 14 August 2025 | John Lennon, Press release
| Title | Power To The People |
| Announced | 14 August 2025 |
| Release date | 10 October 2025 |
| Subject | Some Time In New York City era (1971–1972) |
| Previously unreleased | 92 of 123 songs |
| Compiled by | Sean Ono Lennon |
On 14 August 2025, it was announced that Power To The People — a major archival reissue exploring the era of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1972 double album Some Time In New York City — would be released on 10 October 2025. Titled after the 1971 Plastic Ono Band single, the project spans remixes, live recordings, demos, outtakes, studio jams and home recordings, with 92 of the 123 songs previously unreleased.
Formats
Six physical editions were announced:
- 9 CD + 3 Blu-ray deluxe box set — the main release, with 204-page hardback book, newsprint poster, two postcards, 12 stickers, two replica tickets, and backstage and aftershow passes
- 4 LP box set
- 2 LP green vinyl
- 2 LP black vinyl
- 2 CD
- 1 CD
The box set was compiled by Sean Ono Lennon, with mixes by Paul Hicks, audio restoration by Sam Gannon, and mastering by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios.
The guests
The box set features music from a remarkable cast of guests, reflecting the breadth of Lennon and Ono’s musical and political world in 1971–72: Billy Preston, Delaney and Bonnie, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, George Harrison, Jim Keltner, Keith Moon, Klaus Voormann, Melanie Safka-Schekeryk, Nicky Hopkins, Phil Ochs, and Stevie Wonder.
John Lennon — officially licensed merch
John Lennon: Rainbows, Love & Peace Unisex T-Shirt (Blue).
The One To One Concerts
A centrepiece of the box set is the inclusion of the two near-complete One To One Concerts, which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on 30 August 1972. These benefit shows for Willowbrook School — a state-run institute for children with mental disabilities in New York City — were the last full-scale public performances given by John Lennon.
“That Madison Square Gardens gig was the best music I enjoyed playing since the Cavern or even Hamburg… It was just the same kinda feeling when The Beatles used to really get into it.”
— John Lennon, 1972, New Musical Express
Lennon enlisted Elephant’s Memory — the New York rock band with whom he had recently recorded Some Time In New York City — and rehearsals took place on 18, 20 and 22 August 1972. Two concerts were performed: one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Other artists on the bill included Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Sha Na Na, with the Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory Band as the headline act.
For the final song, ‘Give Peace A Chance’, Lennon and Ono were joined on stage by the other performers and the concert organisers. A brief portion of this performance had previously appeared on the 1975 compilation Shaved Fish, as a coda to ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’, with Stevie Wonder’s vocals prominent in the mix.
CD 1 of the box set features the best performances from both shows. CDs 2 and 3 contain the afternoon and evening concerts respectively. The live shows are also on Blu-ray disc 1. None of the live discs include performances of ‘Woman Is The N****r Of The World’ or ‘Sisters, O Sisters’.
Disc-by-disc guide
| CD 1 | Best performances from the two One To One Concerts, Madison Square Garden, 30 August 1972 |
| CD 2 | One To One Concert — afternoon show, Madison Square Garden, 30 August 1972 |
| CD 3 | One To One Concert — evening show, Madison Square Garden, 30 August 1972 |
| CD 4 | New ‘Ultimate Mixes’ of nine of the ten songs from Some Time In New York City |
| CD 5 | Evolution mixes showing how the Some Time In New York City songs developed in the studio |
| CD 6 | Studio Jam — 16 songs jammed by Lennon, Ono and Elephant’s Memory; plus ‘Elements Mixes’ of ‘Sisters, O Sisters’, ‘Born In A Prison’, ‘The Luck Of The Irish’ and ‘Angela’ |
| Blu-ray 2 | Audio from CDs 4, 5 and 6 |
| CD 7 | Live performances originally on the second disc of Some Time In New York City: ‘Cold Turkey’ and ‘Don’t Worry Kyoko’ (Lyceum Ballroom, London, 15 December 1969); ‘Well (Baby Please Don’t Go)’, ‘Jamrag’, ‘Scumbag’ and ‘Aü’ (Fillmore East, New York, 6 June 1971) |
| CD 8 | Live performances: John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor (10 December 1971); Apollo Theater benefit for Attica riot victims (17 December 1971); David Frost Show (16 December 1971); Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Americana Hotel, New York (4 September 1972) |
| CD 9 | Non-studio recordings (majority previously unreleased): 20 recordings from the St Regis Hotel, NYC (10 September 1971); 4 from 27 October 1971; 5 songs from the Campus Inn, Ann Arbor (1 December 1971); further recordings featuring Phil Ochs |
| Blu-ray 3 | Audio from CDs 7, 8 and 9 |
The omission of ‘Woman Is The N****r Of The World’
Notably, all editions of Power To The People omit ‘Woman Is The N****r Of The World’, the controversial lead single from Some Time In New York City. The song had last been released in 2010 as part of the John Lennon Signature Box. The press release was explicit on the point: “This is the full track listing. There are no hidden tracks on the CDs or Blu-Rays.”
Some Time In New York City: context
Some Time In New York City was John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s joint double album, released on 12 June 1972 by Apple Records. It was their most overtly political record — a collection of topical songs addressing the Attica prison riot, the internment of Irish republicans, the case of activist John Sinclair, and women’s liberation, among other subjects. It was co-produced with Phil Spector and recorded with Elephant’s Memory.
The album was poorly received on its initial release, with critics finding its agitprop approach too blunt and its musical execution uneven. It has since been reassessed as a document of a remarkable moment in Lennon’s political engagement — a period when he was simultaneously making some of his most committed activist music and fighting the Nixon administration’s attempts to deport him from the United States.
The Power To The People reissue represents the most comprehensive excavation of this era to date, bringing together material from across 1971 and 1972 to paint a fuller picture of Lennon and Ono’s creative and political life during one of the most turbulent periods of their careers.
Key Facts
| Announced | 14 August 2025 |
| Release date | 10 October 2025 |
| Total songs | 123 (92 previously unreleased) |
| Compiled by | Sean Ono Lennon |
| Mixes | Paul Hicks |
| Audio restoration | Sam Gannon |
| Mastering | Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios |
| One To One Concerts | Madison Square Garden, 30 August 1972 (Lennon’s last full public performances) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Power To The People reissue?
Power To The People is a major archival reissue of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Some Time In New York City era, released on 10 October 2025. The deluxe edition is a 9CD/3Blu-ray box set compiled by Sean Ono Lennon, containing 123 songs of which 92 are previously unreleased, including the near-complete One To One Concerts from Madison Square Garden on 30 August 1972.
What were the One To One Concerts?
The One To One Concerts were two benefit shows performed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono at Madison Square Garden, New York on 30 August 1972, raising funds for Willowbrook School, a state-run institute for children with mental disabilities. They were the last full-scale public performances given by Lennon. Other artists on the bill included Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Sha Na Na.
Why is Woman Is The N****r Of The World not included?
All editions of Power To The People omit the controversial Some Time In New York City lead single. The press release stated explicitly: "This is the full track listing. There are no hidden tracks on the CDs or Blu-Rays." The song was last officially released in 2010 as part of the John Lennon Signature Box.
→ John Lennon’s Mind Games (Meditation Mixes) announced – 14 August 2024
→ John and Yoko documentary Daytime Revolution announced – 14 August 2024
→ Recording: Double Fantasy sessions – 14 August 1980
→ August in Beatles History
→ On This Day in Beatles History
Shop John Lennon merch: John Lennon Rainbows, Love & Peace T-Shirt | John Lennon Imagine Peace T-Shirt | John Lennon World Peace T-Shirt
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