A large and lavish boxed set devoted to one of John Lennon’s least favorably reviewed periods might seem ill-advised, and in some ways it is. But Lennon lovers will find interesting material in the new Power to the People, and even casual fans will discover some pleasures here.
The collection, which Sean Ono Lennon produced, is beautifully packaged with a cover that merges John and Yoko Ono’s faces and shows one or the other of them, depending on your viewing angle. It comes with an absorbing, copiously illustrated 204-page hardcover book, plus two postcards, two sticker sheets and replicas of concert tickets, a show poster, and backstage and after-show passes. The Oct. 10, 2025, Super Deluxe Edition includes nine CDs as well as three Blu-rays that deliver the music in hi-def stereo, 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos formats.
The box has two related centerpieces. One is material from Lennon and Ono’s Some Time in New York City LP, which arrived in stores on June 12, 1972. The other is the two sold-out “One to One” benefit shows for children with disabilities that the couple performed at Madison Square Garden about two-and-a-half months later. The August 30 events—Lennon’s only full-length post-Beatles concerts—featured backup by the Plastic Ono Band and Elephant’s Memory and embraced many of the songs from the album.
Like Bob Dylan, who followed a long series of classic LPs with the disappointing mishmash of Self-Portrait, Lennon took a big fall with Some Time in New York City. Nothing on the record was nearly as strong musically as his work with the Beatles or his prior solo albums, and his attempts at political songwriting, while clearly heartfelt, suggest that this was not his forte. Even the nonpolitical stuff—such as “Scumbag,” a collaboration with Frank Zappa that repeats the title ad nauseam—is subpar. As for Ono, she has lately been reassessed and pronounced ahead of her time by some critics, but it seems unlikely that she could have attracted much attention for her contributions here if Lennon weren’t also on the program.
Related: When Lennon joined Elton John at Madison Square Garden
Happily, the One to One shows include likable readings of some better material, such as Lennon’s “Imagine,” “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)” and “Mother,” and the Beatles’ “Come Together.” However, it was arguably unnecessary to include both concerts in Power to the People, given that their setlists and performances are nearly identical. And with those shows filling a pair of discs, did we really need a third with a “hybrid” concert consisting of the best performance of each song from the other two CDs?
Also overblown are the five discs related to Some Time in New York City. They include a “reimagined” version of the LP with “ultimate” mixes as well as early renditions and alternate mixes of songs from the album, none of which can compensate for the weakness of the material. (Curiously, the “reimagined” version of the record omits its original lead-off number, “Woman Is the N****r of the World,” one of its better tracks.)
More notable are previously unreleased live jams from the Some Time in New York City sessions. They feature Elephant’s Memory, augmented by a star-studded guest list that includes George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa, Keith Moon, Nicky Hopkins and Klaus Voormann. The group offers spirited readings of such rock and roll oldies as Carl Perkins’ “Honey, Don’t!,” Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over, Beethoven” and Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame.”
Perhaps most interesting of all is a 33-track disc of previously unissued 1971 acoustic solo home recordings by Lennon. Some of these are just snippets, but you’ll likely find it fascinating to be a fly on the wall as he strums his guitar and sings hits by Perkins (“Glad All Over”), the Everly Brothers (“Wake Up, Little Susie”) and especially Buddy Holly (“Peggy Sue,” “Heartbeat,” “Maybe Baby,” “Rave On,” “Peggy Sue Got Married” and “You’re So Square [Baby I Don’t Care],” a Leiber and Stoller composition recorded by both Holly and Elvis Presley).
Also on this CD are performances by Lennon and Phil Ochs of the latter’s “I Ain’t Marching Anymore,” “Chords of Fame,” Joe Hill” and “Ringing of Revolution,” all of which make Lennon’s political tunes pale by comparison. It would have been interesting to hear these as vocal duets, but Ochs does all the singing, with Lennon just adding guitar.
You may be wondering why a box this big doesn’t make room for a film of the One to One concerts. That’s reportedly in the works and due to be released next year. But it would have made sense to include it here, perhaps in place of the duplicative disc that offers a “hybrid” version of the shows.
The Super Deluxe Edition is available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.
Burger wrote one of the first interview-based profiles of Bruce Springsteen to be published in a national magazine. He has interviewed many other music-world luminaries as well, including Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tom Waits, Foreigner’s Mick Jones, Billy Joel, Steve Forbert, Tommy James, the Righteous Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot, Deep Purple’s Tommy Bolin, and members of Steely Dan and the Marshall Tucker Band. He has also interviewed many other public figures, such as Suze Orman, Daymond John, James Carville, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson, F. Lee Bailey, and Cliff Robertson.
His books include Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters, Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters, and Springsteen on Springsteen: Interviews, Speeches, and Encounters, all of which are published in the U.S. and Canada by Chicago Review Press. The books have been republished in numerous other countries.
Burger has been the editor of several periodicals, including Business Jet Traveler, from which he retired in 2024. During his 20 years at that
publication, it received more than 120 major editorial awards, including multiple wins for the world’s Best Consumer Travel Magazine in the annual Folio:Eddie competition.
Burger lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His wife, Madeleine Beresford, is a puppeteer and former preschool director and teacher. The couple have two grown children.
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