Amazon.com
At first glance, this looks like it might be yet another one of those records where an older cult artist is paired with a bunch of younger/supposedly hipper musicians in efforts to add legitimacy to the younguns and street cred to said cult figure. Such is not the case with Ono's version of a collaborative hipster album, Yes, I'm A Witch. Yoko chose all the artists herself, and her choices range from predictable (Cat Power, Antony, Flaming Lips) to not (Le Tigre, Porcupine Tree, Hank Shocklee). The musicians were asked to pick elements of songs from Ono's back catalog and rework them. Most chose her distinctive vocals and created new songs using them (surprisingly, no one chose to work with "Mind Train" off her daring 1971 LP Fly). Unsurprisingly, Peaches chose to rework "Kiss Kiss Kiss," the infamous Double Fantasy song wherein Ono appears to achieve orgasm. Jason Pierce from Spiritualized turns the dance-y 1981 number "Walking on Thin Ice" into a powerful drone/ guitar workout percolating with a drum machine's pulse. The awesomest song is the Flaming Lips' take on Lennon/ Ono's "Cambridge 1969," carving a marvelous krautrock-ish groove that cradles Ono's unique vocal talents and Lennon's feedback and makes it something new, and better. The results overall are surprisingly great, though it's a bit disorienting given the eclectic array of artists. Ono fans, of course, will not likely be bothered by that. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description
The voice of Yoko Ono with colloborations from Cat Power, The Flaming Lips, Anotno (of Antony & The Johnsons, The Apples in Stereo, Jason Pierce of Spiritualized, Peaches and many more.

1. Witch Shocktronica Intro Yoko Ono & Hank Shocklee 1:47
2. Kiss Kiss Kiss Yoko Ono & Peaches 3:18
3. O'Oh Yoko Ono & Shitake Monkey 3:38
4. Everyman...Everywoman Yoko Ono & Blow Up 4:01
5. Sisters O Sisters Yoko Ono & Le Tigre 2:47
6. Death Of Samantha Yoko Ono & Porcupine Tree 4:35
7. Rising Yoko Ono & DJ Spooky 4:13
8. Nobody Sees Me Like You Do Yoko Ono & Apples In Stereo 3:56
9. Yes, I'm A Witch Yoko Ono & Palumbo Of The Brothers Brothers 3:48
10. Revelations Yoko Ono & Cat Power 3:52
11. You And I Yoko Ono & The Polyphonic Spree 3:26
12. Walking On Thin Ice Yoko Ono & Jason Pierce 5:07
13. Toyboat Yoko Ono & Antony (Of Antony And The Johnsons) And Hahn Rowe 4:24
14. Cambridge 1969/2007 Yoko Ono & The Flaming Lips 5:37
15. I'm Moving On Yoko Ono & The Sleepy Jackson 4:55
16. Witch Shocktronica Outro Yoko Ono & Hank Shocklee 0:30
17. Shiranakatta Yoko Ono & Craig Armstrong 3:08

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LC520K/?tag=imwan-20

What I've always wondered about these Yoko remixes (thinking about the several Plastic Ono band era singles that have been remixed) was whether or not John was still present in the mix somewhere, even if only instrumentally. Any idea here?

Way cool!

The only thing I have heard for sure about THIS particular release is that the Flaming Lips cover does feature Lennon's guitar prominently, but as for the actual remix minus Flaming Lips, I have no clue.


Being a Cat Power fan, I do have her collaboration with Ono "Revelations". I have to say that I think it's actually pretty good.

Between this and Patti Smith's "Covers" disc it look already like we are in for a wild year. I need to get both of these!

Rick A.

hmm...Yoko Ono, "Yes, I'm A Witch"...

(nah, I've pissed off enough Beatles fans already)

Another collection of Yoko remixes is being released tomorrow:



Audio samples and a complete tracklisting are available at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NA2398/?tag=imwan-20

Cool album cover. Better than Two Virgins, anyway.

God-that is one box that should remain closed (you figure it out!).

Sorry, Yoko cannot sing. Period. If she was not involved with John Lennon, would she ever get a recording contract. Try listening to their records together straight though. It is not easy. Bad music.

Against my better judgment, I’m going to respond to the last post.
Just because you don’t like it, it doesn’t make it “bad music”.
Yoko might not have a voice you enjoy, but that doesn’t mean people don’t like her music.
I’m a fan, and honestly I prefer her songs to John’s on Double Fantasy.
I listen to Rising and Season of Glass often.
I’ve seen her live twice, and I wasn’t the only enthusiastic fan.

I’m a proud Yoko fan, and look forward to this new release.

I agree that no music is "bad music". Really, would she have ever had a career without Lennon? Try listening again to her 1970's music. I really find it hard to sit through, and I am a very open person when it comes to music.

I bought Witch and will buy Box. I just finished listening to it on Rhapsody. It's OK. More of the same sort of thing that was on Witch. Personally, I'd have preferred some new music from her.

So I have to ask on this one too (as I did with Yes I'm A Witch), is there any John Lennon (vocal or instrumental) floating around in the mix on any of these tracks?

Actually, I too like Yoko. I might not buy her solo music (post John Lennon), but I do like listening to her stuff from time to time. She is who she is -- she was an artist before John Lennon, she's still an artist. As to whether or not she might have gotten a recording contract had she had no relation to the Beatles, who knows. It doesn't matter really, does it?