The most disliked Beatle (by society, not Beatlemaniacs) | Page 7 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

I think it’s probably fair to say that a lot of John’s politics after his move to New York, around 1972/1973, weren’t overly popular then, and are even less so now. It’s hard to think of those who still regard people like Abbie Hoffmann, David Peel and Timothy Leary as major political figures rather than eccentrics of their time, and John’s most overtly political statement, Some Time In New York City , while not getting a great reception at the time, has seen its reputation drop further than any solo album since his death.

His more general political statements (Give Peace A Chance , Power To The People , Imagine , Gimme Some Truth , Working Class Hero , Happy Xmas (War Is Over)…) still stand up well after decades, but when he honed in on specific subjects or issues, as he did on STiNYC, the results are often considered naive and amongst the most, if not the most, banal and unenjoyable of his whole career.

I disagree, @Little Piggy Dragonguy. I have no problems with it musically, think Elephant’s Memory are a fine backing band, and have no real issues with the production. The problem is where John was at politically at the time, which is expressed in his lyrics, none of which I can think of being improved by, or being performed with “more of a vibe like the Imagine album.” His politics were different by 1972/1973, as were those who were influencing his politics.

You are missing the real problems with the album if you think the main issue that people have with it is how it sounds, especially as I’ve heard lots of comments over the years that it sounds great if you don’t listen to the words. The politics of that era’s New Left politics have not aged well, and John was the biggest name expousing them up until the Nixon administration got serious about deporting him.