Yoko Ono - Season Of Glass (1981)

“Season of Glass” is a 1981 album by Yoko Ono, her first solo recording after the murder of her husband John Lennon. The album was released less than six months after Lennon's death and deals with it directly in songs such as "Goodbye Sadness" and "I Don't Know Why". “Season of Glass” charted at number 49, making it Ono's highest-charting solo album to date.
In a controversial move-hailed by some as brave and defiant but denounced by others as tasteless and exploitative-SEASONS' cover photo depicts the view of Central Park from the apartment Ono and Lennon shared. Lennon's bloodied, shattered glasses sit on the windowsill, in the foreground. It's a staggering image and one that accurately reflects the music . Though most of SEASONS was recorded before Lennon's murder, it's impossible to hear the songs without that event in mind. Tragedy adds layers of poignancy to such songs as "Goodbye Sadness" and "Nobody Sees Me Like You Do" and intensifies the anger of "She Gets Down On Her Knees" and "No No No." This reissue contains four bonus tracks, one of which ("Walking On Thin Ice") was the song Lennon and Ono were working on the night Lennon was killed.
A young Sean Lennon features on the track "Even When You're Far Away", recounting a story his father used to tell him.
After John Lennon's murder, Yoko took her anguish into the recording studio and emerged with this raw collection of songs. From the gunshots before the cut "No, No, No" to John's bloody glasses on the cover, this is harrowing stuff indeed. But it's surprisingly good, if only for the fact that the whole world was feeling similarly at the time. One of the most essential Yoko Ono releases, it's powerful and chilling. The CD reissue adds two bonus cuts: the single "Walking on Thin Ice" and a previously unreleased version of "I Don't Know Why," an a cappella home cassette recording made the day after Lennon's assassination.

Track listing

01. "Goodbye Sadness"  (Yoko Ono)  - 3:48
02. "Mindweaver"  (Yoko Ono)  - 4:24
03. "Even When You're Far Away"  (Yoko Ono)  - 4:12
04. "Nobody Sees Me Like You Do"  (Yoko Ono)  - 3:13
05. "Turn of the Wheel"  (Yoko Ono)  - 2:41
06. "Dogtown"  (Yoko Ono)  - 3:32
07. "Silver Horse"  (Yoko Ono)  - 3:03
08. "I Don't Know Why"  (Yoko Ono)  - 4:18
09. "Extension 33"  (Yoko Ono)  - 2:45
10. "No, No, No"  (Yoko Ono)  - 2:43
11. "Will You Touch Me"  (Yoko Ono)  - 2:37
12. "She Gets Down on Her Knees"  (Yoko Ono)  - 4:13
13. "Toyboat"  (Yoko Ono)  - 3:31
14. "Mother of the Universe"  (Yoko Ono)  - 4:26

Bonus tracks
15. "Walking on Thin Ice" - 6:00
16. "I Don't Know Why (Demo)" (Lisa Angelle, Yoko Ono) - 2:48

Credits
Vocals, Backing Vocals – Yoko Ono
Vocals ["a Little Story"] – Sean Ono Lennon
Guitars – John Lennon, Hugh McCracken, Earl Slick, Anthony Davilio
Keyboards – John Lennon, George Small, Anthony Davilio
Bass – Tony Levin, John Siegler
Drums – Andrew Newmark
Percussion – Arthur Jenkins, David Friedman
Vibraphone – David Friedman
Soprano/Alto saxophone – George "Young" Opalisky
Tenor saxophone – Michael Brecker
Baritone saxophone – Ronnie Cuber
Jew's Harp – Hugh McCracken
Tuba – Howard Johnson
Engineer – Ed Sprigg
Producer: Yoko Ono, Phil Spector

Notes
Recorded at The Hit Factory, New York City, 1981
Genre: Art Rock
Length: 59:55
Label: Geffen Records

© 1981