Imagine (John Lennon album)

Imagine
Studio album by John Lennon
Released	9 September 1971 (US) 8 October 1971 (UK)
Recorded	11–12 February, 24 May – 5 July 1971
Studio	Ascot Sound, Berkshire; Record Plant, New York City; Abbey Road, London
Genre	Rock
Length	39:29
Label	Apple
Producer	John Lennon Yoko Ono Phil Spector
John Lennon chronology
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970) Imagine (1971) Some Time in New York City (1972)
Singles from Imagine
"Imagine" Released: 11 October 1971 (US)

Imagine is the second solo studio album by English musician John Lennon, released on 9 September 1971 by Apple Records. Co-produced by Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, the album's elaborate sound contrasts the basic, small-group arrangements of his first album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970).^[1] The opening title track is widely considered to be his signature song.

Lennon recorded the album from early to mid-1971 at his Ascot Sound Studios, EMI Recording Studios and the Record Plant in New York City, with musicians that included his ex-Beatles bandmate George Harrison, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. The lyrics reflect peace, love, politics, Lennon's experience with primal scream therapy and, following a period of high personal tensions, an attack on his former writing partner Paul McCartney in "How Do You Sleep?". Extensive footage from the sessions was recorded for a scrapped documentary; parts were released on the documentary film Imagine: John Lennon (1988). The documentary John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky, based on that footage, was released in 2018.

Imagine was a critical and commercial success, reaching number one on both the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. Along with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, it is considered one of Lennon's finest solo albums. In 2012, it was voted 80th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album has been reissued several times, including in 2018 as The Ultimate Collection, a six-disc box set containing previously unreleased demos, studio outtakes, "evolution documentaries" for each track, and isolated track elements along with surround mixes.