Listen to John and Yoko’s ‘Wedding Album’ for what it is, not what it isn’t
March 20 was the 50th anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s wedding in Gibraltar. On March 22, to honor the 50th anniversary, John and Yoko’s 1969 recording “Wedding Album” is being reissued in CD, vinyl and digital formats by Chimera Music/Secretly Canadian.
John and Yoko’s various recorded and filmed collaborations were far away from his music work with The Beatles. And for that reason many fans ignored it then (and probably still will). But don’t avoid “Wedding Album” just because it’s different. It’s actually interesting for several reasons.
One, of course, would be the reason it was issued in the first place — to celebrate their marriage. The white vinyl reissue, by the way, replicates the original box set created by graphic designer John Kosh that included a copy of their marriage certificate, wedding photos, a picture of a slice of their wedding cake and drawings by John and Yoko.
The album is an audio portrait of what the two meant to each other. Side 1, “John &Yoko,” is a call-and-response between them with John saying “Yoko” continually starting out far away and getting closer, and Yoko exhibiting a range of emotion from screaming to softness and even adoring. Hearing it gives the listener an idea of the love the pair had for each other. Remember, too…