After the harrowing
Plastic Ono Band,
John Lennon returned to calmer, more conventional territory with
Imagine. While the album had a softer surface, it was only marginally less confessional than its predecessor. Underneath the sweet strings of "Jealous Guy" lies a broken and scared man, the jaunty "Crippled Inside" is a mocking assault at an acquaintance, and "Imagine" is a paean for peace in a world with no gods, possessions, or classes, where everyone is equal. And
Lennon doesn't shy away from the hard rockers -- "How Do You Sleep" is a scathing attack on
Paul McCartney, "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" is a hypnotic antiwar song, and "Give Me Some Truth" is bitter hard rock. If
Imagine doesn't have the thematic sweep of
Plastic Ono Band, it is nevertheless a remarkable collection of songs that
Lennon would never be able to better again. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine