Yoko Ono – Season Of Glass

Yoko Ono – Season Of Glass

Originally released in June 1981, Season Of Glass is Yoko Ono's fifth solo studio album and one of the most emotionally powerful and uncompromising records of her career. Released only months after the death of John Lennon, the album confronts grief, loss, anger, love and resilience through Ono's distinctive combination of experimental rock, avant-garde ideas and melodic songwriting. Produced by Ono and Phil Spector, Season Of Glass became her highest-charting solo album in the US, reaching No.49 on the Billboard 200.

The album opens with “Goodbye Sadness”, immediately establishing its deeply personal character, before moving through “Mindweaver”, “Even When You're Far Away” and “Nobody Sees Me Like You Do”. Rather than presenting grief in a straightforward singer-songwriter style, Ono uses unusual arrangements, shifting textures and an expressive vocal delivery to create something that sits between art rock, experimental pop and avant-garde music. “Even When You're Far Away” is particularly poignant, with Sean Lennon appearing on the recording.

The second half develops the album's mixture of vulnerability and experimentation through “I Don't Know Why”, “Extension 33”, “No, No, No”, “Will You Touch Me” and “She Gets Down On Her Knees”. The closing sequence of “Toyboat” and “Mother Of The Universe” gives the album a reflective conclusion, while the recurring themes of motherhood, memory and loss connect Season Of Glass to Ono's wider body of work as both a musician and conceptual artist.

The album's striking artwork became almost as famous as the music itself. It features a photograph of John Lennon's blood-stained glasses, an image returned to Ono following his murder. The decision to use the photograph was controversial at the time, with Geffen Records founder David Geffen reportedly urging Ono to change the cover, but she refused. The image ultimately became an inseparable part of the album's identity and its exploration of grief and remembrance.

Musically, Season Of Glass features a strong cast of New York studio musicians, including guitarists Earl Slick and Hugh McCracken, bassist Tony Levin, drummer Andrew Newmark, percussionist David Friedman and saxophonists Michael Brecker and Ronnie Cuber. The album was recorded and mixed at The Hit Factory in New York, giving Ono's experimental compositions a sophisticated studio-rock framework.

For collectors of Yoko Ono, John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, as well as fans of experimental rock, avant-garde pop, art rock and unconventional 1980s music, Season Of Glass is an essential and historically significant album. It stands as a remarkably direct artistic response to personal tragedy while demonstrating that Ono's music was far more adventurous and substantial than her often-simplified public image suggested.

Side A

1. Goodbye Sadness — 3:48
2. Mindweaver — 4:24
3. Even When You're Far Away — 4:12
4. Nobody Sees Me Like You Do — 3:31
5. Turn Of The Wheel — 2:41
6. Dogtown — 3:22
7. Silver Horse — 3:03

Side B

1. I Don't Know Why — 4:18
2. Extension 33 — 2:45
3. No, No, No — 2:43
4. Will You Touch Me — 2:37
5. She Gets Down On Her Knees — 4:13
6. Toyboat — 3:31
7. Mother Of The Universe — 4:26