Power to the People (box set)

Power to the People
Box set by John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory and various artists
Released	10 October 2025
Recorded	One to One Concert: 30 August 1972 New York City: December 1971 – 20 March 1972
Venues	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Genre	Rock
Label	Mercury
Producer	Sean Ono Lennon
John Lennon chronology
Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes (2020) Power to the People (2025)

Power to the People is a box set by John Lennon and Yoko Ono released on 10 October 2025 through Mercury Records. ^[1] The box showcases Lennon and Ono's historic 1972 One to One concerts at Madison Square Garden, New York City. ^{[2] [3]}

The project received generally favorable reviews, although it was criticized for the absence of the song "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" contained in the original album Some Time in New York City . Commercially, the box charted in several international charts including a top-ten debut on the German Album Chart.

Description

The box set includes 9 CDs, 3 Blu-rays, a 204-page book, and 31 live tracks from Lennon and Ono's two sets at the One to One Concert backed by the Plastic Ono Band, Elephant's Memory and special guests at Madison Square Garden, New York City, on 30 August 1972. It features 92 bonus tracks. ^{[4] [5]}

The album is also available in one and two disc CD editions, containing just the concerts.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100 [6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Loudersound	[7]
Mojo	[8]
Pitchfork	6.0/10 [9]
Rockol	9.0/10 [10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Uncut	[12]

The project received generally favorable reviews by critics. On review aggregator Metacritic, Power to the People (box set) received a score of 75 out of 100 based on 5 reviews. ^[6]

In a positive review Tom Doyle of Mojo reported that "the reworkings of the original studio tracks that are the main draw here, and a great example of what these box sets do best: rescuing cultural artifacts, carefully restoring them and illuminating them from new and fascinating angles". ^[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Pitchfork described the box as a "a vivid document of that brief period when Lennon and Ono reinvented themselves as radicals". ^[9]

In a mixed review by David Quantick of Loudersound  : "once you strip away the flim and the flam, you are left with some reasonably good live music, some intriguing demos arguably the best material" and Some Time in New York City , "an album that suffers from being terrible and the omission of its one great song "Woman Is the Nigger of the World", whose title means it has been excised from the album." ^[7]

Track listing

Disc one: The One to One Concert • Hybrid 'Best of' Show

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Show	Length
1.	"Power to the People (Intro)"	John Lennon	Evening
2.	"New York City"	Lennon	Afternoon
3.	"It's So Hard"	Lennon	Afternoon
4.	"Move on Fast"	Yoko Ono	Afternoon
5.	"Well Well Well"	Lennon	Evening
6.	"Born in a Prison"	Ono	Afternoon
7.	"Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)"	Lennon	Afternoon
8.	"Mother"	Lennon	Afternoon
9.	"We're All Water"	Ono	Evening
10.	"Come Together"	Lennon–McCartney	Evening
11.	"Imagine"	Lennon Ono	Afternoon
12.	"Open Your Box"	Ono	Afternoon
13.	"Cold Turkey"	Lennon	Afternoon
14.	"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)"	Ono	Afternoon
15.	"Hound Dog"	Jerry Leiber Mike Stoller	Evening
16.	"Law and Order"	Lennon	Evening
17.	"Give Peace a Chance"	Lennon	Evening

Disc two: The One to One Concert • Afternoon Show

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Power to the People (Intro)"	Lennon	0:35
2.	"New York City"	Lennon	4:23
3.	"It's So Hard"	Lennon	3:10
4.	"Move On Fast"	Ono	4:01
5.	"Well Well Well"	Lennon	5:42
6.	"Born in a Prison"	Ono	5:11
7.	"Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)"	Lennon	3:36
8.	"Mother"	Lennon	5:30
9.	"We're All Water"	Ono	6:00
10.	"Come Together"	Lennon–McCartney	4:40
11.	"Imagine"	Lennon Ono	3:32
12.	"Open Your Box"	Ono	4:19
13.	"Cold Turkey"	Lennon	6:01
14.	"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)"	Ono	4:37
15.	"Hound Dog"	Leiber Stoller	3:57

Disc three: The One to One Concert • Evening Show

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Power to the People (Intro)"	Lennon	1:01
2.	"New York City"	Lennon	4:30
3.	"It's So Hard"	Lennon	3:16
4.	"Move On Fast"	Ono	4:12
5.	"Well Well Well"	Lennon	6:08
6.	"Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)"	Lennon	3:48
7.	"Mother"	Lennon	5:47
8.	"We're All Water"	Ono	6:13
9.	"Born in a Prison"	Ono	4:55
10.	"Come Together"	Lennon–McCartney	4:45
11.	"Imagine"	Lennon Ono	3:56
12.	"Open Your Box"	Ono	5:27
13.	"Cold Turkey"	Lennon	6:38
14.	"Hound Dog"	Leiber Stoller	3:04
15.	"Law and Order"	Lennon	2:17
16.	"Give Peace a Chance"	Lennon	10:38

Disc four: New York City (The Ultimate Mixes)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"New York City"	Lennon	4:40
2.	"Sisters, O Sisters"	Ono	3:45
3.	"Attica State"	Lennon Ono	2:54
4.	"Born in a Prison"	Ono	4:04
5.	"Sunday Bloody Sunday"	Lennon Ono	6:47
6.	"The Luck of the Irish"	Lennon Ono	3:03
7.	"John Sinclair"	Lennon	5:12
8.	"Angela"	Lennon Ono	4:04
9.	"We're All Water"	Ono	7:12

Disc five: New York City (The Evolution Documentary)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"New York City"	Lennon	5:49
2.	"Sisters, O Sisters"	Ono	7:58
3.	"Attica State"	Lennon Ono	8:10
4.	"Born in a Prison"	Ono	6:29
5.	"Sunday Bloody Sunday"	Lennon Ono	8:26
6.	"The Luck of the Irish"	Lennon Ono	8:33
7.	"John Sinclair"	Lennon	6:57
8.	"Angela"	Lennon Ono	7:49
9.	"We're All Water"	Ono	2:29

Disc six
New York City (Studio Jam)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Jazz Freakout"	Lennon Ono Jim Keltner Stan Bronstein Wayne "Tex" Gabriel Adam Ippolito Gary Van Syoc Richard Frank Jr.	1:40
2.	"You Can't Sit Down"	Cornell Muldrow Dee Clark Kal Mann	1:58
3.	"Roll Over Beethoven"	Chuck Berry	3:06
4.	"Honey, Don't!"	Carl Perkins	3:03
5.	"Ain't That a Shame"	Fats Domino Dave Bartholomew	2:31
6.	"My Babe"	Willie Dixon	2:40
7.	"Send Me Some Lovin'"	John Marascalco Leo Price	2:39
8.	"Fools Like Me"	Murphy "Pee Wee" Maddox Jack Clement	0:41
9.	"Down in the Caribbean"	Mitchell Torok	3:15
10.	"Happy Birthday Yoko Ono"	Bronstein Gabriel Ippolito Scyoc Frank Jr.	2:51
11.	"That's Right"	Perkins Johnny Cash	0:45
12.	"Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog"	Otis Blackwell Elvis Presley / Leiber Stoller	4:30
13.	"Yoko's Rhythm"	Ono	2:21
14.	"Whole Lotta Shakin' / It'll Be Me"	Dave "Curlee" Williams / Clement	5:34
15.	"Yakety Yak"	Leiber Stoller	2:10
16.	"Road Runner"	Bo Diddley	0:38

New York City (The Elements Mixes)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
17.	"Sisters, O Sisters"	Ono	3:01
18.	"Born in a Prison"	Ono	4:43
19.	"The Luck of the Irish"	Lennon Ono	2:37
20.	"Angela"	Lennon Ono	4:03

Disc seven: Live Jam
John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band and a Star Studded Cast of Thousands – Peace and Love for Christmas, in aid of UNICEF (Live at the Lyceum Ballroom, The Strand, London, 15 December 1969)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Cold Turkey"	Lennon	8:29
2.	"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow)"	Ono	14:59

John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band with Frank Zappa and The Mothers (Fillmore East, New York, 6 June 1971)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
3.	"Well (Baby Please Don't Go)"	Walter Ward	7:23
4.	"Jamrag (Say Please / King Kong / Aawk)"	Lennon Ono Frank Zappa	5:47
5.	"Scumbag"	Lennon Ono Zappa Howard Kaylan	4:26
6.	"Aü" (aka "A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono")	Lennon Ono	7:36

Disc eight: Live Jam 2
John Sinclair Freedom Rally (Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 10 December 1971)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Attica State"	Lennon Ono	3:12
2.	"The Luck of the Irish"	Lennon Ono	3:27
3.	"Sisters, O Sisters"	Ono	3:50
4.	"John Sinclair"	Lennon	3:59

Benefit for the families of the victims of the riot at Attica State Correctional Facility (Apollo Theater, Harlem, NYC, 17 December 1971)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
5.	"Attica State"	Lennon Ono	4:15
6.	"Sisters, O Sisters"	Ono	3:54
7.	"Imagine"	Lennon Ono	3:37

David Frost TV Show (The Little Theatre, 240 West 44th Street, NYC, 16 December 1971)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
8.	"Attica State"	Lennon Ono	3:09
9.	"Sisters, O Sisters"	Ono	3:01
10.	"John Sinclair"	Lennon	2:38

Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon (Americana Hotel, NYC, 4 September 1972)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Imagine"	Lennon Ono	3:50
12.	"Now or Never"	Ono	4:20
13.	"Give Peace a Chance"	Lennon	7:21

Disc 9: Home Jam

Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York, 10 September 1971

1. "Shazam"
2. "Honey, Don't!"
3. "Glad All Over"
4. "Lend Me Your Comb"
5. "Wake Up Little Susie"
6. "New York City"
7. "Wake Up Little Susie"
8. "'Hey, que pasa?'"
9. "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care"
10. "Vacation Time"
11. "Heartbeat"
12. "Peggy Sue Got Married"
13. "Peggy Sue"
14. "'Phone Call from Henry Gotsello'"
15. "Peggy Sue"
16. "'Now we'd like to change the mood a little...'"
17. "Maybe Baby"
18. "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues"
19. "Rave On!"
20. "Twelve Bar Blues"

Home Recordings at the St. Regis Hotel, New York, 27 October 1971

1. "I Got You"
2. "Hi-Heel Sneakers"
3. "Slippin' and Slidin'"
4. "Gone from This Place"

Home Recordings at Campus Inn, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 10 December 1971

1. "Send Me Some Lovin'"
2. "He Got the Blues"
3. "When the Teacher"
4. "Pill"
5. "It's Real"

John Lennon with Phil Ochs

1. "I Ain't Marching Anymore"
2. "Joe Hill"
3. "Chords of Fame"
4. "Ringing of Revolution"

Blu-rays

The three Blu-rays repeat all the content on the nine CDs. Some of the content is presented in two different stereo formats: 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos. There is no visual content on them. ^{[13] [14]}

Charts

Chart performance for Power to the People

Chart (2025)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [15]	16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [16]	28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [17]	99
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [18]	27
French Albums (SNEP) [19]	138
French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) [20]	8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [21]	9
German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [22]	1
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [23]	28
Japanese Download Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [24]	91
Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon) [25]	5
Japanese Top Albums Sales ( Billboard Japan ) [26]	19
Norwegian Physical Albums (IFPI Norge) [27]	4
Scottish Albums (Official Charts) [28]	7
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [29]	16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [30]	30
UK Albums (Official Charts) [31]	72
US Top Album Sales ( Billboard ) [32]	23

See also

• Live in New York City (John Lennon album) - First Live and Video album of the concert released in 1986
• One to One: John & Yoko - 2024 Documentary film centering around the concert

References

1. Kozinn, Allan (October 8, 2025). "'Power to the People' Review: John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Productive Partnership". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
2. Friedlander, Matt (August 14, 2025). "Massive John Lennon & Yoko Ono Box Set, 'Power to the People,' to Focus on the Couple's Early-1970s Work". American Songwriter . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
3. Womack, Kenneth (October 10, 2025). ""Power to the People" revives John Lennon and Yoko Ono's most defiant era". Salon.com . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
4. Bonner, Michael (August 14, 2025). "John Lennon's Power To The People box set announced". Uncut . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
5. Dunworth, Liberty (August 14, 2025). "John Lennon and Yoko Ono's political activism and NYC era explored on new 'Power To The People' box set". NME . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
6. "Power to the People (box set) Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
7. Quantick, David (October 10, 2025). "Review: John & Yoko's political years compiled". Loudersound . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
8. Doyle, Tom (October 9, 2025). "John Lennon Power To The People Box Set Review". Mojo . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
9. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 11, 2025). "John Lennon / Yoko Ono / Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band / Elephant's Memory: Power to the People (The Ultimate Collection)". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
10. Perasi, Luca (October 14, 2025). "John & Yoko, la musica e la politica: la complessa storia di "Power To The People"". Rockol (in Italian). Retrieved October 23, 2025.
11. Sheffield, Rob (October 14, 2025). "'Power to the People' Builds Out a Subpar John Lennon Album Into a Fascinating Box Set". Rolling Stone . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
12. Watts, Peter (October 10, 2025). "John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band's Power To The People reviewed: New York protest period revisited in opulent – but omissive – boxset". Uncut . Retrieved October 23, 2025.
13. Matteo, Steve (2025-12-17). "Graded on a Curve: John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band, Power to the People: The Ultimate Collection". The Vinyl District. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
14. Sinclair, Paul (2025-08-16). "John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band: Power to the People". SuperDeluxeEdition. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
15. "Austriancharts.at – John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
16. "Ultratop.be – John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
17. "Ultratop.be – John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
19. "Top Albums (semaine du 17 octobre 2025)". Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
20. "Top Rock & Metal Albums (semaine du 17 octobre 2025)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
21. "Offiziellecharts.de – John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
22. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts Top 20 Rock/Metal-Charts – 17 Oktober 2025" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts . Retrieved 20 October 2025.
23. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2025-10-20" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
24. "Billboard Japan Download Albums – October 15, 2025". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
25. "Oricon Top 20 Rock Albums: 2025-10-20" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 15 October 2025.
26. "Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales – October 15, 2025". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 October 2025.
27. "Fysisk Albums 2025 uke 42" (in Norwegian Bokmål). IFPI Norge . Retrieved 22 October 2025.
28. "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 17/10/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
29. "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 42" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 17 October 2025.
30. "Swisscharts.com – John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
31. "Official Albums Chart on 17/10/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
32. "John Lennon Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard . Retrieved 21 October 2025.

External links

• New John Lennon and Yoko Ono Box Set Power to the People Announced, at Pitchfork
• John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Political Period Focus of Massive ‘Power to the People’ Box Set, at Rolling Stone