Imagine

Released on September 9, 1971, Imagine is John Lennon's second solo studio album and his most commercially and critically successful post-Beatles work. Co-produced by Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector, it was recorded primarily at Ascot Sound Studios (Lennon's home studio at Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire) and the Record Plant in New York City.

The album reflects Lennon's evolving political and artistic ambitions after the raw, primal scream-influenced confessions of his debut LP. Where that record stripped everything to bone, Imagine sought a wider audience without abandoning its radical ideological content. The title track became one of the most covered and recognized songs in popular music history. Other highlights include a blistering personal attack on Paul McCartney ("How Do You Sleep?"), love songs written for Ono, and meditations on peace and political freedom.

Phil Spector restrained his signature Wall of Sound approach at Lennon and Ono's direction, resulting in cleaner, more intimate recordings that allow orchestration and emotion to coexist without overwhelm. George Harrison contributed guitar on several tracks. The album reached No. 1 in the UK and became the best-selling solo record of Lennon's career.