BLUEPRINT FOR A SUNRISE
By Yoko Ono
Review by Marsha Ewing

Please note..we have updated the review to make some changes in track titles...9/5/01

Yoko’s new CD, BLUEPRINT FOR A SUNRISE bears a similar name as the CD which accompanied the YES YOKO ONO art book,
(which was titled A BLUEPRINT FOR THE SUNRISE) but with the new album, we get a more complete story of Yoko’s current state of mind.

The new BLUEPRINT runs the gamut of emotions and musical styles, from screamers to gentle remembrances.  And as one of Yoko’s associates told me, “It's really a whole new concept.  An album made of live tracks, studio tracks, and samples.  Of course in the future it will be commonplace but I hope they realize Yoko is a trailblazer once again!” 

From the startling red cover photo which features Yoko’s face superimposed on an oil portrait of H.I.M., Empress Dowager of China, Tz’u-hsi, who as Yoko points out in her liner notes was the first person dubbed “Dragon Lady,” and the heartbeat at the beginning of Track 1, Yoko is laying it on the line again – screaming for women who have been beaten and brokenhearted.

Some people feel feminism went out with the 60’s, but many women are still being cheated and mistreated, both in their personal relations and in the workplace.  The subject of women as “nigger of the world" may be as old as time, but unfortunately, the topic is still relevant in 2001.  Yoko says in her liner notes, “Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night hearing thousands of women screaming.  Other times just one woman seems to try to talk through me.”  In BLUEPRINT FOR A SUNRISE, Yoko is giving voice to those screams in the night.

The album’s first two cuts are an anguished conversation between a woman trying to leave a relationship, and a man who would rather see her dead than gone.  The song ends, “No shadow was left of me, I want you to remember me.”

The harrowing song continues after this opening conversation with Yoko screaming “Gotta kill gotta kill gotta kill” and she then cuts loose with her patented vocalizations.  We actually feel this woman's pain through Yoko's voice.

Cut three, “Is This What We Do,” is backed by a Spanish-style guitar. Still dealing with women’s issues, Yoko sings “Is this what we do to our woman/She gives us life, she gives us love/And in return we hurt her.”

“Is This What We Do” is followed by “Wouldnit-swing” which has the same feel and flavor of the updated “Dogtown” from ONOBOX.  This song expresses Yoko’s insecurities, which she has often discussed in interviews and addresses in her essay in the back of the BLUEPRINT booklet.  Although she is known as a powerful woman, with almost magical powers to make things happen, Yoko explains her need to continue singing about women’s issues: “…I know women who are intelligent, powerful members of their communities who still live in fear because of the position they are put in as women in our society.”  So many women are forced to put on a man’s face and suit in the workplace, in order to survive.

The next cut, “Soul Got Out of the Box” is represented in the liner notes with one of Yoko’s “Spots on the Wall” pen and ink drawings. No lyrics are printed.  “The soul got out of the memory box and placed itself on an unpaved road.”  “The world took a trip on a mindtrain, shivering, shivering, like an untouched woman.”

Cut 6 is a new version of “Rising" titled "Rising II" with much of the song sung/spoken in Japanese.  This version is more subdued than the original “Rising” from the album of the same name.  The theme of the song is powerful – “Have courage, have rage, we’re all rising, together!”  “There’s no limitation, we’re all together.”  “Rising II” carries on Yoko’s theme of “Dream we dream together is reality” but now with a plea to have the courage to get the job done.

The next cut is one of my new-Yoko favorites. “It’s Time For Action” is shorter on this BLUEPRINT (compared with the YES YOKO ONO CD version), but there is an added feature to this track.  Yoko has the words to the song repeated in several different languages by others.  Yoko sings the English version, while Ethiopian, Hungarian, Russian, Hebrew, Punjabi, Arabic, French, Turkish, Chinese, Korean, German, Portugese, Japanese, Italian and Farsi languages are all represented.  Think globally.

In “I’m Not Getting Enough,” Yoko sings about the need for more.  More of life. More of love.  “Stars orbiting in space/ Sun’s rising on my face/Times are getting heavy again/An’ I’m feeling black and blue.”  The track has a bouncy feel, even though the subject matter could be considered downbeat.  With this musical treatment the listener is given the impression that although things are not going well at the moment, brighter days could be just around the corner.

“Mulberry” is an improvisational song of Yoko's, performed live at a benefit concert at Tramps in New York City on April 3, 1997. The song is preceded by a little story from Yoko detailing the song’s origin.   Yoko tells the audience about gathering mulberries during the war, when she and her brother and sister were evacuated to the countryside and  left to fend for themselves. This song was originally performed with John Lennon as Yoko's guitarist. Now Sean accompanies her in an amazing vocal-guitar conversation. Yoko’s voice interplays with Sean's electric guitar which seems to have taken on a life of its own..chasing and playing with Yoko’s vocals throughout the performance.  Extremely fun to hear.  

“I Remember Everything” has a very gentle feel and loving tone.  “The things we care/The moments we shared/You were smiling/My heart was beating/I remember everything/I remember everything.”   Some Yoko fans tend to disregard or downplay the importance of Yoko's more traditional songs, preferring the full-tilt screamers, but I find value and enjoyment  in both.  After all, like the rest of us, Yoko’s life is not a one-track-mindtrain.

That said, “Are You Looking For Me” bears down on the listener like a runaway freight train to finish out the CD.  “I’m the goddess in your dream/I’m the devil in your scream!”

The CD closes the same way as the YES YOKO ONO CD, with the peaceful sound of birds chirping, which for me symbolizes Yoko's art and music in a nutshell.  No matter what depths of emotion and pain Yoko travels through in her work, she always brings us back to the light.  We're never left stumbling around in the darkness, and I inevitably wind up feeling revitalized for having taken the journey with her.

Track Listing:

I Want You To Remember Me–A
I Want You To Remember Me–B
Is This What We Do
Wouldnit "swing"
Soul Got Out of the Box
Rising II
It’s Time for Action!
I’m Not Getting Enough
Mulberry
I Remember Everything
Are You Looking For Me

The CD has Yoko’s face superimposed on a Chinese Empress – the first person called " Dragon Lady", in red on the front of the CD, in blue on the back.

The accompanying booklet features lyrics, photos of Yoko and Yoko and Sean, as well as Yoko’s “Spots on the Wall” pen and ink drawings published by 360 Degrees Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.

Produced and mixed by Yoko Ono and Rob Stevens.

Engineered by Ann Mincieli, with Chris Habeck and Tom Wright.

Assistant Engineer: Maikel Rodriguez

Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC

Musicians:

Yoko Ono – Vocals
Timo Ellis – Bass, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Drums
Hearn Gadbois – Percussion
Phil Hernandez – Drums
Sam Koppelman – Drums, Bass, Percussion
Sean Lennon – Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Background Vocals
Chris Maxwell – Guitar
Zeena Parkins – Electric Harp
Erik Sanko – Bass

Sean Lennon also took the photograph of Yoko on Page 3 of the booklet.

Tidbits:  Strangely enough, Capitol Records has Yoko's new LP listed as a "Coming Soon" release on their website, but the webmaster put the wrong title with Yoko's name.  They're listing the CD as "Hidden Stash II: The Kream Of the Krop," which we've learned could actually be the title of a new album by another Capitol artist, Kottonmouth Kings, who have an LP called "Hidden Stash I."

A BLUEPRINT FOR THE SUNRISE-DVD

A BLUEPRINT FOR THE SUNRISE-YES
YOKO ONO ART BOOK