Yoko Ono - Approximately Infinite Universe (1973)

Approximately Infinite Universe is a double album by Yoko Ono, released in early 1973. It represents a departure from the experimental avant garde rock of her first two albums towards a more conventional pop/rock sound, while also dabbling in feminist rock. It peaked at #193 in the United States.
Mick Jagger dropped into the studio for some sessions. He said he was playing the guitar very loudly with John Lennon. Mick went on to say that Yoko "was really trying to sing properly. She's not screaming, she's really trying to sing."
Written and recorded in New York City with Elephant's Memory, Approximately Infinite Universe displayed Yoko Ono finally coming into her own right. Showing off her rock capabilities, she finds the hard spot with such cuts as "Yang Yang" and "I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window." But she shows gentle sentiment in cuts such as "Song for John" and the wonderful "Looking Over from My Hotel Window." Although this record, another double on vinyl, could have used some editing, it is well worth delving into.
With APPROXIMATELY INFINITE UNIVERSE, Yoko achieved a balance between the avante-garde and the pop/rock mainstream. Songs like "Death of Samantha", "Yang Yang", and "I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window" make this abundantly clear. Yoko was and is a force to be reckoned with in contemporary music. As for the album as a whole, there is no filler or extraneous material on it. Everything is Essential Yoko, and that is no small statement.
If you are new to Yoko's music, this is an excellent place to start. It combines her primal, almost painful, qualities from her early musical efforts with the acute pop sensibility she displayed in her later work. This is Yoko Ono. Don't be afraid, she won't hurt you.
Yoko pushed the Elephant's Memory big band to bop, swing and burn at the same time. Unleashed in 1972, the tracks have an all-or-nothing fearlessness and energy, foreshadowing the rise of punkdom almost four years down the road.
The 1997 CD re-issue on Rykodisc added two acoustic demos of songs from this era, that were later released on 1981's Season of Glass. It was released again, in 2007 by Rykodisc.

Side one
01. "Yang Yang" – 3:50
02. "Death of Samantha" – 6:22
03. "I Want My Love to Rest Tonight" – 5:11
04. "What Did I Do!" – 4:12
05. "Have You Seen a Horizon Lately" – 1:57

Side two
06. "Approximately Infinite Universe" – 3:21
07. "Peter the Dealer" – 4:46
08. "Song for John" – 2:06
09. "Catman (The Rosies Are Coming)" – 5:34
10. "What a Bastard the World Is" – 4:35
11. "Waiting for the Sunrise" – 2:33

Side three
12. "I Felt Like Smashing My Face in a Clear Glass Window" – 4:09
13. "Winter Song" – 3:39
14. "Kite Song" – 3:18
15. "What a Mess" – 2:41
16. "Shiranakatta (I Didn't Know)" – 3:11
17. "Air Talk" – 3:22

Side four
18. "I Have a Woman Inside My Soul" – 5:33
19. "Move on Fast" – 3:43
20. "Now or Never" – 4:59
21. "Is Winter Here to Stay?" – 4:22
22. "Looking Over from My Hotel Window" – 3:36

Bonus tracks
23. "Dogtown" (acoustic demo) – 2:51
24."She Gets Down on Her Knees" (acoustic demo) – 2:45

All songs written by Yoko Ono.

Credits
Yoko Ono - vocals, piano on "Looking Over from My Hotel Window" and "She Gets Down on Her Knees"
Joel Nohnn (anagram of John Lennon) - guitar, backing vocals

Elephant's Memory
Stan Bronstein - saxophone, flute, clarinet
Richard Frank, Jr. - drums, percussion
Daria Price - castanets
Gary Van Scyoc - bass guitar, trumpet
Adam Ippolito - piano, organ, harmonuim, trumpet
Wayne Gabriel - guitar

Production
All songs composed by Yoko Ono
Produced by Yoko Ono and John Lennon
Lacquer Cut By – Peckum, Porkum
Orchestrated By – Ron Frangipane
Arrangement - Yoko Ono
String orchestration - Ron Frangipane
Chief engineer - Jack Douglas
Assistant engineer - Dennis Turbeville
Butterfly Studio engineer - Kurt Munkacsi
Rerelease produced by Yoko Ono and Rob Stevens
Remastered by George Marino and Rob Stevens, Sterling Sound, New York City
Artwork – Bettina Rossner, John Lennon, Yoko Ono
Photography By – Bob Gruen, Iain Macmillian

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Apple Corps Ltd.
Published By – Ono Music Ltd.

Notes
Released: 8 January 1973 (US))
Recorded Mid-October–late November 1972 at: The Record Plant, New York City (except basic tracks of "Catman" and "Winter Song" at Butterfly Studios)
Genre: Protopunk, avant-garde, experimental, rock
Length: 93:09
© 1973

Label - Apple (Reissued on Rykodisc)