Main menu
Fretplay home Submit tabs

Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono tabs Yoko Ono discography

Channels
Guitar channel Bass channel Guitar videos Reviews

Message Forum
Guitar forum Bass forum Bands and artists Promote your band Recent discussions All categories

Fretplay.com

Yoko Ono guitar tabs

CD reviews

It's Alright (I See Rainbows)

Yoko Ono - It's Alright (I See Rainbows) Audio CD

A fair review of the Yoko Ono "It's Alright (I See Rainbows)" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Yoko Ono reviews here, or go back to the Yoko Ono tabs.

Band: Yoko Ono
Title: It's Alright (I See Rainbows)
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-08-26
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: My Man 2: Never Say Goodbye 3: Spec of Dust 4: Loneliness 5: Tomorrow May Never Come 6: It's Alright 7: Wake Up 8: Let The Tears Dry 9: Dream Love 10: I See Rainbow 11: Beautiful Boys [#][*] 12: You're the One [*]

Melodious pop album
There are some experimental touches as at the end of Never Say Goodbye and the arrangement of the ballad Spec Of Dust with its innovative synthesizer flourishes. Opening with the tuneful My Man, It's Alright is a surprisingly accessible album of memorable songs.

Another track with an interesting rhythmic structure is Loneliness, whilst Tomorrow May Never Come is an engaging mid-tempo ballad with lovely saxophone. The title track has an uplifting tone and Wake Up has a light Caribbean feel with chirpy keyboards. Let The Tears Dry is an anthemic chant with rousing vocals, whilst the atmospheric Dream Love is infused with the sounds of seagulls and waves.

The original vinyl album concluded with the light pop song I See Rainbows but this CD reissue contains two extra tracks: Beautiful Boys and You're The One. It's Alright is an album of catchy songs firmly rooted in the sound of intelligent early 1980s pop but it does contain some quirky arrangements that set it apart. It will appeal to Ono fans and lovers of 1980s pop.
.

Yoko Ono meets The Human League. Way unfairly judged
The album topped out at a so-so #98, but most of it is because people didn't give it a shot. in late 1982, 2 years after the death of Lennon, Yoko Ono emerged with a new wave/pop album called "It's Alright (I See Rainbows)".

I believe had any other artist recorded this album and these songs in 1982, this album would've been a top 10 hit. People who dislike Yoko, HATE her, without any real reason except the tired "she broke up the Beatles" line.

"My Man" is a cute new wave pop ballad that I think could've become a huge hit for Yoko had radio touched it. However, it's almost eerie considering "her man" was now dead.

"Never Say Goodbye" was the most new wave moment on the album, the song is covered in synths. At first it starts out sounding like an upbeat catchy song, but midway into the second verse, it takes a turn for the darker, with a dub of John saying "Yooooooooookoooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!" in the background, and also has Sean come in saying stuff. The song turns out very dark and sad, with an ending that almost sounds like a sci-fi film.

"Spec Of Dust" was a very sad ballad about John.

"Loneliness" was remade from a 1974 song she did, I think this is another song that could've been a huge hit had radio dare played Yoko.

"Tomorrow May Never Come" is 50's flavored Yoko, a very catchy song.

"It's Alright" may very well be the centerpiece of the album. Another synth-heavy sounding track. Starts with a young Sean coming into Yoko's room waking her up saying "mommy, you have to wake up", and in many ways, represents a crossroads for her. The song deals with the fact that she's still sad in many ways, but she knows deep down everything will be alright in the end. Another "coulda been a smash" on this album

"Wake Up" is reggae-tinged, kind of a followup to It's Alright. Probably the weakest track on the album.

"Let The Tears Dry" is a haunting song. A very plain arrangement that almost sounds like she's singing in the middle of a war-zone. The song has plenty of "explosions". It's a depressing song and also one of the very best Yoko ever recorded.

"Dream Love" is the "power ballad" off it. People who hate Yoko's voice should take notice to this song, SHE CAN SING!!!

"I See Rainbows" is a positive way to end the album. A cute, albeit short, song stating that Yoko's making her way out of the tunnel and is emerging again.

The bonus tracks:
"Beautiful Boys" is a demo from the 1980 song off Double Fantasy. If you like that song, you'll like this. Basically the song on piano.

"You're The One" (Remix) is an extended dance version of the Milk And Honey track. Had this been released as a 12", Yoko would've scored dance hits BEFORE her recent run. The song transforms into a great dance-pop number.

Even if Yoko isn't your cup of tea, try this cd out. I once played it for a friend who never liked Yoko, but loved stuff like Human League and Depeche Mode, and he went crazy over this when I played it. Get over your preconcieved notions about Yoko before listening to her, she's very eclectic and not everything she does is "screaming like a cat in a blender".

This is easily her most accessable record.

A bit pop-like but still great
It may be too tame for alternative fans. If Yoko's fantastic works that created punk rock and art rock are a bit to far out of your musical ballpark try her It's Alright.

The most difficult Ono CD for me to critique
e. There a couple of Ono's very best songs on this collection i. "Dream Love" (which is in my top five Yoko Ono favorites) her sound effects and lyrics weave into one of her best vocal performances; "Spec Of Dust" is quite interesting with the usual insightful lyrics Yoko writes; and "It's Alright" hits the mark. Yoko is intellectual and cutting edge so when she gets emotional and middle-of-the-road (lyrically and musically) it seems unnatural and a bit sappy (though, her husband had just been shot and killed and she certainly had the right to feel however she did). I'm speaking strictly artistically. Her powerhouse "Season Of Glass" was full of emotion but there was the intelligence and cutting edge aspect that made it more than just a purging and catharsis. One of my main reasons for purchasing this CD was to hear the bonus track "You're The One" from the "Milk And Honey" CD. "Double Fantasy" and "Milk And Honey" had a very hip, to the point woman's voice about life and relationships. "You're The One" along with another song from the "Milk And Honey" CD makes it into my top ten Ono songs "Your Hands" (this one was directly connected into EBB's "Sonnets From The Portuguese") showed another side of Ono emerging. She could be avant-garde yet with form. She was still lightyears ahead of the rest. This CD is not an appropriate introduction to Yoko Ono's music. Buy her "Plastic Ono Band," "Season Of Glass" and "Rising" (if they ever put it back in stock) Cd's. . . . ps: the intro to "Let The Tears Dry" was later used in her brilliant "Georgia Stone" part of the tribute paid to John Cage. This is one of the most brilliant, undiscovered moments in modern music. Again, Yoko is lightyears ahead of the rest and very much on track.

Excellent
It was a contrast to her previous effort, 1981's "Season Of Glass", which was released right after John Lennon's death. Yoko Ono decided to look at things in a positive light with this 1982 album. Sadly, Yoko may have been sort of alone on this positive effort-it failed to chart significantly anywhere. Whether it was a hit or not, i certainly regard this as a classic.

The album starts off with "My Man", which was a single. Yoko showcases how her man is "the best in the world", and how she loves him very much. It's actually quite strange on how this song ended up on the album because, frankly, her man was dead. Despite the irony, "My Man" is a great song. "Never Say Goodbye" is where i think Yoko tapped into her genius skills. The combination of the meaningful lyrics and great instrumentation makes this song one of my all-time favorites, with kooky synthesized sounds, handclaps, and heavy percussion. The end of the song isn't as upbeat-in fact, it's somewhat creepy and disturbing, with Sean Lennon's voice distorted as if in a horror movie, and a noise that sounds like outer-space creatures are landing. This section of course leads the listener into the heartbreaking "Spec Of Dust", which is one of Yoko's most beautiful ballads. "Why do i love you so if you're just a spec of dust?" Yoko ponders. Perhaps the saddest line of this song is "In my mind, I'm searching for you a billion miles away", showing how painful Yoko's loss really was. Again, the synthesizer that could only belong in Ms. Ono's music is present, this time blending in with a beautiful piano part. "Loneliness" is once again not as positive as the album's title or theme as a whole, describing how Yoko can "endure almost anything" except for loneliness. "Tomorrow May Never Come" is another favorite, with a short but simple message on how we really don't know what will happen to us. ("Yesterday may scar us forever/Today may never be found/Tomorrow may never come". ) i almost see Side 1 as a lesson, almost like a continuous sequence of songs. This may be why Side 2 has not gotten as many spins on my turntable.

Side 2 starts off with the catchy and positive "It's Alright", which is a song i can definitely relate to. Yoko sings of how it's "such a drag getting up in the morning", and how she's afraid of the day ahead. But then, something clicks in her heart, and she knows "it's gonna be alright". "Wake Up" is probably my least favorite on the album, with a slower, more draggy beat, and sort of weird instrumentation. "Let The Tears Dry" makes up for this, though, and is another genius song on this album. It is maybe as dark as or even darker than "Spec Of Dust", with bombs dropping as part of the percussion. The handclaps are again present, but this time there are virtually no instruments playing, except for a whistle blowing a couple of notes from time to time. Yoko is accompanied with a chorus of background singers with the verses, adding to the song's beauty. The following song is much more positive and relieving, called "Dream Love". This once again is not my favorite, but it has pretty sounds of the outdoors, and peaceful lyrics. This song goes to show that Yoko Ono does not have to be a deep poet to be good. The final song, "I See Rainbows", is a bouncy end to the rollar-costar of emotions during the whole album. The positive lyrics help ward off any bad spirits the darker songs created, so it leaves you off with a happy note.

Quite obviously, i definitely recommend this album. As most of her albums do, this showcases Yoko Ono's great talent in many different fields. i truly think she is a genius, and this album definitely deserves to be in more collections.

You can see a complete list of all Yoko Ono discography, or go back to the Yoko Ono tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.