Background
John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to New York City in September 1971 and continued their involvement in political, peace and social justice causes. When they eventually settled in Greenwich Village, they were quickly contacted by activists Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman who persuaded them to appear at a rally for left-wing writer John Sinclair, who was jailed for possession of two marijuana joints. The Lennons also spoke out against the Attica Prison riots, the jailing of Black Panther Angela Davis and women's rights. By January 1972, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had opened a file on the Lennons, fearing they would organise the youth vote and prevent a second term for President Richard Nixon. Soon, the government would begin deportation proceedings against the couple, and the FBI began intense surveillence, documenting their every move.
It was against this backdrop that Lennon and Ono, with the assistance of studio drummer Jim Keltner, hired Elephant's Memory, a local band known for their hard partying and anti-establishment musical style, to back them for a series of albums and live performances. Lennon once again brought in Phil Spector to co-produce the new studio album, which was completed 20 March 1972—John & Yoko's third wedding anniversary.
Read more about this topic: Some Time In New York City
Famous quotes containing the word background:
“Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after satiety as after disappointment; that background which the painter may not daub, be he master or bungler, and which, however awkward a figure we may have made in the foreground, remains ever our inviolable asylum, where no indignity can assail, no personality can disturb us.”
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“In the true sense one’s native land, with its background of tradition, early impressions, reminiscences and other things dear to one, is not enough to make sensitive human beings feel at home.”
—Emma Goldman (1869–1940)