Unfinished Music No 1: Two Virgins Songs Ranked

Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins is the first of three experimental albums released by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on Apple Records. It was the result of an all-night session of musical experimentation with Yoko in John’s home studio at Kenwood, while his wife, Cynthia Lennon, was on holiday in Greece.^[2] Lennon and Ono’s 1968 debut recording is known not only for its avant-garde content but also for its cover, which features the couple naked. This made the album controversial to both the public and the parent record company EMI, which refused to distribute it. In an attempt to avoid controversy, the LP record was sold in a brown paper bag, and distributed by Track and Tetragrammaton in the United Kingdom and the United States respectively. Two Virgins, while failing to chart in the UK, reached number 124 in the US. The album was followed six months later by Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions. Here are all of Unfinished Music No 1: Two Virgins songs ranked.

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12. Two Virgins No. 10

“This album really sounds like nothing that ever came before it. It isn’t an easy album to love but is an important part of the Beatles legacy. Two Virgins completely deconstructs the concept of what music is and puts it back together sideways.”

11. Two Virgins No. 7

“Unfinished Music No. 1 Two Virgins was the first of the three experimental albums released by John Lennon in the late 1960’s. (This one in 1968) It represents Lennon and Ono’s first “collaboration” together in which they experiment with different sounds such as special effect tape loops, yelling, Lennon playing riffs on the piano, and a plethora of birds singing in the background.”

10. Two Virgins No. 5

“It takes artistic genius to produce something as soul-searching and provocative as this. It is that artistic genius that John Lennon possesses. And after listening to this album more and more, it becomes clear that the TRUE genius behind Lennon was Yoko Ono.”

9. Two Virgins No. 2

“I was first drawn into purchasing this album because of the cover. A fine work of art. Clearly, much thought went into this. I took the album home, put it into the cd player, and what I heard..”

See more: John Lennon Albums Ranked

8. Two Virgins No. 1

“This album takes me on a journey, a wondrous journey. It actually has a fragrance to it. When I hear Yoko emulate the sounds of birds, I am carried through the night on a velvet chair, through the woods, to the wide, white shores, to the lapping waves, to the very core of who I am. Yoko penetrated my inner-psyche, and no-one else has done that through music.”

7. Together

“I feel the atmosphere of my dreams when the off-key trombone strikes, like the thief in the night; startling, unsettling, after my blood. This, and this only, is the very essence of the trombone. John understand the vital core of the trombone, as Yoke understood me.”

6. Two Virgins No. 3

“I like this album a lot. I think it’s kind of sweet that John and Yoko recorded this before they consumated their relationship. I may be one of the few who like Yoko’s music, but I don’t care.”

5. Two Virgins No. 6

“This is John Lennon at (at least some of) his funniest. His deep, sardonic voice snarling some obscure off-the-wall phrases, Yoko giggling, making gibberish, screaming, and the old music samples make this a really funny album. “

See more: John Lennon Songs Ranked

4. Hushabye Hushabye

“This proves that when John and Yoko are together, they create strange but beautiful music. I like to listen to it and find out what they are talking about. There is nothing offending about the cover, because that is what we all look like under our clothes.”

3. Two Virgins No. 9

“This record is a rock landmark. Not so much for whats on it but for the entire package. This package is so radical even by todays standards. Not many people have the luxury of being able to do whatever they want musically or artistically. John Lennon was able to do this. I think the cover is probably more important than the sound…”

2. Together

“I bought this album, already aware of Yoko’s work, and realized this would not be as artful or organized as anything her and John would do later on. I was thrilled by what I heard. The sounds, the pictures that this creates is amazing. It is 28 or so minutes documenting what would happen if you put John and Yoko in a studio together.”

1. Two Virgins No. 8

“Listening to this record will capture your imagination and expand your mind. I prefer Side 1 to Side 2, but I love the Adam and Eve theme of the sleeve (on vinyl) which finishes with John’s intoning “Amen” at the conclusion of the record.”