When John Lennon released Shaved Fish on 24 October 1975 in the UK, it marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. The album arrived just as Lennon withdrew from the public eye to focus on family life, following the birth of his son Sean Lennon earlier that same month. It was also the final record he would release on Apple Records before the label shut down, making Shaved Fish not just a greatest-hits compilation, but a symbolic farewell to a turbulent chapter in his solo journey.
Lennon had just emerged from Rock ‘n’ Roll, an album of oldies covers that paid tribute to the early American artists who inspired him as a teenager in Liverpool. With Yoko Ono’s pregnancy and the demands of the moment, instead of working on new songs he chose to reissue his solo singles. What he discovered while digging through his archive was that many master tapes were missing. “When I went to look for the Cold Turkey master tapes, nobody knew where they were,” Lennon said. “I thought, if I don’t put this package together, some of the work is just going to go – they will be lost forever.”
The result was Shaved Fish, a collection that traced Lennon’s artistic and political evolution from 1969’s Give Peace A Chance through to #9 Dream in 1974. It captured his fiery idealism, his vulnerability, and his sharp wit – all the sides of Lennon that had defined him in the years since leaving The Beatles.
Five of the tracks, Cold Turkey, Instant Karma! (We All Shine On), Power To The People, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and Give Peace A Chance, had never appeared on an album. Give Peace A Chance opens side one in truncated form, while a live excerpt of the same song closes side two. In between lie deeply personal songs like Mother, politically pointed songs such as Woman Is The N***er Of The World, and the universally beloved Imagine, which was released as a single in the UK for the first time to coincide with Shaved Fish.
Commercially, Shaved Fish performed well, reaching number 8 in the UK and number 12 in the US. The reissued single Imagine peaked at number 6 in the UK. Critics at the time praised the strength of the material, though some noted that it revealed the unevenness of Lennon’s solo career. Robert Christgau called it “eleven shots in the dark from the weirdest major rock and roller of the early ’70s,” while Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone hailed Instant Karma! as “Lennon’s best solo track.”
The artwork, directed by Roy Kohara with illustrations by Michael Bryan, became iconic. The cover is divided into twelve rectangles, one for each of the eleven tracks and one for the album title, written in Bruce Mikita font. The name Shaved Fish is said to derive from the Japanese dried fish product katsuobushi, reflecting Lennon and Ono’s ongoing interest in Japanese culture.
Sound-wise, some compromises were necessary. Many master tapes were unavailable, so Lennon used dubs from original 45 rpm singles. Early CD pressings in 1987 suffered poor sound quality, leading to a remastered version later that year that restored full fade-outs and improved fidelity.
After Shaved Fish’s release Lennon’s EMI contract expired, and he stepped back from recording for several years, dedicating himself to raising Sean. It wasn’t until Double Fantasy in 1980 that he returned, only months before his death.
One song that continues to generate debate is Woman Is The N***er Of The World. Written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and released in 1972 as part of Some Time In New York City, the title caused outrage on release, with many radio stations refusing to play it. Lennon defended the song as a feminist protest, arguing that the shock of the title was meant to draw attention to women’s oppression.
The song’s legacy remains complicated, and the issue resurfaced this year when Woman Is The N***er Of The World was omitted from Lennon’s recently released Power To The People box set, which revisits his New York City years. The decision to exclude the song has been criticised by fans and commentators, with some arguing that its removal erases an important piece of Lennon’s artistic and political history. Others defend the move as a reflection of changing social attitudes and sensitivities around racial language.
John Lennon – Shaved Fish (Tracklisting)
Side One:
Give Peace A Chance – 0:57
Cold Turkey – 5:01
Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) – 3:21
Power To The People – 3:21
Mother – 5:03
Woman Is The N***er Of The World – 4:37
Side Two:
Imagine – 3:02
Whatever Gets You Thru The Night – 3:03
Mind Games – 4:12
#9 Dream – 4:47
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) / Give Peace A Chance (Reprise) – 4:15
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