unfinished music no: 2 , life with the lions (1969)
john lennon and yoko ono released unfinished music no: 2 life with the lions in may 1969 as the second installment in their experimental avant-garde series, serving as the debut release for the beatles' short-lived experimental label zapple, the album continued the couple's project of documenting their shared personal life and experiences as direct conceptual art.
side one consists of 'cambridge 1969', a 26-minute live avant-garde performance recorded on the 2nd of march, 1969, festuring vocal wailing from ono alongisde feedback-laden guitar work from lennon, with later contributions from free-jazz saxophonist john tchicai and percussionist john stevens.
side two shifts to field recordings made at queen charlotte's hospital in london, capturing moments like 'no bed for beatle john', where the couple chants press clippings about themselves, and 'baby's heartbeat', an audio recording of their unborn child before ono tragically suffered a miscarriage in november 1968.
the album concludes with 'two minutes silence' in memory of their lost child, followed by 'radio play', a twelve minute recording of static and tuning sounds as ono adjusts a radio dial. captured during a tumultous period of media scrutiny and police harassment, the release stands as one of lennon's most raw, uncomprosiing, and deeply personal experimental efforts.