Live Peace in Toronto
| Live Peace in Toronto 1969 | ||||
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| Live album by Plastic Ono Band | ||||
| Released | 12 December 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 13 September 1969, at Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll • avant-garde | |||
| Length | 39:49 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Producer | John Lennon & Yoko Ono (Bag Productions) | |||
| Plastic Ono Band chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Robert Christgau | C |
| MusicHound | 3/5 |
| Paste | |
Live Peace in Toronto 1969 is a live album by the Plastic Ono Band, released December 1969 on Apple. Recorded at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival, it was the first live album released by any member of the Beatles separately or together. John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono received a phone call from the festival's promoters John Brower and Kenny Walker, and then assembled a band in a very short space of time to play at the festival, which was due to start the following day. The band included Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, and drummer Alan White. The group had brief rehearsals before appearing on the stage to perform several songs; one of which, "Cold Turkey", was first performed live at said festival. Eventually returning home, Lennon mixed the album in a day.
The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified a gold album by the RIAA, and failed to chart in the UK. The original LP came with a thirteen-month 1970 calendar. A video of several performances, not just the Plastic Ono Band's set, was released on video. Since its first release, the album has been reissued a number of times.
Toronto rock promoters John Brower and Kenny Walker organised a festival held at Varsity Stadium on 13 September 1969, around the notion of a revival of rock and roll stars from the 1950s, booking Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, and Gene Vincent. They also booked more modern acts such as Alice Cooper, Chicago, and The Doors. On 12 September, Brower contacted Lennon to see if he would be willing to be the master of ceremonies. Lennon offered instead to perform at the festival, bringing his own band, the Plastic Ono Band." Brower agreed, and Lennon quickly assembled a band. He initially approached Beatles band-mate George Harrison to play lead guitar, but Harrison turned him down, so Eric Clapton (who had played guitar in Lennon's earlier live group, the Dirty Mac) was chosen instead. Lennon hastily assembled the rest of the band, consisting of Klaus Voormann, and drummer Alan White, as well as their assistants, Anthony Fawcett, Terry Doran, and Jill and Dan Richter, to accompany himself and Ono. White got a phone call from Lennon, and assumed it was a friend prank calling him, only realising it was actually Lennon after a second call.
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