Rising (Yoko Ono album)


Rising is a 1995 album by avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. Released on 7 November by Capitol Records, it features the backing band IMA, which included Ono's son Sean Ono Lennon, Timo Ellis, and Sam Koppelman. It was her first album of new material since 1985's Starpeace. The album has sold 11,000 copies in the U.S. to date.

Reception

The British newspaper The Guardian named the album "Pop CD of the week" in January 1996. In their review, the album was described as an "unexpected minor triumph". The reviewer, Dan Glaister, further noted that "underlying all the hurt and anger" was also "an overwhelming honesty and humanity" and that the album "succeeds in imparting enormous positivity". Glaister singled out the track "Kurushi" as a "haunting, gentle call to a loved one" and described "Goodbye, My Love" as a "mournful, jolly little ballad a la McCartney".
Bruce Hainley of art magazine Artforum International wrote that the album "affirms her amazing talents as a musician" and described it as "an uncompromising blend of Conceptual art and rock 'n' roll" with Yoko using a "wide range of vocals from the aggressive to the sultry to fusion". He also felt that it was "hard to imagine a better place to start for those unfamiliar with her work". Hainley also praised the remix album Rising Mixes, which " the continuing reach of Ono's influence on rock since the '70s". He described the bonus song "Franklin Summer" as "hypnotic".
In a 2023 article for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis ranked "Talking to the Universe" as Yoko Ono's sixteenth best song in her catalog.

Track listing

All songs written by Yoko Ono.
  1. "Warzone" – 1:55
  2. "Wouldnit" – 3:02
  3. "Ask the Dragon" – 4:12
  4. "New York Woman" – 2:07
  5. "Talking to the Universe" – 3:31
  6. "Turned the Corner" – 2:58
  7. "I'm Dying" – 6:18
  8. "Where Do We Go from Here?" – 3:02
  9. "Kurushi" – 7:59
  10. "Will I" – 2:27
  11. "Rising" – 14:28
  12. "Goodbye My Love" – 2:22
  13. "Revelations" – 5:35
  14. "Ask the Dragon" – 4:49
  15. "Talking to the Universe" – 4:21

    ''Rising Mixes'' (released 3 June 1996)

  16. "Talking to the Universe"
  17. "The Source"
  18. "Ask the Dragon"
  19. "Where Do We Go from Here?"
  20. "Rising"
  21. "Franklin Summer" *
The ABA All Stars remix is credited to Miho Hatori, Yuka Honda and Sean Lennon, as well as Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. Keiji Haino, Masonna, Monde Bruits, Incapacitants, C.C.C.C., Hanatarash, MSBR, and The Gerogerigegege are also credited as performers in Thurston Moore's remix of "Rising".
A vinyl promo version was released with the track listing:-
  1. "Ask the Dragon"
  2. "Talking to the Universe"
  3. "The Source"
  4. "Where Do We Go from Here?"
  5. "Rising"
  6. "Kurushi "

    Personnel

  • Yoko Ono – vocals
  • Sean Ono Lennon – guitars, bass guitar, backing vocals, keyboards
  • Timo Ellis – guitars, bass guitar, drums
  • Sam Koppelman – bass, drums, percussions

    Production

  • Yoko Ono, Rob Stevens – producers
  • Alfred Brand, Chris Habeck, Mike Anzelowitz, Wes Naprstek – engineers
  • David Ayers – A&R
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Rob Stevens, Yoko Ono – mixing
  • Recorded at Broome Street – Timo Ellis
  • Recorded at Quad Recording – Rob Stevens

    Release history

Rising
CountryDateFormatLabelCatalog
United States1995CDCapitol RecordsCDP 724383581726
United States1995CassetteCapitol RecordsC4 724383581740
Europe1995CDCapitol RecordsCDP 8358172
Japan13 December 1995CDCapitol RecordsTOCP-8737

Rising Mixes
CountryDateFormatLabelCatalog
United States1996CDCapitol RecordsCDP 724383726806
United States1996LP Capitol RecordsSPRO-11219/11222
United States1996Cassette Capitol RecordsCDP 37268
Europe1996CDCapitol RecordsCDP8372680