What was the title of John Lennon's first solo studio album?

John Lennon’s first solo studio album was John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. It was released on 11 December 1970, shortly after the Beatles’ break-up and alongside Yoko Ono’s similarly titled album.

The record marked a dramatic change from the polished, collaborative sound associated with the Beatles. Lennon’s songs were stripped back and emotionally direct, reflecting his experiences with primal therapy and his struggles with abandonment, family relationships and personal identity. The album includes “Mother,” “Working Class Hero,” “God” and “Isolation.”

Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector co-produced the album. The core backing musicians were Lennon, Ringo Starr on drums and Klaus Voormann on bass, with sparse arrangements that kept attention on the performances and lyrics. The title refers to the Plastic Ono Band, the flexible conceptual group Lennon and Ono had formed for their collaborative projects.

Listeners sometimes name Imagine because it became Lennon’s best-known solo album, but Imagine was his second major solo studio album and followed Plastic Ono Band in 1971.