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The Plastic Ono Band is the conceptual group John Lennon and Yoko Ono formed in 1969 before the dissolution of the Beatles. Amongst the various members of the band were Eric Clapton, two former Beatles (George Harrison and Ringo Starr), Yes drummer Alan White, members of Delaney and Bonnie, The Who drummer Keith Moon, New York band Elephant's Memory, and famous session drummer Jim Keltner.

In 1968, John Lennon began his personal and artistic relationship with Yoko Ono by collaborating on the experimental album Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins. After a second volume, Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions appeared in the spring of 1969, Lennon and Ono decided that all of their future endeavors would be credited to the Plastic Ono Band. Its credo, "YOU are the Plastic Ono Band", implied that everyone was part of the group. In fact, the Plastic Ono Band was an identity to describe works by Lennon and Ono and whoever happened to be performing with them. Lennon and Ono would both use the nomenclature for years on their future solo albums. The single release of "Give Peace a Chance" in July 1969, recorded in a hotel room in Montreal, Canada with many participants, was the first release to bear the credit the Plastic Ono Band.

The only album solely credited to the Plastic Ono Band, Live Peace in Toronto 1969, was recorded during the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival in September that year and featured Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Klaus Voorman on bass (an old friend of Lennon's from Germany, who was famous for the cover art of the Beatles' Revolver album) and Alan White, who came to prominence some years later with Yes. Fronting the group, naturally, were none other than Lennon and Ono.

Just after its recording, "Cold Turkey", Lennon's harrowing tale of breaking his brief heroin addiction, was released as a single under the banner of the Plastic Ono Band again, featuring the Live Peace In Toronto 1969 line-up. By early 1970, Lennon and Ono had begun adding their names to their releases ("Instant Karma!" coming out as "John Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band", and their two proper solo debut albums: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band). By 1971 the name was being used as a secondary credit, with Lennon's and Ono's names the most prominent on their solo ventures, and with occasional variances (e.g., "the Plastic Ono Nuclear Band", "the Plastic U.F.Ono Band," or, when they performed with Frank Zappa, "the Plastic Ono Mothers"). The last use of the Plastic Ono Band credit appeared on Lennon's 1975 retrospective release Shaved Fish.