The year 1970 was tumultuous for The Beatles as the four members started their individual journeys. Paul McCartney turned in a tuneful album — McCartney — with a ballad (Maybe I’m Amazed) that continues to be a part of any best-of selection of the man. George Harrison struck a more introspective note with All Things Must Pass. Ringo Starr recorded tried-and-tested material, resulting in Sentimental Journey. But it was John Lennon who gave voice to his pain and vulnerability on the album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

Now a little over 50 years old, the album has been greatly expanded and annotated as Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection. What you get are six CDs, two Blu-ray audio discs and a hardcover book. The compilation is the work of Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, and Simon Hilton. There are 159 tracks for you to enjoy.

In her preface to the book, Ono writes that “with the Plastic Ono Band albums, John and I liked the idea of this really raw, basic, truthful reality that we were going to be giving to the world. We were influencing other artistes, giving them courage, giving dignity to a certain style of vulnerability and strength that was not accepted in society at the time. It was a revolution for a Beatle to say, ‘Listen: I’m human, I’m real.’ It took a lot of courage for him to do it.”

The remixes of songs like Love takes listeners into musical layers that one may have previously missed in the original recordings. Isolation captures Lennon in an atmosphere when he feels attacked while in God, he “renounces heroes, politicians, gurus and religions”, and “I don’t believe in Beatles”.

Given the times we are living in, the expanded collection has songs that appear as relevant as they did half a century ago.