Deluxe Editions
by Madeline Bocaro
© Madeline Bocaro, 2024. No part of this site may be reproduced or re-blogged in whole or in part, in any manner without permission of the copyright owner.
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Check out my Yoko Ono biography:
In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono
inyourmindbook.com
Mind Games. Mind blown!
Playing mind games can be a negative thing, but John Lennon knew that it could also be positive – only if we play them together. In spite of suffering the slings and arrows of the media, the U.S. government and much turmoil in his life, John managed to write yet another beautiful and honest album, less severe than his first three solo records. Including Mind Games, his four solo albums to date painted a true portrait of his soul.
This 50th anniversary release is a gift to Lennon fans beyond our wildest dreams. An album (sadly overlooked upon release) now resonates worldwide, fifty years later. The fact that people everywhere, of all ages are now listening, appreciating, raving, vibing (and some of course, complaining) about a John Lennon album from long ago is absolutely amazing.
Experiencing the lushness and density of Mind Games had been diminished upon our first listening in 1973 – a less than stellar mix, through small radio or car speakers. Now (after a couple of past remixes) the music breathes freely – not only in an Ultimate Mix of the original album, but in various themed configurations, highlighting the acoustic elements with John’s voice, instrumental mixes (isolating and featuring instruments in varied combinations), Evolution Documentaries (from demo to conclusion), Outtakes and a disc of raw studio mixes (sans effects and overdubs).
John’s insecurities about his voice would likely melt away if he heard it resounding now.
The most striking revelation is the pure, organic timbre of the instruments. Each one emits soothing tones – just like singing bowls, used in sound therapy. (The word tonal is linked to the word “tonic” – a potion for healing). It’s perfect that the Elements mixes (select instrumental tracks, intimately presented on a molecular level) are now part of the Lumenate meditation app. They are truly celestial!
I love the unique way that John pronounces several words. One of them is “answer,” one is “flower” and another is “surrender.” It is extremely touching when he clearly sings these words on the song ‘Mind Games’ (especially poignant in this glowing set of careful and reverent restorations and alternate mixes by Sean Lennon and team).
Six remixes were made for each song, including the silent ‘Nutopian International Anthem!’ I love watching the sound bar vibrate as the track plays, proving that there is “something” there! On the Raw Studio Mixes disc, we hear The Declaration of Nutopia – a clip from John and Yoko’s April 1973 immigration press conference, appealing a deportation ruling.
(Now you can become a citizen of their conceptual country, Nutopia at citizenofnutopia.com).
It is astounding how much is going on musically, on every track. All the beautifully played musical parts are perfectly orchestrated by John (producing for the first time) and his team of slick studio musicians who gel seamlessly. The Plastic U.F.Ono Band are in fine form. John loved the players who had been assembled for Yoko’s album Feeling the Space; David Spinozza, two drummers (Rick Marotta, Jim Keltner) Gordon Edwards, Arthur Jenkins, Michael Brecker, Ken Ascher, and the sumptuous slide guitar of “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow, with glorious soulful backing vocals by the girls in Something Different.
The packaging is stunning. The Super Deluxe is the ultimate box set – with Lennon/Ono art pieces, a hard-cover book, and pertinent items from this time in their lives. There are puzzles, posters, Nutopian memorabilia, Easter Eggs, hidden clues only viewable with ultraviolet light (and treasure hunts in Liverpool and Tokyo) as part of the worldwide mind game. The six CDs + two Blu Ray discs are an extensive journey to the center of the mind!
Although each disc conjures a mood of its own, I also moved horizontally through the set – listening to each song’s manifestation. These are my highlights:
The title track benefits from the Ultimate Mix, (although some still prefer the 2002 remix). The Elemental Mix (John’s voice front and center with acoustic elements) showcases the song’s simple foundation. This might have translated better on radio at the time of release. The part when the drums sound like a distant burst of fireworks at the end of the song comes alive! Elements ‘Mind Games’ is heavenly (like the strings-only version of ‘Imagine’). The keyboards take us to church. Soothing and meditative sounds vibrate on a perfect, healing frequency. It conjures visions of people around Stonehenge – doing the ritual dance in the sun. The Evolution documentary mix has some studio chatter, with Yoko opining, “It’s heavy. The other take was floating.” We learn in the enclosed book, that the super high-pitched sound in the song is from an oscillator (a tone used to calibrate the console).
I think of ‘Tight A$’ as a parallel to ‘Crippled Inside’ on Imagine. Just a fun skiffle/rockabilly tune. Mind Games has a similar structure to the Imagine album. The three opening tracks on each begin with a stand-out single about world peace, followed by an upbeat Country track, then an apologetic ballad to Yoko. The Elements Mix of ‘Tight A$ is delightfully twangy – sort of a hoedown. The Evolution Doc version is raunchier, but it stops short.
‘Aisumasen’ is my all-time Lennon song. When this reverent, apologetic love song to Yoko is stripped down to voice and piano, it sounds like it would belong on John’s first solo album (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band). The Elements Mix has a beautifully reverberating twang on the guitar, and organ reminiscent of a Billy Preston performance. This would make a stunning film soundtrack to a gorgeous Hawaiian sunset scene. The Elemental ‘Aisumasen’ has a quieter twang, with sustained organ and single tracked vocal, sans Spinozza’s guitar solo – which is reverently highlighted in other mixes, as it should be. That solo is the most amazing thing on the album.
The warm and cozy ‘One Day at a Time’ Elements Mix features bass and keyboards. The magical Elemental Mix highlights the calming angelic backing vocals and organ. On the Evolution doc, John sings in a lower, less vulnerable octave.
‘Bring On the Lucie (Freda Peeple)’ I always thought that John subtitled this after Freda Payne (‘Band of Gold’ 1970) and Ann Peebles (‘I Can’t Stand the Rain’ 1973) because he adored their songs. Not sure if it’s true. It’s interesting that the opening line, “Alright, boys, this is it, over the hill” – is a rallying cry to the musicians to start another take! The interesting Elements Mix features percussion and bass. Elemental conjures a campfire song – missing the strong beat that carries the track, but the voices are amazing!
‘Intuition’ is lighthearted and fun across the board. The Elemental version is a potential show tune.
‘Out the Blue’ Elements and Elemental mixes feature the spectacular piano work, from neoclassical to honky-tonk. This song really soars, bordering on gospel. It’s my second favorite Lennon song of all time. On the Evolution doc, Yoko comments, “It’s getting beautiful in the end, you know.”
‘I Know, I Know’ (reminiscent of ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’) is another ode to Yoko. A really nice Elements mix has guitar, keys and horns. Elemental Mix veers on Country & Western. The Evolution doc has a stunning, triple-tracked magical vocal – especially at 3:35 when John sings, “I know what I was missing…”
‘You Are Here’ is perhaps the origin of ‘Beautiful Boy’ on Double Fantasy, with its Asian-style melody and calming ambience. It refers back to John’s exhibition of the same name at Robert Fraser gallery in 1968. The ethereal Elements mix consists only of stunning twangy guitar. The Elemental Mix of ‘You Are Here’ is the most beautiful piece of music on the entire set. This sounds otherworldly, with fairy dust sprinkled all over it. John’s intimate vocal accompanied by an angelic choir is perfect for a midnight boat ride. Evolution Doc is super dreamy.
John was amazed that the love of his life was born in Tokyo, three thousand miles away from his childhood home in Liverpool. In an unused verse on ‘You Are Here,’ John compares the mystical temples of Japan to the magical village greens of England (previously, the verse only appeared in the John Lennon Anthology box). The Evolution Doc tries it at different tempos. The Raw Studio mix also includes the missing verse.
From mystical to magical
What a way to fly
From temple scenes to village greens
Let in the light
‘Only People’ – a cry for unity – is another “Power to the people” message, but it’s more gentle than his previous militant single. Most interesting is the Elements mix highlighting bass and keyboards.
The incredibly quirky ‘Meat City’ closes the album. This is an iconic Lennon track – an acerbic rocker. The separation of its moving parts on the Elements Mix reveals even more weirdness. It breaks down to only drums, percussion & bass, with a sort of Rap beat. On The Elemental Mix, the uniqueness of the track is revealed in greater detail. The Evolution doc shows the increasing craziness of this brilliant madness! It culminates in a wild galloping, rollicking jam – glorious calculated chaos, enriched by the two drummers! Engineer Roy Cicala’s chipmunk voice survives all the mixes!
Yoko told Record magazine in December 1984,
“Obviously, I learned all about rock and pop from John. He also had very astute observations about people – on a very realistic level – that I didn’t have… Surrealism is very natural for me. It’s easier for me to describe my emotions in a surrealistic, symbolic way. But here was this guy who was very straightforward. If I was beating ‘round the bush he’d say, ‘What do you really mean?’… You can read a surrealistic poem and not know what they’re talking about. It’s just word-weaving. Or mind-weaving. You think, ‘It seems very beautiful, but what’s the point?’ I would have headed toward that, maybe… I might have been a nice old middle-class spinster. Instead, John gave me back the body. He woke me up from my mind game. That was very healthy for me.”
Just after the sessions wrapped up in September 1973, John and Yoko’s separation began. Although he spent the time in Los Angeles partying with friends and sometimes getting wildly of control, he was constantly trying to return to Yoko. They were back together eighteen months after the release of Mind Games. As John said, ‘The separation didn’t work out.
Produced by Sean Ono Lennon with Paul Hicks, Sam Gannon and Rob Stevens.
SEE MY FULL STORY ABOUT THE MIND GAMES ALBUM:
ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE
https://madelinex.com/2020/10/29/absolute-elsewhere/
A Yoko Ono biography
In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono
The true story of the woman John Lennon loved.
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https://madelinex.com/2019/06/25/eat-to-the-beat/
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https://madelinex.com/2019/05/29/orange-hangover/
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