John Lennon expanded reissues and box set planned in 2010 (Part 2)

Right. DHL started as an American company but was bought by Deutsche Post, the German post office. DHL Express is now the express mail division of Deutsche Post. Deutsche Post purchased Airborne Express, integrated it with DHL and rebranded it as DHL, ran it for a few years as their US subsidiary, and then shuttered it in 2009.

 

I just bought the Power to the People: The Hits compilation. There were two versions, just a CD version for $20 and one with a DVD for $24, I bought the latter.

They also had Double Fantasy stripped down for $24, it includes the remixed version on CD1 and the original mix on CD2, and the new remastered (but not remixed) version of Imagine for $20. All prices are Australian Dollars.

The credits for Power to the People say the following:

Producer: Yoko Ono
Project Co-ordinator: Allen Rouse
Remaster Engineers: Paul Hicks, Sean Magee
Audio Restoration: Simon Gibson

Remastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, 2010.
Tracks 9 & 11 [(Just Like) Starting Over & Watching the Wheels]: Remastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, 2010.

The DVD contains the same tracks as the CD. It's a public holiday here on Monday so I suspect they just wanted to get them on the shelves in time for the release date on Tuesday.

Imagine from the remixed CD top, and from Power to the People, bottom:

 

Does the DVD include a 5.1 DTS mix, like the 'Lennon Legend' DVD does?

 

No, as far as I can tell the only audio track is 48 KHz 16 bit Linear PCM.

 

There's going to be a website with extra content here:
http://johnlennon.com/u/universe

The relevant CDs come with a card with a unique pin that will enable access to audio / video content at that website.

 

I find this quite enjoyable:

http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Ono-Band-John-Lennon/dp/B0000DZTVX/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285915719&sr=8-1

 

Much better than the standard CD indeed, but IMO a lot of ambiance was lost in the remix.

 

Thank you. That's very encouraging. Notice how the remix wasnt even that loud.

How's the sound?

 

Mine was shipped yesterday 30 Sep from Amazon.de (111 Euro)!

Never had any Lennon recording either on LP or CD!

 

I guess mine has just arrived but I'm at work now so I can't open it until this evening ...

 

Tape hiss is very audible on the original mix that is completely gone on the remix.

I am close to my internet quota for the month, so I can only post short comparisons. Here is one for Imagine.. It has the remix followed by the original mix; the first minute of each separated by a few seconds of silence. I used WaveGain in order to make the levels as similar as possible; the remix version by default is about 3 dB louder, due to limiting.

 

Here's a comparison of the last 1:15 of Jealous Guy. Again, the remix is first and the original mix is second. The remix to me sounds a lot more dynamic, and well, it is; the remix is 4.2 dB louder.

 

Thanks for that comparison. Reminds me of when I first heard the remix and thought "wow, that piano is completely drowned in NR" and then I heard the original mix and realised that was basically just how the piano sounded. :/

I think I prefer the remix - much cleaner, less hiss but otherwise essentially the same.

 

I think the John solo version is now officially a rarity now!

The version on 'Stripped Down' is pretty damn awesome IMHO. Very ambient backing, with John and Yoko doing a proper duet. Very impressed with this one.

As other posters have pointed out, it's a shame the remix/remastered bonus tracks from the last reissue campaign are not on the new box as a bonus disc.

 

It's not a fair comparison! The mastering on Power to the People is much better!

 

This morning I had the chance to (officially) download "Double Fantasy Stripped" and I was instantly impressed. The songs seem to be much more powerful and dynamic and John's personality really shines through his vocals. The question is if he would have approved of this mix...

When listening to the stripped version of "Woman" something reminded me of another Beatles-related song. It took two minutes to put my finger on it, until I`ve realised that the sound, the intrumentation, the tender lead vocal and parts of the basic chords (but not the melody, of course) strongly remind me of the officially unreleased, but more or less well known McCartney demo "So Long Yvonne" from 1985. Nice to know, that even in the early Eighties Lennon and McCartney musically weren't that far apart...

 

Are you?
I find this 'new age' version completely disrupting the flow of the album, since all the tracks are somehow similar - but with hardly any overdubs - to those on the original version of the album, except for that one. I don't like it.

On the other hands, I love "Hard Times Are Over" and you hear John a lot on this new mix.

 

Though I never got a response from anyone here about my question...elsewhere I did get a confirmation that there booklets with the individual CDs- like the 2009 Beatles remasters. Nice.
And...very glad to hear about John's vocals on "Hard Times Are Over"!!! I'll be getting "Double Fantasy Stripped Down" (along with the Signature Box Set)- though I do have mixed feelings about it...From what I'd heard on the samples, "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him" was the real standout track that was most different, sounding more like a pure duet, with "Clean Up Time" a close second...I'd read about years ago, and asked here earlier if anyone knew about, a Lennon version of "Hard Times Are Over" (similar to the John only lead vocals version of "Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him")...one person wrote back that although that didn't have an advance release they hinted that if I like the one, I'd like the other...so I'm glad to hear that about "Hard Times Are Over" & look forward to hearing it...wonder if that soloLennon version does, or doesn't, exist anywhere?

 

Picked up "Double Fantasy Stripped Down" this morning. (I'll pass on buying the other releases, though they were available.) I hate to say I'm not too keen about the new arrangements and especially the editing and mixing... Will elaborate later on this.

 

$133.75
http://www.blowitoutahere.com/product.aspx?refid=zilla&id=5099990650925

 

I remember very precisely (in late 1983-early 1984) that I read something about a John Lennon version of "Hard Times Are Over". I remember it well because at the time, we hardly know anything about John's unreleased stuff (all that had been circulating in the years since his demise were the acoustic "Serve Yourself" and a bit of stuff that was on a lovely boot called "The Toy Boy").

In an early 1984 interview for "Milk And Honey", Yoko also mentioned "One World, One People" as it it was an unreleased song. It would have been nice to have it this time around.

 

On the original mix Lennon is only singing harmony with Yoko Ono, but on this new "Stripped Down" mix it's a full duet. So it would say it's possible to mix a Lennon-only version. But it would sound the same as the "Every Man..." Lennon solo version, you (obviously) would only hear his harmony vocal.

 

Granted it is a totally different sounding track to the other 'Stripped Down' tracks, and it does stick out because it is so obviously different, but I'm not commenting on how it impacts on the flow of the of the album- just this track. It's mellow and funky. Each to their own.

Hard Times Are Over is wonderful: "When I hold you in my armchair."

 

Is every store streeting these things already or is it just the indies and locals?

 

Love this. "I'll ease your pain, Girl" works much better than "Aisumasen,Yoko San".

Too bad this will now go OOP. Love the demo, better than the studio version IMO.