John Lennon expanded reissues and box set planned in 2010

Hmm, I've only heard the remixed Lennon solo albums that were issued in the early 2000s. How different are the original mixes?

It seems everyone is gung ho for Beatles remixes, but then I see the same people in this thread wishing for original mixes that are unmessed with, in this case.

 

QUITE different in some cases, Mind Games being a very good example.

Evan

 

Beatlefan reports about a limited John Lennon singles package exclusive to indie stores for Record Store Day. I wonder what that will be...?

 

In one of his final interviews, John mentioned that he thinks he did his best
guitar playing (ever) on the Yoko "Plastic Ono Band" LP.

When I read that, I did not own the album - but I made a mental note to myself to search for it.

I eventually found it - and I have to agree with Lennon's assessment.

Maybe John isn't thought of as a guitar hero - but there was something about the Yoko POB album that inspired him to TRY to find his inner-Hendrix.


Even if you think John failed, and you are not an fan of his guitar on the album, I think its hard to point to anything else John ever did that features similar playing.

From that standpoint alone - I would gladly welcome a double set.

The bonus track I would most like to hear is the Carl Perkins out-take I remember from those sessions. It was the highlight of the LLT radio series (for me). I'm not sure if it ever made it to the Anthology box set (which I never picked up). Any additional rock and roll oldies from those sessions (which I presume are the bulk of the out-takes) would be VERY cool to hear.

 

Anyone ever heard Lennon's killer guitar on Yoko's "Woman Power" from 1973? All I can say is wow.

 

I don't want to sound apocalyptic but if EMI is going bust (or changing hands) in the next months I wonder what kind of business plan the new owners will put in place. Re-issuing the old catalogue has not been enough to reduce the massive losses and we are talking about major catalogue items, so maybe they will have to try something different. I get the impression that the wave of remasters is coming to the end (at least in terms of its commercial exploitation)... CD sales are declining so fast that catalogue re-issues seem to have become just a waste of money for the labels....

 

Both John & Yoko are incredible here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4puCtdG3Mk
RIGHT ON!!!

 

My Japanese press of POB has a longer fade out on I Found Out, which includes some extra singing from John. Never have heard that on any of my other versions, vinyl, tape or CD.

My favorite solo Lennon album.

 

I've always thought that Lennon's best playing was on Yoko's albums.

 

It looks like Yoko has something different in mind for Double Fantasy. Jack Douglas mentions an upcoming project in this interview - a little past the 4 minute mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yauBS4t8ac

Chip Madinger
www.lennonstrangedays.com

 

I thought Douglas fell out with Yoko over Milk & Honey. Wasn't it because Jack didn't get a production credit on that album? Anyway, I'm glad they are friends again, if they indeed did fall out.

It sounds like they are making this Unplugged album by stripping the actual DF masters, or at least that's how I heard it. I figured it would just be all of the acoustic demos. Guess we'll find out soon enough. It could be interesting though.

I really hope they go back to the original mixes though for the other albums and not crank them up too loud. I also hope they lose the bonus tracks like the ones on the POB album that are totally out of place. Personally, I don't think anything should be added to that album, but something like "Cold Turkey" would possibly make more sense. I know it's like 10 months older or so, but the band is the same (+ Clapton), plus the minimal approach.

 

I assume you mean the eleven-minute oldies medley they did, consisting of That's All Right/Glad All Over/Honey Don't/Hound Dog/Matchbox? That thing is great. I love the sound of the three-piece POB, especially Ringo's work. I can't imagine why that was not released on either the Anthology or the JL/POB remaster, unless it was unwillingness to pay out all the songwriting royalty money those ten minutes would entail.

That's him starting to sing Carl Perkins' Gone Gone Gone. I believe there's also an Australian pressing that has that left in. Presumably it was edited from most pressings to avoid having to pay royalties to Perkins or whoever owned the copyright at that point.

 

This is stuff I would love to see released.

 

Great catch! Can't wait for this project, very curious!

 

THANKS!!! Very exciting!! That's great news about an "unplugged" version of "Double Fantasy"!! I really hope they expand it to include ALL of whatever there was then. I wish they'd do outtakes too, etc., but at this point I'm just glad that anything else is coming out. I do hope that the box set & the single albums have different stuff on them, and that we get as much as possible sooner than later with the recording industry as it is, and the targeted demographic for Lennon solo material getting older. I know he'll continue as a solo artist certainly, but getting the green light for projects such as this gets more questionable over time...maybe in the future Sean will just have to do independent releases of John's stuff when he becomes the keeper of the flame.

 

So they're going back to the DF multis, capturing the vocals and then recording new "acoustic" instrumental backing tracks?

 

That's not what I got out of it & I certainly hope not!
I thought they were probably going back to the first acoustic demos in studio when the songs were being taught, or isolating acoustic guitar/piano tracks etc.

 

I hope they use alt vocal tracks instead of the ones on the master takes..

 

I don't like the idea of this at all.
It sounds to me too much like Let it Be Naked.
Going back to the masters and just picking out the acoustic stuff from the multi-tracks.
While some folks may like this (same folks that like the isolation tracks from Rockband) because they get to hear parts and pieces of the finished songs....in my opinion, it is unnecessarily playing with the music. Even if the original producer is doing it.
How many permutations of this can be/will be released over the coming years? Acoustic DF, Heavy bass and percussion DF? Vocal only DF?
No thanks. I'll pass.

 

Actually, you will find there are a fair number who thoroughly enjoy the remixes as well. A lot of us find them to be sonic improvements, even if they are "louder". If you listen to some of John's middle solo material, the originals were fairly poorly remixed. A lot of the opposition to the remixes is from people who, while most of them aren't necessarily gung ho about them, are more upset that they have made the original mixes out of print.

For an album like Lennon's Imagine, I would have to say that the remix is very slightly different. The real difference is just that the sounds are much more clear. Listening to the original after the remixes sounds dull.

 

Or maybe it won't be that. Maybe it'll be the in-studio teaching the band the songs demos...or alternate takes...or who knows what.

 

As bad as the remixed albums were, Acoustic sounded worse still.
Play the tracks on that set that overlap the Anthology box and you'll see what I mean.

In the mean time I'm still playing my LENNON 4-cd set and my original MIND GAMES cd.

 

The 'Rock & Roll' and 'Mind Games' albums suffered a lot when they were remixed IMO.

Parts that were meant only for "support" (guitar tracks mostly, but also some percussion)
got REMIXED as loud as the lead guitar & drum parts, obscuring the melody.

The Rock & Roll version of "Ya Ya" is a prime example. The guitar on the left should
be about 1/4 that volume. Those remixes were executed with "cloth ears" if you ask me.

 

Looks like they're taking the lead from the bootleggers: The Alternate ______(fill in the blank of the album). Face it, some of this stuff sounds BETTER than what was commercially released.

 

Wow, we are so different, Chip Stylus!! I thought, minus Meat City's remix, that Mind Games was greatly improved. I do agree with the comments about Rock and Roll though. Isn't the first pressing CD of Mind Games no-noised to death? I will have to pull my copy out and listen to it. I need an import vinyl pressing of MIND GAMES and ROCK N ROLL!