Album Reviews

Periodically, artists will issue an album that unintentionally divides their audience. John Lennon’s October 1973 solo LP Mind Games was one such album — even though it was no doubt a bonafide hit recording, reaching the No. 9 spot on the U.S. albums chart and No. 13 in the UK, as well as achieving Gold-record status despite receiving mixed critical reviews. For some of us, Mind Games was a much-welcomed return to Lennon at his most melodic — and, frankly, more Beatle-esque — echoing the sensibilities of his landmark September 1971 LP, Imagine.

In its own way, at least from this fan’s perspective, Mind Games felt like a continuum piece, from its cosmic-leaning cover artwork on down through the lyrical messaging of peace, love, and togetherness. I have always enjoyed Mind Games as a full-album listening experience, start to finish, even though it was made during a period of personal upheaval for Lennon. (More on that important background later.) That said, I’ve never quite understood why quite a number of friends over the years have taken a pass on this album.

A new 2LP set dubbed Mind Games: The Ultimate Mixes & The Out-takes, released on July 12, 2024, via Lenono Music/Universal Music Group International, may change some of that perspective, as it aims to bring listeners more inside Lennon’s 1973 recording sessions at New York’s Record Plant studio. Hopefully, these new mixes will open new vistas into the music for those who may have overlooked it, as well as offer new insights for deeper fans of the record like myself.

Before we go deeper into the album, here’s some important DNA information underlying the new 2LP release of Mind Games, as gleaned from the official press materials. (Note that the Ultimate Collection nomenclature that follows refers to the broadstroke name given to the expanded, companion 6CD/2BD box set version of this release, but the source material details are the same.) “Fully authorized by Yoko Ono Lennon and produced by Sean Ono Lennon, who oversaw the production and creative direction, the Ultimate Collection is from the same audio team that worked on the critically acclaimed Imagine and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Ultimate Collections, including triple-Grammy Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks, and mixers/engineers Sam Gannon and Rob Stevens. [. . .] They utilized high-definition 24-bit/192kHz audio transfers of the original first-generation multitrack recordings by Matthew Cocker at Abbey Road Studios to create the best possible recreations of the originals. [. . .] All of the tracks have been completely remixed from scratch from the 15 original two-inch multitrack session tapes using brand new 192-24 digital transfers. The Ultimate Collection includes previously unreleased out-takes and stems plus additional never-heard-before audio from archive ¼in reel-to-reels, cassettes, and videotapes.”

Mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios, the Mind Games vinyl pressings were made in the Czech Republic (likely at GZ), and the 180g 2LP set carries an SRP of $49.99. The album package includes an 8-page LP-sized booklet with photos and artwork, as well as a recreation of the 1973 triptych poster used to market Mind Games at retail. Postcard reproductions of period advertising art and an individually numbered “Citizen of Nutopia ID Card” are also included.

On the plus side, I was initially taken with how very good the new 2LP edition of Mind Games generally sounds. Like other ultimate mixes that producer Sean Onon Lennon has crafted, these new presentations of the songs are much clearer and more detailed than any pressings of Mind Games I’ve owned.

(Sidenote: I have never found a UK pressing of this album, and original U.S. pressings have always been a bit of a mixed bag, sonics-wise. Mind Games was always a fairly compressed-sounding record. Additionally, and not unique to the parent label, pretty much all LP pressings from the mid-1970s were often impacted by the Middle East oil crisis that affected vinyl quality, oil being a primary ingredient of LPs. Also, Apple Records’ own shaky business conditions at the time probably didn’t help matters either, so QC suffered on their own product at times, in the form of less-than-ideal pressings.)

While I mostly love the new mix of Mind Games for what it is — more on that too, in a moment — I admit that I was preparing myself for the worst, because I had heard rumblings from Beatlefan friends about problems with their pressings. Since this set was likely pressed at GZ, we know that plant has had periodic issues with their own QC — hence, it seemed to be a 50/50 crapshoot.

Unfortunately, my copy of the new Mind Games arrived on the downside of that ratio, with my LPs dabbed with bits of white paper dust on the discs themselves as well as some pressing marks that were thankfully not audible on my copy. There were also some not-immediately-visible moments of surface noise that emerged towards the center of the album on both the main Mind Games album (LP1) and the Out-takes disc (LP2). (AP editor Mike Mettler reports that he too experienced similar mid-LP pops on his copy of the set.)

This is not a total dealbreaker, however, as it is just a passing bit of noise in one song per disc — but still, a consumer expects a perfect product, especially at a $50 price point. Other than that nit, these pressings are well-centered and overall generally quiet.

Getting back to discussing the new Mind Games mixes, I greatly appreciate the “ultimate mix” concept because it presents the music in a new light, and certainly calls greater attention to Lennon’s passionate vocals as well as the high caliber of the musicianship herein, which could at times get buried in earlier incarnations for a multitude of production reasons. Kick drums and cymbals are clearer and individual instruments are more pronounced and rich-sounding, presented across a somewhat less claustrophobic soundstage than that of the original mix.

So, while these new mixes do sound different — quite different, at times — it is important to remember that your original LP(s) can remain in your collection, and that no one is coming to take them from you! I point this out because, over the years, I have read and heard commentary from some collectors who get extremely emotional about this sort of thing. In fact, I will be holding on to my original Mind Games LP, despite it sounding more compressed and overall thinner than what I’m hearing with these new mixes. To that point, given the at-times dramatic changes found on this new edition of Mind Games, it would have been a nice thing if the powers that be had also included a remastered version of the original mix in the set as a third LP option.

There are many details on this new version of Mind Games that were not as apparent or emphasized in Lennon’s original mix. This is especially apparent on “Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)” (LP1, Side 1, Track 5), which focuses more on the simple-strummed layered acoustic guitars, reggae-tilting bass lines, and tremolo-heavy electric guitar parts than the relentless slide guitar/power-chord aesthetic of the original. I do have to admit the original approach did make this song sound a bit like an inadvertent homage to The Who’s 1971 insta-classic Who’s Next opener, “Baba O’Riley.” In this instance, I found the alternate perspective super-interesting — and even appealing.

Lennon’s vocals on “Intuition” (LP1, Side 2, Track 1) sounds far more relaxed and open than on the original, perhaps due to the breathy “ahhs” that are now lifted up in the mix as a sweet counterpoint to his main layered vocals.

The dead-quiet break after the first verse on the proto-metal-leaning closing track “Meat City” (LP1, Side 2, Track 6) — when Lennon sings the first “Just gotta give me some rock ’n’ roll” — is pretty breathtaking. It was there on the original, but the impact of the full-stop never sounded quite this defined and powerful. That moment just jumps out of your speakers. “Meat City” always rocked hard, and it rocks harder than ever now — so I say turn it up!

Less exciting for me — disappointing, really — is the inexplicable removal of Michael Brecker’s saxophone solo from “One Day at a Time.” (LP1, Side 1, Track 4). This is one of my favorite tracks on Mind Games, and I always looked forward to hearing that beautiful and near-perfect Brecker solo. Perhaps removing it returned the focus to Lennon’s voice, but I can’t help but feel this omission was something of a misstep, especially since the original version is not included elsewhere on this collection. (This is another reason to hold on to your original LPs, folks.)

The bonus Out-takes LP is a fascinating listen unto itself, giving us early incarnations of how the songs were developing, as presented in a track-for-track mirror of the original song sequence. In essence, you get an entirely new album, and a new insight into the music. As another bonus, there is a snippet included from John and Yoko’s press conference announcing their “Declaration of Nutopia” (LP2, Side 1, Track 6), which was done in conjunction with the initial Mind Games release back in the day.

Before I get to the ratings portion of this review, and for some additional perspective, the official press release offers an important summary of the challenging times Lennon faced at the time Mind Games was created: “In 1973, at age 33, John found himself in personal and political upheaval. A years-long deportation battle with U.S. immigration continued to rage on while his high-profile anti-Nixon campaigning, anti-Vietnam War activism, as well as the overtly political messages on his polarizing 1972 album, Sometime in New York City, made him a target of a newly elected Richard Nixon, leading to surveillance by the FBI. [. . .] John would channel this period of extraordinary activity to make a deeply personal and engrossing album of self-reflection that explored themes of love, heartbreak, peace, spirituality, and social injustice, giving us yet another window into his life and soul, and some of his best solo songs, on Mind Games.”

And now, to the ratings. We can give the new Mind Games 180g 2LP set no more than an 8 for both Sound and Music, respectively. Both ratings numbers received dings for a) the pressing noise issues, and b) the particularly strange removal of a significant musical element for one of the album’s most beautiful songs — namely, the aforementioned absent sax solo on “One Day at a Time.” If that sax solo had been present, we would have upped the Music rating to a 9, easily.

Regardless, Mind Games: The Ultimate Mixes & The Out-takes is still a cool, well-intended, and totally interesting release. But for those who are looking to it as an upgrade over beloved original editions, you will probably want to consider this release as an addendum, rather than as a replacement. And that is an okay thing indeed, at the end of the day.

Either way you choose to listen to it, if you haven’t spent much time with Mind Games, I do encourage you to revisit the LP and/or experience the album for the first time. It’s a darn near-perfect album that is pretty great in its own right, and worthy of consideration.

Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for AudiophileReview.com, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

JOHN LENNON
MIND GAMES: THE ULTIMATE MIXES & THE OUT-TAKES
180g 2LP (Lenono Music/Universal Music Group International)

LP1 – The Ultimate Mixes

Side 1
1. Mind Games
2. Tight A$
3. Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)
4. One Day (At A Time)
5. Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple)
6. Nutopian International Anthem

Side 2
1. Intuition
2. Out The Blue
3. Only People
4. I Know (I Know)
5. You Are Here
6. Meat City

LP2 – The Out-takes

Side One
1. Mind Games (Take 7)
2. Tight A$ (Take 6)
3. Aisumasen (I’m Sorry) (Take 2)
4. One Day (At A Time) (Take 18)
5. Bring On The Lucie (Freeda Peeple) (Take 15)
6. Declaration Of Nutopia (Take 1)

Side Two
1. Intuition (Take 12)
2. Out The Blue (Take 15)
3. Only People (Take 12)
4. I Know (I Know) (Take 22)
5. You Are Here (Take 5)
6. Meat City (Take 16)