The estate of John Lennon have announced the release of an expanded boxset of the late singer-songwriter’s fourth album, Mind Games.
Originally released in 1973, Mind Games arrived at a strange time in Lennon’s personal life after the authorities in the United States attempted to deport the musician. Furthermore, Lennon was also briefly separated from his wife, Yoko Ono, but working on this album in the studio allowed him to escape his situation.
After expressing the political side of his artistry on his previous studio offering, Some Time In New York City, Lennon took it upon himself to again begin mining songs from the upheaval in his personal life on the self-produced LP.
The new edition of Mind Games is part of Lennon’s Ultimate Collection series, which already boasts versions of Imagine and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Set for release on July 12th through Universal Music, it promises to include previosuly unreleased outtakes, unadulterated versions, instrumentals, stripped down mixes, and even studio chatter recorded at New York City’s Record Plant studios in 1973.
In total, there are six different mixes of Mind Games which make up the Ultimate Collection. First up is the Ultimate Mixes, which prioritises Lennon’s vocals with an emphasis on enhancing the sound quality. Meanwhile, the Elements Mixes isolate and bring different instruments to the forefront of songs, moreover, the Raw Studio Mixes allow listeners to hear the tracks like they were sitting in the studio with Lennon.
There is also The Evolutionary Documentary, billed as “a unique track-by-track audio montage that details the evolution of each song”. Furthermore, The Out-Takes does as it says it on the tin by highlighting different takes that didn’t make the cut. Finally, the Elemental Mixes, which is said to “inhabit a world between the minimalism of the Elements Mixes and the Ultimate Mixes.”
Speaking about the forthcoming release, Yoko Ono, who has given her full support to the project along with Sean Ono Lennon, said: “John was trying to convey the message that we all play mind games. But if we can play mind games, why not make a positive future with it – to be a positive mind game? ‘Mind Games’ is such an incredibly strong song.”
Ono continued: “At the time, people didn’t quite get the message because this was before its time. Now, people would understand it. I don’t think in those days people knew they were playing mind games anyway.”
The new edition of Mind Games is set to be released in a variety of formats, ranging from digital to a deluxe boxset that includes Blu-Ray, but there is also a super limited release which has been limited to 1100 copies worldwide.
