John Lennon Mind Games CD

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 Mind Games Improves with Age
Having purchased "Mind Games" back in 1973 and being slightly disappointed, I approached this re-issue with uncertainty. First Impressions: The packaging of the CD is excellent. The re-mastered music has aged very well. "Mind Games", "Tight A$", "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)", "You Are Here" and "Meat City" were my favorites back in 1973 and still have that great Lennon quality - even with the voice "reverb". The surprise on this CD is the "home" version of "Aisumassen (I'm Sorry)" which could have been named "I'll Be There". It is basically the same song but without all of the Yoko references and with a twist. In this version Lennon takes on the roll of the "helper" as opposed to the person in need of help. He sings "When YOU'RE down and out" as opposed to on the official release; "When I'M Down". It's very revealing in that when originally written, it portrays him as the strong one but when released, that label was attributed to Yoko. It's a much stronger song in that without the Yoko references, average people can relate to it as opposed to it being too personal. It would have been interesting to know why the change was made from it's original form. It would also have been preferable, although not in keeping with John's original production so maybe impossible, if that heavy reverb were removed from his voice. I always believed that John had a great R&R voice - probably the best of the Fab Four and the production on his albums from 1973-75 was always disappointing due to his "experimentation" in this regard. For those who enjoyed "Mind Games" in it's original 1973 form, this CD is a good buy. For those who were slightly disappointed, the re-issue provides a chance to revisit the album and grow to appreciate it even more.
Submitted by a reviewer (Mohegan Lake, NY, USA) 
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 Some of Lennon's best songs
The bonus track of Aisumasen (I'm sorry) makes this CD worth it. Remastering this CD doesn't really improve the sound that much, but almost 30 years later ( Am I that old?) these songs are amazing.
Submitted by a reviewer (Silver Spring, MD, USA) 
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 Remix Does the Trick
The problem I had with Mind Games on its first release was overproduction. This was the first time John worked with 64 tracks and the sound seems muddy. The lead vocal tracks seemed piled on top of each other, along with instruments all over the place that brought a sterile, far away sound. On the remix, everything seemes much closer and intimate. The vocal has been cleaned up immensely and you can really hear John along with other instruments having more separation, bringing out sounds you never heard before. As for the songs themselves, with this fresh listen, you can really hear the beauty in them. John seems finally willing to embrace the Beatle-esque melodies he wrote so well, making this collection almost an early Double Fantasy/Milk and Honey collection. There are also some good rockers as well. All in all one of John's stronger solo efforts and definately worth a re-listen with the great remix.
Submitted by a reviewer (Los Angeles, CA) 
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 Diego Cruz
This is a very good album, by this one i started to hear rock music almost ten years ago; by 1999 or 2000, something like that; i used to hear an old vinil version that my brother got from a friend, and i got absolutely amazed by the whole record, but the sound wasn`t enough good, so this cd remaster it's a perfect way to hear in the cleanest posible way this 1.973 lovely album, this one means a lot for me and reminds me some of the best moments of my chilhood; finally, i agree... one of the best things of this album was that Ono wasn't there!!, it's only John, the true and pure John.
Submitted by itoirken (Bogota D.C, Colombia)
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 Original Title: How To Make Music
This is my favorite John Lennon album. It seems like a Beatles album: beautiful and catchy melodies, excellent arrangements (made by John Lennon, of course) and absolutely gorgeous singing. I think how much envy the others singers of his time had on him...'bout the remix: I confess that I don't like remixes. I always prefer the original, even if the sound is inferior (who likes the heavy echo on the Beatles vocals on the remastered-remixed Help! CD???) but Mind Games really deserved a new remixed version because the original sound was really bad and made some tracks seem not as good as they was because of the muddy mix. The original mix seems like mono because the vocals and instruments are mixed centered in stereo. The new remixed version has more separation and you will her the vocals and the instruments clearer. For instance, the title track has an organ that was buried in the original mix. Meat City is the best remix. If you compare the old and new mix of this particular song you certainly will have a great surprise...BUT: if you are a serious Beatle fan you must have the original CD version with the original LP mix made by John himself. The only thing that I didn't like is about the bonus tracks: I think that Yoko could put more tracks instead of just three. And these tracks could be out-takes instead of demos. The fans that collect bootlegs know that are available a good number of Mind Games excellent out-takes like the complete unedited version of Tight A$ for instance. Rock And Roll People, a song John recorded for Mind Games but decided to throw it away (and that was released in 1986 on the album Menlove Ave), could be included as a CD bonus track, after all, Mind Games is its original place to be...Other thing to remember is that this album is the first John Lennon album with no influence by Yoko...OK, a few songs is dedicated to her, but she wasn't in the recording sessions giving her opinions about every little thing as she did in Imagine...BUY IT NOW!!!
Submitted by leonardo.conde (Rio, Brasil)
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