John Lennon Mind Games LP. What's wrong with it

Again, with Mind Games its a powerful single wrapped in a LP cover.

 

Let me try to approach it with more of a cup is half-full, what's right with it take... borrowing from a thread I responded to that someone entitled "John Lennon's Mind Games LP - Try to sell me on it."
John Lennon's Mind Games LP - Try to sell me on it. »

Here was my response then...
"I'm a huge fan of "Mind Games"!!!
Since you already love the title track, and well you should, I won't go on about it...but it is one of his greatest songs ever, without question!! I "frontload" my CD-R's- meaning I put the tracks I love the most first, and then the others later. I get my thrills, and a chance to concentrate on what I love most about any given album. This works especially well for certain albums- "Mind Games" & "Walls & Bridges" were both that way for me. By doing this I became less impatient with songs I cared for less, and by having them altogether, I came to appreciate the positive aspects of the lesser tracks much more as well.
So let's start with one of his absolutely most brilliant ballads...

~"You Are Here"!!! The bridge is worthy of "#9 Dream", and the overall feel is similar, but unique with it's gentle island lilt, and gorgeous pedal steel playing by the wonder that is Sneaky Pete Kleinow (Original member of The Flying Burrito Brothers & pedal steel player on "All Things Must Pass"). It's one of my all-time fave Lennon love songs, and/or fave Lennon songs ever.

~"Tight A$"- A total Tex-Mex/rock-a-billy rocker winner with Lennon crazy word salad that sounds like it could be a great lost Doug Sahm/Sir Douglas Qunitet single.

~"Intuition"- Lennon at his mystical best, and his pure infectious pop heaven best. I love the message, and I love the music.

~"I Know (I Know)"- This one is almost as great as "You Are Here"...totally majestic, beautifully written, and a heartfelt vocal that is to die for.

"Bring On The Lucie (Freda People)"- Musically we get a Lennon slide guitar riff that rivals the title track for sonic thrills, and a song that is as infectious & poppy as "Intution"...and this time more political than mystical, & finally the bridge here is just mind blowingly great & rivals the riff as being the pivot of the song.

Now we move on to the rest of the album, none of which are up to the level of the six songs above, but we still have some pretty high quality works going on here...

"Meat City"- I'd almost include this with the best tracks here, and for me, it's the best of what's left...mostly a rootsy rocker, but with crazy lyrics, and interesting almost Psychedelic production tricks- especially in the breakdown sections (after "just gotta get me some rock 'n' roll!" line we get...the fuzz guitar sizzling ringing note, the backwards tape loop, that crazy little cartoon voice- all cool stuff), and Lennon sounds like he's having fun & loose & raving it up all crazy & cool. And...I even prefer the single version (b-side to "Mind Games"), which I finally heard on youtube this year, and it blew me away. I really wish they put the single mix on the Lennon Signature Box Set singles disc- missed opportunity there...
I think it's faster, funkier, and harder, just dig it more...


~"One Day At A Time"- I dig the falsetto vocals here big time, and it's a really infectious number again, with a breezy pop lilt, and a positive groove on every level...if not great, then very good at least.

~"Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)"- Again a rootsy workout, but this one has been a grower for me over the years...His performance here is, as usual, totally heartfelt- as in he sings the crap out of this one...and he moves beyond the typcial blues workout, with another of his totally unique bridges...

"Out The Blue"- There is a core feel to this album that I'd argue surrounds a group of a half dozen ballads, or near ballads...- "Mind Games", "You Are Here", "I Know (I Know)" are the absolutely brilliant ones, and "One Day At A Time", "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)", & this are the very good ones. They all have a certain unique flair to the writing, and killer Lennon vocal performances. This is still good, but I'd say it's the least successful of the bunch, but still a good song with a unique style that tastes of this album.
In a way it's similar to the core of half dozen ballads, or near ballads, on Harrison's "Living In The Material World" album- With "Be Here Now" "Who Can See It", "The Day The World Gets Round" & "That Is All" being the great songs, and "The Light That Has Lighted The World" & "Try Some, Buy Some" being two of the lesser tracks on a great album.

"Only People"- Well there has to be a least successful track on every album, and here you go...it'd be better off without it...the lyrics really harken back to the worst elements of "Sometime In New York City" and it's like we can feel out the transition from that album to this one through this- easily the weakest song on the album.

And finally as much as those ballads/near ballads provide the core to this album (3 greats, 3 goods) you also get two rockers (one great, one good), and a couple brilliant pop tunes and then one clunker.
I really think of this and "Walls & Bridges" as albums that are highly underrated because they were following "Plastic Ono Band" & "Imagine".
"Walls & Bridges" has a unique feel to it, as does "Mind Games" and I've come to appreciate & resonate more & more with that fact over the years, and especially via these remasters. While I might admit that "Plastic Ono Band", "Imagine" & the work form 1980 ("Double Fantasy" & "Milk And Honey") constitute Lennon as his best, and that they also represent Beatles solo albums of the highest level of achievement...I'd have to say that both "Mind Games" & "Walls And Bridges" aren't very far off/below that mark either."


And...
Responding to this post "Another part of Mind Games I enjoy is the musicianship. As a few have noted there are several great guitar parts throughout the album. The basswork is stellar- I believe (going from memory) that this is Wilton Felder."

I said: "I especially dig the 2010 remaster, but the remix also helped me get past the production issues I used to have with it- no longer do now...and those production issues made it seem like hired gun studio musicians in a bit too slick styling...I also no longer feel that way. There are some amazing musical moments, from all concerned, on this album...and it's Gordon Edwards on Bass BTW, and yeah he's fantastic all over the album...

"Mind Games":
Written, composed, arranged and produced by John Lennon.

Performed by:

* John Lennon: lead, harmony and background vocals; rhythm, slide and acoustic guitar; clavinet and percussion.
* Ken Ascher: piano, hammond organ and mellotron.
* Jim Keltner: drums.
* Rick Marotta: drums on "Meat City" with Jim Keltner.
* Gordon Edwards: bass.
* David Spinozza: lead guitar.
* Arthur Jenkins: percussion
* Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel guitar.
* Michael Brecker: saxophone.
* Something Different choir: background vocals."

...and finally in regards to the mix CD-R of '73-'74 that I mentioned in a post above...
"I also did a CD-R of the best of "Mind Games" & "Walls & Bridges" and got a super album!!! I've really been digging both of these big time since the remasters came out, and along with the new/unreleased material, it's what I've been listening to the most. It also further convinced me that although they are very different albums in many ways (production, approach, theme, etc.), they are very similar in their overall level of quality and ratio of great songs to good songs, etc..
From "Mind Games"- Mind Games; You Are Here; Intuition; Tight A$; I Know (I Know); Bring On The Lucie (Freda People)...maybe Meat City and/or One Day At A Time as well...
From "Walls & Bridges"- #9 Dream; Whatever Gets You Through The Night; Old Dirt Road; Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox); Going Down On Love; Move Over Ms. L...maybe Scared and/or Nobody Loves You (When You're Down & Out) as well...

With different versions of this CD-R I'd add in "Here We Go Again" & the aforementioned "Move Over Ms. L" (which was originally on the track list running order of "Walls & Bridges"- somewhere in Side Two IIRC, I think before or after "What You Got") for certain...then the probably the demos for both "Goodnight Vienna" & "I'm The Greatest"...and then possibly even "Rock 'n' Roll People" and/or "Only You"...
I also often might toss in any combination of "Meat City", "One Day At A Time" "Scared" & "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down & Out)", which are my other faves from those albums...
I also made a CD-R of the sort of second tier tracks from these sessions- again liberally adding those bonus track I mentioned above around this core of tracks...and they really led me to dig these somewhat lesser tracks even more. Note- sometimes "Meat City", "One Day At A Time", "Scared" & "Nobody Loves You "When You're Down & Out)" might end up also on the top tier CD-R, but they were either at the bottom of the top, or the top of the bottom, so I put them there too."

 

I used to play it a lot when it came out. It didn't feel as "real" to me as Plastic Ono Band
or as "phony" as Imagine. It was just a kinda mellow post-Beatles LP that you could "burn
plants" to without having to get up and change the record before the side ended.

 

I agree that there is enough quality here for a 14 track album. It just seemed that John set a precedent of 10-11 full songs on his solo albums (My Mummy's Dead, Nutopian National Anthem, and Ya Ya being the exceptions), so that is why I kept it there.

We would strongly disagree on: What You Got, Nobody Loves You (When You're Down & Out), and Out The Blue

 

Cool So was I more or less guessing right, that the tracks were all basically cut with everyone playing in the same room at the same time?

Equally cool to know...I knew something sounded different about the 2002 version (and not just the different mix). Wonder why they did that?

And ya know what? Sometimes that's all an album needs to be Good is good enough.

 

As others have mentioned it was remixed in 2002. Still awful.

 

Love the 45 mix of M.City - Thanks. Never on CD I guess?

 

The 'Z' indicates a lacquer cutting from an outside source - in this case, Master Cutting Room. Had Capitol Hollywood actually cut it, F, A / B or H / J would have been within that lacquer number.

 

I have the 2010 Signature box set, for the original mixes.

Is there a similar set for the earlier remixes?

 

In reply to my own question, I see there are a few threads dedicated to finding the remixes:

John Lennon solo catalogue. Remixed ? »
Lennon Remixes OOP? (and Expensive) »

 

Tastes are different, and "Mind Games" is my favorite. I have all of John's stuff, Beatle and post-Beatle, and "Mind Games" is the Lennon album I play the most, by far.

 

I don't believe Mind Games is an awful album. I believe it has some flaws, doesn't live up to it's potential. The sonics, sequencing, mixing. Hearing some early roughs, with more energy, I feel they lost it in the mix, or use of echo or something like that. It's still John Lennon we're talking about.

 

I'd like Yoko to put out deluxe 2-dics editions of John's albums, each with an alt-demo-remix version of each track. Mind Games would probably benefit the most. I Know I Know and You Are Here are stunning, underrated gems. Like, they'd be the jewels in the crown of so many other artists, and they perfectly capture and surpass the mellow "singer-songwriter" vibe of the early 70s, but of course for Lennon they get overshadowed by so many other tunes. And though I love the record, Walls & Bridges has some tasty demos/rehearsals like all the Menlove Avenue stuff.

 

Was the first John Lennon album i heard,still like it,still own it.

 

I don't know if I'd say strongly... I really dig "Nobody Love You (When You're Down & Out) enough... "What You Got" starts out amazing, but I much prefer "Going Down On Love" for example...and "Out The Blue" might be the bigges gulf... I don't think it's awful, just very, to me inexplicably overrated, & I much, much prefer "I Know I Know" & even more so "You Are Here" for example...

 

MIND GAMES isn't as weak as some people make it out to be. I prefer it to WALLS AND BRIDGES.
The song "Mind Games" is one of John's best. "Bring On The Lucie (Freeda People)" is a fun rocker. I find the rest of it mostly pleasant.

 

Mind Games is probably the Lennon album I've listened to the most and I love it even though I think his first two solo albums are his best. I prefer this looser version of John Lennon who still touches on previous themes but with less force and less intensity. The songs are mellow and somewhat breezy but packed with melody. The emotion still comes through on most of them and a few earnest numbers are tossed into the bunch. Lennon also seems more approachable here than on his previous efforts, even if the content is broader and less vital or psychological. I agree that the production isn't so hot and yet I find that to be one of its charms. Maybe this is the album that divides those who pretty much enjoy everything he did vs those who prefer to stick to the "important" albums. There more or less isn't a song on Mind Games that I don't relish and there are a few I can listen to compulsively.

 

After reading this entire thread I pulled out Mind Games for a listen and enjoyed it. I also prefer it to Walls and Bridges. For some reason I cant get into that one although most people seem to like it.

 

One thing I'm gonna do, is burn my copy with a redone running order. Put my favorite 5-6 first. Save one good one to close the LP. Mind Games that is.

I firmly like Walls & Bridges more. It's more commercial, has more upbeat songs, a higher ratio of upbeat tunes to ballads. It does not have a classic Lennon rocker.

But it's gotta lotta verve & gusto, a lot of poppy upbeat songs. It's ironic in that Lennon's personal life was kind of at its nadir, even more so than it was, the year before, during Mind Games.

I'm tempted to go on, but this isin't a thread about Walls & Bridges. I will say, W&B is the other Lennon masterpiece, or near masterpiece. Largely unheralded, not totally, but somewhat.

I don't this for sure, others might, but I think Lennon rolled up his shirt sleeves & spent more time rehearsing & working up arrangements with the studio band, it's a more lively sounding album, but the difference, really might be, as simple as, he spent a few weeks longer working on W&B than on Mind Games. & That the W&B band, was simply less laid back, than Spinozza & the New York guys. Spinozza was sleeping with Yoko for awhile around that time. Couldn't have been fun for Lennon to record with him. Jesse Ed Davis replaced him on W&B & I suppose Klaus Voorman replaced Gordon Edwards... I don't know, maybe Lennon was on coke in LA in 74.

Maybe someone else can expand on this, but I think Mind Games thru the finished Rock N Roll, might be his busiest period since the Beatles, he wrote & recorded 2 albums, Helped Ringo on 2 albums, produced the entire Nilsson album, & recorded a 3rd solo album ( rock n roll ) twice ! As well as writing 6 additional songs

1 Here we go again
2 Move over Ms L
3 I'm the greatest
4 Rock N Roll people
5 Mucho Mungo
6 Goodnight Vienna

Supposedly he had 3-4 additional tunes, Popcorn, Tennessee, Sally & Billy & Friend Of Dorothy, about this time.... he quit, but he nearly was ready for another one

 

Just purchased the reissue. Never listened to the album before and avoided due to reputation. Mind Games single didn't particularly grab me at the time. I did however buy the follow up Walls and Bridges when released. Well it's not as good as WAB but it's a pretty solid effort and certainly doesn't deserve the panning it gets. Much better than the proceeding 'Sometime In New York City' (reissue of which bought at same time). Now that is a curved ball and probably deserves the kicking it got (though it has a few good moments).

 

I listened to this for the first time in four years the other day.

And it quite surprised me. It doesn't have as many gems as Plastic Ono Band or Imagine, but it has a lot of underrated deep cuts (Tight A$, Intuition, Out the Blue, Meat City).

The title track is good but not one of John's best.

 

My favorite Lennon album. Go figure.

 

This was the first John Lennon album where I enjoyed every single song (not including the silent track). The others I had at the time had at least one song that I didn't like.

 

I love the title track. I still remember the first time I heard it (a local radio station got the single as an import). It is exactly the kind of dense, power ballad that I used to love in my teens. A bit like Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale", Tin Tin's "Toast and Marmelade for Tea", Majority One's "Because I Love" and the Hollies' "Don't Let Me Down" and (their version of) "The Air that I Breathe".

 

Even though I was familiar with the term that was actually used, I first visualized "mind gorillas" being sung. Probably because of Dian Fossey and all of the other animal related things I read & watched. I always liked this album more than the critical consensus. I don't know if it's much of a song, but I absolutely love the way he sings "Assumesen (I'm Sorry)".

I'm kind of like Classicrock above with Walls & Bridges as I didn't buy as a kid because I had the singles from Shaved Fish and some of the other songs never grabbed at the time. Later in the early '80s I ended up having inferior sounding outtakes and such off of tapes of bootlegs but didn't get the album until about 5 years ago. I still greatly prefer Mind Games to Walls & Bridges. Some of it may be having bonded with the former when young, but I think it's just a general preference. Two sides of coin I guess and some prefer tails to heads.