John Lennon Imagine 2018 Boxed Set (Content and Sound Quality Issues Only!)*

Yes. I think the MFSL has the 2000 remix

 

There's ANOTHER thing that really bugs me with this new 'Jealous Guy' mix

The pitch is a bit HIGHER than all the other versions around (original mix, remix, etc)

Can't believe it

This is definitely NOT the "ultimate mix"

 

Hmmm. I wonder if there is a reason for this, or if it was a conscious choice.

 

Yeah, I noticed that too. It doesn’t bother me.

 

I only listened to it once, but Nicky's piano seems to get buried when the vocals come in. I haven't had a chance to do a comparative analysis with the 200 remix, so maybe I'm misremembering. What is the general consensus of this remix, compared to the 2000 remix?

 

Forgot how much I like this album, it's been a while.

 

I’m happy with the new mixes. There’s more clarity to Lennon’s vocals, which I suppose is supporting the party line. The mastering for the 2 LP set is just fine, although my copy has noise issues on both slabs.

 

I like how John sounds. I didn’t get the set for the new mix but for the extras. I am enjoying it. Since I don’t have Blu-ray, has anyone found the Easter Eggs?

 

Started my listening session this evening with Bluray 2 (Raw Studio Extended Mixes in Surround) and John’s voice sounds just incredible!

Btw, I think one of the Easter eggs is Jealous Guy (Strings Only) that plays on the top menu screen of Bluray 2.

 

The second Easter egg is likely the menu track of Bluray 1 which is Imagine (Piano Only).

 

The mew remix is faithful to the original album. Better clarity in Lennon’s vocals is the difference. It’s not radical at all like the Sgt. Pepper remix. Well done.

 

Honestly, anything that doesn't sound like a tape in a boombox sounds a little "wrong" to me. But this is a little more clear than the prior CD, and it doesn't seem horribly compressed or loud to me, so nice job on that. I'd love to hear the Quad and 5.1 mixes, but I don't know if I'll ever get past the sticker shock, so if people want to talk about those mixes, maybe I can live vicariously through you for awhile.

 

Here's an interesting read--and review--of the new remix:
John Lennon's Imagine - The Ultimate Collection Reviewed (Part 1 -- Stereo Mixes on CD & High Resolution Blu-ray Disc)

Today I'm listening to Imagine CDs: cdp 7 466412 (c. 1992, the original mix) and cdp 7243 5 24858 2 6 (c. 1999, digitally remastered and remixed at Abbey Studios under the personal supervision of Yoko Ono, 1999). I don't own the 2010 remaster, which reverted to the original mix, or the new 2018 remix.

 

Give the bootleggers about 3 weeks, there'll be an ultimate edition.

 

Hi all!
I'm new to the forum. Just wanna share my thoughts on the new mixes.

Bought the 2LP and 2cd version. I have listened to both the vinyl and the cd. I love the outtakes but I think the ultimate mixes unfortunately are way too bass heavy drowning out the midrange in many places. Not so much the vocals but the instrumentation. The piano tracks suffer quite a lot from this.

I compared to the remixed and remastered cd from 2000, which I think is a better, clearer mix overall. Also my vinyl copy is rather noisy compared to for instance the new Egypt Station which is dead silent. Of course there are also some improvements in some of the new mixes but I think that this will never be my go to version of Imagine. To end on a more positive note: I think the new mixes and the outtakes stayed clear of the heavy compression issuses that plagued the new Sgt. Pepper stereo mix.

 

The pitch is higher? Like in a different key? It would take some serious messing up to accomplish that.

 

Just ripped the first two CD discs and so for those who're interested in DR values....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: John Lennon / Imagine (2018 Ultimate Mix) - CD1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR8 -0.19 dB -10.04 dB 3:06 01-Imagine
DR9 -0.27 dB -10.74 dB 3:51 02-Crippled Inside
DR8 -0.20 dB -10.44 dB 4:14 03-Jealous Guy
DR10 -0.24 dB -11.10 dB 2:29 04-It's So Hard
DR8 -0.21 dB -9.12 dB 6:08 05-I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna Die
DR8 -0.15 dB -9.47 dB 3:18 06-Gimme Some Truth
DR9 -0.37 dB -11.72 dB 2:47 07-Oh My Love
DR8 -0.11 dB -9.11 dB 5:39 08-How Do You Sleep?
DR8 -0.20 dB -10.88 dB 3:46 09-How?
DR7 -0.15 dB -8.88 dB 4:21 10-Oh Yoko!
DR7 -0.16 dB -9.29 dB 3:26 11-Power To The People
DR8 0.00 dB -9.75 dB 4:08 12-Well (Baby Please Don't Go)
DR7 -0.16 dB -8.74 dB 3:15 13-God Save Us
DR8 -0.16 dB -9.57 dB 3:12 14-Do The Oz
DR8 -0.17 dB -9.34 dB 3:31 15-God Save Oz
DR8 -0.22 dB -10.10 dB 3:36 16-Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 16
Official DR value: DR8

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 889 kbps
Codec: ALAC

 

The hi res blu ray sounds flawless so far - just listened to the album in 5.1 and on the rest. Transparent, open, subtle surround.

 

Five hours later and I've made it through the Imagine / Gimme Some Truth Blu-Ray. There are many subtle variations - I was hoping that there wouldn't be any, because now I feel compelled to go and take the damn thing apart. Perhaps the most obvious is the absence of all the "typewriter" graphics that identified people in the Gimme Some Truth film.

Chip Madinger
www.lennonology.com

 

Played the Blu-ray disc 1 remix album and I like everything I'm hearing with the first run through.
First off the clarity is unreal on both vocals and instruments throughout.
Percussion has been spread out as well and cleaned up so I can now hear what is going on, particularly on "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier"
Favourites so far would be - I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier, Gimme Some Truth and How Do You Sleep.
Always loved "Crippled Inside" as well as "It's So Hard" and they are presented here extremely well.
Harrison's Dobro playing is brilliant on Crippled.
This set is going to be a pile of fun to go through.

 

CD2 Outtakes (minus the Element Mixes)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: John Lennon / Imagine (2018 Outtakes) - CD2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR10 -0.25 dB -12.55 dB 3:19 05-Imagine (demo)
DR9 -0.22 dB -11.56 dB 3:06 06-Imagine (Take1)
DR9 -0.18 dB -10.47 dB 3:52 07-Crippled Inside (Take 3)
DR10 -0.20 dB -11.26 dB 3:49 08-Crippled Inside (Take 6)
DR11 -0.24 dB -12.78 dB 2:18 09-Jealous Guy (Take 9)
DR10 -0.03 dB -11.38 dB 2:33 10-It's So Hard (Take 6)
DR12 -0.15 dB -13.64 dB 4:36 11-I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna Die (Take 11)
DR8 -0.10 dB -9.09 dB 3:38 12-Gimme Some Truth (Take 4)
DR11 -0.94 dB -13.88 dB 2:50 13-Oh My Love (Take 6)
DR8 -0.17 dB -9.31 dB 5:59 14-How Do You Sleep? (Take 1 & 2)
DR9 -0.21 dB -12.48 dB 3:47 15-How? (Take 31)
DR12 -1.78 dB -17.97 dB 5:02 16-Oh Yoko! (Bahamas 1969)
DR9 -0.21 dB -10.44 dB 3:28 17-Power To The People (Take 7)
DR13 -0.26 dB -15.74 dB 2:58 18-God Save Us (demo)
DR9 -0.18 dB -9.65 dB 6:51 19-Do The Oz (Take 3)
DR10 -0.19 dB -12.01 dB 3:23 20-Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (alt. mix)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 16
Official DR value: DR10

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 858 kbps
Codec: ALAC

 

I think the majority of casual fans wouldn't notice it

But for fans that play music, it is noticeable. It's a bit higher. Not so much (nowhere near half step sharp), but it's there.

 

Who mastered vinyl?

 

Taking my first listen to this through Spotify. I have my boxset coming from Amazon.co.uk in a couple of weeks, and I don't have a blu ray disk drive so I can add the blu-ray exclusive tracks to my computer, so the blu ray audio will evade my ears for a little bit.

One thing I don't like so far is how wide-stereo "It's So Hard" sounds. Wasn't this song originally in mono only or was that just How Do You Sleep?

 

I’m confused. The deluxe box says everything but the evolution docs are in surround or quad, but the outtakes on disc 1 are stereo only? I can’t find any 5.1 option for those. Is it a typo on the box, or error on the disc, or am I confused?