Is it me, or is Mind Games Lennon's blandest album?

Mind Games the album gets a B- from me
Mind Games the song is an A

 

I like it but easy one

 

These threads get me to listen to certain albums again. the album reminds me of Who by numbers album ( I think came out near same time period) good first song the rest not so much. I felt that way when they first came out and I feel the same way now. Due to so few Lennon albums people want it to be better . Albums rarely grow on me . I like it or I don't. I don't dislike it but bland is a good term for it.

 

Excellent album anything but bland and boring.
It's a well crafted album that really flows musically.
I like it.

 

All his albums are poor(as are Pauls and Georges) We must compare them to the beatles. Then again when we do they pale even more
His best album is rock n roll. Obviously he had the dreaded writers block, hence the covers album. Its a good one though. JL half of double fanstasy is problably his most consistent work since the Beatles. Unfortunately theres his other half with the dreadful other half. His live stuff is marred by her screaming.
Without a doubt lennons work suffered due to Ono. She really was totally talentless.
Its sad that none of the creative beatles managed a decent album between them. They all had too many fillers and too few decent tracks
Mind games is a good single. Thats about it. Its just another of lennons substandard albums.

 

I agree it's rather a bland, mid-tempo, uninspired album. In fact, I think John only decided to make a record after Yoko finished hers and recommended her band.

'Mind Games' is a classic, and 'Out the Blue' and 'Intuition' are both great, if wimpy. Other than that, there are no really strong tracks, though 'Freeda People' has that nice slide.

It's the first Lennon LP that's really just product. But at least it's a competent, craftsmanlike album, which is more than we can say for the one prior.

 

I think it's more interesting and varied in style than Double Fantasy, which too often sounds like the Granny music John used to accuse Paul of concocting. Of course, Mind Games also wasn't saddled with a bunch of Yoko "songs", either.

 

To be precise, Double Fantasy is Grammy music

 

I think the fans and critics alike kinda paid the price for hating Sometime In New York City.

I don't think it's coincidence that his most controversial, outspoken and ultimately most universally panned album was quickly followed by his safest and yes, his most bland. John had perhaps over reacted to the backlash.

"You want me to stop waving flags, quit the politics and just write you some nice little songs? Then here you go..."

 

One of the blandest albums I've ever heard from an artist I like.

 

It's a pleasant enough if somewhat uninspired album. My favourite songs are probably Out of the Blue and I Know I Know and my favourite moment is definitely the bass part that opens Intuition.

The remix does sound noticeably better than the original mix.

 

You may have a point there. Remember what Paul released after the negative reactions to 'Give Ireland back to the Irish'?

 

Good point on those two songs as Double Fantasy precursors, never thought of that.
Personally I hear "Beatle John" on a lot of stuff, with #9 Dream being one great example.
I hear Beatles in "Woman" and "Just like starting over" as well, for a couple examples, the latter mostly for the backup vocals. Those IMO are his best two tracks from that period.

 

It sounds like muzak to my ears. Granny music.

 

No way, Double Fantasy is the bland album.

 

I like 75% of it. I Mix it with best of walls and bridges to make a great album.

 

The song MInd Games is one of his best from his solo years, The rest of the album is on the nose for me..

Lennon phoning it in

 

Some of my favorite Lennon (solo) songs are on this album:

Out The Blue
I Know (I Know)
You Are Here
Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)

This is an underrated album that has never quite received due recognition. This has always been my "go to" album. I listen to this one more than Imagine and Plastic Ono Band, even though it isnt quite at the same level of those albums, its still very good.

 

Never understood how Lennon could criticize McCartney for writing schmultz as he was putting out songs like "One Day (At a Time)"

 

A disappointingly bland and boring album. Title track is good and I like Meat City. The vocals, production, whatever it is just communicates lethargy. I agree that it offers a window to the same wimpy, watery 80's sound coming through on DF.

 

Bring on the Lucie has always been a Lennon favourite of mine for some reason.

 

The comments here are interesting.
I love Lennon and have the signature and the earlier 4cd box set ... I personally think Lennon made some fantastic music, but often failed to make great albums. I know that most Lennon fans will disagree with me in a major way, but that is just how I hear it.
It seems like he was lost in his addictions and inner turmoil for too much of his solo career. In some instances those things created great cathartic music, but in others, merely substandard attempts.
Personally I think Double Fantasy is actually his best work, which makes his murder even more tragic. He had found some inner peace and was writing songs that weren't just personal moaning, full of too much bitterness ... now don't misinterpret that, as me disliking Lennon's work, he did some fantastic stuff, but too often (in my opinion) ended up just writing complaint songs, that were somewhat detached from reality.
Mind games is a good Lennon solo album, I personally love the title track, but again he doesn't seem to carry the album through in some ways.
I'm not sure bland is the correct term, but it isn't quite up to the standard you expect from him.

 

How so?

 

He was clearly going for more mainstream and safe after the commercial failure of Sometime but, year after the venom he showed on his 3 prior albums, it does come across as a bit bland. Unfortunately for him it came out the same year as Material World, Band on the Run and Ringo as well as the Red and Blue albums; only Red Rose Speedway kept it from being the weakest new release of 73.

 

well is a improvement over the dreadful Sometime in NewYork