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

One of the lowest points in any artist's discography. It would be difficult not to 'improve' on that junk.

Still think there's only one essential Lennon solo album (and it's not Imagine).

 

I Want to love all Lennon's solo work, because he died before he had a chance to do more of it. He was my idol. But yeah to the OP it's his blandest album Fo Shoo.

Real Good songs like always, not necessarily Great or his best songs, but most of us would give our eye teeth or left n@t to write like that.

The band, the production, especially the background singers yikes-like singers for a donut chain commercial, the mix-the almost uniform similarity in instrumentation & bland style from one song to the next. The remix version ( now out of print ? ) is somewhat better.

Maybe it could be fixed somehow, there's a lot in there, but it's bland, uniform, mostly laid back, vocals thin mixed too far back ? Somebody's gotta try & fix it.

Having said all that I'm his #1 fan, love his work, somebody shoulda done something to spruce it up before release, good songs, great players, great studio & engineers, but something is wrong & it coulda used 1 or 2 more upbeat/rock songs , the band is too smooth & the mix sucks.

 

What remix version?

 

I’ve never heard the whole album but the title track is nice enough. Out the Blue sounds funny to me. Like it’s awkward or unfinished.

I should listen to the album I suppose.

 

Well Well Well

 

"All his albums are poor?" Don't you like POB and Imagine?

 

This album surely is not flawless but I like it a lot.

 

Bland? Not to me. It's my favorite JL album. I think it's his most 'poppy' album - maybe that's what some of you don't like - it lacks some of the bite and bitterness of some of his other albums. I really recommend the MFSL (CD) version - it sounds great. Okay, there's one or two songs on it that simply don't go anywhere but I enjoy the majority of it.

Mind Games - How can anyone not like this? It's catchy as heck and his vocals are doing gymnastics. Thematically, it sits somewhere between Imagine and Across The Universe, imho.
Tight A$ - Another catchy, make your foot tap, song. It shows some of his humor too. His voice sounds great on this.
Aisumasen (I'm Sorry) - One of the most beautiful songs he's ever recorded. Don't let the title be a turn off. Or the "Yoko san" part. It's so honest and open. This song makes me want to put the album on right now.
One Day At a Time - A beautiful song but I don't care for the vocal style. Elton John did a fantastic version of this (seek it out) and it's what JL's version should have been.
Bring on the Lucie (Freda People) - An anthem song but it has quite a bit of bounce. Some of the lyrics could be off-putting, or have edge, depending on your perspective.
Nutopian National Anthem - Ever the ambassador for peace and a bit of humor, again.

Intuition - Okay, this song just sits there. Not one of my favorites, but it's harmless. I don't hate it (like STINYC) but I wouldn't recommend it either.
Out The Blue - Every day I thank the Lord and Lady, for the WAY that you came to me. A song about being surprised to fall in love. Great, dynamic song. Again, great voice on this.
Only People - Another mantra/chant song. Sorta. I enjoy it and find it fun to sing along with.
I Know (I Know) - One of my favorites from the album. Again, vocal gymnastics. God this guy could sing! I love this song.
You Are Here - A mellow out song. I love this one too. I didn't use to but I do now. It's all about mood and missing someone who's half way around the world.
Meat City - Edgy and rocking. I don't love the production here - I think it's makes what could have been a great song, just a good song. But I like it.

 

I don't like the way his vocals were recorded. They sound dull and muddy.

 

I put it as Lennon's best, far and away.

 

Recently listening to Sometime again on UK vinyl, I felt as a Lennon project it could have been his most powerful album. Save for a few major things. Aspects and moments of that album are simply awesome, in a raw and visceral way, that the mid 70's follow ups no longer tried to be for the obvious reasons.

 

It's grown on me over the years.
You Are Here is a great song. One Day At A Time is also a great tune but I like the demo version better.

I'd say it's his third best album after the first two. It's all downhill from there with the occasional brilliant single or album track on his later albums.

 

As an album, it makes for a great single. "Mind Games"/"Meat City" is a tremendous record, A and B sides.

 

I thought it was quite good when I first got it: some strong songs, some filler, nothing really bad. John Lennon, the competent craftsman. He's not making any major statements, just enjoying himself. I'd give it 7/10 maybe 7.5

 

It's very bland, but Double Fantasy is blander (his tracks).

 

Maybe. But that's why I like it so much. More so than any other Lennon solo album. It's just pop and I can put it on anytime without being thwarted by Lennon's views or addictions. I need no mood to be into Mind Games.

 

Mind Games is probably my second favorite Lennon album, W&B being the best. POB is awesome but it's not a lot of fun, and the strings all over the Imagine album are annoying (some of the raw takes sans strings are much more enjoyable to me.)

 

I agree, the string arrangements on the Imagine album are appalling cheesy/bad. Listening to Imagine, one gains an even greater appreciation of George Martin’s talents.

 

To me John never reached the same height solo wise as the Beatles did, however Mind Games is perhaps my favourite of his, I like the flow and the mood throughout the album.

 

Bland is an understatement. Opening title song is great, but as soon as its over, it's total dullsville. Monotonous and slow moving, every song sounds the same. I think his best was behind him at this point, other than a few good singles, until the 1980 comeback (one of the best comebacks ever in my opinion)

 

Dull as hell, like nearly all of his solo material unfortunately.

 

It's aged better than expected for me. Some of it sounds half-baked lyrically and the big problem is you can HEAR him sort of going thru the motions/doubting himself as his marriage was falling apart (during the sessions he was starting his relationship with Pang----I didn't know that until recently, somehow I thought it was after the album came out).

I think the biggest problem is the production.......i recommend the latest vinyl from the hi rez digital remaster......it sounds really good to me (as possible) (unfortunately the lead vocal sound is still Fisher Price-----other elements, like the backing vocals, never sounded better to me).

It almost gets over on charisma alone.....he's in pain, fulfilling a contract.....but whether by inertia (from the glory days), instinct or just talent....it's still compelling more often than not.
This is sort of the middle ground between craft (Imagine and Double Fantasy) and inspiration (POB and WAB). POB is raw anger, Imagine and Double Fantasy are clear-eyed hope and Mind Games and Walls and Bridges are dreary hopelessness but with enough spark/genuine emotion to warrant repeated listening.
The uneasiness is that the lyrics, vocals, arrangements are not spot-on like they almost always seemed to be with this guy.

 

I bought Mind Games on release day back in 1973. Yes I was a kinda' disappointed upon the first couple of listens (I wanted another Imagine LP) but I did warm up to it. Could it have been better? Hell yes, but I love the title track and Meat City. My biggest complaint is the unnecessary falsetto on One Day (At A Time.) A bluesier and better version can be found on the 1998 Lennon Anthology box set. And as mentioned earlier, there are too many laid back songs here that could have been jazzed up a bit and some good stuff was probably lost in the mix itself. Most of Mind Games didn't sound like the work of an ex-Beatle or from the same guy who gave us the remarkable John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band LP just three years earlier.

Still having the original UK vinyl and Japanese SACD, I do still give it a spin every now and then.

 

Mind Games Lennon's blandest album?

Only if you've never heard his tracks on Double Fantasy.

 

I love Mind Games. It's John's most Beatley album with a whole bunch of catchy 3 minute songs. I own all Lennon's solo albums, but Mind Games is the one I listen to and enjoy the most, by far.