Thanks for the tip. As with the Stones 50th Let It Bleed box being blown out on Amazon at a huge discount a year or two ago, this suggests to me that many fans voted with their wallets and said $69.98 for two LPs is a bridge too far. I held the 2-LP set in my hands at my local indie shop, and couldn’t justify it at that price, particularly since there have been reports of noisy vinyl. $43 is getting into a much more tempting ballpark.
With the cover of both John and Yoko's Plastic Ono Band albums being almost identical (essentially the same to anyone who isn't aware that they're two different albums), I wonder how many people bought Yoko's version of the album expecting to get John's hah.
I wasn’t able to dig into this box as soon as I got it upon release , but have been slowly working through it -and the accompanying book(s)- man, this is how you put a set together. I’m maybe halfway through the set before realizing there’s practically another cd worth of outtakes on the blu ray. (Not even including the Yoko jams as well!) I probably already knew that but had forgotten so it felt like even more bonus material! I thought I would be tired of the POB album with all these outtakes/alts of basic guitar drums bass piano songs but that’s not the case. They exceeded the already great Imagine set and I am just so stoked for more in this series. The only nitpick I have is that it can be a little confusing at times figuring out what’s exclusive to the blu ray, but that’s such a non issue. While I’m really looking forward to the upcoming All things must pass and Let it Be sets, this one will keep me occupied in the meantime, and I’m sure those others won’t have as much new material to keep me busy for as long as this set will. So I know I’m a bit late to the listening party, but well done and thanks to Yoko & Sean!
I'm certainly not a fan of Yoko, but I have to hand it her she's been an excellent custodian of John's work! Everything she's put together has been well thought out, with nice packaging and excellent sound. We've had Anthology, remixed albums, a remastered albums collection in a beautiful box set, and finally deluxe editions of individual albums in fabulous packaging, each with top notch content, excellent ultimate mixes and plenty outtakes, above all else everything has been reasonably priced. With their outrageous pricing you put McCartney and the Harrison estate to shame. Well done and thank you Yoko!
I’ve never particularly been a fan of solo Beatles albums in general; prior to this century, I’m not sure I ever bought any for myself, though All Things Must Pass, The Best of George Harrison, Shaved Fish, Wings at the Speed of Sound, and Wings Greatest were all in my family’s album collection. I’ve been a fan of box sets since Eric Clapton’s Crossroads came out, though, so I always give them a look; it’s not unusual for me to jump deep into an artist I don’t regularly follow with a big box if it looks like it’s done well, or at least presents a value proposition I can’t resist. I’m also especially tempted by boxes with surround mixes. Thus far, the only McCartney box that’s gotten me to bite is the 4-disc Pure McCartney, which offered a broad enough look across his catalog for a fair enough price. (I wouldn’t mind a Ringo box like that one!) The value propositions on his album boxes just aren’t there for me. In the Harrison camp, I bit on the Dark Horse Years album box because it did a deep dive into a decent chunk of his catalog for a reasonable price—plus the surround mix of Live in Japan put me over (I’m a big Clapton fan). I’ve preordered the 5-disc All Things, partly because I liked enough of those songs as a kid, and partly because of the surround mix. For Lennon, I’ve bought both the Imagine and POB boxes because they’re so well assembled, with a remarkably high amount of interesting content (especially given the fairly small number of different songs each has to draw from), nice books, a decent price, and, of course, surround mixes. So yeah, I have to say, the Lennon camp is doing the most right here, as far as I’m concerned.
I did back in 1971/2 thinking it was John's POB. I was 13 and kept the Yoko album and bought John's with the following weeks paper round money. I was already a bit of a fan of discordant and weird rock and had the John solo singles with there wonderful Yoko b sides. I also had Live Peace which remains one of my favourite album covers. Just an aside the 2010 original album mixes on cd sound terrific to my ears and also have been released in lovely card sleeves in Japan as SACDs, Platinum cds and High Resolution Cutting cds. My only real complaint with both the POB and Imagine boxes is they should have include the original album mix on the blu-rays.
I'm tagging the four My Mummy's Dead versions from the POB box... can someone help? The version on the outtakes disc (CD2 1:15) is My Mummy's Dead [Take 2, Sped Up w/EQ] The version on the raw studio disc (CD4 00:53) is My Mummy's Dead [Take 1, Correct Speed w/No EQ] The version on the home demos (CD6 1:18) is My Mummy's Dead [Take 2, Correct Speed w/No EQ] What should the raw studio version (1:19) from the blu-ray be labelled? It's another Take 2.
Did some custom covers for the Ultimate, Elements, Evolution and the Jams discs. DM me if you want them.
Got a question... I bought and read through the Plastic Ono Band book that came out in the fall and now I'm considering the box set set. How different is the book in the box? I know it's shorter but does the content vary? I'm tossing up getting the box or just having read the other book, streaming most of the set. Not too interested in the blu-ray discs. Thanks for any input!
I got the book as well. The book in the box sets seems to repeat much of the same info in the book. If I did it over, I would just buy the box set. BTW-I really am enjoying the Elements Mixes CD.
I’ve seen sealed copies of Plastic Ono Band online with hype stickers on the shrink stating “John Lennon” or “Yoko Ono” to distinguish which album was which. Kind of like how original U.S. copies of Wild Life had a “Wings Wild Life” sticker on the shrink, but if you take the shrink off, the cover is devoid of text to identify it. Perhaps not all original pressings of Plastic Ono Band had the hype sticker? If so, I can see how it would have been fairly easy to confuse them.
I cannot remember when shrink wrapping became the norm in the UK. Even in the mid 70s a lot of smaller record shops put the sleeves out for folk to look at whilst the record itself was behind the counter. I saw when I bought mine that Yoko was on the back but thought that was the record as I had no idea Yoko had her own version! I guess someone had bought John's version just leaving the Yoko in the rack under either Lennon or Beatles/Beatles solo - I cannot remember but it was a different world back then.
Amazon has this now for $88.50. I was going to wait a bit longer to order but didn't know how long this price would last: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XL9QVHX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
I listened to the Yoko sessions and they were just fantastic! It's such a great treat to be able to hear all the raw material used to make one of my favorite albums. It's also quite insightful. Why is one of the best tracks on the original album, but so much of what makes it work is due to the editing and mixing. The full recording drags on. But edited brilliantly and with some good echo/reverb, it turns into the perfect lead off, absolutely wild! Why Not, meanwhile, is enthralling even in its full form. Touch Me is great too, although it's too bad that the piano wasn't mic'ed up at the end. I Lost Myself Somewhere In The Sky would have been a worthy inclusion if Yoko didn't have the Ornette Coleman tape. I hope more of Yoko's material gets similar treatment!
I love the Yoko material as well, but I have a big complaint about the mixing. One of the things that made Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band so revolutionary was the seamless blending of John's screaming guitar with her vocals. Here, his guitar is lower in the mix while her vocals are much more prominent and they don't "connect" like they did on the other mix.
I think we may want to thank Sean. I read somewhere that she has handed over the reins a little while ago.
I appreciate that though because it's the raw session rather than a mixed and polished album. But sure, it does take some of the impact out. Nothing beats the original album!
Here's how I have it (excuse the formatting): MY MUMMY’S DEAD [home recording] [1] basic recording- summer 1970, Bel Air, California additional recording- none master tape- 8 track 2nd generation [a] and [b ], mono [c] [a] mono 22-27 October 1970 from Take 1. UK: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Apple PCS 7124, 1970), John Lennon (Parlophone JLB 8, 1981), Signature Box (Universal EMI 060075357093, 2015), John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal , 2015). US: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Apple SW-3372, 1970). CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (EMI CDP 746 770-2, 1988), Lennon (EMI CDS 795 220-2, 1990), John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (EMI/Apple 5099990650529, 2010), Gimme Some Truth (EMI 50999 906642 2 9, 2010), Signature Box (EMI 50999 906509 2 5, 2010). [b ] mono 2000 from Take 1, Abbey Road Studios, London. CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (EMI 7243 5 28740 2 6, 2000). [c ] mono 2020 from Take 1. “Ultimate Mix” UK: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354541, 2021). US: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354541, 2021). CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354497, 0602507354442 and 0602507354299, 2021). [d ] mono 2020 from Take 1. “Raw Studio Mix” CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354299, 2021). [e] mono 2020 from Take 1. “Elements Mix” CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354299, 2021). [f ] mono 2020 from Take 2. “Evolution Mix” CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354299, 2021). The first of two acoustic guitar and vocal demos. This and the second attempt were transferred to an 8-track tape in order to be processed. In 2020, the original C-90 tape was re-transferred directly to digital to reduce the generations. [a], [b ] and [c]: sped up, EQ’d and with the first few notes missing [d] and [f]: correct speed, no EQ and with the first few notes in place [e]: sped up, different EQ to “open up” the sound, and with the first notes in place MY MUMMY’S DEAD [home recording] [2] basic recording- summer 1970, Bel Air, California additional recording- none master tape- mono [a] mono 2004 from Take 2. CD: Acoustic (Capitol 874 428-2, 2004). [b ] mono 2020 from Take 2. “Ultimate Mix” UK: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354541, 2021). US: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354541, 2021). CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354442 and 0602507354299, 2021). [c] mono 2020 from Take 2. “Demo” CD: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354299, 2021). [d] mono 2020 from Take 2. “Raw Studio Mix” BR: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Universal 0602507354299, 2021). Performed on acoustic guitar with single tracked vocal. [a] has been subject to noise reduction. [b ]: sped up, EQ’d to match the album version, full opening chord but with a fade out [c]: correct speed, no EQ, full opening chord but with a fade out [d]: correct speed, no EQ, edited opening chord but with a full ending
