This is pretty basic stuff — the art is provocative and leads to arguments by design, but that doesn't mean our host wants a free-for-all. I am sympathetic to people who want to talk about politics but a thread on a 50-year-old album is just not the right forum for it... there's too much 'my flag is wavier than yours' My take is that the album is like a news report. Hence the cover. Would you pick apart the social implications of a newspaper headline from 1972 and try to argue how it holds up now? It captures a certain perspective from a certain time. No need to go dragging modern takes into it
Even though it's a lesser album I'd be curious to see what they can do. The Lennon boxes of the albums to date have been exemplary. The greatest hits box was a little too radical in spots, maxed out (periodically fascinating)---different approach than the albums.
I think that you are spot on. The handling of the sets and any accompanying items has been excellent. Whatever your thoughts on the music there will be plenty of background discussion that will set the release in its historical context. I will be happy to dig in.
When people abbreviate the title as STINYC, am I the only one whose brain initially reads that as STINKY?
Both Madison Square Garden sets and a disc of live TV performances/appearances from late 1971 - 72 would definitely sweeten the pot. Personally, I think Attica State is the underrated "gem" on this album. IF the new mix tones down Yoko's warble on the chorus... John is great on this one, and the electric guitar work is pretty gnarly and rocks. Maybe an "elements" mix or raw studio take without Yoko's vocal could redeem it.
Between Imagine and POB, I think the Imagine box was a better presentation of the material. The difference is admittedly nit-picky but I felt like the POB padded things out too much with unnecessary "elements" mixes as well as plenty of redundant pieces (such as the Evolution tracks including snippets of recordings already featured in full elsewhere). I was actually thinking, perhaps my "ideal" would be one long "evolution" style segment for each song. It could include both full performances as well as snippets, and be broken down/indexed for easy browsing. But rather than having take 2 on one disc, a demo on another, a jam/cover from the same session on yet another disc, and then an evolution track that also samples all of the above, just put everything together. For POB at least, it felt like whoever made the evolution tracks had no idea what was being included on the rest of the set.
To this day I still have to check to see what evolution elements etc means before selecting which disc to listen to
Ya know for a raw, minimally produced album like POB, I didn't think evolution mixes were necessary, personally. Though they made perfect sense for Imagine, and it's a cool concept. Evolution mixes for Walls & Bridges or Double Fantasy could be fascinating experiences. On the elements side of things, an Instrumental John Sinclair would be cool, imho.
Yoko’s rhythmic wailing MAKES “Well”. It elevates it from a mere “blues cover” to a torturous call-and-response on the nature of love and abandonment. Yoko and Howard Kaylan are the two people who come across best in the whole Zappa/Lennons collaboration. Frank knew what he was getting with Yoko and used the situation for what it was worth.
"John Sinclair" and "Attica State" were not remixed. Presumably they were not to be improved upon, as they clearly still have the tapes for remixing the new "Ultimate"...
I'll have to play that again but the Anthology take of Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out is miles better than the one on Menlove Ave.
Thanks for the reminder - No, not every track on this is crap. Now I have to go listen to the whole album again. I always thought the "Menlove Ave." version of SCARED was awesome. A sudden leap in quality happens. I much prefer it to the final take.
What I really liked was that the Evolution tracks for POB included some funky remixes, like pairing two sets of vocals together or things like that. In this case, those bits were more interesting them some of the elements tracks. For Imagine, I think the elements tracks were well chosen and worth hearing isolated.
So I’m an oddball. I forgot to add that his comment does the neat trick of defending free speech (go ahead, use the n-word all you like), but sardonically implying the negative blowback that will be received at the same time. I liked the humor of it. But I guess that’s hard to convey in a short text message.
Yeah, I don’t really think people will give it much attention. I did begin my sentence with “If.” Low probability.
It will get the same amount of attention as the last 3 Lennon boxes did, be over analyzed and discussed on these forums and Beatle related YouTube channels and podcasts in the months and weeks leading up to release, with everyone sharing shipping notices, appear in the upper reaches of the Amazon music best sellers chart for a week or three after release, be featured in a bunch of unboxing videos on dedicated Beatles YouTube channels, followed by critiques of sound quality , and then this thread will die a death until speculation for the next set next year emerges in a new thread.Meanwhile the real world won’t notice and will go about it’s business But for those of us who do care, it’s fun.
Given that this year's set is STINYC, I would say it's a fair bet that Mind Games will come next year... [call me psychic...]
I think this is the case as well, especially with Sean in charge now and him expressing his love for Mind Games all through the promotion of GimmeSomeTruth in 2020. He said the title track might be his favorite of his dad's and describing it he seemed really mesmerized by that song. The only wrinkle I see perhaps is Double Fantasy/Milk and Honey getting bumped up in the line because of Yoko's declining health, if Sean wants that era that includes significant Yoko contribution to be celebrated while she's still with us.
That's possible, but I think if they were gonna go that way, we would've had Double Fantasy this year and STINYC next year as DF is commercially and critically rated higher than STINYC... My theoretical odds: 100:93 Mind Games 20:1 Double Fantasy 50:1 anything else
