Imagine...A Better Sounding "Imagine"

February 16, 2000: "Imagine" - my review:

John Lennon’s “Imagine” album was reissued in Canada on February 15th. It was issued a day earlier in the UK and is set for U.S. release on March 28th. As a rule, I tend to approach reissues of material I already own with a degree of skepticism. My concern is twofold. That I might pay full price only to notice a marginal improvement - if at all. Or even worse, that the remastering / remixing process might alter the music that I’ve come to know so well in some undesirable way. Admittedly, when the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine Songtrack” was released last fall, I was one of the listeners who was initially unimpressed. The disc has grown on me since then but the experience left me with mixed feelings about what I could expect from the reissue of “Imagine”.

When the time came to purchase the disc, the already familiar artwork and the lack of bonus material didn’t exactly inspire me to rush to the check out counter. If I wasn’t such a confirmed “Lennonist”, I might have considered it a “someday” purchase. However, I ultimately decided to pay my money and take my chances. When I first reviewed the CD, I took note of the expanded artwork although many of the enclosed photos will already be familiar to most Lennon fans. However, like most people who will read this “review,” my main concern was the sound quality.

Usually, I’ll play CDs (even new recordings) as background music. (Hey, I have a life!) In this case, however, the sound I heard coming out of my JBLs caused me to stop what I was doing and sit through the CD in it’s entirety. I was riveted on the spot by the sheer power of this disc. I have always found the original “Imagine” CD to be flat and lifeless. Considering the age of the material and Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” production style, I honestly wondered if this problem would be resolved in the new version. I was pleasantly surprised. This edition of “Imagine” boasted such clarity, it sounds like it could have been recorded a few weeks ago. In my opinion, it was state of the art. Even when compared to the dynamic range of more recent recordings, “Imagine” holds up very well. It no longer has the dated, aged sound it exhibited on the original CD. A quantum leap in improved power, detail and dynamic range. I plan on keeping the older “Imagine” CD but I’m sure it will never get played again.

As far as the character of the sound, I admittedly lack experience and knowledge of recording engineering practices however, IMO, the sound and the placement of the instruments were very faithful to what I’ve been hearing and admiring for almost 30 years. Even more gratifying was the tone and placement of John’s voice. It was clear as a bell and it sounded like John was singing in the same room. Wonderful stuff.

For people who are only familiar with the original CD, prepare yourself. You’re about to hear this album for the first time. Anyone who has heard a 1st generation virgin vinyl copy of “Imagine” on a decent hi-fi, I suspect that this disc will be a return to those days. The only difference would be a tendency for the songs to fade out a little too quickly - a problem which is inherent to the CD format.

A note to anyone who’s bored with “Imagine” (the song); feel that it is over hyped and over rated and have already made up their mind that this album has nothing new to offer (probably because you already own 12 previous copies), push those feelings quickly aside and buy this disc. You’ll be glad you did. If you’re living in the U.S.A., don’t wait until March 28th. Engage in some serious cross border shopping or get thee to an import store. Heaven help you if you get hit by lightning before you hear this CD. The remixing team really did that good of a job.

The day after buying this disc, I’m desperately hoping that they do the same with all Beatles classics, both group and solo. I didn’t feel that way after hearing “Yellow Submarine Songtrack” but I certainly do now.

...“Abbey Road”, All Things Must Pass”; all the "John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band" CDs..... bring it on people! (see Oct. 12th update)

November 8, 2001 - Review: “Milk and Honey” reissue, released on October 23, 2001: The 4th reissue is consistent with the others in terms of improved sound and artwork. For newer fans, this release is particularly welcome since it is the 1st time that this album has been officially available for several years. “Grow Old With Me” is the best example of improved sound quality. Lennon’s vocal is stronger with this remix, as if his voice was doubletracked. However, the glitch near the end of the track remains and is even more prominent because of the improved resolution. Out of the bonus material, the most interesting is the demo for “I’m Stepping Out”. This “demo of a demo” is less driven and more tentative in melody and lyric. In it’s acoustic form, this version of “I’m Stepping Out” foreshadows the “unplugged” format that became popular in later years. It’s an unessential, but nice addition to the album. The CD concludes with excerpts from Lennon last interview. As with the other interviews of this period, Lennon sounds happy, hopeful and optimistic about the future which now gives his comments a bittersweet quality. His views on  immigration (“imagine no countries”) have a strange irony considering the events of September 11th, 2001.

October 22, 2000 - AIU: The Jody Denberg Series: "Starting Over - A Conversation With Yoko Ono About The John Lennon Reissues In 2000" .

October 12, 2000 - Update: "Plastic Ono Band" and "Double Fantasy" were reissued on October 9th, on what would have been Lennon's 60th birthday. The improvements on "Plastic Ono Band" are particularly noteworthy  - very similar to the degree that the "Imagine" album was improved upon with it's reissue. "Plastic Ono Band" has more clarity and depth; vocals and instruments are well spaced - a much improved ambiance. Since "Double Fantasy" was remastered and not remixed, the improvements are more subtle. It now has a louder sound with slightly different equalization making the bass and drums seem more prominent. The most interesting aspect of the "Double Fantasy" reissue is the addition of the "Help Me to Help Myself" demo which makes it's first official appearance. It's an excellent choice. The sound quality on "Help Me to Help Myself" is much better than most of the other Lennon home demos that I've heard.

May 9, 2000 - Article: Lennon's summer of '71 revisited by Tony Atherton of The Ottawa Citizen, reviews the "Gimme Some Truth" documentary which airs in Canada, this evening, on Bravo.

May 2, 2000 - Capitol's web site has a contest for the new "Imagine" CD and "Gimme Some Truth" on DVD and VHS: IMAGINE - Digitally Remastered and Remixed .

April 23, 2000 - 'Imagine' joins the DVD ranks

April 22, 2000 - 'Plastic' Would Have Been Nice Addition to 'Imagine' By LA Times Music Critc ROBERT HILBURN .This article presents a case for the reissue of Lennon's first solo album. Hopefully this will happen if the comments that Yoko made to Jody Denberg in last week's interview are any indication. Review:Jax Beach Movie Revue: Review for April 22, 2000: "Gimme Some Truth" .

April 21, 2000 - Review:Ironminds: Reexamining Imagine .

Jody Denberg interviews Yoko Ono : This April, 15, 2000 interview mainly deals with Lennon's artwork but also touches on the reissue of "Imagine"; the "Gimme Some Truth" documentary; the December parole hearing for Lennon's killer; the upcoming Beatles Anthology book; and other future projects. Yoko also verfies the reissue of other Lennon solo albums in a similar fashion to what was done with "Imagine"
from Steve Marinucci’s “Abbeyrd’s Beatles Page”.

April 17, 2000 - Wall of Sound Review: Imagine (Remastered)

April 7, 2000 - Imagine there's no Ono in 'Truth' : Acording to this article, in an effort to facilitate a more objective documentary, Yoko Ono surrendered control of "Gimme Some Truth" to director Andrew Solt:

"I decided I couldn't make the film because it's painful from beginning to end," she says. "And if I'd had my way, I would have never used some embarrassing scenes. Besides, a widow's whitewash would be so uninteresting for fans."

March 14, 2000 - “‘Imagine’ Remembered and Remastered” by Anthony DeCurtis; "Rolling Stone" magazine ; March 30th, 2000. [RS#837] :

Anthony DeCurtis who wrote the essay piece that accompanied the "John Lennon
Anthology", has a two page article in the March 30th issue of  "Rolling Stone" magazine about the reissue of "Imagine".

The article is highlighted with comments by producer Phil Spector. As DeCurtis states, Spector is well known for being media shy but his fondness of “Imagine” and of John and Yoko, prompted him to volunteer details of the July 1971 recording sessions: “John was fascinated by mono,” Spector says approvingly. “So, realistically that album is mono - whatever anybody else tells you is bullshit.¹We put it on two tracks, but we put the same parts on each track and brought them together. Then we overdubbed the strings on a separate track later and blended them in with the mono track...So I would mix all night,
and then the next day they would get up, listen and tell me what they thought.” Spector also affirms that Lennon was trying for something “brighter and more positive, more “Beatle - oriented” and “commercial,” in Spector’s terms.”

The article also has Spector’s comments on George Harrison’s involvement. According to Spector, there was some some underlying “former Beatle” tension but George was very accommodating and the results were beautiful: “He had just gotten his slide-playing down and it was wonderful.” Alan White, Jim Keltner and Klaus Voormann reminisce about recording “Jealous Guy.” They remain very moved by the experience of the song’s recording, even after all these years. This was Keltner’s first recording with John and Yoko and the first of many sessions with them: “If I hear it now, I still get that feeling - I want to well up. It was the first time I’d ever heard John Lennon’s voice in my headphones....”

Yoko offers a unique and interesting personal perspective on the inspiration behind  “Gimme Some Truth”: “That song is truly coming from his anger about what he what he experienced in his childhood. He had a terrible childhood. His mother was away. His father was away. His aunties were protecting him, but he didn’t know what was going on. They didn’t tell him where his parents were. It was that feeling of ‘What is happening’? “So all he wanted to say was ‘Gimme some truth.’ And that anger was transferred into his anger towards the system, the politicians, the hypocrisy of the world. But it comes from his childhood. So when I see him singing that song, I see him as the Lennon we know and the world knows, but also as a little boy who was crying for something.”

There is some familiar ground covered by the article (the explanations behind “How Do
You Sleep”and the song “Imagine”) but overall, the article is certainly interesting and
informative enough to justify the “price of admission”.

In relation to this issue, these comments recently appeared on Steve Marinucci’s “Abbeyrd’s Beatles Page”:

    Original Comments from David Goodwin

     "...the beginning of "Imagine" has the piano in near mono, but right before
     the vocals come in, it switches abruptly to a reverbed stereo (I don't THINK
     this was on the original CD...I could be wrong, but it sounds very
     contemporary)."

     Response from Crane

     "The original stereo tape was accidentally stretched and made unusable. The
     engineers replaced the damaged stereo tape with a mono copy for the first
     part of the song. The remix sounds like the remixers were trying to make a
     fake stereo copy of the original."

Company Press Release

'Bravo Arena' Honors John and Yoko

'Gimme Some Truth: the Making of the 'Imagine'
Album' Premieres Monday, April 17 At
10:00PM/ET

U.S. Television Premiere Times With Re-Issue of Album

BETHPAGE, N.Y.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 13, 2000--Imagine... you're sitting right next to John Lennon while he records one of the most important projects of his solo career.

It isn't hard to do...On Monday, April 17 at 10:00PM/ET, Bravo will provide an intimate
portrayal of a musical genius collaborating with his wife, Yoko Ono, on their landmark 1971 album, Imagine. Intense, humorous, poignant and bluntly revealing, Bravo's U.S. television premiere of GIMME SOME TRUTH features rare, behind-the-scenes footage of the making of this timeless classic.

GIMME SOME TRUTH captures a time in history when a generation was adapting to a new decade. The centerpiece of Bravo's hour-long program is previously unseen 16mm film footage shot by John and Yoko in 1971 during the recording of the Imagine album with co-producer Phil Spector at their home in Ascot, England.

This rare and exclusive recording studio footage is complimented by excerpts of the
Lennon-Ono produced 1972 film, Imagine, and candid party footage shot by underground
filmmaker Jonas Mekas of John and Yoko with Andy Warhol, Jack Nicholson, Miles Davis and others.

Remarkable in many ways, GIMME SOME TRUTH illustrates the strength of John and Yoko's relationship and how they inspired each other--both in the studio and privately--and serves as a reminder of Lennon's playfulness, candor, idealism and acidic wit.

In one particularly domestic moment, while sewing John's pants, Yoko states, “I don't like other people doing personal things like this for John.” To which Lennon replies, “She's such a good mother to me.”

The Imagine album is being reissued this April by Capitol Records on CD, cassette and vinyl. The original track listing remains intact and is thought by many as the best complete example of Lennon's songwriting and performing genius. Also included is a 16-page booklet with full lyrics (including Lennon's hand-written lyrics to How Do You Sleep?) and rare photographs from the Lennon/Ono archives.

Also in April, the extended 63-minute version of GIMME SOME TRUTH, containing seven extra minutes of rare film footage, will be commercially issued by Capitol Records as an interactive DVD and VHS home video. The DVD will contain a stereo soundtrack and a 5.1 surround-sound mix--plus approximately 40 minutes of unique audio/visual material recorded at the time of the album sessions.

Bravo, The Film and Arts Network, offers critically acclaimed American and international films as well as performing arts, including dance, theater, classical music and jazz. Bravo is available to 50 million homes nationwide.

Contact:

     Bravo, Bethpage
     Sommer Hixson, 516/803-4544
     shixson@rainbow-media.com

March 6, 2000 - "Dotmusic reports the "Gimme Some Truth" DVD will feature a previously unseen 40-minute interview with John and Yoko. The DVD which has been put together at Abbey Road Interactive, also features an album discography section covering Lennon's solo output with audio excerpts. " From Steve Marinucci’s “Abbeyrd’s Beatles Page”.

March 4, 2000 - "Gimme Some Truth"DVD Canadian Release Details: "EMI Canada lists the DVD and VHS of "Gimme Some Truth: The making of the 'Imagine' album", for April 4. The DVD will contain an 8 page booklet with background to how the sessions came to be filmed in the first place. Look for the radio sampler of 4 tracks and the two minute promo piece video which will be serviced mid-March to all media and video outlets. Nice job folks! Stéphane Messier; Beatles fan in Canada" From Steve Marinucci’s “Abbeyrd’s Beatles Page”.

February 21, 2000 - Other Reviews: JAM! "Imagine' DVD loaded with extras” ;  The Guardian: Nice one, John ; Calgary Herald: Nostalgia is in the air these days ;  JAM! Album Review: JOHN LENNON: IMAGINE .

These articles detail the auctioning of Lennon's piano:  BBC: Imagine owning Lennon's piano ;  Imagine what John wrote on this piano ;  Reuters: Lennon's 'Imagine' piano to be auctioned online ;  John Lennon piano set to sell for £1 million ; Photo: John Lennon's Piano Arrives in Liverpool for Auction .

February 8, 2000 - The Canadian press release for John Lennon's "Imagine" reissue:

                           JOHN LENNON'S IMAGINE TO BE REISSUED
                           ON 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH

                          Parlophone/EMI Music Canada is proud to release a
                           remixed and remastered version of the landmark
                           John Lennon album Imagine on February 15. This
                           spearheads an intense period of activity, which
                           includes the release of a film with previously unseen
                           documentary footage of the making of the album.

                           The year 2000 marks 20 years since Lennon's death
                           and Imagine has transpired to be one of the most
                           successful and important projects of his solo career.

                           The reissue of Imagine features a 16 page booklet
                           with full lyrics (including Lennon's hand-written lyrics
                           to "How Do You Sleep?") and rare photographs from
                           the Lennon/Ono archives.

                           The tracklisting remains the same as the original
                           album, and is thought by many to be the best
                           complete example of Lennon's songwriting and
                           performing genius, featuring such classics as
                           "Jealous Guy", "Gimme Some Truth", "How Do
                           You Sleep?" and the title track, which was recently
                           voted the best lyric of all time in a BBC poll.

                           Yoko Ono spent much of last autumn in London at
                           Abbey Road studios supervising the digital remixing
                           of the album and working as executive producer on
                           the film documenting the making of the album and
                           events around it.

                           Yoko Ono said: "I am so grateful that EMI Records
                           and Abbey Road Studios took so much time and care
                           to bring this project to fruition. In Abbey Road
                           Studios, I found the engineers top-notch and the
                           studios were the latest and the best."

                           Accompanying this reissue is Gimme Some Truth, a
                           56 minute film shot around the making of the Imagine
                           album and featuring much previously unseen footage
                           from the Lennon film archives. The film was edited
                           from 16mm film shot by John and Yoko in 1971 and
                           features the recording of some of the classic songs
                           on Imagine at John and Yoko's house in Ascot, along
                           with candid footage of John, Yoko and friends like
                           the ageless Andy Warhol and the young Jack
                           Nicholson. Party footage was shot by independent
                           film maker and film historian Jonas Mekas.

                           Gimme Some Truth has been sold to 28 TV stations
                           around the world, including MuchMoreMusic and
                           Musimax in Canada, which will air the film in April
                           2000.

                           The film is remarkable in many ways; as an
                           illustration of the strength of Lennon and Ono's
                           relationship and how they inspired each other, both in
                           the studio and privately; as a reminder not just of
                           Lennon's genius but of his playfulness, candour,
                           idealism and his acidic wit; as a reminder of a time
                          when an artist was fast transcending our expectations
                           of him; and, lastly, as a fascinating glimpse into how
                           two artists, spearheading a whole culture, function
                           creatively at a time when the idealism of the late '60s
                           was adapting to a new decade.

                           On March 28, an extended 63-minute version of
                           Gimme Some Truth will be released commercially on
                           VHS and DVD. The DVD will contain a stereo
                           soundtrack and a surround-sound mix plus
                          approximately 40 minutes of unique audio/visual
                          interview footage recorded at the time of the album.
                           It will also contain an album discography that will
                           allow the listener to hear a sample of one track per
                           album.

                           Imagine, the album, was recorded in the summer of
                           1971 and first released in the UK in October that
                           year. It reached #1 in the UK, the US and Canada,
                           where it had been released in September.

                           The Imagine film, directed, produced and performed
                           by John and Yoko was premiered in December 1972
                           and was released on video in 1985. Although the
                           Imagine single reached the top 3 in America in 1971,
                           it was not released as a single in the UK until 1975
                           and was never deleted; it subsequently reached #1 in
                           the UK in 1981, after Lennon's tragic death.

                           In October 1990, a special broadcast of the track was
                           carried by over 1000 radio stations in over 50
                           countries in celebration of John's 50th birthday, in an
                           initiative sponsored by the United Nations.

                           Imagine is perhaps, in the mind of the public, the
                           songs most closely linked to the feelings they share
                           for a truly remarkable artist - for many, the greatest
                           rock musician of the last 50 years.

                           Imagine and Gimme Some Truth go some way to
                           explaining why.

Company Press Release:

'Imagine' Album by John Lennon is Digitally Remixed and Remastered At Abbey Road Studios in London, Set for April 11th In-Store Date

"Gimme Some Truth - The Making Of John Lennon's `Imagine' Album" documentary film set for April release on interactive DVD and VHS home video, following BBC2 and Bravo premieres

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Feb. 2, 2000-- Yoko Ono supervises album
reissue and film production

"It was Ascot, England, early-summer, and we just kind of said, "Why not, OK, let's do it,' and we invited some friends and we had breakfast, and then we'd just go right into the studio. So it was really like home-cooking, and that's how Imagine was made. But we didn't know it was going to be that big.''  Yoko Ono, introduction to ``GIMME SOME TRUTH''

IMAGINE, the 1971 album by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band which has become the subject of renewed interest (and increasingly brisk sales worldwide) at the dawn of the millennium, as well as the inspiration for a highly anticipated documentary film, has now been remixed and remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, supervised by Yoko Ono, and will be reissued in a new version on vinyl, CD and cassette by Capitol Records on March 28th.

As we enter the 20th anniversary year of the ex-Beatle's death, IMAGINE is still considered by many to be the penultimate representation of John Lennon's enormous talents as an artist, singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. The reissue retains the album's original track listing: "Imagine,'' "Crippled Inside,'' "Jealous Guy,'' "It's So Hard,'' "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mamma I Don't Wanna Die,'' "Gimme Some Truth,'' "Oh My Love,'' "How Do You Sleep?'' "How?'' "Oh Yoko!'' Also included is a 16 page booklet with full lyrics (including Lennon's hand-written lyrics to "How Do You Sleep?'') and rare photographs from the Lennon/Ono archives.

The album release coincides with the premiere of a revealing behind-the-scenes documentary, "GIMME SOME TRUTH - THE MAKING OF JOHN LENNON's IMAGINE ALBUM,'' which examines the intense creative process that took place at Lennon's home recording studio in Ascot, England during the 1971 recording sessions. The 56-minute film, produced and directed by Andrew Solt and executive produced by Yoko Ono, was edited from 16mm film footage shot by John and Yoko and hidden from public view for nearly three decades. "GIMME SOME TRUTH'' will premiere on BBC2 in England (February 13) and will be shown on Bravo in North America April 17.

Also on April 11, the extended 63-minute version of "GIMME SOME TRUTH,'' containing seven extra minutes of rare film footage, will be commercially issued by Capitol Records as an interactive DVD and VHS home video. The DVD will contain a stereo soundtrack and a 5.1. surround-sound mix plus approximately 40 minutes of unique audio/visual interview material recorded at the time of the album sessions. The DVD will employ English language subtitles for all speech and songs in the main program; will be fully chaptered for each recording; will feature its own set of production credits; and will contain an album discography to enable the listener to hear a sample of one track per album.

The IMAGINE album was produced by John and Yoko and Phil Spector during the series of sessions that began in May 1971. The album was released on Apple Records the following September, entered the Billboard Top Lps chart September 18th, was certified RIAA gold less than two weeks later on October 1st, and went to #1 the week of October 30th. The single "Imagine'' (not issued as a 45 in the U.K. until 1975) debuted October 23, 1971, on the Billboard Hot 100, where it reached #3. The album currently stands at 2x-platinum in the U.S. The original film entitled "Imagine,'' directed, produced and performed by John and Yoko, premiered in December 1972 and was released on video in 1985. In 1988, a documentary film of John's life (and an accompanying soundtrack album) entitled "Imagine: John Lennon'' was released, including Lennon performances and nine Beatles songs.

The essential lineup for IMAGINE in 1971, as indicated in the credits for "GIMME SOME TRUTH,'' comprise: John Lennon on piano, guitar and vocals; George Harrison on guitar; Nicky Hopkins on piano; Jim Keltner on drums; Klaus Voorman on bass and guitar; and Alan White on drums. Numerous other musicians are listed in the album track credits, including King Curtis on saxophone; Mike Pinder (Moody Blues) on tambourine; Jim Gordon on drums; Joey Molland and Tommy Evans (Badfinger) on guitars; and of course the ubiquitous presence of Phil Spector.

Tempers flair yet warm humor prevails throughout "GIMME SOME TRUTH,'' an essential aural and visual experience for both the seasoned Beatles aficionado and the casual fan. The film is a remarkable illustration of the strength of John and Yoko's relationship, how they inspired each other in the studio as well as privately. It is a reminder not just of Lennon's genius but of his playfulness, candor, idealism and acerbic wit, at a time when he was fast transcending our expectations of him as an artist. Ultimately, it is a fascinating glimpse into the spirit of two artists spearheading a whole culture, functioning creatively in a turbulent era, as the idealism of the late '60s was adapting to a new decade.

The film covers a lot of ground - from priceless demo rehearsal sessions in Ascot to a madcap bookstore autographing session for Yoko's Grapefruit; from John leading a peace march down city streets brandishing a bullhorn beneath a poster for his and Yoko's subsequent single "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'' to a confrontation at John's front door with a vagabond hippie who is taken in and fed; from the kitchen breakfast that started it all to a gala party at Ascot shot by noted avant garde independent film maker Jonas Mekas, capturing such notables as Jack Nicholson and Andy Warhol, while John plays basketball with Miles Davis in the driveway.

Above all, the indomitable soul of John Lennon soars. It is no wonder that public fascination with "Imagine'' stirred up on radio and across the Internet throughout 1999; in England, the song was recently voted the best lyric of all time in a nationwide BBC poll. As far back as October 9, 1990, John's 50th birthday was celebrated with a special simulcast of ``Imagine'' on more than 1000 radio stations in over 50 countries, an initiative sponsored by the United Nations.

"Imagine'' is perhaps, in the mind of the public, the song that is most closely linked to the feelings they share for a truly remarkable artist - for many, the greatest rock musician of the last 50 years. The IMAGINE album and "GIMME SOME TRUTH'' provide part of the explanation why.

Contact:

     Capitol Records NY
     Michele Mena, 212-253-3190