Album Reviews

(Sorry I had the assassination date wrong! I can't understand how the Demo label maker punched out the wrong year! It was 1980). Former N.Y.C. Deputy Mayor Edward Morrison's obituary appeared in today's New York Times. Morrison was instrumental in helping John Lennon remain in America at a time when Richard Nixon was trying to deport him. Lennon's anti-war political agitation bugged Nixon. The deportation was going to based on an old pot bust. Morrison intervened and helped Lennon to remain in America by having him declared a "valuable cultural asset to New York City".

The obit's appearance prompted AnalogPlanet editor Michael Fremer to produce this video review of both the 2 LP edition and the deluxe double Blu-ray, 4 CD plus hard cover book edition. The set's release didn't coincide with an anniversary of note— either of the original LP's debut on September of 1971 or Lennon's assassination on December 8th, 1980 and nothing in the book explains it either. Not that it matters. Imagine was Lennon's most loved album, though it could be easily argued that his first solo album Plastic Ono Band was a more enduring and significant record. It certainly makes for more difficult but rewarding listening!

The title song's idealism rubbed some the wrong way upon its release, but Lennon defended it saying it was meant as a children's song. Today, we could use more idealistic songs like "Imagine"! There's not a clunker among the ten songs and all have stood the test of time.

This is the second attempt at a re-mix: the first was in 2000. That not particularly distinguished version was re-issued by Mobile Fidelity on vinyl. The original, mastered by Sam Feldman at Bell Sound is a worthwhile version as was the George "Porky Prime Cut" Peckham U.K. original, though Lennon didn't like his voice and was happy to have it purposefully muffled. This reissue includes a carefully done re-mix produced similar to what Giles Martin has twice done with Beatles albums: the original multitrack elements were transferred to 96/24 and carefully mixed down to reflect the original, but with far greater well deserved clarity in Lennon's voice.

Working from original "stems" not pre-mixes results in greater transparency and John and Yoko made sure Phil Spector didn't put his reverb signature on the pre-mix tracks, which were dry. That gave the remix engineer Paul Hicks far more to work with as did the original stereo string recordings that were pre-mixed to mono for the original.

As good as the re-mix is, for me, the "Raw Studio Mixes" are far more exciting and put you right in the studio as an "ear witness". Those are only available on the Deluxe Blu-ray and CD sets, which make them worth getting. The box includes demos, outtakes, the original Quadrasonic four channel mix as well as a new 5.1 channel mix also very well done and not at all gimmicky.

The book is very well done in every way and it's filled with great information as well as full credits going back to the original recordings and forward to the remix project. Watch the one take unscripted video: