Lennon catalog to be remastered and reissued - again

Okay, lost count of how many reissues there have been of Lennon's solo material, but for the most part Yoko's done a decent job (with some question marks along the way). And this is to commemorate Lennon's 70th birthday.

Oh yeah, and there will be yet another hits compilation.

The stripped-down "Double Fantasy" sounds intriguing.

The presser:

http://beatles.com/#/news/John_Lennon_Gimme_Some_Truth/

London, England – June 29, 2010 – Eight of John Lennon’s classic solo albums and other standout recordings have been digitally remastered from his original mixes for a global catalogue initiative commemorating the music legend’s 70th birthday, which falls on October 9.

Overseen by Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” campaign will launch on 4 October (5 October in North America) with the worldwide release of eight remastered studio albums and several newly-compiled titles.

Double Fantasy, 1980’s GRAMMY Award winner for Album of the Year, will be presented in a newly remixed 'Stripped Down' version remixed and produced by Yoko Ono and Jack Douglas, co-producers of the original mix with John Lennon. The new stripped down version of the album comes in an expanded 2CD and digital edition pairing the new version with Lennon’s original mix, remastered.

The campaign’s other new collections include:

· A hits compilation in two editions titled Power To The People: The Hits
· A 4CD set of themed discs titled Gimme Some Truth
· A deluxe 11CD collectors box with the remastered albums, rarities, and non-album singles, titled the John Lennon Signature Box

All of the remastered albums and collections will be available on CD and for download purchase from all major digital service providers

YOKO ONO said: “In this very special year, which would have seen my husband and life partner John reach the age of 70, I hope that this remastering / reissue programme will help bring his incredible music to a whole new audience. By remastering 121 tracks spanning his solo career, I hope also that those who are already familiar with John’s work will find renewed inspiration from his incredible gifts as a songwriter, musician and vocalist and from his power as a commentator on the human condition. His lyrics are as relevant today as they were when they were first written and I can think of no more apposite title for this campaign than those simple yet direct words 'Gimme Some Truth'.”

The albums have been digitally remastered from Lennon’s original mixes by Yoko Ono and a team of engineers led by Allan Rouse at EMI Music’s Abbey Road Studios in London and by George Marino at Avatar Studios in New York. All of the remastered titles will be packaged in digisleeves with replicated original album art and booklets with photos and new liner notes by noted British music journalist Paul Du Noyer. The albums to be reissued are:

· John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
· Imagine (1971)
· Some Time In New York City (1972)
· Mind Games (1973)
· Walls and Bridges (1974)
· Rock ‘n’ Roll (1975)
· Double Fantasy Stripped Down (2010) / Double Fantasy (1980)
· Milk and Honey (1984)

YOKO ONO added: “Double Fantasy Stripped Down really allows us to focus our attention on John’s amazing vocals. Technology has advanced so much that, conversely, I wanted to use new techniques to really frame these amazing songs and John's voice as simply as possible. By stripping down some of the instrumentation the power of the songs shines through with an enhanced clarity. Double Fantasy Stripped Down will be complemented by the original album in the 2CD format. It was whilst working on the new version of this album that I was hit hardest emotionally, as this was the last album John released before his passing."

Power To The People: The Hits gathers 15 of Lennon’s most popular songs, and will be available as a 15-track single-disc and digital package, and as an Experience Edition with additional content. Both versions will be packaged in digisleeves with booklets including a new liner note essay by Du Noyer.

Gimme Some Truth, to be packaged in a slipcase with rare photos and a new liner notes essays by respected American music journalist and author, Anthony DeCurtis, presents 72 of Lennon’s solo recordings on four themed CDs:

· ‘Roots’ – John’s rock ‘n’ roll roots and influences
· ‘Working Class Hero’ – John’s socio-political songs
· ‘Woman’ – John’s love songs
· ‘Borrowed Time’ – John’s songs about life

The John Lennon Signature Box is a deluxe 11CD and digital collection of the eight remastered albums, a disc of rare and previously unreleased recordings, and an EP of Lennon’s non-album singles. The CDs will be housed in digisleeves within a deluxe box including a collectible limited edition John Lennon art print and a hardbound book featuring rare photos, artwork, collages, poetry, and new liner notes by DeCurtis.

One of the world’s most celebrated songwriters and performers of all time, John Lennon was killed at the age of 40 on December 8, 1980. Lennon has been posthumously honoured with a Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award and two special BRIT Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him in the Top 5 of the magazine’s “100 Greatest Singers Of All Time” list.

In celebration of his 70th birthday on 9 October, 2010, John Lennon’s life and music will be specially feted with a variety of commemorative releases and events around the world. Please visit www.johnlennon.com for official announcements and updates.

It sounds like an interesting concept, but in the end it also seems like a ploy to get more $$$

The stripping down of Double Fantasy is a thing that will either work really well or fail miserably, and at the moment it's hard to judge - in the end it'll still have Yoko's er... "contributions".

Hopefully the reissue of Some Time In New York City will stay true to the original LP though, instead of the travesty (well, moreso) that was put out as the remaster several years ago.

I'm sure the "stripping down" will work well... just wish it were possible to do the same for Imagine and Mind Games.

And I don't care if it's a "ploy" (actually, so much of the Beatles marketing is a ploy to make money)... I am really looking forward to this release. I'm ashamed to admit that this Lennon freak doesn't even own all of John's albums on CD (but I have all of the vinyl), so this will be my opportunity to upgrade, so to speak... (Hey, I was missing a couple Beatles CDs until 09-09-09, too...)

Thats cool and all, but I already have the albums I want from the last time they were remastered. And I dont have the money to justify buying them again.

The last time the albums were remixed, fortunately this time the original mixes by John are being remastered. But after having bought the vinyl albums, the original cd's and the remixes I have my doubts also about buying the albums again.

Still good news that the original versions are being made available. I hope for the definite version of Plastic Ono Band this time around, and the stripped "Double Fantasy" sounds interesting enough, tho many acoustic demo's are around on bootlegs.

Interesting - I don't have all Lennon's solo compilations on CD so this might be an opportunity that I'll go out and pick them up when they're remastered.

... funny... "Double Fantasy" never struck as being so "over produced"...

I just realized that I never actually have bought any of the previous remasters (only copies) so I might be willing to invest in this box.

... actually, IF there is an Lennon album that I might like to here as a "de-produced" version, like they now plan to do with "Double Fantasy", it would be "Milk & Honey"...

... just to here how the songs sounded before John stopped working on them.

Heck, there's even a second album that could have a semblance of reason to be put out like this, more that "Double Fansasy", and it's would be "Imagine".

Yes, I know, SCARILEGE, but I'm in no way saying that they SHOULD release such a version of it, or that there would be any need for it...

But, if "they" so feel like they HAVE to release "de-produced" albums, then why not that one instead of "Double Fantasy" due to John's comments that, for "Imagine", he had just done as on "Plastic Ono Band" but had added some sugar-coating (strings, ect), to make the album more "sellable" ?

By the way, this latest re-release of John's albums comes less than 5 years since the last one... COME ON !

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Originally Posted by ABCKO

Yes, I know, SCARILEGE, but I'm in no way saying that they SHOULD release such a version of it, or that there would be any need for it...

I, for one, agree with you. The Imagine album is near-perfection in my view, but I think it would be vastly improved if it were de-Spectorized. But I read somewhere that it's not possible...

Originally Posted by Maia 66

I, for one, agree with you. The Imagine album is near-perfection in my view, but I think it would be vastly improved if it were de-Spectorized. But I read somewhere that it's not possible...

Actually, I've never found it that much over-produced... if anything, some of the strings ect... actually help some of the songs.

The eery string on "How do you sleep ?" for instance = 10 out of 10 !

The wall of sound on "I don't want to be a soldier" is pretty annoying though.

I've never been one for de-producing albums after the fact, like I said originally, I still can't figure out why they're going to de-Douglas-sise "Double Fantasy" (of all albums !) to begin with.

They should join the songs from Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey and strip them down. No Yoko songs, just imagine...

1.Starting Over
2.Stepping Out
3.Borrowed Time
4.Woman
5.Grow Old With Me
6.Watching The Wheels
7.Clean Up Time
8.Nobody Told Me
9.I'm Losing You
10.I Dont Wanna Face It

What a great album!

Originally Posted by ABCKO

Actually, I've never found it that much over-produced... if anything, some of the strings ect... actually help some of the songs.

I always thought Jealous Guy would sound better a little more bare... it's one of my favorite songs of all time, but the heaviness of the 70s production sometimes distracts me.

Originally Posted by ABCKO

... actually, IF there is an Lennon album that I might like to here as a "de-produced" version, like they now plan to do with "Double Fantasy", it would be "Milk & Honey"...

... just to here how the songs sounded before John stopped working on them.

It's already that way on the finished album.
John had more time to polish up the songs on Double Fantasy, while the songs on Milk and Honey are more raw and unfinished sounding. Less overdubs and such. So from the two I say that "Double Fantasy" is a better choise then "Milk and Honey".

I agree somewhat about "Imagine". But I am not a fan these kind of revisions anyway. There are enough acoustic demo's, takes without overdubs to release still. Rather then to temper with these albums and instead of mixing out overdubs and stuff, they could have release the original takes before they did the overdubs etc.

Pictures for the new releases.

http://www.examiner.com/beatles-in-n...=21590171#main

As I said in the Double Fantasy Stripped Down topic, I wasn't really a fan of the look of that left sidebar on the covers of the Beatles remasters last year, and I'm still not totally convinced of it with John's either, though honestly his signature and his little drawing does look a lot better then that tiny Beatles logo.

Definitely going to pick these up though. I had previously purchased a few of the albums via the iTunes Store because at the time I lived too far away from any music retailer (and not a fan of ordering online). Will pick these up in a heartbeat though.

Can someone just answer something for me though, if possible... what's up with the cover of Walls and Bridges? From what I understand from looking at it, it's all different drawings that John did when he was a kid, but the only one I've ever seen was the 'standard' football one (and that terrible alternate one of John wearing all the different sets of glasses).

I'm looking at the covers and realized they changed the Walls and Bridges artwork...again. It's not as good as the original...again.

Just heard the stripped-down "Starting Over" on Breakfast with the Beatles... I dig it!

Originally Posted by biglou114

I'm looking at the covers and realized they changed the Walls and Bridges artwork...again. It's not as good as the original...again.

I know. What's up with changing the Walls and Bridges artwork? The original was just fine.