John Lennon‘s 1973 album Mind Games is being celebrated with a suite of completely newly remixed and expanded Ultimate Collection editions, released on July 12 through The John Lennon Estate and Universal Music.
Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection will be available as digital and 2CD and 2LP versions, a Deluxe box set featuring 6CDs and 2 Blu-ray discs and a Super Deluxe Edition of only 1,100 copies worldwide.
Listen to “Mind Games” (Evolution Documentary) below:
And watch an unboxing video here:
These new editions of Lennon’s fourth solo album have been authorised by Yoko Ono Lennon and produced by Sean Ono Lennon; the Ultimate Collection is from the same audio team that worked on the Imagine and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Ultimate Collections.
This Ultimate Collection explores the album’s 1973 recording sessions at the Record Plant in New York City, through unreleased outtakes, instrumentals, stripped down mixes, studio chatter and more.
Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection includes six new treatments of the music:
Ultimate Mixes, which put Lennon’s vocals front and centre and sonically upgrade the sound;
Elements Mixes, which isolate and bring forth certain instruments from the multitrack recordings to highlight playing previously buried in the original mix;
Raw Studio Mixes, which allows listeners to hear the recording that John and The Plastic U.F.Ono Band laid to tape, mixed raw and live without vocals effects, tape delays or reverbs.
Evolutionary Documentary, a unique track-by-track audio montage that details the evolution of each song from demo to master recording via demos, rehearsals, out-takes, multitrack exploration, and studio conversations.
The Out-Takes, allow listeners to hear different takes of each song.
Elemental Mixes, a new set created especially for the Mind Games – Ultimate Collection, strip the songs back to simpler, lean-back arrangements with Lennon’s voice to the fore and without drums.
An array of listening options, including High-Definition, studio quality 192kHz/24bit audio in stereo and enveloping 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos mixes, are available on Blu-ray.
All of the tracks have been completely remixed from scratch from the 15 original two-inch multitrack session tapes using brand new 192-24 digital transfers. The Ultimate Collection includes previously unreleased out-takes and stems plus additional never-heard-before audio from archive ¼” reel-to-reels, cassettes and videotapes.
You can pre-order Mind Games – Ultimate Collection by clicking here.
And here’s the various different formats:
SUPER DELUXE EDITION
The Super Deluxe box set is presented in a 13-inch cube, a perspex reproduction of Yoko’s 1966 artwork “Danger Box”. Once lifted, four sides, featuring artwork from Mind Games on shiny Mirror Board, fall to reveal nine individual boxes of various shapes and sizes interlocked together, each with its own look and focus. Hidden throughout the comprehensive and creative set are many Easter Eggs, some of which can only be revealed by using other items in the box to see them, along with loads of other hidden secrets, surprises, puzzles, and “mind games”. The box is housed inside a striking 13” packing container cube adorned with custom art.
The Super Deluxe Edition includes:
ï MIND GAMES – THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION – 7x LP VINYL BOX
4 x gatefold LPs comprising 12 tracks each of the Ultimate Mixes, Elemental Mixes, Elements Mixes, Evolution Documentary, Out-takes and Raw Studio Mixes with bespoke inners, posters and postcards with Easter Eggs hidden throughout.
ï MIND GAMES – THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION – DELUXE BOX SET
6 CDs, 2 Blu-Rays, 128pp hardback 10” book, poster, postcards, ID Card
ï HOLOGRAM VINYL EP BOX – MIND GAMES/MEAT CITY
Exclusive bespoke “Karmic Wheel” hologram-engraved picture disc enclosed in reproduction of John Lennon’s “Build Around It” artwork.
ï MAGIC BOX – 2x LP PICTURE DISC BOX SET
The Ultimate Mixes and Out-takes on 2x LP color picture vinyl discs, visually reimagined by Zoetrope animation artist Drew Tetz with a new poster, postcards, additional zoetrope and bar animation elements and an ultraviolet flashlight. Also includes exclusive portraits designed by map portrait artist Ed Fairburn of fold-out 46-inch-square maps of Liverpool (John) and Tokyo (Yoko), containing over 700 locations of interest, highlighted in Ultraviolet ink and every location detailed in accompanying booklets.
ï THAMES AND HUDSON BOOK
288-page deep-dive coffee-table hardback book – in the words of John & Yoko and the people who were there – on the events of John & Yoko’s lives, including the making of the Mind Games album and everything surrounding it, featuring brand new interviews with all their friends, colleagues, musicians and engineers, exclusive never-before-seen photographs by Bob Gruen, Michael Brennan, Tom Zimberov, Koh Hasabe and David Gahr and exclusive photos, lyrics, letters, original tape boxes and memorabilia from the John Lennon & Yoko Ono Lennon Archives. [MIND GAMES: John Lennon by John Lennon and Yoko Ono is published in hardback by Thames & Hudson on September 24, priced £45]
ï CITIZEN OF NUTOPIA BOX
Exclusive reproduction memorabilia from the Estates of John & Yoko including a large white Nutopian Flag; a Nutopian Embassy Plaque; Citizen Of Nutopia ID Card; Great Seal of Nutopia stamp; and You Are Here, Yin-yang fishes and Not Insane badges.
ï YOU ARE HERE BOX
A Limited Edition, 12-inch circular canvas reproduction of John Lennon’s artwork You Are Here, 1968 with a Certificate of Authenticity.
ï I-CHING BOX
Three customized John & Yoko I-Ching coins, ultraviolet flashlight and Magic Magnet.
ï PUZZLE TILES BOX
STANDARD DELUXE EDITION BOX
The Deluxe Edition presents Mind Games in a 10” x 10” box, identical in size and shape to the Gimme Some Truth, Imagine – The Ultimate Collection and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – The Ultimate Collection boxes, and features 72 tracks across six CDs and two High-Definition Blu-ray Audio discs for more than seven hours of music for the most definitive listening experience. A number of hidden audio and video tracks, along with secret messages and other Easter Eggs are spread across the set.
The Deluxe Edition includes:
ï 6 CDs include the Ultimate Mixes, Elemental Mixes, Elements Mixes, Evolution Documentary, Out-takes and Raw Studio Mixes.
ï 2 Blu-Ray discs include high resolution 24-96 stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos versions of the Ultimate Mixes, Elemental Mixes, Elements Mixes, Evolution Documentary, Out-takes and Raw Studio Mixes plus 2024 remastered “Mind Games” music video and “You Are Here” (additional out-take) tape boxes video.
ï A 128-page glossy hardback coffee table book
ï A reproduction of the original triptych marketing poster for the album; postcard sized reproductions of artworks made for the marketing of the album in 1973 and an individually numbered Citizen of Nutopia ID Card
Additionally, Sean Ono Lennon and The John Lennon Estate have partnered with the consciousness-expanding psychedelic meditation phone app, Lumenate, to exclusively release nine reimagined Meditation Mixes of “Mind Games”.
Various sound design techniques and processes have been applied to the original 1973 two-inch multitrack recordings, and in some cases have been enhanced with additional instrumentation from Sean Ono Lennon.
The “Mind Games” Meditation Mixes launched May 1, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month US. The experience is available for free, exclusively via the Lumenate app.
Meanwhile, the recently launched is the Citizen of Nutopia website is a landing page for a conceptual game based on NUTOPIA – an imaginary borderless pan-global country created by John and Yoko in 1973, open to everyone, based on promoting the ideas of peace and love.
Recent updates to the site introduced hourly global group Meditation Affirmations with quotes by John & Yoko and links to meditate with Lumenate and to donate to the UK Mental Health Charity, MIND. Citizens can leave messages and send love to one another and explore messages left by other Citizens all over the world.
As the site grows, it is continually being updated with new content, so Citizens are advised to keep checking back for updates as we approach the launch of the Mind Games album remixes and re-releases on July 12.
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