Track Listing

1. Mind Games
2. Tight As
3. Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)
4. One Day (At A Time)
5. Bring On The Lucie (Freda People)
6. Nutopian International Anthem
7. Intuition
8. Out Of The Blue
9. Only People
10. I Know (I Know)
11. You Are Here
12. Meat City
13. Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)
14. Bring On The Lucie (Freda People)
15. Meat City

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15828 in Music
• Released on: 2002-10-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

CD Description
Remastered version of Lennon's 1973 album now featuring home demos of 'Meat City','Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)' and 'Bring OnThe Lucie (Freda People)' as well as digitally remastered sound on all tracks.

Customer Reviews

Criminally underrated
Following the sheer heart-rending brutality of "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" and the sincerely sensitive "Imagine," both qualities of which made them landmark LPs, John Lennon's third proper solo album, "Mind Games," was at the time, and still is, overlooked as a mediocre project that just serves as another addition to Lennon's legendary back catalogue. However, "Mind Games" is, in fact, an extraordinary piece of work. The production, by Lennon himself, is plain but effective, with mainly simple guitars and the odd jangling piano employed as musical aid. However, the title track features a lush string quartet much in the style of "Imagine" and "Out The Blue" boasts a heavenly choir. "Bring On The Lucie (Freda Peeple)" is a vicious, witty and hard-hitting attack on then-President Richard Nixon, one of Lennon's arch-nemeses. "Aisumasen" (which is 'I'm Sorry' in Japanese) is a tender apology to his wife Yoko, much in the style of "Jealous Guy" two years earlier. There's not much to be said for the album as a whole as it is not a definitive statement unlike either of its two predecessors and there's not much in the way of specially offensive or astounding lyrical content, it's just a great collection of songs.

Slightly Flawed But Still Powerful Mind Games
Before we say anything let us say that this album is mostly memorable. Certainly a relief after the third party rants of 'Some Time In New York City' from the previous year which with its Headline Grabbing material which became dated within a year or two and more importantly with its largely pointless extra live album effectively doubling that albums's price!
This album is 100% Lennon and although it does not contain many really standout tracks like his first two solo albums (Plastic Ono Band 1970 and Imagine 1971), it flows well as an album and is ultimately a personal statement, which is where Lennon is undoubtedly at his best.

The title track is for sure a bona fide classic. Heavenly strings actually helped significantly by a three note Lennon guitar solo which sounds like a string backing! A Masterpiece. The second track 'Tight As' is a cheeky upbeat and infectious Lennon rocker in the best tradition of 'Ballad Of John And Yoko' (Beatles 1969) and 'Crippled Inside' (1971). Perhaps the best song on the album, aside from perhaps the title track. The album becomes less brilliant for a while: 'Aisumasen' is a decent ballad but lacking the melody to be up there with Lennon's best ballad work. Despite a great guitar solo which allegedly was played by Lennon himself.

'One Day At A Time' is a regrettable attempt at a falsetto vocal ballad. Annoyoing female accompinament from a bunch of ladies callled Something Different. Well sorry Ladies you should not have bothered. You are annoying on this track. And even more so on 'Out The Blue' which is so obviously a great song. When you hear a track like this it does tempt one to think what Paul, George and Ringo could have added to this track to make it he bonafide classic it certainly is. Paul once said he would never have female choirs on a Beatle record. Well he let Linda loose on a few of his solo tracks and here Lennon inexpicably allows these female singers to truly take the edge off what is a great song. Unbelievably the same comment can be made for the next track 'Freda The People'. Great song. Which could have been so much better with a punchier arrangement, and with No Backing Vocals.

'Intuition' at least is free of this and with its wondefully philisophical lyric and hypnotic tune and rhythm section is a certain highlight of the album. The other tracks are varied: 'Only People' is Weak, not just on account of the annoying backing vocals but mainly because it is pretty weak in the first place. A couple of supreme ballads come to the rescue late in the album: 'I Know (I Know)' and particularly 'You Are Here' are superb in their imagery, melody and delivery. The latter actually benefiting from the arrangement for once. 'Meat City' is an enjoyable romp of a rocker, if ultimately disposable as a song.

So the word I would use for this album is Frustrating. The song quality is there, for the most part. The personal emotional lyrics are also there. And there are several very fine songs. Must have come as quite a relief after 'Some Time In New York City'. But despite its abundant qualties I must refrain from giving it the full 5 stars. It loses a star because it is not as passionate as other Lennon solo albums and because of those annoying female backing vocals which in my opinion should not have been allowed within a hundred miles of his album.

But it was a return to form for sure. And the next album 'Walls And Bridges' would continue this to greater effect. Lennon himself would probably describe this album as Treading Water, as some crytics did for sure, some even saying that he had 'embarrassingly little to say'. Well that is patently Not True. It's just that it could have been so much better. Still well worthy of investigation. If only so we keep on playing those Mind Games. I am only raising minor objections to the production but at the end of the day this still remains a Fine Album.

An amazing transformation
I have to agree with the other reveiwers here. I bought the original release of 'Mind Games' some time ago (I seem to recall it was on EMI's Music for Pleasure budget label) and was particularly disappointed with the murky recording quality. As someone has said elsewhere, it sounded like it had been recorded from AM radio. 'Walls and Bridges' and 'Rock and Roll', his two subsequent albums also suffer, admittedly not to quite the same extent, from the same problem. When I read the other reviewers on this page, I was intrigued, and ordered a copy. The improvement is really quite staggering. Individual instruments and voices are now very distinct and the recording has a far more modern feel.
I am aware that some Lennon purists are unhappy with some of the remixing, particularly with regard to the removal/reduction of Lennon's trademark overused echo on his vocal, but I really do feel that this is nitpicking. It's so good, songs which I had previously avoided and considered to be way below par have been elevated to a new level.
I do hope that Lennon's other 70's albums receive similar treatment soon.