Mind Games (John Lennon album)

Mind Games is the fourth studio album by British musician John Lennon, released by Apple Records in 1973. Its recording, made at Record Plant studios in New York between July and August 1973, coincided with a time when Lennon moved away from sociopolitical activism, evident in previous works such as Some Time in New York City, and in which he suffered problems of stress and emotional insecurity due to the deportation attempt opened by the United States Government and the surveillance to which he was subjected by the FBI.

The launch of Mind Games also marked the beginning of «The Lost Weekend», a period in which the musician separated from his wife Yoko Ono for a year and a half and lived with May Pang. Lennon's insecurity problems and the distance from his wife were reflected in the theme of the album, by including songs dedicated to Yoko in which he expressed his doubts about the separation, such as "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)", "One Day (at a Time)" and "Out of the Blue." In contrast, Mind Games also included songs close to rock from previous works —«Mind Games», «Intuition» and «Tight A$»—, as well as three songs with sociopolitical content—"Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)," "Nutopian International Anthem," and "Only People."

Upon its publication, Mind Games garnered mostly negative reviews from the music press, although in contemporary reviews it has been singled out as a relevant work within the musician's catalogue. From a commercial point of view, it outsold Some Time in New York City, although it only reached number nine on the US Billboard 200 and number thirteen on the UK chart. UK Albums Chart. In both countries, Mind Games was also certified gold.

Background

The recording of Mind Games took place during The Lost Weekend, a period in which Lennon separated from his wife Yoko Ono.

In early 1973, John Lennon began to distance himself from sociopolitical activism after spending three years tied to movements against the Vietnam War and critics of President Richard Nixon. Despite his lesser involvement in political activities, the musician He suffered a deportation attempt by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, according to which "his conviction for possession of cannabis in London rendered him ineligible for admission to the United States". As a result, Lennon suffered a stage of emotional stress that was aggravated by the constant surveillance to which the FBI subjected him due to his previous activism. In this regard, the musician commented: "I just couldn't function, do you understand me? I was paranoid that they were tapping my phone and following me."

FBI surveillance and his attempted deportation also led to a deterioration in the relationship between Lennon and Yoko Ono, whom he had married four years earlier. According to Ono: "I was aware that we were ruining our respective careers, and I was hated, and John was hated because of me. I needed a break. I needed space. Can you imagine every day suffering this vibration from people who hate you? I wanted to get out of that." The relationship was also criticized after the commercial failure of Some Time in New York City, a joint effort that was criticized by the music press.

While Yoko was completing the recording of the album Feeling the Space, Lennon decided that he also wanted to record a new album with the same musicians as his wife, assembled by production assistant May Pang., asked Pang to reserve the studio for future sessions. Wanting to produce a more accepted album than Some Time in New York City, Lennon began writing and recording demos of various songs for i>Mind Games at his Greenwich Village apartment. The composition of these tracks ended a period of almost a year in which Lennon had not written any songs. Despite the pressure caused by the attempt deportation and his marital problems, he managed to compose the rest of the songs of Mind Games in a week.

Calling the name The Plastic U.F.Ono Band, Lennon formed a band consisting of drummer Jim Keltner, guitarist David Spinozza, bassist Gordon Edwards, percussionist Arthur Jenkins, saxophonist Michael Brecker, pianist Ken Ascher, and a chorus called Something Different. The problems between Lennon and Ono increased once the recording sessions began at the Record Plant Studios in New York in June 1973, at which time the couple decided to separate temporarily. to a period in Lennon's life that he himself defined as "The Lost Weekend" - in Spanish: "El fin de semana perdido" -, during which he had a relationship with Pang at the request of Ono herself.

Recording

Lennon recorded Mind Games in two months, between July and August 1973, at Record Plant Studios in New York, with two weeks dedicated to mixing. It was the first record work produced by the musician himself without any help, having worked with producer Phil Spector on his previous albums since The Beatles split.

According to biographer John Blaney, Lennon attempted in Mind Games to "narrate his life through songs, the tones of which indicate a wide range of mixed feelings". Due to his personal situation, part of the album included songs dedicated to Yoko Ono in which she expresses her doubts about the separation. In this regard, "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)" evolved from a song titled "Call My Name", from the sessions from the album Imagine, in which the musician modified the lyrics to "apologize to his wife", according to author Johnny Rogan. In songs like "One Day (at a Time)" and "Out of the Blue", Lennon also reflected his gratitude to Yoko for "appearing in his life out of nowhere and providing him with the energy of his life". Among them, the second incorporated elements of musical genres such as gospel, country and choral music. Another ballad, "You Are Here", took its title from an exhibition by the musician that opened at the Robert Frazer Gallery in London in j July 1968. In Blaney's words, the song "is a love song dedicated to Yoko, but also about the coming together of people, countries and cultures", with references to the West and the East. The original master take of "You Are Here", cut from the final version of the album, included an extra verse discussing the ties between Japan and England, referring to the couple's hometowns. The full version of "You Are Here" it was published in the box set John Lennon Anthology.

In contrast to the ballads, other songs on Mind Games are closer to the characteristic rock of their previous works, and in the words of Nicholas Schaffner, "mark the return of Lennon's humor and wit after the uncompromising doctrine of Some Time in New York City". Among them, "Intuition" is a track that, according to Blaney, "seems somewhat ill-adjusted in an album that seems to celebrate the darker side of personal relationships". verses of the songs «How?» and "God", released on the albums Imagine and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band respectively. "Tight A$", whose title is a play on words between «tight as...» and «tight ass», included a rockabilly sound inspired by the historian Robert Rodriguez on Carl Perkins and Doug Sahm, along with verses reflecting the musician's youth. Another song, "Meat City", was originally recorded as a demo in late 1971, when Lennon moved to New York, and according to Blaney, "reports a fascination with the city and a long history of romance with rock and roll".

On the other hand, Schaffner linked the song "Mind Games" to "Lennon's work with The Beatles in 1967", due to the verse "love is the answer" (in Spanish: "The love is the answer") and his call to "make love and not war". The musician began writing the song during sessions for The Beatles' album Let It Be in early 1969., with the working title "Make Love, Not War", and finished it after reading Robert Masters' book Mind Games: The Guide to Inner Space. The new version, titled "Mind Games », was recorded as a demo between December 28 and 29, 1970 at Ascot Sound Studios in Tittenhurst Park.

Another song, "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)", was originally composed and recorded in late 1971, when Lennon composed the chorus after purchasing a National-brand guitar. As he began to complete the lyrics, the song "evolved from a simple political slogan to a statement alluding to his previous work as "Imagine" and "Power to the People"", becoming together with "Only People" and "Nutopian International Anthem" the only song with sociopolitical references on the album. In this regard, "Only People" reflects the "idea that sociopolitical change can be achieved through collective potential', in the words of Blaney; however, the musician himself acknowledged that the song did not reflect the idea well: "It was a good letter, but I couldn't pronounce the words to make it make sense." On the other hand, the second consists of six seconds of silence at the end of the song. the first side of the album and is the anthem of Nutopia, an imaginary country that Lennon announced at a press conference in New York on Fool's Day in April 1973.

During the Mind Games sessions, Lennon also recorded "Rock and Roll People", an ultimately discarded song which he gave to Johnny Winter for release on his album John Dawson Winter III . Lennon's version remained unreleased until the release of his posthumous album Menlove Ave. in 1986.

Publication and promotion

Tony King, vice president of Apple Records in Los Angeles, convinced Lennon to promote Mind Games with several interviews in media outlets such as Billboard and Record World. He also persuaded the musician to record an ad in which King himself dressed up as Elizabeth II of England and waltzed with Lennon, in order to promote the album on television. This ad was compiled in the feature film Imagine: John Lennon, released in 1988. King again impersonated the Queen of England in two radio promotional spots.

For the release of Mind Games, Lennon also designed the album by hand-cutting out various photographs. The front and back covers, almost identical to each other, represent the figure of Lennon on a meadow moving away from a mountain in which the silhouette of Yoko Ono's face is cut out, a "symbol of the musician's distance from his wife and of their apparent influence on him".

Apple Records released Mind Games on October 29 in the United States, catalog number SW-3414, and on November 16 in the United Kingdom, catalog number PCS 7165. The record company accompanied the release of the album in both countries with the single "Mind Games", replaced by "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)" in countries like Venezuela. The single reached number 28 on the British chart UK Singles Chart and eighteenth on the US Billboard Hot 100. on its US counterpart, and though it outsold Some Time in New York City, the musician's success "came and went with barely a ripple", according to biographer Chris Ingham. Similarly, author Peter Doggett wrote that the album "did nothing to alter Lennon's status as the least commercially successful beatle".

Reception

At the time of publication, Mind Games received mostly negative reviews from the music press. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone magazine called the songs on the album "the worst ever written" and felt that Lennon was "trying in vain to impose his own oversized ego on the audience... [which ] is waiting for it to reach a new direction". Although the journalist found the music "listenable", Landau identified the album's lyrics as "mistaken for underestimating the intelligence of its audience" and added: "Perhaps the didacticism, the Lennon's preaching and banality are part of the mind game of the album's title". On the other hand, Ray Coleman commented in Melody Maker that "the raw nerves of a Lennon battered by curious logic and the America's hardened hearts seem to have prompted him to write incisively." Coleman concluded his review by saying, "Musically or melodically, this may not be a standout album, but if you bundle up in Lennon's raspy voice, or like me, I will. you remember as the true fulcrum of what came out of his old group, like any new Lennon album, it will be enjoyable and even important." In a mixed review, Robert Christgau described the album as "a step in the right direction, but only a step" and noted the songs "Mind Games", "One Day (at a Time)" and "You Are Here". However, he criticized the musician for "falling back into ideas that he lost his freshness with."

In their book The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, Roy Carr and Tony Tyler opined that the album "has all the hallmarks of having been recorded with no definite goal in mind other than to redeem the ugly." from Some Time in New York City". While noting the singer's attempt to recreate "the lyricism and inventive melody" of Imagine, the authors noted that "the reason why the album is not more effective can be placed on Lennon's personal situation and his tendency to "react" to events, instead of 'starting' them". In the book The Beatles Apart, writer Bob Woffinden considered that, saving "Mind Games" and "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)", the album "consists of songs that barely stick in the memory" and that "as best as can be said it is exceptionally well produced".

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote in Allmusic that "confusion is at the heart of the album. Lennon doesn't know which way to go, so he tries everything." Erlewine added, "While the best tracks are among Lennon's standouts, there are only a couple of them, and the rest of the record is just nice." Faced with the negative review of 1973, Anthony DeCurtis wrote a new review in Rolling Stone on the occasion of the reissue of Mind Games in 2002, according to which "the album can be listen as an internal, calming mantra, the message of Lennon encouraging himself." DeCurtis highlighted the remastering work, concluding by saying, "This new version brings some welcome sonic details on Lennon's first post-Beatles album without help from Phil Spector." Mark Kemp of Paste magazine wrote: "For Mind Games, Lennon returned to the stylistic trappings of Imagine. Featuring pretty ballads ("Out of the Blue"), rocky tunes ("Meat City") and gritty country blues songs ("Tight A $"), Mind Games is excellent, but it doesn't break new ground."

Reissues

Capitol Records reissued Mind Games on vinyl twice twice in 1978 and 1980, while in the UK, EMI reissued the album as a low-budget reissue on the Music label. for Pleasure and with a different cover. After the assassination of John Lennon in December 1980, EMI reissued Mind Games and seven other records by the musician as part of a box set released on June 15, 1981. Its first CD pressing took place on August 3, 1987 under the Parlophone label in the United Kingdom and under the Capitol label in the United States.

In 2002, Yoko Ono oversaw a new reissue of Mind Games, remastered and remixed at Abbey Road Studios, featuring three demos of "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)", "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)" and "Meat City" as bonus tracks. The reissue was released on October 21, 2002 in the United Kingdom and a month later, on November 5, in the United States. Two years later, the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab label reissued the album on both CD and vinyl. published both separately and in the John Lennon Signature Box compilation.

Song List

All songs written and composed by John Lennon.

Staff

Position in lists

Album Country List Position Australia ARIA Albums Chart 8 CanadaCanada RPM Albums Chart 28 SpainSpain Spanish Albums Chart 9 United States Billboard 200 9 JapanJapan Oricon LP Chart 6 Norway Norway Norwegian Top 40 Albums 7 NetherlandsNetherlands Mega Albums Chart 7 United KingdomUnited Kingdom UK Albums Chart 13

Simple Simple. Country List Position «Mind Games» Canada RPM Singles Chart 10 United States Country Singles 18 United Kingdom UK Singles Chart 26