John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band (The Ultimate Collection) (1970/2021) [FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Featuring John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Alan White and Phil Spector.

Completely remixed from the original multitrack tapes at Abbey Road Studios.

Contains Ultimate Mixes, Out-Takes, Elements, Raw Studio and Evolution Mixes; Demos, Jams and Yoko Ono Live Sessions.

Produced and Supervised by Yoko Ono Lennon using the same team that mixed and engineered Imagine (The Ultimate Collection) including triple GRAMMY Award winner Paul Hicks, Rob Stevens and Sam Gannon.

In late 1970, when Plastic Ono Band released its first album, The Beatles were still not officially finished. And yet here is an impressive debut solo album, with John Lennon opening his heart, his soul and his mind – in short, this was Lennon laid bare; the complete Lennon, dreamy and lucid, calm and edgy. Urged by Yoko Ono to undergo therapy, he turns this extremely raw record into the perfect outlet. The masterpieces follow one after another (Working Class Hero, Mother, God, Power To The People) while, behind the glass at Abbey Road studios, playing utterly against type, genius American producer Phil Spector, inventor of the famous Wall of Sound, soberly shapes this fascinating inner journey which never goes down the path of the easy blockbuster hit.

Accompanying John on this journey are Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann on bass, Yoko, Billy Preston and Spector on piano for one track. There’s no fancy dressing on his limpid ballads, which are sometimes extremely oneiric (the incredible Love), heartbreaking (the opener Mother, as its name suggests about his mother, killed by a car in 1958), or even verging on angry on the simple (not simplistic) rock numbers (I Found Out)… Fifty years after its release, this elemental record benefits from the luxurious reissue treatment with almost 7 and a half hours of music! These kind of 5-star editions always pose the question: who is it for? Obviously, you have to be a hardcore fan of the Fab Four and / or Lennon to immerse yourself in such a musical (and financial) commitment. For those among us who are simply musical tourists, it’s aguably more advisable to stick to the eleven tracks of the original Plastic Ono Band …

As with the 2018 reissue of Imagine and the subsequent best-of Gimme Some Truth, this Plastic Ono Band Ultimate Collection has been completely remixed from the original tapes by sound engineer Paul Hicks. The ‘Ultimate Mixes’ are the closest to the originals but have been cleaned up a bit, making Lennon’s vocals clearer. The ‘Out-takes’ are rawer mixes. whilst the ‘Elements Mixes’ bring back to life parts that were eradicated from the original final mixes. Finally, there are also some other demos, jams on which we come across songs formerly covered by the Beatles (Matchbox, Honey Don’t), and even covers of the Fab Four (Get Back, I’ve Got A Feeling). This treasure chest also includes songs that weren’t on the original album, including Give Peace A Chance, Instant Karma and Cold Turkey. Here’s an Ultimate Collection that lives up to the name. – Marc Zisman

Tracklist

Disc 1: The Ultimate Mixes
01. Mother (Ultimate Mix) (5:36)
02. Hold On (Ultimate Mix) (1:52)
03. I Found Out (Ultimate Mix) (3:38)
04. Working Class Hero (Ultimate Mix) (3:48)
05. Isolation (Ultimate Mix) (2:52)
06. Remember (Ultimate Mix) (4:33)
07. Love (Ultimate Mix) (3:23)
08. Well Well Well (Ultimate Mix) (5:57)
09. Look At Me (Ultimate Mix) (2:54)
10. God (Ultimate Mix) (4:13)
11. My Mummy’s Dead (Ultimate Mix) (0:52)
12. Give Peace A Chance (Ultimate Mix) (4:54)
13. Cold Turkey (Ultimate Mix) (5:03)
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Ultimate Mix) (3:21)

Disc 2: The Ultimate Mixes/The Out-Takes
01. Mother (Take 61 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (4:18)
02. Hold On (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (2:11)
03. I Found Out (Take 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (3:46)
04. Working Class Hero (Take 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (3:50)
05. Isolation (Take 23 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (2:51)
06. Remember (Rehearsal 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (3:11)
07. Love (Take 6 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (2:36)
08. Well Well Well (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (3:35)
09. Look At Me (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (2:50)
10. God (Take 27 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (4:06)
11. My Mummy’s Dead (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (1:15)
12. Give Peace A Chance (Take 2 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (6:01)
13. Cold Turkey (Take 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (5:24)
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Take 1 / Out-take / Ultimate Mix) (2:53)

Disc 3: The Elements Mixes
01. Mother (Elements Mix) (5:00)
02. Hold On (Elements Mix) (1:53)
03. I Found Out (Elements Mix) (5:25)
04. Working Class Hero (Elements Mix) (3:11)
05. Isolation (Elements Mix) (2:44)
06. Remember (Elements Mix) (8:38)
07. Love (Elements Mix) (5:40)
08. Well Well Well (Elements Mix) (5:57)
09. Look At Me (Elements Mix) (2:57)
10. God (Elements Mix) (4:09)
11. My Mummy’s Dead (Elements Mix) (0:53)
12. Give Peace A Chance (Elements Mix) (4:54)
13. Cold Turkey (Elements Mix) (5:03)
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Elements Mix) (3:21)

Disc 4: The Raw Studio Mixes
01. Mother (Take 64 / Raw Studio Mix) (5:12)
02. Hold On (Take 32 / Raw Studio Mix) (1:52)
03. I Found Out (Take 3 / Extended / Raw Studio Mix) (5:34)
04. Working Class Hero (Take 9 / Raw Studio Mix) (4:08)
05. Isolation (Take 29 / Raw Studio Mix) (2:52)
06. Remember (Take 13 / Raw Studio Mix) (4:59)
07. Love (Take 37 / Raw Studio Mix) (4:27)
08. Well Well Well (Take 4 / Extended / Raw Studio Mix) (6:47)
09. Look At Me (Take 9 / Raw Studio Mix) (3:08)
10. God (Take 42 / Raw Studio Mix) (4:27)
11. My Mummy’s Dead (Take 1 / Raw Studio Mix) (0:53)
12. Give Peace A Chance (Take 4 / Extended / Raw Studio Mix) (6:35)
13. Cold Turkey (Take 2 / Raw Studio Mix) (5:06)
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Take 10 / Raw Studio Mix) (3:32)

Disc 5: The Evolution Documentary
01. Mother (Evolution Documentary) (9:16)
02. Hold On (Evolution Documentary) (8:46)
03. I Found Out (Evolution Documentary) (6:01)
04. Working Class Hero (Evolution Documentary) (3:34)
05. Isolation (Evolution Documentary) (9:39)
06. Remember (Evolution Documentary) (7:02)
07. Love (Evolution Documentary) (7:37)
08. Well Well Well (Evolution Documentary) (4:50)
09. Look At Me (Evolution Documentary) (5:51)
10. God (Evolution Documentary) (8:10)
11. My Mummy’s Dead (Evolution Documentary) (1:36)
12. Give Peace A Chance (Evolution Documentary) (7:29)
13. Cold Turkey (Evolution Documentary) (4:51)
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Evolution Documentary) (8:48)

Disc 6: the Demos
01. Mother (Home Demo) (5:00)
02. Hold On (Studio Demo) (2:18)
03. I Found Out (Home Demo) (4:09)
04. Working Class Hero (Studio Demo) (3:50)
05. Isolation (Studio Demo) (2:55)
06. Remember (Studio Demo) (5:24)
07. Love (Home Demo) (2:39)
08. Well Well Well (Home Demo) (1:16)
09. Look At Me (Home Demo) (2:49)
10. God (Home Demo) (3:52)
11. My Mummy’s Dead (Home Demo) (1:18)
12. Give Peace A Chance (Home Demo) (2:40)
13. Cold Turkey (Home Demo) (3:34)
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Studio Demo) (3:33)

Disc 7: The Jams
01. Johnny B. Goode (Jam) (1:02)
02. Ain’t That A Shame (Jam) (1:54)
03. Hold On (Jam 1) (2:22)
04. Hold On (Jam 2) (1:37)
05. Glad All Over (Jam) (1:12)
06. Be Faithful To Me (Jam) (0:44)
07. Send Me Some Lovin’ (Jam) (1:06)
08. Get Back (Jam) (1:05)
09. Lost John (Jam 1) (1:56)
10. Goodnight Irene (Jam) (1:51)
11. You’ll Never Walk Alone (Jam) (1:44)
12. I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier Mama, I Don’t Wanna Die (Jam 1) (3:30)
13. It’ll Be Me (Jam) (1:08)
14. Honey, Don’t! (Jam) (1:39)
15. Elvis Parody (Don’t Be Cruel, Hound Dog, When I’m Over You) (Jam) (2:48)
16. Matchbox (Jam) (1:57)
17. I’ve Got A Feeling (Jam) (0:20)
18. Mystery Train (Jam) (2:44)
19. (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Jam) (0:29)
20. I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier Mama, I Don’t Wanna Die (Jam 2) (1:46)
21. Lost John (Jam 2) (0:48)
22. Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow) (Jam) (2:07)

Disc 8: Out-take / Raw Studio Mix
01. Mother (Take 91 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (4:00)
02. Hold On (Take 18 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (2:07)
03. I Found Out (Take 7 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (7:51)
04. Working Class Hero (Take 10 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (3:44)
05. Isolation (Take 1 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (0:35)
06. Remember (Take 1 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (2:53)
07. Love (Take 9 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (2:34)
08. Well Well Well (Take 5 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (5:06)
09. Look At Me (Take 3 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (3:12)
10. God (Take 1 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (2:28)
11. My Mummy’s Dead (Take 2 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (1:19)
12. Give Peace A Chance (Take 4 / Stripped Down / Extended / Raw Studio Mix) (6:33)
13. Cold Turkey (Take 2 / Stripped Down / Raw Studio Mix) (5:01)
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (Take 5 / Out-take / Raw Studio Mix) (3:11)

Download:

Related Posts: