A definitive book exploring the writing, recording, and release of John Lennon’s groundbreaking solo record Mind Games is on its way. Out September 24, the book features handwritten lyrics, letters, artworks by Lennon and Yoko Ono, and previously unseen photography alongside their firsthand commentary about the album. Also included are contributions from the musicians, friends, engineers, and key figures involved in the making of Lennon’s landmark 1973 album.
The book’s publication follows this summer’s Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection. The collection’s six unique listening experiences include the sonically upgraded Ultimate Mixes to the Elements Mixes, which highlight instrumentation buried in the original mix, to the Raw Studio Mixes, the recording laid to tape without vocal effects, tape delays, or reverb. In October, Sean Ono Lennon will release Mind Games – The Meditation Mixes, nine relaxing reworkings of the title track that were originally shared via the app Lumenate.
Listen to John Lennon’s Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection now.
Mind Games captures a transformative moment for the Lennons. After moving to New York City in 1971, Lennon’s anti-Vietnam War activism drew the ire of the Nixon administration, who enlisted the FBI to place the young musician under surveillance. The overtly political messaging on 1972’s Sometime in New York City didn’t help matters. Meanwhile, Lennon and Ono were experiencing marital problems, undoubtedly compounded by an ongoing deportation order.
All of this was in the background as a 33-year-old Lennon embarked on recording Mind Games, his first self-produced album. The sessions took place at the Record Plant in New York City over July and August 1973 and featured the jokingly named Plastic U.F.Ono Band, which included drummer Jim Keltner, guitarist David Spinozza, pianist Ken Ascher, pedal-steel player ‘Sneaky’ Pete Kleinow, saxophonist Michael Brecker, drummer Rick Marotta, bassist Gordon Edwards, and backing vocalists Something Different.
Although “Bring on the Lucie (Freeda People)” is a protest song, Mind Games largely avoided political messages. Instead, Lennon returned to a more emotional style of songwriting, expressing personal regrets on songs like “I Know (I Know) and “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry).” The album also finds Lennon also re-embracing mysticism and magical thinking: the titular track takes its name from Robert Masters’ and Jean Houston’s Mind Games: The Guide to Inner Space, while the 4-second long “Nutopian International Anthem” is entirely silent.
Find out more about the book here.