John Lennon’s Imagine six-disc box set gives fans the deepest dive yet into evolution of ex-Beatle’s iconic album
Yoko Ono oversaw production of commemorative release features 140 remixes, demos, alternate takes and original versions of some of Lennon’s most sharply rendered social and political commentaries and most disarming love songs
After the Beatles formally disbanded in 1970, John Lennon wowed critics with his inaugural post-Beatles solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.
But it took that album’s successor, Imagine, to capture the public’s affection in a major way with a more broadly accessible work that became the first of his three solo efforts to top Billboard’s national album sales chart, reaching No 1 in October 1971.
To mark what would have been Lennon’s 78th birthday on October 9, 1940, his widow, Yoko Ono, has overseen production of an immersive six-disc box set, Imagine – The Ultimate Collection, scheduled to be launched on October 5 and encompassing 140 tracks, most of them never officially released.
Among the highlights are a complete remix and a 5.1 surround sound mix of the original album designed to more strongly showcase Lennon’s vocals and overall provide audiences with what Abbey Road Studios’ lead mixing engineer on this project, Paul Hicks, describes as “a more modern listening experience”.
“We’re not doing anything clever with it,” Hicks said. “It’s like taking a blanket off the music.”
Ono supervised the wealth of demo recordings and alternate takes, including the recently unearthed first demo of the title track, which features just Lennon’s unadorned voice and piano, recorded at their estate in Tittenhurst, England, where they built a home studio.