Geffen and UMe have announced a new deluxe reissue of John Lennon’s classic solo album, Imagine, set for an October 5th release.
The 140-track Imagine — The Ultimate Collection is spread over four CDs and two Blu-ray discs, featuring rare outtakes, previously unheard demos, and isolated track elements. Together, the incredibly thorough musical history lesson gives a complete picture of Lennon’s creative process from demo to mastering. Yoko Ono Lennon herself oversaw the entire production, including the creative direction.
“Yoko was very keen that these Ultimate Mixes should achieve three things – to be totally faithful and respectful to the originals, be generally sonically clearer overall and should increase the clarity of John’s vocals,” engineer Paul Hicks said in the collection’s accompanying 120-page book. “‘It’s about John’ she said. And she was right. His voice brings the biggest emotional impact to the album.”
Disc one features the original Imagine remixed in stereo sound along with additional singles and extras. Outtakes from the record are included on disc two, which also contains four tracks known as Elements Mixes: string-only renditions of “Imagine” and “How?”, a vocals-only version of “Oh My Love”, and a instrumental take on “Jealous Guy”.
Disc three, meanwhile, is filled with Raw Studio Mixes, helmed by engineer Rob Stevens. These tracks are the raw, live soundstage recordings Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band did at Ascot Sound Studios in Lennon and Yoko’s Tittenhurst home. Sans any production effects, the tracks are presented in 5.1 surround sound that “puts the listener in the center of Ascot Sound Studios with Lennon in front and the band playing all around and behind.”
The fourth and final CD contains The Evolution Documentary. Engineered in mono by Sam Gannon, the audio documentary follows the journey of each individual Imagine track “from demo to master take via instructions, rehearsals, recordings, multitrack exploration, and studio chatter.”
The first Blu-ray includes Hicks’ mix of the original album and its singles, as well as an updated Quadrasonic mix, the first time such a remix has been done in almost 50 years. Subtitled “In the Studio and Deeper Listening”, the second Blu-ray includes Imagine in surround sound and stereo, outtakes, and the Element Mixes. It also features a 29-minute tribute from DJ/longtime Lennon family friend Elliot Mintz that includes interviews with Lennon and Ono.
In addition to the box set, the new mixes of Imagine will be made available as a two-CD deluxe edition, a single-CD remaster, a double-LP black vinyl, and a limited-edition double-LP clear vinyl.
What’s more, Eagle Vision will release completely restored versions of the Imagine and Gimme Some Truth films from 1971 as well as remastered and remixed versions of their respective soundtracks. Finally, a new book called Imagine John Yoko by John Lennon and Yoko Ono will be published by Thames & Hudson/Grand Central Publishing on October 9th. The tome was compiled and curated by Ono and uses previously unpublished material to tell “the definitive inside story” of the making of Imagine.
As a preview of the new box set, a never-before-heard demo of “Imagine” uncovered in 2016 has been shared. The take features just Lennon and his piano, and you can hear it below.
Pre-orders for all the material — the box set, the Blu-rays, the book, etc — are going on via the official Imagine John and Yoko website. Take a look at the deluxe box set and its tracklist below.
Imagine — The Ultimate Collection:
Imagine — The Ultimate Collection Tracklist:
CD1 – Imagine
01. Imagine
02. Crippled Inside
03. Jealous Guy
04. It’s So Hard
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
06. Gimme Some Truth
07. Oh My Love
08. How Do You Sleep?
09. How?
10. Oh Yoko!
The Singles & Extras
11. Power To The People
12. Well… (Baby Please Don’t Go)
13. God Save Us
14. Do The Oz
15. God Save Oz
16. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
CD2 – The Ultimate Mixes Disc 2
01. Imagine (strings only)
02. Jealous Guy (piano, bass & drums)
03. Oh My Love (vocals only)
04. How? (strings only)
Album out-takes
05. Imagine (demo)
06. Imagine (take 1)
07. Crippled Inside (take 3)
08. Crippled Inside (take 6 – alt guitar solo)
09. Jealous Guy (take 9)
10. It’s So Hard (take 6)
11. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 11)
12. Gimme Some Truth (take 4)
13. Oh My Love (take 6)
14. How Do You Sleep? (takes 1 & 2)
15. How? (take 31)
16. Oh Yoko! (Bahamas 1969)
Singles out-takes
17. Power To The People (take 7)
18. God Save Us (demo)
19. Do The Oz (take 3)
20. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (alt mix)
CD3 – Raw Studio Mixes
01. Imagine (take 10)
02. Crippled Inside (take 6)
03. Jealous Guy (take 29)
04. It’s So Hard (take 11)
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 4 – extended)
06. Gimme Some Truth (take 4 – extended)
07. Oh My Love (take 20)
08. How Do You Sleep? (take 11 – extended)
09. How? (take 40)
10. Oh Yoko! (take 1 extended)
Out-takes – Live
11. Imagine (take 1)
12. Jealous Guy (take 11)
13. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 21)
14. How Do You Sleep? (take 1)
15. How Do You Sleep? (takes 5 & 6)
CD 4 – The Evolution Documentary
01. Imagine
02. Crippled Inside
03. Jealous Guy
04. It’s So Hard
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
06. Gimme Some Truth
07. Oh My Love
08. How Do You Sleep?
09. How?
10. Oh Yoko!
Blu-ray Disc 1 – Imagine – The Ultimate Mixes
01. Imagine
02. Crippled Inside
03. Jealous Guy
04. It’s So Hard
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
06. Gimme Some Truth
07. Oh My Love
08. How Do You Sleep?
09. How?
10. Oh Yoko!
Singles & Extras
01. Power To The People
02. Well… (Baby Please Don’t Go)
03. God Save Us (Bill Elliot vocal)
04. Do The Oz
05. God Save Oz (John Lennon vocal)
06. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
The Out-takes
01. Imagine (demo)
02. Imagine (take 1)
03. Crippled Inside (take 3)
04. Crippled Inside (take 6 alt guitar solo)
05. Jealous Guy (take 9)
06. It’s So Hard (take 6)
07. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 11)
08. Gimme Some Truth (take 4)
09. Oh My Love (take 6)
10. How Do You Sleep? (takes 1 & 2)
11. How? (take 31)
12. Oh Yoko! (Bahamas 1969)
13. Power To The People (take 7)
14. God Save Us (demo)
15. Do The Oz (take 3)
16. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (alt mix)
The Quadrasonic Mixes
01. Imagine
02. Crippled Inside
03. Jealous Guy
04. It’s So Hard
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
06. Gimme Some Truth
07. Oh My Love
08. How Do You Sleep?
09. How?
10. Oh Yoko!
Blu-ray Disc 2 – In The Studio and Deeper Listening
01. Imagine (take 10)
02. Crippled Inside (take 6)
03. Jealous Guy (take 29)
04. It’s So Hard (take 11)
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 4 – extended)
06. Gimme Some Truth (take 4 – extended)
07. Oh My Love (take 20)
08. How Do You Sleep? (take 11 – extended)
09. How? (take 40)
10. Oh Yoko! (take 1 – extended)
The Raw Studio Mixes – Out-takes – Live
01. Imagine (take 1)
02. Crippled Inside (take 2)
03. Crippled Inside (take 6 alt guitar solo)
04. Jealous Guy (take 11)
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (take 21)
06. How Do You Sleep? (take 1)
07. How Do You Sleep? (takes 5 & 6)
08. How? (takes 7-10)
09. How? (take 40 alt vocal)
10. Oh Yoko! (take 1 tracking vocal)
The Elements Mixes
01. Imagine (strings)
02. Crippled Inside (upright bass & drums)
03. Jealous Guy (piano, bass & drums)
04. It’s So Hard (strings)
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (guitar, bass & drums)
06. Gimme Some Truth (electric piano & guitar)
07. Oh My Love (vocals)
08. How Do You Sleep? (strings)
09. How? (strings)
10. Oh Yoko! (acoustic)
The Evolution Documentary
01. Imagine
02. Crippled Inside
03. Jealous Guy
04. It’s So Hard
05. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
06. Gimme Some Truth
07. Oh My Love
08. How Do You Sleep?
09. How?
10. Oh Yoko!
11. Power To The People
12. Well… (Baby Please Don’t Go)
13. God Save Us/God Save Oz
14. Do The Oz
15. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
16. Tittenhurst Park
Imagine John & Yoko – The Elliot Mintz Interviews
Imagine / Gimme Some Truth DVD:
Imagine
01. Imagine
02. Crippled Inside
03. Good Morning
04. Jealous Guy
05. Don’t Count The Waves
06. It’s So Hard
07. Mrs. Lennon
08. In Bag
09. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
10. Mind Train
11. Whisper Piece
12. What’s That In The Sky?
13. Power To The People
14. Gimme Some Truth
15. Midsummer New York
16. Oh My Love
17. How Do You Sleep?
18. How?
19. Oh Yoko!
20. Beach / End Credits
Gimme Some Truth
01. Imagine
02. Crippled Inside
03. Oh Yoko!
04. Jealous Guy
05. It’s So Hard
06. I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die
07. Gimme Some Truth
08. Oh My Love
09. How Do You Sleep?
10. How?
11. Imagine
DVD / Blu-Ray Extras
01. Jealous Guy (raw studio out-take)
02. How? (raw studio out-take)
03. Gimme Some Truth (raw studio out-take)
04. David Bailey photoshoot