A truly unique expanded edition of one of the most iconic albums of all time. This new edition takes us on incredibly personal journey through the entire songwriting and recording process – from the very first writing and demo sessions at John’s home studio at Tittenhurst Park through to the final co-production with Phil Spector – providing a remarkable testament of the lives of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their own words. Super Deluxe version includes 4CDs (new stereo mix, outtakes, raw studio recordings, track-by-track) and 2BluRays (5.1 surround mixes, HD audio, Elements mixes, Elliot Minz audio documentary).
When Imagine was released in September 1971, John Lennon finally gave Beatles fans the album they wanted. His first three solo records were recorded and released while the group was still around, but they were experimental noise collages constructed with Yoko Ono that had nothing to do with the Beatles' music (unless you consider "Revolution 9" representative of their work). And 1970's post-breakup John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, as great as it is, was a little too abrasive for folks who still had "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" ringing in their ears.
John Lennon’s birthday today, October 9, is marked by the release of a new deluxe and expanded version of Imagine (The Ultimate Collection). The set is now available to stream and download, and features the entire full-length collection of tracks, some of which have previously only been available on Blu-Ray, in Hi-Res Stereo and Spatial Audio/Dolby Atmos. Yoko Ono Lennon and Sean Ono Lennon have sent a note to Lennon’s legions of fans worldwide to explain that each set of mixes from the compilation – Ultimate, Elements, Evolution, Raw Studio and Out-Takes – has been released as a separate album. This allows his songs to be enjoyed in the way that was originally intended, curated by Yoko Ono Lennon, rather than release all 78 tracks from the themed retrospective in one vast playlist.
On October 5, Universal Music celebrates the apex of John Lennon’s solo career with a six-disc box set, Imagine – The Ultimate Collection. This historical, remixed and remastered 140-track collection is fully authorised by Yoko Ono Lennon who oversaw the production and creative direction. Spread across four CDs and two Blu-ray discs, this truly unique expanded edition offers a variety of listening experiences that are at once immersive and intimate, ranging from the brand new Ultimate Mixes of the iconic album, which reveal whole new levels of sonic depth, definition and clarity to these timeless songs, to the Raw Studio Mixes that allow listeners to hear Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band’s original, unadorned performances, to enveloping 5.1 surround sound mixes, and a Quadrasonic Album Mix, presenting the original four speaker mix remastered in Quadrasonic sound for the first time in nearly fifty years.
A truly unique expanded edition of one of the most iconic albums of all time. This new edition takes us on incredibly personal journey through the entire songwriting and recording process - from the very first writing and demo sessions at John’s home studio at Tittenhurst Park through to the final co-production with Phil Spector - providing a remarkable testament of the lives of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their own words.
After the harrowing Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon returned to calmer, more conventional territory with Imagine. While the album had a softer surface, it was only marginally less confessional than its predecessor. Underneath the sweet strings of "Jealous Guy" lies a broken and scared man, the jaunty "Crippled Inside" is a mocking assault at an acquaintance, and "Imagine" is a paean for peace in a world with no gods, possessions, or classes, where everyone is equal…
John Lennon's song "Imagine" will forever be etched into the consciousness of listeners as the melodic mantra of late-'60s, early-'70s idealism. It also serves as the wistful epitaph of a complex, challenging artist whose life was tragically taken by a deranged fan…