Music News

Beatles fans are gearing up for a major announcement later this week when the full details of the John Lennon Imagine box set, dubbed, “The Ultimate Deep Listening Experience” are to be revealed. The official Lennon twitter feed posted that a newly produced six-disc box set feature the Imagine album and the “1971 Ascot Sound Studios Sessions like you’ve never heard them before,” with fill details coming on Thursday via http://imaginejohnyoko.com/the-music. The news of the package leaked before the weekend and was quickly pulled down from several online sites, but it looks as though the collection is set to drop on October 5th — just before what would’ve been Lennon’s 78th birthday on October 9th.

The usually reliable Superdeluxeedition.com posted, “Although we don’t know anything officially, some details were inadvertently published before being pulled. This new Imagine box set is expected to include 140 tracks and consist of four CD’s and two Blu-ray audios. Expect raw studio mixes, the Quad mix, outtakes, and audio montages that track each song from demo to finished product — sounds not dissimilar to Peter Gabriel’s So DNA demo disc — and more. There should be some separate vinyl too, but no vinyl in the box.”

Coming to theaters on September 7th for one night only is John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1972 feature film Imagine. According to the press release, “Imagine includes previously unreleased cinema-exclusive bonus material, restored footage, remixed, remastered and an immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack mix. Produced and directed by John and Yoko, who, with numerous guest stars including George Harrison, Fred Astaire, Andy Warhol, Dick Cavett, Jack Palance, and Jonas Mekas, create a world of imagination as rich and moving as the music that accompanies it. The ground-breaking music film features a different visual treatment for every song, and follows John and Yoko during the recording sessions for Imagine in both the UK and New York, as they co-produced the record with Phil Spector.”

In October the Lennon estate will be pair the couple’s 1972 Imagine film with the 2000 documentary, Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ Album. The two films will be issued together on Blu-ray and DVD, with restored and enhanced 5.1 surround sound.

On May 15th, 1971 Lennon spoke about the state of his solo career while attending the Cannes Film Festival, telling Norwegian news: “I don’t feel satisfied as an artist just because the people like ‘Beatles.’ I — as an individual — don’t feel satisfied as an artist or I would stop. I must always go on. Though now I’m changing my position. Now I present myself alone and say, ‘this is my music — now what do you think?'”

AUDIO: JOHN LENNON ON ARTISTIC SATISFACTION