John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - The Ultimate Collection

John Lennon

Plastic Ono Band - The Ultimate Collection

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - The Ultimate Collection

Spines of the eleven master tape boxes used in the production of the album.

Label Universal Music Group

Catalogue No.'s 073 5429 (Deluxe Boxset) - Barcode 6 02507 35429 9
073 5444 (Standard Double C.D.) - Barcode 6 02507 35444 2
073 5449 (Single C.D.) - Barcode 6 02507 35449 7
073 5454 (Double Vinyl L.P. ) - Barcode 6 02507 35454 1

Release date 23rd April 2021

Total time 16 hours 11 minutes 36 seconds !
C.D. 1 - 52:56
C.D. 2 - 48:50
C.D. 3 - 59:45
C.D. 4 - 73:56
C.D. 5 - 72:22
C.D. 6 - 71:22
Blu-Ray 1 - 224:48
Blu-Ray 2 - 367:37

U.K. Album Chart Detail :

Entry Date : 30th April 2021
Highest Position : 11
Weeks in Chart : 1

Detail : 50th Anniversary Ultimate Mix Collection
Credited to John Lennon

Produced and Supervised by Yoko Ono Lennon using the same team that mixed and engineered Imagine (The Ultimate Collection).
All completely remixed from the original multitrack tapes at Abbey Road Studios.
Mixed and engineered by multi GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks, with assistance by engineer Sam Gannon and Rob Stevens.

Contains Ultimate Mixes, Out-Takes, Elements, Raw Studio and Evolution Mixes; Demos, Jams and Yoko Ono Live Sessions.
Featuring John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Alan White and Phil Spector.
The comprehensive 132-page hardback book with lyrics, rare photos, tape box images, memorabilia and extensive notes.
Designed and edited by Simon Hilton, the Compilation Producer and Production Manager of the Ultimate Collection series, the book tells the story behind each of the songs and the making of the album in John & Yoko’s words and the words of those who worked alongside them, through archival and brand new interviews.
This new collection was available in a variety of formats:
SUPER DELUXE BOX SET, 6 CDs: 102 new stereo mixes – over 6 hours of audio.
                  plus 2 Blu-Ray Audio Discs – 159 new stereo mixes – with Hi-Res 192/24 Stereo, Immersive 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos Mixes.
                  With an exclusive 132 Page Hardback Book with rare photos, memorabilia and extensive notes.
                  WAR IS OVER! Poster and 2 Postcards.
TWO CD Set, with the 28 tracks as per the first two discs of the deluxe set, also includes the poster and a 20 page booklet.
TWO LP Set, Gatefold sleeve, with 24 tracks of The Ultimate mixes and Out-takes, 8-page booklet and poster
ONE CD standard issue, with the 14 tracks as per the first disc of the deluxe set, also includes a 20 page booklet.
Plus available digitally on streaming platforms and on download.
THE ULTIMATE MIXES
The original John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album has been faithfully remixed from the ground up by the aforementioned Paul Hicks at Abbey Road Studios under the supervision of Yoko Ono Lennon. Hicks utilized high-definition 192kHz/24bit audio transfers of the original first-generation multitrack recordings to create the best possible recreations of the originals. The result is these new Ultimate Mixes now reveal whole new levels of sonic depth, definition and clarity, especially in 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos.
THE OUTTAKES
The collection includes unreleased stereo outtakes of each song which have been mixed with a balance and EQ more akin to the original album mixes, with a little bit of additional effects – in the style of a “rough listening mix” that John & Yoko and Phil Spector would have used to play them back at Abbey Road.
Highlights include “Mother” (Take 61) which removes the opening bell and has the drums mixed in mono,
“Love” (Take 6) with John performing the song on acoustic guitar without the aid of Spector on piano
The first rehearsal of “Remember” (Rehearsal 1),which started off as a slower, more subdued, song than the rollicking one it evolved into.
“Well Well Well” (Take 2) which ends with an instrumental jam.
The alternate clawhammer strumming on “Look At Me” (Take 2) and
“Cold Turkey” (Take 1) with some seriously funky guitar playing by John and Eric Clapton.
DEMOS
In addition to the outtakes, the original recordings of each song, either from a home cassette, home tape, or the very first rehearsal or run-through in the studio are included. It’s remarkable to hear how fully formed many of the songs were before they were brought to the studio and what they transformed into. Most of these recordings have never been officially released until now.
THE ELEMENTS MIXES
The Elements Mixes mixed by Hicks bring some of the buried elements not otherwise heard, or in some cases used, up to the surface and presents them on a wider and brighter sound stage to reveal deeper levels of detail and clarity. The idea behind these is that once these elements have been heard listeners will hear details previously hidden in the album mixes in a completely way.
These range from John’s isolated vocal track for “Mother,” the conga on “I Found Out,” the extra vocals on “Hold On,” the alternative organ take on “Isolation,” unused maracas on “Well Well Well” and the original guide vocal for “God.”
THE RAW STUDIO MIXES + OUTTAKES
Mixed by Rob Stevens, the Raw Studio Mixes transport listeners to the center of the studio at Abbey Road to experience what it was like to bear witness to the recording sessions.
The songs have been mixed without effects, tape delays or reverbs, recreating as close to possible what these performances sounded like raw and live.
The Raw Studio Mixes stand on their own to provide a markedly different set of listening experiences, stripping away the sound-shaping techniques that were used in the production of the original 1970 album to reveal further nuance and depths in these unadorned studio performances.
THE EVOLUTION DOCUMENTARY
The Evolution Mixes are mini-documentaries that explore the development of each song through their elements, arrangements and the musicians that play on them. Edited down from all the original 8-track multitracks, quarter-inch live recordings and mixes and a few demo cassettes by Sam Gannon, generally each Evolution Mix runs through each song’s sessions chronologically, starting with the demos and/or early takes and ending with the final mixes; documenting their creative journey from inspiration to finished work, exploring different, sometimes hidden parts of the multitracks and including all the best method, magic, craftsmanship and conversation during the development of the songs. Throughout the sessions, there is a sense of lightness and joviality that contrasts the heavy and, at times, very intense themes which run through much of the album. These mixes provide a window into that world, putting the listener in the center of the studio with John, Yoko, Phil and the Plastic Ono Band.
THE JAMS
Despite the serious nature of the album, John and the Plastic Ono Band, which sometimes included Yoko, Billy Preston and Phil Spector, had fun in between takes by spontaneously jamming classic rock ‘n’ roll songs, improvisations and even early versions of some of John’s other songs. For the first time, these 22 jams are being made available and are presented in the order they were recorded.
Some of the many gems include impromptu performances of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” Little Richard’s “Send Me Some Lovin’” and a hilarious sendup of Elvis Presley, illustrating John’s love for early rock ‘n’ roll.
Other highlights include loose run throughs of “Hold On” and a couple early attempts of “I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier Mama, I Don’t Want To Die,” which would end up on his next album, Imagine.
YOKO ONO/PLASTIC ONO BAND – THE LIVE SESSIONS
On October 10th, the day after John’s 30th birthday, Yoko, John, Klaus and Ringo recorded a freeform experimental jam session that would be edited into Yoko’s concurrent album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band.
For the first time ever, the full session, more than three times the length of the original album, can be heard as part of the Blu-ray in its entirety.
Newly mixed by Sam Gannon, it is being presented in high-res audio and in its originally performed speed with no edits, with tracks like “Why” clocking in at 18 mins and “Why Not” exceeding 21 minutes.
The live session is bolstered by three improvisations that have never been released before: “Life,” “Omae No Okaa Wa” and “I Lost Myself Somewhere In The Sky.”
30th April 2021 - The album entered the U.K. album charts at no. 11 for one week only.

                                          Chart progression: 11 .... out