Mind Games

Following the dismal critical reception and sales for Some Time In New York City and the re-election of the Nixon government, which had targeted Lennon as a dangerous radical, a terrified Lennon disappeared into the Dakota only to reappear six months later, in April, 1973.

John (depressed because it appeared that he couldn't get US citizenship) & Yoko announced to the world that:

"...We announce the birth of a conceptual country, Nutopia. Citizenship of this country can be claimed by declaration of your awareness of Nutopia. Nutopia has no land, no boundaries, no passports, only people. Nutopia has no laws other than cosmic. All people of Nutopia are ambassadors of the country.

As two ambassadors of Nutopia, we ask for diplomatic immunity and recognition in the United Nations of our country and its people..."

Journalist Kenneth Gross provided the full Nutopia story.

It was also discovered around that time, that Lennon was working on a new batch of songs, recorded with the cream of New York session men. The album was to be called Mind Games.

John Lennon Mind Games album review

John Lennon: Mind Games

But before Mind Games was released, the John & Yoko soap opera started a new chapter, with the announcement that Lennon had left Yoko in New York and was goofin' around with his Rock'n'Roll pals in L.A.

When Mind Games was released, though, the album sleeve painted the real picture. Lennon was almost irrelevant, shot out of focus and both the sun and the moon only illuminated the mountainous Yoko. It depicts probably the most unhealthy functioning (i.e. not psychotic) male-female relationship that I could ever (and no pun intended) imagine.

Let's get this straight! Mind Games is by no means a bad album. It's melodic (although a little uninspired), the radical Left sloganeering of Some Time In New York City is gone and there's a pleasant Imagine-like feel. However, it's just a bit dull and very much the poor cousin to both Ringo's all-star bash, Ringo and McCartney's effervescent and very Beatle-ish Band On The Run, all released within three weeks of each other.

In fact, Mind Games was swamped by the possibility of a Beatles re-union and remains fairly unremembered. So, let's look at it rationally.

I'll get the bad out of the way first because some of Mind Games really bugs me! If Yoko was really John's love at this time she should be angry as all hell, because the Mind Games love songs are truly uninspired. It's hard to believe that a wordsmith as talented as Lennon could have put his name to them:

"...And when I hurt you and cause you pain
Darlin' I promise I won't do it again
Aisumen, Aisumen, Yoko..."

Aisumasen (I'm sorry)

or the utterly dire One Day At A Time (cute tune, though)

"...You are my weakness
You are my strength
Nothing in the world
Makes better sense

Cause I'm the fish
And you're the sea

When we're together
Or when we're apart
There's never a space
Between the beat of our hearts

Cause I'm the apple
And you're the tree

One day at a time
Is all we do
One day at a time
Is good for you..."

One Day At A Time

B-l-a-a-a-a-a-g-h! What about Out The Blue?

"...All my life's been a long slow knife
I was born just to get you
Anyway I survived long enough
To make you my wife

Out the blue you came to me
And blew away Life's misery..."

Out The Blue

The previously mentioned Nutopianism seemed to bring out the flag-waver in Lennon, who wrote 2 uptempo songs on the subject. Neither had much conviction but they both provided a lame kind of fun, an aspect of his work which hadn't surfaced since he was in The Beatles:

Bring On The Lucie (Freeda People), a kind of Disney meets Red politics mish-mash & Only People an emaciated son of Instant Karma that unfortunately rallied no-one to the Nutopian cause. The problem was that the Nutopian concept, which might have been cute in the 60s had started to become downright irritating in the 70s and believe it or not, Nutopia was never heard of again.

So, what's left are the album's best tracks:

Meat City: an ode to the USA, it rocks with a 70s FM kind of rage, as raucous as well-paid studio musicians can get.

John Lennon: Mind Games single The title track, Mind Games, a relentless dirge of 70's self-help jargon that works brilliantly, mostly thanks to Lennon's urgent, utterly believable vocal.

All credit to drummer Jim Keltner, as well, for bringing a controlled urgency to the song:

"...We're playin' those mind games together
Pushin' the barriers
Plantin' seeds

Playin' the mind guerilla
Chantin' the mantra:
'Peace on Earth'..."

...and even Lennon seems to believe his own propoganda when he slides in:

"...I want you to make love
Not war
I know
You've heard it before..."

Mind Games

...during the fadeout. Altogether a not bad song and the last time that Lennon's music ever attempted to speak for a generation.

My favorite track on Mind Games, though is the little-known Intuition. As a young man I was trusting enough to believe that Lennon, my hero, might, indeed, possess intuition. As I've learnt more about him I've seen this was probably far from the case.

However, I now see Intuition as a fabulous little album track (it's even got a tune!) that would be a great theme song for a feel-good movie

Here's the pitch: A nerdy klutz with a heart of gold (me) keeps messin' up in Life until an impossibly beautiful girl (with an exotic libido) falls in love with him on the day that he co-incidentally wins the $20 million lottery:

"...Well, my instincts are fine
I have to learn to use them
In order to survive
And time after time they...
...Confirmed an old suspicion
It's good to be alive

And when I'm deep down and out
And lose communication
With nothing left to say
It's then I realise
It's only a condition
Of seeing things that way

Oh, intuition
Takes me there
Intuition
Takes me anywhere..."

Intuition

...No doubt, there'll be even more money for the Ono coffers if that movie ever gets made but I'd love a commission!

John Lennon: Mind Games

"...People kept telling me to avoid John Lennon's Mind Games album, but I really am glad I didn't listen to any of them (no offense!)...It's really a rather enjoyable listening experience overall and worth owning..." Amazon reviewer B.E. Jackson

"...Wow! Wait until you hear this remixed and remastered Mind Games CD. You will not believe your ears....I always felt some of the tracks sounded 'muffled', (now) you hear instruments and vocals that were lost in the original mixes - they were there all along, we just could not distinquish or seperate. Now the songs are full of wonderful sounds and harmonies - and in real stereo....Just Fabulous!..." Amazon reviewer S. Borstelmann

The remastered Mind Games now contains three home demos, as well:

Aisumasen
Freeda People &
Meat City

The cool 70s t-shirt

Lennon's early instrumental version of Mind Games

during the 1971 Imagine sessions

Yoko Ono: Feeling The Space

recorded at the same time as Mind Games

"...When you listen to Feeling The Space along with her cuts on Sometime In New York City you see a more articulate, directed energy emerging from Yoko. The womens' condition and movement is very much in the forefront of her thoughts as a woman and as an artist. Amazon reviewer Thomas Lapins

"...Here we find an album about women, for women and by a woman. Most songs deal with the stress and strain of women trying to survive in a male-dominated society, however you don't have to be a woman to enjoy this album. Songs like Angry Young Woman, She Hits Back and the album's single Woman Power could have easily been anthems for the feminist movement. Others like Yellow Girl, Coffin Car, and Woman of Salem depict the damage done to woman by the ongoing oppression of the male society..." Amazon reviewer Vince A. Martinez

For more info, see: