Reviewed by Null
Does anybody need another John Lennon collection? That answer is clearly “no.” However, there are a few things to consider with this new collection of remixes.
I became familiar with John Lennon’s solo albums when I was still in high school. I thought they were all great. I liked the radical politics, the confrontational spirit, the emotional and confessional honesty, and, later, the calmer, domesticated albums about settling down and growing old that were released shortly before and after he was murdered in 1980. I even liked the Yoko songs, as they made the albums a bit more interesting and dynamic, and, to be honest, some of them are just great tracks.
Though I had all of his solo albums, it was always necessary to buy one of the many compilations of his work because that was the only way to get the non-album singles that didn’t appear on any of the albums, most notably, “Instant Karma,” “Cold Turkey,” “Give Peace a Chance,” and “Happy X-mas (The War is Over).”
Gimmie Some Truth: The Ultimate Remixes is available in several different formats, which is just another annoying trend. I wasn’t throwing down over a hundred bucks for shit I already have, so the “deluxe” rip off version wasn’t even considered. Also, the single disc version would be wholly insufficient. Therefore, I settled for the only real option, the two-disc version. It’s basically a “Best of,” but I was surprised to find a few deep cuts buried in the 36 tracks. Most notably the song “Angela,” written as a tribute to the great revolutionary Angela Davis, who was imprisoned at the time. This song appeared on the album Sometime in New York. I never thought I would hear it on a compilation album.
I’m not a big fan of remixes, so I was suspicious about this release. I feel okay about remastering albums, but remixing always feels like revisionist history. As a music junkie it feels blasphemous. However, being very familiar with these songs, I was surprised how fresh and clear they sound. Like clean fresh water. I’m not going to say they are better than the original album versions, but it was really cool to hear some of the instrumentation rise above the often muddy ghost of Phil Spector that seemed to creep into the corners of some of these records. Nothing against Phil’s “Wall of Sound,” as it has it’s time and place. So, I wanted to kick myself for buying this stupid collection, but at the end of the day, I’m glad I did. I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it. It sounds fantastic, and I really haven’t listened to my Lennon albums in quite some time.
Now, this isn’t a replacement for the solo albums. There aren’t that many and they are all good in their own right. If you like Lennon, then you need them. Who can live without “Meat City,” “Tight A$,” “Luck of the Irish,” or even Yoko’s “Sisters, O Sisters” and “Born in a Prison”? None of which appear on this collection. However, if you are new to Lennon and need those non-album tracks, this is a great place to get them, and you will also get some pretty kick ass remixes of raunchy, angry, and some truly moving, beautiful album tracks.
It’s a good collection. I approve.
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