‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection’ Set Coming 4/16 for 50th Anniversary

In December 1970, John Lennon released his first proper solo album after the dissolution of the Beatles — and on April 16, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band will be revisited to commemorate its 50th anniversary.

Detailed officially on Thursday, Yoko Ono Lennon and Capitol/UMe are spearheading the project, which will include a lavish eight-disc Super Deluxe edition of the album and its material.

JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND
THE ULTIMATE MIXES BOX SET.
John & Yoko, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Alan White, Phil Spector.
159 new mixes. 6CD & 2BluRay.
Stereo, 5.1 & DolbyAtmos.
132p book, poster, postcards.https://t.co/QtmiutZ0Ii

— John Lennon (@johnlennon) March 4, 2021

More on John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the album’s legacy, per a news release:

Inspired by the primal scream psychotherapy he and wife Yoko Ono had been practicing with Dr. Arthur Janov, John, joined by the minimalist Plastic Ono Band – Ringo Starr on drums and Klaus Voorman on bass, and producer Phil Spector – confronted his demons, professed his love for his wife, railed against false idols and declared the dream was over on his most personal album.

Click here to pre-order the 2-CD set from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order the 2-LP set from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order the 8-disc Super Deluxe set from our Rock Cellar Store

As a preview of the set, here’s the new Ultimate Mix of “Mother”:

*** On a related note, this Saturday, March 6, Rock Cellar is co-sponsoring a special show titled “Elton John Lennon,” a live stream concert of songs by both of those iconic stars and featuring some of the most talented independent artists around! The show is FREE.

Watch on ww.alerttheglobe.com or www.facebook.com/rockcellarmagazine/live . A virtual tip jar will be available during the show as well. Click here for more details. 

As for the details regarding the Super Deluxe set:

Fully authorized by Yoko Ono Lennon, who oversaw the production and creative direction, and from the same audio team that worked on 2018’s critically acclaimed Imagine – The Ultimate Collection, including triple GRAMMY®-Award winning engineer Paul Hicks and mixers/engineers Rob Stevens and Sam Gannon, the Ultimate Collection puts listeners in the center of the studio and explores the album’s 1970 recording sessions at EMI Studios 2 & 3, Abbey Road along with John’s post-Beatles singles, “Give Peace A Chance,” “Cold Turkey” and “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)” from inception to the final master through scores of unreleased and rare demos, rehearsals, outtakes, jams and studio conversations, revealing how these beloved songs came to be. Everything in this expansive box set has been newly mixed from scratch from brand new 192kHz/24bit hi-res transfers. In addition to the various new mixes, the set boasts 87 never-before-heard recordings.

This deluxe revisiting of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band comes on the heels of the 40th anniversary of Lennon’s tragic death in 1980, as well as what would’ve been his 80th birthday.

The Super Deluxe edition of the reissue packs a ton of material across six CDs and two Blu-ray discs. Here’s the full track listing, so you can appreciate the depth and scope of this project:

CD1: THE ULTIMATE MIXES (53 mins)
1. Mother
2. Hold On
3. I Found Out
4. Working Class Hero
5. Isolation
6. Remember
7. Love
8. Well Well Well
9. Look At Me
10. God
11. My Mummy’s Dead
12. Give Peace A Chance
13. Cold Turkey
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)

CD2: THE ULTIMATE MIXES/THE OUT-TAKES (49 mins)
1. Mother/Take 61
2. Hold On/Take 2
3. I Found Out/Take 1
4. Working Class Hero/Take 1
5. Isolation/Take 23
6. Remember/Rehearsal 1
7. Love/Take 6
8. Well Well Well/Take 2
9. Look At Me/Take 2
10. God/Take 27
11. My Mummy’s Dead/Take 2
12. Give Peace A Chance/Take 2
13. Cold Turkey/Take 1
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)/Take 5

CD3: THE ELEMENTS MIXES (60 mins)
1. Mother
2. Hold On
3. I Found Out
4. Working Class Hero
5. Isolation
6. Remember
7. Love
8. Well Well Well
9. Look At Me
10. God
11. My Mummy’s Dead
12. Give Peace A Chance
13. Cold Turkey
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)

CD4: THE RAW STUDIO MIXES (74 mins)
1. Mother/Take 64
2. Hold On/Take 32
3. I Found Out/Take 3 Extended
4. Working Class Hero/Take 9
5. Isolation/Take 29
6. Remember/Take 13
7. Love/Take 37
8. Well Well Well/Take 4 Extended
9. Look At Me/Take 9
10. God/Take 42
11. My Mummy’s Dead/Take 1
12. Give Peace A Chance/Take 4 Extended
13. Cold Turkey/Take 2
14. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)/Take 10
15. Mother/Take 91
16. I Found Out/Take 7
17. God/Take 1

CD5: THE EVOLUTION DOCUMENTARY (72 mins)
1. Mother
2. Hold On
3. I Found Out
4. Working Class Hero
5. Isolation
6. Remember
7. Love
8. Well Well Well
9. Look At Me
10. God
11. My Mummy’s Dead

CD6: THE JAMS & THE DEMOS (71 mins)
1. Johnny B. Goode (Jam)
2. Ain’t That A Shame (Jam)
3. Hold On (1) (Jam)
4. Hold On (2) (Jam)
5. Glad All Over (Jam)
6. Be Faithful To Me (Jam)
7. Send Me Some Lovin’ (Jam)
8. Get Back (Jam)
9. Lost John (1) (Jam)
10. Goodnight Irene (Jam)
11. You’ll Never Walk Alone (Parody) (Jam)
12. I Don’t Want To A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (1) (Jam)
13. It’ll Be Me (Jam)
14. Honey Don’t (Jam)
15. Elvis Parody (Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog/When I’m Over You) (Jam)
16. Matchbox (Jam)
17. I’ve Got A Feeling (Jam)
18. Mystery Train (Jam)
19. You’re So Square (Jam)
20. I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die (2) (Jam)
21. Lost John (2) (Jam)
22. Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For A Hand In The Snow) (Jam)
23. Mother (Home Demo)
24. Hold On (Studio Demo)
25. I Found Out (Home Demo)
26. Working Class Hero (Studio Demo)
27. Isolation (Studio Demo)
28. Remember (Studio Demo)
29. Love (Home Demo)
30. Well Well Well (Home Demo)
31. Look At Me (Home Demo)
32. God (Home Demo)
33. My Mummy’s Dead (Home Demo