“Mind Games” shows John Lennon in self-soothing mode

John Lennon knew how to start an album with an irresistible, inescapable declaration of intent that Exactly where his head was at that moment. He launched his solo career with 1970’s “Plastic Ono Band” with the throat-shredding primal cry of “Mother, you had me, but I never had you.” 1971’s “Imagine” is as sad as it is uplifting, its compressed vocals and piano sound making it sound like a recovered artifact from a lost civilization when it arrives. 1972’s “Some Time in New York City” captures Lennon in military jacket and activist style on a soapbox as he unleashes the riotous explosion of “Woman is the Ni**er of the World.” (This theory also seems to hold true for John’s Beatles-era album opener, especially the startled, sweat-drenched cry of “Help!”.)

So what are we to make of “Mind Games,” the song that opens the 1973 album of the same name? Over the course of the song, whose title, Mind Games: The Guide to Inner Space, comes from Robert Masters and Jean Houston, John showers the listener with reassuring and positive messages—”Love is the answer,” “Yes is the answer”—and expands on the familiar plea to “Make love, not war.” (John’s demos suggest he actually conceived the song around that latter line.) The song has a timeless hypnotic groove: a descending bass line in tandem with a glittering ascending three-note figure on guitar and Mellotron—along with the album’s dreamscape cover art, designed by Lennon himself—conveying the impression of infinite expanse and endless possibility.

Yes – Mellotron. Mind Games is more of a rush of life than a lysergic and a microdose of old John psychedelia.

Considering John’s problems during this period – marital problems with Yoko that would lead to “the lost weekend,” the battle with Nixon and the FBI over possible deportation from the US – he seems remarkably calm on the album. “Mind Games” is perhaps a concerted attempt by a man to overcome and soothe himself, yearning for redemption.

The ethereal excellence of Mind Games seems to have overwhelmed people: John was the only former Beatle not to reach number one on the US charts in 1973. But it’s time for a reassessment: Mind Games is John’s latest album, which gets the wonderfully excessive deluxe reissue, with pristine new mixes of the album by Sean Lennon, as well as a treasure trove of extras: “Evolution” documentaries, outtakes and “Elements” mixes that insightfully dissect the musical components of the songs. Frankly, if you listen to the five hours of material properly, it’s hard to not and he left with a real fondness for the record and a deep appreciation in particular for John’s backing band: drummer Jim Keltner, guitarist David Spinozza, Gordon Edwards on bass, Arthur Jenkins on drums, Michael Brecker on saxophone, Ken Ascher on piano and organ – all in superb form.

Some tracks sound simply wonderful: “Out the Blue” and “You Are Here” – with the soothing refrain “Wherever you are, you are here” – and best of all, the majestic “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)” with a euphoric solo by Spinnoza, show John at his gentlest, most gracious and most grateful. “One Day (At A Time)” almost belongs in that company – but the ultimate track, with its fragility in the fetal position, ends up feeling a little feather-thin. (The raw studio mix and outtake in this edition, sung an octave lower, somehow feel more honest.)

The album’s louder tracks, on the other hand, are more exciting than upsetting. “Tight A$” is a rollicking barnyard rocker, while Ian McDonald rightly called the edgy “Meat City” “the most adventurous of John’s post-Beatles recordings, with its raw soundscape, anarchic tumult of imagery, prophetic ‘sample’ interjections, irregular rhythmic structure and blistering rock impetus.” Those syncopations are great.

Speaking of mind games, here’s one for the Beatlologists: Could “I Know (I Know)” be a musical peace twig being offered to Paul? Aside from the lyrical Easter eggs (“Getting better all the time”; “I love you more than yesterday”), the song actually seems to reflect what we know about John’s evolving attitude toward his old musical partner, expressing a desire for reconciliation. (It’s also the warmest, most Beatles-esque song on the album, with an opening guitar riff that’s not a million miles off the riff of “I’ve Got a Feeling.”)

An easy listening album from John Lennon? Mind Games is a unique album in his discography for the gentlest of moods – and an invitation to turn off the mind and let yourself drift downstream, this time with the promise of a more pleasant journey.