John Lennon Backkatalog
Whether you’re more of a John Lennon or Paul McCartney fan, it’s hard to overstate the contributions these two made to the pop-rock world, first as the principle songwriters of The Beatles and then as solo artists in their own right. Last year, of course, saw The Beatles’ discography get remastered for the first time since the original releases of the records on CD in 1987. The McCartney catalogue is slated to come back out on CD through Paul’s new homebase, Concord Records, starting with a new reissue of Band on the Run this August.
And now, EMI has announced the Gimme Some Truth campaign, a massive catalogue overhaul for John Lennon in celebration of what would have been his 70th birthday (if you can believe that). This wave of product includes a lot of remastering, compiling and vault hunting, so hit the jump and take a look at what’s going to happen.First up, on October 5, EMI is releasing digitally remastered versions of eight solo Lennon records: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), Imagine (1971), Some Time in New York City (1972), Mind Games (1973), Walls and Bridges (1974), Rock ‘n’ Roll (1975), Double Fantasy (1980) and the posthumous Milk and Honey (1984).
That reissue of Double Fantasy is a special one. The record, released weeks before John Lennon’s shooting death on December 8, 1980, will be expanded to a two-disc set, with the second disc featuring Double Fantasy Stripped Down, a new remix of the record overseen by Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono and producer Jack Douglas, both of whom produced the original LP with Lennon.
Then there’s a new compilation. Power to the People: The Hits compiles 15 Lennon tracks onto one disc, and will also be featured as an “Experience Edition” with as-yet-unannounced bonus content. The set will be packaged in a digipak with a new essay by Paul Du Noyer, author of the Lennon bio We All Shine On.
Finally, the big guns: two box sets. Gimme Some Truth is a 72-track anthology that presents Lennon’s work on four themed discs: “Roots” (Lennon’s rock influences), “Working Class Hero” (the political songs), “Woman” (love songs), and “Borrowed Time” (songs about life). That set will feature an essay by Anthony DeCurtis, a well-known name to liner notes enthusiasts.
Finally, The John Lennon Signature Box will gather it all. Eleven discs of material featuring all the remastered material plus Lennon’s non-LP material and a host of rare and previously unreleased recordings. That deluxe box will feature a limited edition art print and another heavy-duty batch of liner notes written by DeCurtis and filled with rare photos and artwork.
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