Quad LP/Tape Poll Lennon, John/Plastic Ono Band: Imagine [SQ/Q8]

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Rate "Imagine"


  • Total voters
    14

EMB

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
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Apple's first Quad mix, and certainly, like Lennon's idea of 'stereo,' in and of itself unusual for a recording mixed from multitrack sources c. 1971, as those of you familiar with this one are well aware...:eek:;)

Side 1:

1. Imagine
2. Crippled Inside
3. Jealous Guy
4. It's So Hard
5. I Don't Want To Be A Soldier

Side 2:

1. Gimme Some Truth
2. Oh My Love
3. How Do You Sleep?
4. How?
5. Oh Yoko!

Image lifted off the net, and I can only say, glad my copy doesn't look this ratty...:D
 

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I gave it a higher mark more for content than mix. "Clear as mud" is a good way to describe the mix on this tape. This is the Mono All Around You king! If this were originally recorded on a 3 or 4 track machine, well then yeah, it'd be a good mix. I'm going to guess it was probably done on a 16 track machine, and there are more than two instruments in many of the songs. Definition? None.
Discrete? Hardly. Track 2 they seemed to get a little more with it and remembered they had 4 channels to play with. "How Do You Sleep" is probably the best out of all of them with vocals mixed more to the front, less to the rear, drums more to the rear, less to the front and believe it or not.... a few bits and peices mixed discretely to front and rear channels. There doesn't seem to be much ever going on from left to right. Just front to back.

A solid effort, but a missed opportunity. This was a big selling album, they should have payed more attention to the mix on the Quad Tape.
 
This Q8, be it the Green version or the Purple version, is very depressing. If you stretch your ears hard enough, you might pass a moment where you go "There! There it is! Hear that sound in the back?".

It's a waste, as far as I am concerned. The UK Q8 is a tiny bit better, but that too is a stretch. For real JL surround, pick up the DVD-Video Collection. Those are "real" surround mixes.

For surround: 0, For content: 3.5, for sonics: 1, my score: 5
 
Overall a '4' here...yes, very disappointing, although "How Do You Sleep?" at least has some separation, which is more than can be said for the original 'stereo' Lp. The later stereo remix offered much more and less, sorta....

ED :)
 
Q: which are the differences between USA and UK q8?
 
This is a GREAT album, but a lousy Quad! Anyone who thinks this is a great mix needs a new set of ears! I've owned the lime Q8, UK SQ, 2ch LP, Mofi Gold CD, UK CD and CD in the remastered 2010 Lennon Collection box. The recording has always sounded like mud, even in 2ch. The Quad mix is near non-existant. I bought this the first week I had my Akai CR-80DSS. I also bought Future Blues (yes, it exists), Best of Buddy Rich (UA), Bark, Worst of Airplane and Nilsson Schmillson. As much as I was wowed by Schmilsson, that's as disappointed as I was by this. They must have been in a seriously altered state to think this sounds good, fidelity and mix wise. It's John's second best solo album, eclipsed only by Plastic Ono Band. The Gimme Some Truth DVD-V was a far better surround mix.

Money for rope, money for dope.
 
So, just dropping in here to say that the quad version of Imagine is now included in the 2018 Imagine box set, which I have recently purchased (somewhat later than everybody else on QQ!).

I have not heard this original issue edition, reviewed here, but based on the poor ratings and comments here, I can only conclude that the 2018 version is vastly improved and receives some quite positive comments here and there on the 29 page (ATOR) thread for the 2018 Imagine box set: Deluxe Edition of "Imagine" Coming Soon! (Remixed 5.1 and Remastered Quad audio)

On a personal note, I prefer the 2018 version of the quad mix ('remastered in Quad 4.0 24-96') to the new 2018 5.1 mix, which, sadly, is free of imagination. Pun intended. :)
 
Well, its hard to rate this title. I had the green Q8. There's very little in the rears except strings, plus or minus. The sound was thumpy and muddy, but I figured it was 8 track, so that wasn't a surprise. My brother had the stereo LP. I was surprised to hear it sounded the same. I got later stereo Lennon LPs and they all pretty much sound like this. That's why I am so happy with the re-issues from a year or so ago in surround. Much better sound and mix! But I digress. Its hard to rate Imagine because I love the music so much. Imagine can bring a tear to your eye even today. So I give it a 6 - that is a 9 for the music, a 3 for the mix, and a 3 for the surround.
 
Time to vote. I've had this album for years. I also have the Japanese RM version. Yes it has a bit of a muddy sound but so does the stereo version, that is the way it is supposed to sound! Not too dissimilar from The Beatles "Hey Jude". Given the similarity to the stereo version I have to wonder why it wasn't released as a single inventory quad.

Performance deserves a 9 or 10. Imagine, although the best known track and the "hit" is not my personal favourite. I love the tracks "Oh Yoko!", "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier" and also "Gimme Some Truth". I would rate the sound quality higher than others have so far have, an 8 or 9 as it is supposed to sound like that!

Surround wise is another story, nothing to make it really stand out. Not terrible, at least there is the wall of mono (I mean sound) all around.
So a 4 or 5 for that.

So a solid 7 from me.
 
Best quad surround tracks are "Oh Yoko" and "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier "

The rest are tame. But the album could be considered as a "guerrilla" mix overall.
Lot's of rough recording in this album , stereo or quad.

But musically it's an excellent album from John Lennon , for fans and almost fans alike.
Definitely my fave album from a Beatles solo .

Gave it an 8.
 
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