Mind Games : John Lennon : Review : Rolling Stone

John Lennon's Mind Games was a retreat from its more political predecessor, 1972's Some Time in New York City, but it was still a reflection of its time. Lennon recorded the album during the summer of 1973, when the Watergate hearings (which he visited with Yoko Ono) were in high gear, and he was being threatened with deportation. Against that backdrop, the album can be heard as a calming, internal mantra -- Lennon's message of encouragement to himself. "Don't despair/Paranoia is everywhere/We can shake it with love when we're scared," he sings on "Bring On the Lucie (Freda Peeple)." Gently remixed and remastered by Ono, this new version brings out some welcome sonic detail on the first post-Beatles solo album Lennon made without Phil Spector's help. Lennon's previously unreleased home demos for "Aisumasen (I'm Sorry)," "Bring On the Lucie" and "Meat City" are also included, and, while not especially revealing, they're nice to have.