Recording: Mind Games, Out The Blue, Rock N Roll People by John Lennon

The fourth recording session for John Lennon’s fourth solo album Mind Games took place on 4 August 1973.

The album sessions took place at New York’s Record Plant studio. The musicians for the basic backing tracks were Lennon, David Spinozza (guitar), Ken Ascher (piano, organ), Gordon Edwards (bass guitar), and Jim Keltner (drums, percussion).

The first song recorded on this day was ‘Mind Games’. Two tape reels were used. The first contained three takes, although the first was incomplete and broke down during the first verse.

Take 2 was the master, and featured Lennon’s Clavinet and guide vocals, Spinozza’s electric guitar, Ascher’s piano on two tracks, Edwards’ bass guitar, and Keltner’s drums on three tracks.

That was a fun track because the voice is in stereo and the seeming orchestra on it is just me playing three notes with slide guitar. And the middle eight is reggae. Trying again to explain to American musicians what reggae was in 1973 was pretty hard, but it’s basically a reggae middle- eight if you listen to it.

The second tape reel contained four additional takes, numbered 4-7, although not all were complete. Take 7, featuring vocals, Clavinet, guitar, piano, bass guitar, and drums, was included in the expanded 2024 Mind Games reissue.

The second song was ‘Out The Blue’. Eight tape reels were used. The first was the second reel used for ‘Mind Games’, and contained takes 1 and 2 of ‘Out The Blue’. Both were incomplete, and the song was known at the time as ‘You Came To Me’.

Reel 2 contained takes 3-10, but only take 6 was complete. The third reel had a further five takes, 11-15. The last of these was included in the expanded 2024 reissue of Mind Games.

Takes 16-20 were recorded onto reel 4. Take 18 was temporarily marked best, and was the first complete take with the same arrangement as the final version.

Reel 5 contained takes 21-27, but only take 24 was complete. Reel 6 contained takes 28-30.

Take 31, on the seventh tape reel, was complete, but was followed by two false starts. The musicians then recorded the master version, take 34.

A further four takes were recorded on the eighth tape reel. Takes 36 and 38 were complete, but it was then decided that overdubs would be added to take 34.

The final song recorded on this day was the outtake ‘Rock And Roll People’, which remained unreleased until 1986’s Menlove Ave, issued six years after Lennon’s death. The album version was a composite edit of takes six and seven from this day.

The Mind Games recording sessions continued until 20 August, after which the songs were mixed and edited.