The second track on 1973’s Mind Games album, ‘Tight A$’ found John Lennon reverting to playful lyrical wordplay after the politics of the previous year’s Some Time In New York City.

‘Tight A$’ was an example of the straightforward, uncomplicated rock ‘n’ roll so beloved of Lennon, with playful lyrics referencing sex and drugs.

Just a throwaway track. I felt like doing that kind of a song. It’s a Tex-Mexsound which actually you could play now and it would be au courant, but I don’t think many people were doing it then.
John Lennon, 1980
All We Are Saying, David Sheff

In May-July 1973 Lennon recorded a series of home demos for several songs which later appeared on Mind Games and Walls And Bridges, among them ‘Tight A$’. At that stage the song featured a guitar riff which he later refined for ‘Beef Jerky’.

Lennon produced the Mind Games album himself, marking a temporary halt to his partnership with Phil Spector.

In the studio

The recording for ‘Tight A$’ was recorded at New York’s Record Plant studio in 10 takes on 1 and 5 August 1973.

Two tape reels were used on 1 August. The reel began with seven takes of the Mind Games outtake ‘Rock And Roll People’. One incomplete take of ‘Tight A$’ was recorded, but it was mainly a rehearsal. It featured vocals, electric guitar, piano, bass guitar, and drums.

Reel 2 contained three incomplete takes, numbered 1-3. During the recording Lennon tried to incorporate the At that stage the song featured the ‘Beef Jerky’ guitar riff.

Lennon and the session musicians returned to ‘Tight A$’ on 5 August. They recorded six new takes, numbered 1-6, but only takes 2 and 6 were complete.

Take 6 was the master take, and featured Lennon’s vocals and acoustic guitar, David Spinozza’s electric guitar, Ken Ascher’s piano on two tracks, Gordon Edwards’ bass guitar, and Jim Keltner’s drums on three tracks.

A number of overdubs were then added: tambourine, phased electric guitar, and gated electric guitar, all played by Lennon; and rhythm and two tracks of lead pedal steel guitar by Pete Kleinow.

The final studio was edited by almost a minute for the album, with a third verse and some solo guitar work by David Spinozza becoming lost along the way. The full version was included in the expanded 2024 reissue of Mind Games.

‘Tight A$’ was mixed on 6 August and 4, 13, and 14 September 1973.


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