2000 Great Songs #1202: Mind Games
In some ways, John Lennon 's solo career kinda reminds me of Lou Reed 's. There were certainly songs and albums worthy of their work with that legendary earlier band , but also some frustratingly inconsistent releases. 1973's Mind Games LP is probably somewhere in the middle of Lennon's quality spectrum--it's one of his most listenable albums, pretty good throughout; but on the other hand, few songs make a lasting impression. The title track is a clear exception, one of his most striking solo numbers. I've always found something indescribably wistful about the overall atmospherics of the tune; I generally find mellotron string sections cloying, but here the sound is just lovely, a little mysterious. Lennon's idealistic peace & love lyrics can, as on several of his songs, come across as naive, but I don't mind them here, as they act in service of a melody that's just so ridiculously sublime. Original 1970 run-through, as "Make Love, Not Wa...
