Yoko Ono, an artist herself and Lennon’s widow, will take the creative lead on Gimme Some Truth as executive producer. Their son, Sean Ono Lennon, will also be a producer on the record. 

The stunning Gimme Some Truth tracklist will be made up of 36 songs. A fresh reworking of some Lennon classics, the tracklist is said to be “completely remixed from scratch…and radically upgrading their sonic quality and presenting them as a never-before-heard Ultimate Listening Experience.”

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JOHN & YOKO/PLASTIC ONO BAND Read an exclusive excerpt by Ringo Starr from the new Thames & Hudson book. Preorder from Amazon now at bit.ly/jaypob RINGO STARR I hadn’t played this one for a long time. I just went back to it because of this interview and it’s so incredible, the emotion on this record. It is just mind-blowing. The sparseness of the band, the force of John. That’s why he’s one of the greats. That’s how it is. And I think this – you know, not that we had to prove anything – but this record proves it more than most. He would just sit there and sing them. We would just jam and then we would find out how they would go, and we did ’em. It was very loose, actually, and it being a trio also was a lot of fun. John is just incredibly great and I think the simplicity of what Klaus and I played with him gave him a great opportunity to, for the first time, really use his voice and his emotion how he wanted. There was no battle going on. He had all the tracks. He wasn’t limited to five because Paul would have five, George would have one, I’d have one. So it was all in! On this record I was mainly a timekeeper. It’s very straight. It wasn’t difficult at all. Very few fills. There’s a few lifting the track occasionally, but my basic job on this record was just holding it down – wherever John wanted to take it. I can’t do anything twice. I’ve never done a fill the same twice. Because when I do it, it’s where I’m at, at that moment. And so if you want to then re-record that track, I’ll do a fill in that space but it won’t be the same. One time, before this record, one of the other Fabs wanted me to double-track a fill, and that was impossible. I couldn’t do it. Because my way of drumming – yeah, I can keep time but where the fill (which I always feel is my art) is, has to do with the surrounding atmosphere at that moment. And so that’s what you get. And the atmosphere is always changing; the emotional moment is always changing. So, you know, for ‘take three’, its basic track is the same, but usually the fill will be different. That’s how I play. Preorder the book from Amazon: bit.ly/jaypob johnlennon.com plasticonoband.com #youaretheplasticonoband

A post shared by John Lennon (@johnlennon) on Aug 19, 2020 at 11:50am PDT

Some of Beatle’s most anthemic tracks, including Mind Games, Dear Yoko and Come Together, have been selected for the exceptional collection and will be “cleaned up to the highest possible sonic quality”, according to a recent press release. 

In adherence to the music’s original production, the songs were finalised exclusively with vintage analogue equipment and effects at the Henson Recording Studio in Los Angeles, to honour the former Beatle.

Gimme Some Truth will be available to fans through a 1CD, 2CD, 2LP, 4LP, and downloading/streaming format. To the delight of Lennon’s undying fanbase, the deluxe edition of Gimme Some Truth will include a Blu-ray audio disc and an exclusive 124 paged novel, as well all 36 blinding tracks. 

The Gimme Some Truth book is a collection of stories that delve into the creation and meaning of all 36 songs. Edited by Simon Hilton, the book will feature stories, interviews and anecdotes from Lennon, Ono and the people who worked closely alongside them. 

Continuing Lennon’s unforgettable legacy of love and peace, Ono writes in the book: “John was a brilliant man with a great sense of humour and understanding. He believed in being truthful and that the power of the people will change the world. And it will. All of us have the responsibility to visualize a better world for ourselves and our children. The truth is what we create. It’s in our hands.”

 

 

 

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JOHN LENNON. GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES. OCT 9TH. Celebrating John Lennon on his 80th birthday with a new collection of his best-loved solo recordings, completely remixed from scratch in Stereo. 5.1 & Dolby Atmos. Pre-order now → https://bit.ly/JL-GST #gimmesometruth A post shared by John Lennon (@johnlennon) on Aug 26, 2020 at 6:59am PDT

The full LP tracklist for Gimme Some More.The Ultimate Mixes will go as follows:

LP 1 SIDE A
1. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
2. Cold Turkey
3. Working Class Her
4. Isolation
5. Love

LP 1 SIDE B
6. God
7. Power To The People
8. Imagine
9. Jealous Guy

LP 2 SIDE A
10. Gimme Some Truth
11. Oh My Love
12. How Do You Sleep?
13. Oh Yoko!
14. Angela

LP 2 SIDE B
15. Come Together (live)
16. Mind Games
17. Out The Blue
18. I Know (I Know)

LP 3 SIDE A
19. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night
20. Bless You
21. #9 Dream
22. Steel And Glass
23. Stand By Me

LP 3 SIDE B
24. Angel Baby
25. (Just Like) Starting Over
26. I’m Losing You
27. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
28. Watching the Wheels

LP 4 SIDE A
29. Woman
30. Dear Yoko
31. Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him
32. Nobody Told Me

LP 4 SIDE B
33. I’m Stepping Out
34. Grow Old with Me
35. Give Peace a Chance
36. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Incorporated within the letter is the important hashtag, #NoSilenceInMusic. An apt title, the initiative advocates speaking out against any form of racism, homophobia, transphobia and antisemitism present within the music industry. 

Along with being co-signed by hundreds of artists, producers and managers, the #NoSilenceInMusic letter has received support from music label giants Sony Music, Island Records, Warner Music and Universal Music. 

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#nosilenceinmusic A copy of the the open letter and all of its signatories can be found in the link in our bio

A post shared by Island Records (@islandrecordsuk) on Aug 2, 2020 at 12:12am PDT

The open letter examines the disgusting acts of racism and intolerance towards minorities that the world has witnessed in recent months and the unlawful silence against such awful acts. The letter states: “In recent months through a series of events and incidents, the anti-black racists and antisemites, plus those who advocate islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia and transphobia, have repeatedly demonstrated that they clearly want us all to fail. Whether it be systemic racism and racial inequality highlighted by continued police brutality in America or anti-Jewish racism promulgated through online attacks, the result is the same: suspicion, hatred and division.”

The letter maintains that remaining silent against such issues is advocating the oppression the music industry is trying to wipe out, saying “We, the British music industry are proudly uniting to amplify our voices, to take responsibility, to speak out and stand together in solidarity. Silence is not an option.”

Presenting a pathos of unity through art and standing together against the systematic oppression of minorities, the letter also says “There is a global love for music, irrespective of race, religion, sexuality and gender. Music brings joy and hope and connects us all. Through music, education and empathy we can find unity. We stand together, to educate and wipe out racism now and for our future generations.” The letter can be read in full here.

Many beloved UK artists, including the Smile hitmaker Lily Allen, pop princess Rita Ora, indie darling Circa Waves and rising stars Sports Team, have displayed allegiance against racism in the industry and co-signed the vital letter. Other industry players that have pledged their support to the #NoSilenceInMusic letter are vocalist Ella Eyre, pop group Years & Years, musician and producer Tom Misch and pop songstress Jess Glynne. The full list of which artists signed the open letter can be found here. 

On the 22nd July, indie band The 1975 also showed their support for the WarChild UK, a charity that works to protect children against the negative impacts of the coronavirus crisis. Posting to Instagram, the Manchester quartet showed their support to the charity, and included a direct link to the WarChild UK website to help with donations.