18 illinoisentertainer . com january 2024
Nowhere ” didn ’ t manage . Noel ’ s lyric suggests that everyone has to work to make their own luck .
The Masterplan isn ’ t comprehensive . If you want the Stevie Wonder “ Uptight ( Everything ’ s Alright )” soundalike “ Step Out ” from this period , you ’ ll still have to dig for that “ Don ’ t Look Back in Anger ” CD single . However , The Masterplan is entertaining evidence of the period when Oasis were on top of the world and firing on all cylinders . The remastered 2xLP set arrives on heavyweight silver vinyl ( for the album ’ s silver anniversary , naturally ) in a gatefold sleeve .
– Jeff Elbel
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JOHN LENNON Imagine The Elements Mixes
( Universal )
John Lennon ’ s birthday in October was picked by the release of a new deluxe and expanded version of Imagine ( The Ultimate Collection ). The set is now available to stream and download and features the entire full-length collection of tracks , some of which have previously only been available on Blu-Ray and other formats . Yoko Ono ( Lennon ) and Sean Lennon point out that each set of mixes from the compilation – Ultimate , Elements , Evolution , Raw Studio , and Out-Takes – has been released as a separate album . This " allows " his songs to be enjoyed in the way that was originally intended , curated by Yoko , rather than releasing all 78 tracks from the themed retrospective in one vast playlist .
Elements is a mostly orchestral tracks pulled from the original Imagine album , recalling ( oddly ) the George Martin Orchestra versions of Beatle songs from A Hard Day Night and Help ! Whereas Martin ' s versions were ' adult ' interpretations of Beatles songs , these are the actual tracks recorded by Lennon with the help of producer Phil Spector . It ’ s odd and almost jarring to hear it - changing the original flavor of the album . Imagine was Lennon ’ s second solo post-Beatles album , a lush Spectorized ( with strings ) follow-up to his harrowing debut ( Plastic Ono Band ) while in primal scream therapy and heroin clean-up . What ’ s striking is how almost all up could be a film soundtrack . Oddly familiar , but in many ways soulless . Some highlights include Nicky Hopkins piano driven “ Jealous Guy ,” with its beautiful melodies stripped clean of Lennon ’ s confessional vocal . John ’ s acapella vocal on “ Oh My Love " is upfront , tender , and loving . “ Oh Yoko ” is sadly missing Hopkins barrelhouse piano , but it works with only a vocal and acoustic guitar and a finale of whimsical harmonica . It ’ s only one of two tracks that have vocals at all . “ I Don ’ t Want To Be Soldier ” really grooves with Alan White ' s hard-hitting drumming and George Harrison ’ s swampy slide guitar and dobro . But some of Imagine ’ s original tracks are barren . The anthemic “ Gimme Some Truth ” sounds like an instructional take-home guitar lesson . Seriously ? No elements there . The anti-McCartney musical score “ How Do You Sleep ” sounds like a who-done-it movie theme . " Imagine " ( the song ) is missing Lennon ’ s vocals , its most important element , reducing to another Liverpool film soundtrack .
In this age of multiple remasters and new technology-driven re-records of classic albums , Imagine ’ s “ versions ” ( as reggae producers call it ) make sense for fans looking for more Beatle product and for flush families extending their generational wealth . But “ Elements ” Imagine is a ghoulish rewriting of the man ’ s solo history .
– David Gedge
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TREVOR RABIN Rio ( InsideOut )
Let ’ s say you ’ re a fan of the stretch of Yes ’ alt-pop albums that include 90125 , Big Generator , and Talk . If that ’ s true for you but you ’ re not familiar with the work of Trevor Rabin as a solo artist or earlier member of South African band Rabbit , your time is now . Rabin has returned with his first vocal solo album since 1989 , and it ’ s full of the type of technically challenging but accessible guitar playing and melody that filled those Yes albums and solo work like Can ’ t Look Away .
Rabin ’ s experience as a film composer since leaving Yes informs the production and arrangement choices on Rio , but the pop sensibility that drove “ Owner of a
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