New Mixes of John Lennon’s Song “Mind Games” Released for His 84th Birthday

On what would be John Lennon’s 84th birthday, October 9, new meditation mixes of his 1973 song “Mind Games” have been released in a box set. Lennon’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, announced the mixes in August and initially released them on the psychedelic meditation app Lumeate. Now, the songs are getting a digital and limited-edition physical release.

Not only does the release commemorate John Lennon’s birthday, but celebrates Sean’s as well, which falls on the same day as his father’s. The digital edition is available now on streaming platforms. The 3LP limited edition will drop in October 11.

There are nine remixes of “Mind Games.” These were made to help listeners relax, meditate, and reach a higher state of consciousness. Some of the tracks were bolstered by additional instrumentation from Sean. The vinyl edition of the mixes is interesting because the B-sides include nine 1.8-second mantras. These are designed to play in the runout grooves of the records to create an endless loop.

These mixes “forge their own space while maintaining firm, authentic roots in John Lennon’s original recording of the original song,” according to a press release, per a report from NME.

[RELATED: Sean Ono Lennon Discusses Remixing John Lennon’s “Mind Games” for a New Generation]

New “Mind Games” Mixes Designed for Meditation Released on John Lennon’s Birthday

The Meditation Mixes aren’t just for relaxation, and they aren’t your typical remixes. Some of the songs run upwards of 33 minutes, and they’ve been specially tailored to different brain waves. According to the description, the song had been mixed into “Binaural versions that each focus on different types of brain waves: Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Theta.”

A binaural beat is “an auditory illusion created within the brain when the left and right ears hear two slightly different frequencies.” These mixes harness that power in order to “activate different brain patterns for scientifically proven therapeutic effects.”

Sean spoke about the mixes back in August. “You might say meditation is the ultimate mind game,” he said. “These very abstract interpretations will hopefully assist you in exploring your ‘Innerverse.’”

He continued, “I was both thrilled and surprised when UMG said they wanted to make a vinyl edition. This part of the ‘Mind Games’ project evolved spontaneously and feels like it is sprinkled with just the right amount of good vibes and fairy dust. (Effects may vary).”

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