Albums I Wish Existed: John Lennon - Ambrosia (Mike's Mix) (1980)

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

John Lennon - Ambrosia (Mike's Mix) (1980)

OK. you asked for it, and so here is the next in Mike's series.

Hey Kids, It’s Mike here, back with more of my coolest remixes of Beatles and reletated tracks culled from over 300 shows I produced for a now defunct internet station called Beatles-arama. This time it’s John Lennon’s 'Double Fantasy' and 'Milk And Honey' albums (plus bonuses of course!). The thing I always found most fun (and still do) in working with Beatles tracks, is using the most modern equipment out there to rip the commercially released tracks apart… and then finding out what is hiding in the cracks and crevices of the music. The stuff buried beneath. The stuff you never usually get a chance to hear. Until now! That’s what this collection is all about. Here's a brief track by track summary of what I’ve included in this remix of just the Lennon songs from each album. Enjoy!! Michael

01 (Just Like) Starting Over (12' Promo): My remix of the 12” promo single that took the original 'Double Fantasy' album ending, and changed it to a much more fun and unusual one. You’ll hear the massive influence Elvis had on this fantastic tune. A much more acoustic based version here than the original and promo versions.

02 Cleanup Time: John having fun on this very rocking tune! Great guitar work is brought to the fore!

03 I’m Losing You: Possibly my favorite mix on the whole album. I really reduced this one down and dig how simple it is but how BADASS it sounds. I love the unexpected quiet part in the middle! A great John song!

04 Beautiful Boy: I upped the harmonies, lost some of the main vocals to give it an even mellower Caribbean feel than on the album…and made it acoustic.

05 Watching The Wheels: I actually did this two ways, but picked the solo piano version for here for an intimate finished demo kinda feel. (the other was the Bass version…also very cool!) I love the jazzy ending!

06 I Don't Wanna Face It: Rockin tune. I dropped most of the vocals to focus on the great backing on this one. Love that guitar!

07 Woman: Ok… here’s a bass version, with extra harmonies from a later remix added back in.

08 Dear Yoko: Just a fun tune here for the folks back home. I bumped up all the buried harmonies, left the wonderful harmonica track and basically made it a much more acoustic deal.

09 Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him: The original version was a solo Yoko track but I found a lovely dreamy mix with Lennon’s demo vocals buried in the background… so I brought those up and intertwined them with Yoko’s to continue the half awake, half not semi conscious theme. I dig this version a lot.

10 I’m Stepping Out: Love the driving guitar and bass in this one. This was a fun one to mix…lots going one while still retaining an overall mellow feel.

11 Nobody Told Me: Why are there Nazi’s in the bathroom just below the stairs? Most similar to the released version but I made this a bit more acoustic by leaving out most of the drums except for fills.

12 Borrowed Time: Upped the guitars, bass and congo’s at times for that wonderful Caribbean feel again.

13 Forgive Me My Little Flower Princess: Love the beat of this one… so tried to leave in parts to focus on this aspect of the song. Pretty guitar at the end.

14 Grow Old With Me: I remember the first time I heard this… I’m not crying… you’re crying. This one took a lot of work and not only from me. My friend and fellow mixer extraordinaire Lord Reith did amazing things to the demo version of John’s song to bring it up to the beautiful sound quality you hear here. I isolated that and moved it onto right channel, the more piano focused channel, of the orchestral mix. This is the way it should be on the album… they just didn’t have the tech to pull it off back then.

15 Help Me To Help Myself: Another interesting creation. John’s demo, recorded during the 'Double Fantasy' sessions, mixed with a backing by the Beatles tribute band Apple Jam, which features drummer Alan White (Yes, John Lennon, George Harrison). The original demo version was released on the 2000 re-release of 'Double Fantasy' as a bonus track. I took the vocals and removed the heavy reverb from the original…and reinserted them back in. Hope you enjoyed these!