Recording, mixing: Imagine sessions — 5 July 1971

Q: When was the Imagine album completed?

The final session took place on 5 July 1971 at the Record Plant, New York. The album was mastered on 6 July 1971 and released on 9 September 1971 in the US.

Q: Who was King Curtis and what is his connection to the Imagine album?

King Curtis (Curtis Ousley) was a celebrated saxophonist who overdubbed saxophone on 'It's So Hard' and 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier' on 5 July 1971. He was murdered on 13 August 1971, weeks before Imagine was released.

Q: Where was the Imagine album recorded?

The bulk of Imagine was recorded at Ascot Sound Studios at Tittenhurst Park, Berkshire in May 1971. Final mixes were completed at the Record Plant, New York in early July 1971.

Q: Who produced the Imagine album?

Imagine was produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector.

Q: How did John Lennon know King Curtis?

Lennon first met King Curtis during The Beatles' 1965 North American tour. By 1971 Curtis was Aretha Franklin's musical director and one of the most in-demand session musicians in New York.

Q: What happened to King Curtis?

King Curtis was stabbed to death outside his apartment on West 86th Street, New York City on 13 August 1971, weeks after the Imagine session and shortly before the album was released. He was 37.

July 5, 2026

On Monday 5 July 1971, the 11th and final recording session for John Lennon's second solo album Imagine took place at the Record Plant in New York City. The session was produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector, and engineered by Roy Cicala, Shelly Yakus, and Jack Douglas.

The final Imagine session

The session had been intended primarily as a mixing session. It began with a remix of 'Imagine' followed by the mixing of 'How?'. Before work could begin on mixing 'Jealous Guy', an unexpected visitor arrived at the studio: saxophonist King Curtis.

Curtis was invited to overdub saxophone onto two tracks — 'It's So Hard' and 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier'. Both songs were then mixed in stereo, as was 'Jealous Guy', which marked the completion of the album. Imagine was mastered the following day, 6 July 1971. On 7 July, additional mixes of six songs were made for a special quadrophonic edition.

King Curtis

King Curtis — born Curtis Ousley in Fort Worth, Texas on 7 February 1934 — was one of the most celebrated saxophonists in American popular music. His tenor saxophone work defined the sound of Atlantic Records in the late 1950s and 1960s, appearing on recordings by Aretha Franklin, the Coasters, Sam Cooke, and many others. His signature riff on the Coasters' 'Yakety Yak' (1958) became one of the most recognisable saxophone phrases in rock and roll history.

Lennon had first met King Curtis during The Beatles' 1965 North American tour. By 1971 Curtis was at the height of his career, serving as Aretha Franklin's musical director and bandleader. His saxophone overdubs on 'It's So Hard' and 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier' proved to be among his final studio performances.

On 13 August 1971 — just weeks after the Record Plant session and shortly before Imagine was released — King Curtis was stabbed to death outside his apartment building on West 86th Street in New York City. He was 37. His death robbed American music of one of its most distinctive voices at the peak of his powers.

The Imagine album

Imagine was released on 9 September 1971 in the US and 8 October 1971 in the UK. It reached number one in both countries and became the best-selling album of Lennon's solo career. The title track became one of the most recognised songs of the 20th century.

The album had been recorded across two locations: the bulk of the sessions took place at Ascot Sound Studios, Lennon's home studio at Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire, in May 1971. String overdubs and final mixes were completed at the Record Plant in New York in early July, with the 5 July session marking the album's completion.

Phil Spector's involvement as co-producer on Imagine followed his controversial work on The Beatles' Let It Be album in 1970. His Wall of Sound approach was used more selectively on Imagine, with Lennon retaining greater creative control over the final sound.

The Record Plant, 321 West 44th Street, New York City — where John Lennon completed the Imagine album on 5 July 1971, with King Curtis overdubbing saxophone on 'It's So Hard' and 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier'.

Summary

Date	Monday 5 July 1971
Studio	Record Plant, New York City
Session number	11th and final Imagine session
Producers	John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector
Engineers	Roy Cicala, Shelly Yakus, Jack Douglas
Songs mixed	'Imagine' (remix), 'How?', 'It's So Hard', 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier', 'Jealous Guy'
Overdubs	King Curtis: saxophone on 'It's So Hard' and 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier'
Album mastered	6 July 1971
Quadrophonic mixes	7 July 1971 (six songs)

Frequently asked questions

When was the Imagine album completed?

The final recording session for John Lennon's Imagine album took place on 5 July 1971 at the Record Plant in New York City. The album was mastered the following day, 6 July 1971, and released on 9 September 1971 in the US and 8 October 1971 in the UK.

Who was King Curtis and what is his connection to the Imagine album?

King Curtis (Curtis Ousley) was one of the most celebrated saxophonists in American popular music, known for his work with Aretha Franklin and the Coasters. He visited the Record Plant on 5 July 1971 and overdubbed saxophone onto 'It's So Hard' and 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier'. These proved to be among his final studio performances — he was murdered on 13 August 1971, weeks before Imagine was released.

Where was the Imagine album recorded?

The bulk of Imagine was recorded at Ascot Sound Studios at Lennon's home, Tittenhurst Park in Berkshire, in May 1971. String overdubs and final mixes were completed at the Record Plant in New York in early July 1971, with the album completed on 5 July.

Who produced the Imagine album?

Imagine was produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector. Spector's involvement followed his controversial work on The Beatles' Let It Be album in 1970.

How did John Lennon know King Curtis?

Lennon had first met King Curtis during The Beatles' 1965 North American tour. By 1971 Curtis was serving as Aretha Franklin's musical director and was one of the most in-demand session musicians in New York.

What happened to King Curtis?

King Curtis was stabbed to death outside his apartment building on West 86th Street in New York City on 13 August 1971, just weeks after his session on the Imagine album and shortly before the album was released. He was 37 years old.