Hard Rock International Debuts John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt Where Devoted Fans Can Admire & Learn from His Legacy

Coinciding with the release of John Lennon ‘Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection’ and Citizen of Nutopia website launch, the John Lennon Estate and Hard Rock will be celebrating incredible artifacts from his work on display at Hard Rock locations around the world, empowering visitors to learn about his collaborative music-making process with The Beatles & solo, peace-making ideals, and so much more

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In honor of the release of John Lennon’s Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection’, Hard Rock International is proud to kick off the John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt alongside the John Lennon Estate and UMe, the global catalog division of Universal Music Group, for fans around the world.

Hard Rock owns the world’s largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia with more than 88,000 pieces displayed at its locations around the globe. Memorabilia highlights to discover through the John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt include clothing, instruments, sketches, lyrics and more at various Hard Rock locations.

“Preserving music history is what enriches the Hard Rock travel, dining and gaming experience. We are honored to display priceless pieces from John Lennon’s musical and inspirational legacy,” said Giovanni Taliaferro, Vice President of Memorabilia and Design at Hard Rock International. “We have the utmost gratitude to the John Lennon Estate and Universal Music Group for inviting us to participate in this amazing venture. We hope that by learning from Hard Rock’s memorabilia collection, John’s biggest fans can imagine how his artistry and ideals still endure today.”

The treasure hunt launch aligns with John & Yoko’s new social website citizenofnutopia.com, a map of the world, where fans can sign up, leave peaceful messages, enjoy “Meditation Affirmations” and express their gratitude and admiration for John & Yoko and their core principles of Peace, Love and Truth. Nutopia is an imaginary country created by John Lennon & Yoko Ono in 1973, promoting the ideas of Peace and Love made famous by John’s songs ‘Imagine’ and ‘Mind Games’.

The John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt serves to celebrate the release of ‘Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection’ sets. The definitive Ultimate Collection puts listeners in the center of the studio and explores the album’s 1973 recording sessions at the Record Plant in New York City, from inception to the final master, through scores of unreleased outtakes, unadulterated versions, instrumentals, stripped down mixes, studio chatter and more, revealing how fan-favorite songs evolved and came to life.

Sean Ono Lennon says, “We’ve been working on the box sets of Mind Games for years now. Initially I thought, ‘Mind Games’.. game… What if we ‘gamified’ Mind Games? So that’s all I’ll say for now, but there are many levels to this release, including the box sets and far beyond – that will slowly unravel – and I hope will potentially entertain and engage everyone for many years to come. I hope you enjoy these Mind Games with Hard Rock and as my Mom says in the intro to the book, let’s see how we can make a positive future with it – to play a positive mind game with one another.”

Citizens of Nutopia can earn points and rewards in the Unity by Hard Rock global loyalty program when they visit participating Hard Rock Cafes, Casinos and Hotels to discover precious John Lennon memorabilia tagged with QR codes that when scanned, provide more stories about the artifacts and points on the website. Items include:

• Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta: “Don’t Let Me Down” Fragment of Lyrics (1969)
• Hard Rock Cafe Brussels: “You Are Here” Pen and Ink on Paper (1971)
• Hard Rock Cafe Bucharest: Black Suit Worn by John Lennon During The Beatles’ US Tour (1965)
• Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati: Note to Stan Bronstein from John Lennon (1969)
• Hard Rock Cafe Florence: Black Leather Jacket Worn by John Lennon in “How I Won the War” (1967)
• Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu: John Lennon’s Guild Starfire 12-String Guitar (1966)
• Hard Rock Cafe Key West: John Lennon’s Blue Denim Work Shirt Worn While Recording “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” (1974)
• Hard Rock Cafe London Piccadilly: John Lennon’s Gold Tone Algha Spectacles (Mid-1960s)
• Hard Rock Cafe London Old Park Lane (Vault, Requires Special Tour): Baldwin Harpsichord (1967)
• Hard Rock Cafe London Old Park Lane (Vault, Requires Special Tour): John Lennon’s Green Army Jacket Worn on Cover of “Imagine” Sheet Music and Dick Cavett Show (1972)
• Hard Rock Cafe New York: Handwritten “Help!” Lyrics (1965)
• Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana: Black Suit by D.A. Millings and Sons Worn by John Lennon in “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964)
• Hard Rock Cafe Orlando: Original John Lennon “PEACE AND LOVE” and Portrait Sketch (1969)
• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City: John Lennon’s Tan Trademark Collarless Suit (1963)

Additionally, Hard Rock is offering incredible discounts and offers for John Lennon fans when they participate:

• Citizens of Nutopia will receive 20% off food and nonalcoholic beverages at participating locations.
• Citizens of Nutopia will receive 20% off Rock Shop® merchandise at participating locations.
• Citizens of Nutopia will receive 20% off their total bill on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood’s Abiaka Wood Fire Grill.
• Citizens of Nutopia can buy one, get one on happy hour beer and red & white wine by the glass at Hard Rock Hotel New York’s Sessions restaurant.

Visit unity.hardrock.com/johnlennon/terms-and-conditions for more info on the discounts, offers, participating locations and promotions.

About John Lennon ‘Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection’:
Produced by Sean Ono Lennon, Mind Games (The Ultimate Collection) comes from the same audio team that worked on the critically acclaimed Imagine and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Ultimate Collections, including the aforementioned Paul Hicks, and mixers/engineers Sam Gannon and Rob Stevens, with production researched and managed by Simon Hilton.

The definitive Ultimate Collection puts listeners in the center of the studio and explores the album’s 1973 recording sessions at the Record Plant in New York City, from inception to the final master, through scores of unreleased outtakes, unadulterated versions, instrumentals, stripped down mixes, studio chatter and more, revealing how these fan favorite songs evolved and came to life.

Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection offers six different unique listening experiences that are at once immersive and intimate, ranging from the brand new Ultimate Mixes of the timeless album, which put John’s vocals front and center and sonically upgrade the sound, to the Elements Mixes, which isolate and bring forth certain instruments from the multitrack recordings to highlight playing previously buried in the original mix, and the Raw Studio Mixes, which allows listeners to hear the recording that John and The Plastic U.F.Ono Band laid to tape, mixed raw and live without vocals effects, tape delays or reverbs.

The Evolutionary Documentary is a unique track-by-track audio montage that details the evolution of each song from demo to master recording via demos, rehearsals, out-takes, multitrack exploration, and studio conversations. The Out-Takes allow listeners to hear compelling different takes of each song while the Elemental Mixes, a new set created especially for the Mind Games – Ultimate Collection, inhabit a world between the minimalism of the Elements Mixes and the Ultimate Mixes, stripping the songs back to simpler, lean-back arrangements with John’s voice to the fore, and without drums. An array of listening options, including High-Definition, studio quality 192kHz/24bit audio in stereo and enveloping 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos mixes, are available on Blu-ray.

All of the tracks have been completely remixed from scratch from the 15 original two-inch multitrack session tapes using brand new 192-24 digital transfers. The Ultimate Collection includes previously unreleased out-takes and stems plus additional never-heard-before audio from archive ¼” reel-to-reels, cassettes, and videotapes.

Truly a work of art and in a class of its own, the Super Deluxe Edition box set is, in essence, a time capsule into John and Yoko’s world around the writing and recording of Mind Games, including the times leading up to and after its release in 1973. As innovative as it is elaborate, the Super Deluxe is presented in a 13-inch cube, a perspex reproduction of Yoko’s 1966 artwork “Danger Box.” Once lifted, four sides, featuring artwork from Mind Games on shiny Mirror Board, fall to reveal nine individual boxes of various shapes and sizes interlocked together, each with its own look and focus. Hidden throughout the comprehensive and creative set are many Easter Eggs, some of which can only be revealed by using other items in the box to see them, along with loads of other hidden secrets, surprises, puzzles, and “mind games”. The box is housed inside a striking 13″ packing container cube adorned with custom art.

Among many of the unique elements included in the Super Deluxe Edition is a limited edition, 12-inch circular canvas reproduction of John’s artwork, You Are Here, 1968, with a Certificate of Authenticity, as well as a replica “You Are Here” badge.

For more information about all the Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection formats available or to pre-order, visit: https://johnlennon.lnk.to/MindGames50PR

About John Lennon:
John Lennon is arguably the greatest songwriter of his generation. As founder and leader of The Beatles and also as a solo artist, Lennon has won seven GRAMMY® Awards, including two Lifetime Achievement Awards, five BRIT Awards including two Special Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music, 21 NME Awards, 15 Ivor Novellos and an Academy Award. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Lennon in the Top 5 of the magazine’s “100 Greatest Singers Of All Time” list.

About Hard Rock^®:
Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies with venues in over 70 countries spanning 309 locations that include owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops^®, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. Its Unity by Hard Rock™ global loyalty program rewards members for doing the things they love across participating properties around the world. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 88,000 pieces, which are displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock Hotels has been honored by J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study as the number one brand in Outstanding Guest Satisfaction for five consecutive years, and among the top Upper Upscale Hotels four times in five years. HRI became the first privately-owned gaming company designated a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal in 2021 and has since been honored fourfold. Hard Rock was also honored by Forbes among the World’s Best Employers, as well as Best Employers for Women, Diversity and New Grads and a Top Large Employer in the Travel & Leisure, Gaming and Entertainment Industry. In the 2022 Global Gaming Awards, Hard Rock was named Land-Based Operator of the Year for the second time in four years. Hard Rock International currently holds investment grades from primary investment-grade rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings (BBB-) and Fitch Ratings (BBB). For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com. 

SOURCE Hard Rock International