The Beatles - The Beatles Stereo Box Set
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Free Music Notes for The Beatles Stereo Box Set
Free Music Review: Lovingly done
Hit: 5 Stars
I have been getting to know these new remasters over the last couple of weeks and reading the countless and widely divergent reviews and comments by professional critics and online purchasers alike. Although the familiar content of the music is far too embedded to warrant further comment, listening to their eight-year development over this short period it was particularly striking how great George Martin's contributions were. No-one doubts his role as producer, particularly the embellishments he was able to bring to their music through the judicious use of sound effects and technical know-how, and his ability to square the circle when asked the impossible, such as when John Lennon asked him to combine two very different versions of Strawberry Fields Forever into a coherent single piece of music. It is also known that he has added keyboard support to some of their work, but I think his playing, which includes the notable piano on tracks such as You've Really Got A Hold On Me, Money, Rock And Roll Music, Long Tall Sally and Slowdown, has been considerably underestimated. His arrangements and scores for tracks such as Eleanor Rigby are also quite exemplary.
The sound quality of these remasters is also testament to the skills of the engineers Norman Smith, Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott, Phil McDonald and Glyn Johns on equipment that was quite primitive by today's standards, particularly on the twin-track machines that were in use on the early albums and singles.
These new CDs do always sound better than the previous editions, though sometimes the differences are quite subtle. They should not be compared to the American Capitol label releases as these were often remixed with superficially exciting added reverb. The purpose of these remasters is to get the best possible results from the existing master by repairing physical damage and bad edits, adding low-end frequencies, removing amplifier hum, clicks, pops and sibilance; but not compromising the musical performance in any way. It does not involve any remixing. The remastering was done using 192 kHz/24-bit technology, paving the way for DVD-A/SACD/HDCD releases, but the current box set is in standard resolution CD format. It has been done with a lot of scrupulous attention to detail and is undoubtedly a labour of love for all concerned.
For most of the tracks, this is the first time they have been remastered since the first CD releases in 1987, the exception being the number one singles that made up the compilation album One. There have also been remixes - these occur on the Anthology series, the Yellow Submarine Songtrack, the Love project and the DVD re-issue of the film HELP! with 5.1 audio. The remixes have all been released additionally to the standard catalogue, whereas it looks as if these stereo remasters will supercede the previous editions. This is interesting as the CDs of the first four albums were previously in mono, whereas the CDs in the new mono box set are not available individually.
Please Please Me was their first album, originally released in March 1963. Mostly recorded in one day in February 1963 on a twin-track machine, it did include their two singles to date, Love Me Do/PS I Love You and Please Please Me/Ask Me Why, both recorded in 1962 (though Love Me Do is a different take to the one on the original single). Love Me Do/PS I Love You has never appeared in any form other than mono in the UK, and this is again the case here.
The rest of the album, and all of With The Beatles, is not actually true stereo either. George Martin simply separated the recording onto two tracks using customized existing EMI equipment, so that he could better balance the final, mono product. Nothing sent to the left channel is heard in the right, apart from minor incidental sound leakage, whereas for anything to be heard centrally it would have to be sent to both left and right channels. That's why in 1987, when the albums appeared on CD, he requested of EMI that the first four be issued only in mono. By then he had even forgotten that the twin-track "stereo" versions had ever been released commercially on vinyl Parlophone LPs. Stereo was an insignificant, specialist market in those days.
The twin-track channel separation creates a hole in the middle of the sound stage, which is especially unnatural sounding when listened to binaurally on headphones, as each ear only hears one channel. With loudspeakers, both ears hear both channels and the effect is less marked, especially if the speakers are placed close to each other, or one on top of the other. The twin-channel sound does provide the greater clarity afforded by each speaker relaying different information and is an enhancement in my view.
The albums A Hard Day's Night and Beatles For Sale were recorded on a new four-track desk, which the Beatles had first used to record the single I Want To Hold Your Hand, and so are true stereo, although mixed in a way that modern ears, used to drums and vocals in the centre and other instruments and percussion to the left and right, can find unconventional. The remasters are presented here exactly in the same format as heard on the Parlophone stereo albums. A Hard Day's Night remains the only Beatles album to feature exclusively Lennon-McCartney compositions, as George Harrison unusually takes the lead vocal on a Lennon-McCartney song, I'm Happy Just To Dance With You. He also did not get one of his own songs onto Beatles For Sale, instead covering Carl Perkins' Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby.
The stereo mixes of HELP! and Rubber Soul were judged by George Martin to be unsuitable when he reviewed them for CD release, consequently they were both remixed by him for the 1987 releases on CD, so claims that the Yellow Submarine Songtrack was the first time the Beatles had been remixed now seem incorrect. It is the 1987 remixes that have been remastered for the 2009 releases, as George Martin wished. However, it was deemed important to keep the original 1965 mixes also in catalogue and so they have been added to the mono CDs of those two albums in the mono box set. Most of the 1965 mixes are also available on the US box set The Capitol Albums (Vol. 2).
Rubber Soul and Revolver are presented here in their UK tracklist versions, the last of the Beatles albums to differ from their US counterparts. Revolver was followed in the UK by a compilation entitled A Collection Of Oldies... But Goldies. It contained mainly singles, adding Michelle from Rubber Soul and Bad Boy, previously unreleased in the UK, from the 1965 US album Beatles VI. It was never released on CD and is not included in the box set, though every track on it is represented on the discs.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was put together on a four-track tape machine over nine months (700 hours of recording) at Abbey Road (one track at Regent Sound). Although stereo was gaining in prominence by this time, several of the stereo mixes were made without the Beatles presence, and after the mono mixing had been completed, so it is the mono album that was considered standard at the time. There are notable differences between the two, ranging from speed variations to alternative overdubbing, editing and playing times. The album was completed in April 1967, by which time they had already begun working on tracks that would appear in the TV film Magical Mystery Tour and in the animated feature film Yellow Submarine, including All You Need Is Love.
Magical Mystery Tour was released as an EP package with a lavish booklet and two three-track singles, but in the US, where EPs were less popular, it was expanded into an album by adding various singles. It was this expanded album that was added to the Beatles UK CD canon in 1987, and this piece of revisionist history has been repeated in this box set. That the extra tracks include Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, Hello Goodbye, Baby You're A Rich Man and All You Need Is Love, and that all the new material for Yellow Submarine (apart from Hey Bulldog) was completed the same year, shows what an extraordinary creative roll they were on in 1967, especially if you appreciate psychedelic music.
I Am The Walrus incorporates a radio feed that was fed live into a mono mix during its final two minutes, therefore the stereo version has always turned "duophonic" at that point, and still does. There is otherwise no fake stereo to be found on this box set. Whereas some of the vinyl album's extra tracks contained "duophonic" stereo mixes as true ones did not yet exist, these were replaced by the true stereo mixes (prepared later in 1968 and in 1971) on the 1987 CD and on these remasters.
The Beatles double album (generally known as the White Album) marked the transition from four-track in May 1968 to eight-track from the end of August. The Beatles began the White Album, including the remarkable John and Yoko avant-garde piece of musique concrète Revolution 9, on four-track, but had been discovering the joys of eight-track while producing other Apple artists at Trident Studios. They began briefly recording there themselves until they discovered an eight-track desk had newly arrived at another part of the Abbey Road EMI studios, which they immediately requisitioned for their own use. The first Abbey Road recording with the new desk was While My Guitar Gently Weeps in September 1968. Some of the mixing of the completed tracks for mono and stereo masters was done side by side at the same sessions, but again with notable differences between the two versions of the album. Whatever the virtues of the mono mix, however, hearing something like Helter Skelter screeching through two stereo speakers is an experience I wouldn't want to miss.
The next album to be released was Yellow Submarine, held back from the release of the film for several months to avoid clashing with the White Album. The Beatles had side one of the album, while the George Martin Orchestra had George Martin's orchestral score for the film on the second side. Previously-released singles Yellow Submarine and All You Need Is Love book-ended side one. Yellow Submarine had also been on Revolver, and All You Need Is Love also appeared on the US Magical Mystery Tour album in a slightly different mix.
The four new tracks were George's Only A Northern Song, a Sgt. Pepper outtake; Paul's All Together Now, recorded during the Magical Mystery Tour sessions but always intended for Yellow Submarine; as was John's Hey Bulldog, recorded more recently in February 1968. The fourth number was George's magnificent six-minute exultation It's All Too Much, which also dates from the Magical Mystery Tour sessions, but at studios in Kingsway. Another song written for the film, Baby You're A Rich Man, was somewhat perversely missed off the album because it had already appeared as the B-side of All You Need Is Love (included).
The UK mono album of Yellow Submarine was simply a reduction of the stereo mix. This was unusual for Parlophone, but common practice for Capitol, which causes me to wonder if this was an American put-together album that got released in the UK, rather than the other way around. Also unusual, and showing the Beatles' relative disinterest in the project, is that no stereo mix had been made for Only A Northern Song and so a fake stereo version appeared on the album (and on the 1987 CD). This was used as the source for the 1969 mono album, rather than the original mono master. A stereo remix was finally prepared and appears on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack, released in 1999. The version here is mono, but as the true mono mix has been used on the mono box set I would hope that that has also been used here.
Abbey Road and Let It Be were both released in the UK and the US as stereo-compatible-mono albums in 1969 and 1970 and so are not included in the mono box set (although mono mixes were prepared, and mono albums released in some countries where stereo had yet to take hold). Abbey Road and Let It Be both benefit more than I would have expected from the new remastering. Let It Be of course pre-dates Abbey Road in recording date terms, and was conceived as a basic warts-and-all no overdubs live-in-the-studio project, but the mix prepared by Glyn Johns was never released and the tapes were controversially remixed, overdubbed and released posthumously (to the life of the Beatles) by Phil Spector, who ignored the basic premise of the project by adding orchestras and choirs. Abbey Road is a masterpiece and a far more fitting swansong for the band, beautifully recorded and sequenced, and has never sounded better.
Finally, in this marathon box, comes the 2CD Past Masters, combining the two CDs of that name released in 1988, collecting all the various singles, EPs, B-sides and stray tracks not to be found on their regular albums, a most diverse collection of tracks, from their earliest EMI recording to be released, the red-label single version of Love Me Do with Ringo on drums, to the frankly bizarre whimsy of You Know My Name (Look Up The Number), originally destined for Yellow Submarine. There had been much speculation before release as to what might turn up here, and there are variants from the masters selected for the 1988 editions. Love Me Do is unsurprisingly mono, but From Me To You and Thank You Girl make their CD debut in their UK stereo mixes, with some interesting variations from the familiar mono ones.
Stereo mixes were prepared for She Loves You and I'll Get You but these have long been lost, and so are still mono. The rest of CD1 is all stereo, including Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand [I Want to Hold Your Hand] and Sie Liebt Dich [She Loves You], previously mono.
Past Masters CD2 includes the original single versions of Get Back and Let It Be, both as prepared by Glyn Johns (along with b-side Don't Let Me Down) and not re-touched by Phil Spector. The pre-Phil Spector version of Across The Universe which Spike Milligan blagged for issue on the World Wildlife Fund charity compilation No One's Gonna Change Our World is also included. You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) seems not to have been released in stereo and is still in mono. The four mono tracks on Past Masters are therefore duplicated on Mono Masters in the mono box set.
The stereo box set also includes enhanced video sections on each CD and a 40-minute DVD which collects all these mini-documentaries.
Whilst these remasters are a vital part of the EMI Beatles catalogue and do full justice to the original masters, I look forward to future higher-resolution remixes, in the manner of the Yellow Submarine Songtrack, especially of the earlier catalogue. I do not doubt these will follow at some stage.
Free Music Review: A Box Set Worthy of "The Fab Four"
Hit: 5 Stars
The Beatles:
Everything that can be said has already been said at one time or another about the Beatles and their influence on the world of popular music. The scope and depth of that influence simply can't be overstated. In short, there has never been a more earth-shaking confluence of raw musical talent, creative ingenuity, cultural upheaval and advancements in recording technology than what the world experienced along with four boys from Liverpool, England over the period from 1960 to 1970 ... and there most likely never will be again.
This box set is amazing, not only for the digital remastering (which is phenomenal by the way), but because the set gives a new generation of popular music lovers an opportunity to experience the entire creative "life cycle" of what can only be described as the world's best known and most beloved rock band of all time. The big difference is that this generation doesn't have to experience the Beatles' music from tiny, paper speakers on their auto dashboards, portable tape players, suitcase phonographs or cheesy cabinet "hi-fi" systems. For some of us dinosaurs, that's the way we first heard the Beatles. No, this generation gets to hear the Beatles on modern stereo equipment, from CDs that have been remastered for that kind of listening. More on that subject below.
Packaging Pros and Cons:
The packaging for this box set is pretty awkward. It's basically designed as a two-compartment tray, in which all the individual CDs are stacked face up, in the order of their original release dates. The open tray is covered by a folding panel that's attached to the bottom left of the box/tray, and wraps around the box from left to right, with the last panel being secured to the right side of the box/tray by flat magnets placed under the outer coating. The outer coating is nicely laminated to resist wear and damage from contact with hands and fingers, and the set includes a matching slip cover, also made of laminated posterboard, that slides over the closed box, to keep the storage box from being inadvertently opened, and further protecting its outer surfaces. In order to get the CDs out of the box, first, you have to know which of the two stacks inside contains the CD you want, pull up the entire stack with a ribbon that runs underneath the stack, and pick out the disc you want. The thing that sucks about this storage system is that, unless the disc you want to hear is the one on top of the stack, you literally have to pull up half the disc collection in order to leaf through the stack and pull out the one you want to hear.
While the outer packaging of this box set definitely leaves a lot to be desired, it did allow the makers to do something that's probably far more important to fans: to put all the CDs in individually-sealed packages that replicate the fronts and backs of the original albums. The individual packages are really remarkable in themselves. They have a lighter laminate coating to protect them from damage in handling, and fold out to reveal time-sensitive photos of the band, many of which are rare and/or unique to this box set. Each CD package includes a booklet tucked into its own pocket, with more photos, liner notes on what was happening with the band at the time of the album's recording and release, and even recording notes showing the source material for the digital remastering. The labeling on the discs themselves replicates the labeling placed on the center of the albums when they were originally released as vinyl LPs. The White Album (a 2-disc set) includes a smaller version of the poster that was originally enclosed with the LP release, with collaged photos on one side, and the lyrics to all the songs on the other.
If you're like me, and always avoid putting your fingers on the playing surface of your CDs, you will find that getting the discs out of their individual packages can be a little challenging. They're slipped into pockets that open on the right. I found that the easiest way to remove the disc without having to grab the edge and pull it out is to hold the open edge of the enclosure above your knee or free hand, and gently squeeze the pocket at the top and bottom, let the disc fall out half way, then use the hole in the middle to pull it out the rest of the way. Getting the discs out is particularly awkward with the White Album and Past Masters packages, that contain two discs. For example, because the packages fold out flat, with two discs tucked into pockets that lay side by side, it's hard to get the "middle" disc out without worrying that the second disc is going to fall out of the other pocket as you're fiddling with the middle one.
Extra Features:
Each of the music CDs includes an album-specific "mini-documentary," accessible only from the disc drive of a personal computer, with photos, video and audio commentary by the individual Beatles and George Martin. For those who don't listen to their CDs on their computer, the box set also includes a separate DVD with all the same mini-documentaries on it, so no one who buys the box set will miss out on the mini-documentaries. I've watched them all, and they're very well done ... like little video/audio scrapbooks for each album.
The set also includes a 2-disc "Past Masters" collection, also digitally remastered, that provides a bunch of mono and stereo singles and EP cuts that were not included on any of the 13 studio albums. These days, it's pretty much unheard of for record companies to release songs as singles, but in the Beatles' heyday it was a common practice, because many consumers bought their music in the form of 45's, which typically had some big "hit" on the "A" side, and a lesser-known cut the company wanted to promote on the "B" side. Consider the 45 as the ancient equivalent of a 99-cent iTunes download, and you can start to appreciate how big and important the 45 market was to companies like Parlophone (the label George Martin worked for) and Capitol.
Digital Remastering:
For those of you who may not be familiar with this term or what it means (and don't laugh, fellow geeks ... there are PLENTY of music lovers out there who don't know, and don't care), all the Beatles' music was originally recorded on magnetic tape, their first album on a two-track system, most of them on a four-track system, and then finally an 8-track system, beginning in 1968. This type of recording, sometimes referred to as "analog," was once the way all professional music recordings were made, and it actually continued to be the norm for many years after compact disc (CD) technology first appeared. CD technology was developed for playback, that is, making a digital or computerized version of an analog recording, and then burning that into a CD that is then used only for listening to the music. CD technology was a true breakthrough, in that it eliminated the age-old problem of music playback being impaired by the "hiss" associated with contact media (e.g., magnetic tape running over a head, or a needle running through a groove in a vinyl record). It wasn't until very recently, however, that computers evolved to the point where they were cheap enough, fast enough, and had enough memory capacity to do "real-time" digital recording of any quality comparable to even the most rudimentary multi-track analog recording systems. Some sound engineers STILL prefer analog tape masters for some kinds of recording ... but I digress. In order for any analog recording to be placed on a computer or compact disc, it has to be "remastered," a process by which the analog audio signal is run through a series of computer algorithms, and converted into digital information that a computer can store, read and play back. The higher the quality of the original analog recording, the higher quality you get in the digital remaster, and that brings me back to this box set.
The digital remastering of this box set release is nothing short of amazing. It apparently took the sound engineers at Apple/Capitol/EMI over four years to do the whole set. Most of the albums in the set were remastered from the original analog studio master tapes, but a few were remastered from prior digital remasters that George Martin did in 1986. I've heard Beatles music my whole life, from just about every kind of sound source imaginable (phonograph, reel-to-reel tape, radio (both car and home), cassette, vinyl LP AND compact disc, through both headphones and speakers, and I have NEVER heard so much of the Beatles' music sound so darn good, all at once, and all in the same retail package. The audio system at my computer workstation is equipped with 24-bit Soundblaster audio, fed into a 100-watt amp, 15-band stereo graphic equalizer, Infinity desktop speakers and an Infinity powered subwoofer. I tinkered with playback that was EQ-enhanced, and straight up with no added EQ, and found that all of the tracks sound as bright as I've ever heard them, with clear and distinct instruments and vocals, running throughout the audible frequencies. They respond brilliantly to a little well-placed EQ, with Paul's bass, in particular, being more clearly discernible than I ever remember hearing in any previous recordings, digital or otherwise. This box set incorporates all the best of modern digital remastering technology and mixing techniques, while simultaneously doing the least possible violence to the integrity and ambience of the original recordings. These guys really pulled out the stops and did a truly remarkable job of remastering this collection, and now it's ours ... forever. BRAV-O, guys ... bravo ... simply outstanding work.
Stereo vs. Mono:
Some audiophile purists have complained that the vocal panning (that's the engineering process of shifting vocals, usually split evenly between left and right channels, to one side or the other of a stereo sound system) and other effects applied in the process of converting the original analog studio tapes into a digital format don't accurately reproduce the mono mix that George and the Boys "intended" when most of these albums were first released. With all due respect for the purists, however, I don't think the Beatles and George Martin mixed their stereo studio masters down to mono because it was the way they "intended" the Beatles' music to be heard, or because they thought mono was somehow better than stereo. They mixed down to mono because they knew 99% of their target market would be listening to the music from mono playback sources (e.g., portable phonographs and AM radios), and they wanted the music to sound as good as it possibly could coming from that kind of source. Now, the exact opposite is true. With the widespread availability of high quality, relatively inexpensive stereo devices, practically no one listens to music through mono sound sources any more. Consequently, most of the discs in this box set (with the exception of a few tracks on the "Past Masters" set) have been digitally remastered from the original analog stereo master studio recordings, for stereo playback, on modern stereo components. That means that what you're hearing in this stereo box set is as close as you're ever going to get to hearing what George and the Boys actually heard in the studio BEFORE the masters were mixed down to mono. I've seen a few reviews suggesting that some individual songs/albums have characteristics that sound better in mono, and they probably have good reason to believe that, but the most balanced reviews seem to agree that overall, the stereo set is far superior in terms of clarity of individual vocals and instruments within the mix.
Let's face it ... most people don't want to buy multiple versions of the same music, or spend thousands on specialized audio equipment, just so they can geek out over tiny differences between the sound of one recording/remastering format compared to another. Most people just want to enjoy the music, and be happy with the way it sounds on their existing audio equipment. This stereo box set fills that bill, in spades. For audiophile purists and hardcore fans who DO enjoy geeking out over differences in remastering/recording formats, more power to ya. Most of the contents of this box set (with the exception of Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be, which were all originally recorded and released in stereo) are included in the mono box set, which faithfully reproduces the mono mixes that George and the Boys created, and which Apple/Capitol/EMI originally used for production of the untold millions of vinyl 45's, LP's and magnetic tapes originally distributed to radio stations and the music-buying public when these gems were first released. It seems there are quite a few of these purists out there, because the mono box set has sold far more copies than Apple/Capitol/EMI ever dreamed, and most of the people who've gotten the mono box set are also giving it rave reviews, swearing up and down that the mono versions are far better than their "stereo" counterparts. I haven't compared them myself, so I offer no opinion on that subject. I only know that the "stereo" remasters all sound fantastic to me, and my guess is that they will sound fantastic to most of you, too.
Conclusion:
Believe it or not, it's now been 40 YEARS since the Beatles called it quits. John is dead. George is dead. Paul is 67, Ringo's turning 70 this year, and George Martin is in his 80's. We love our Beatles, and as many reviewers have already said, it's about time that the people at Apple/Capitol/EMI finally got it right ... for US ... the music lovers who, after all, created this vast marketing behemoth with our hard-earned simoleans. Buy this item with confidence, but make sure you buy from a reputable retailer who will guarantee authenticity. Ebay, and even third-party sellers on Amazon, are swamped with cheap, mass-produced Asian counterfeits. Anyone purporting to sell you a "brand new, factory-sealed" version of this box set for around $100 is most likely peddling these illegal knockoffs, which I've heard the Asian scammers are wholesaling for around $60. US buyers should insist on US manufacture and sealed packaging, complete with the FBI seal and anti-piracy warnings on the rear panel of the outer sleeve, and all the individual disc packages inside the box. The tech wizards at Apple/Capitol/EMI finally did the right thing by the Beatles and their fans with years of diligent remastering work and "9-9-09" release of this truly remarkable work product. In turn, let's all do the right thing by them, and do all we can to make sure that Asian counterfeiters don't reap an ill-gotten profit at their expense.
Free Music Review: Mono vs. Stereo: a short review
Hit: 5 Stars
I never considered the writing of a review of a CD (or set of CDs) to be a daunting task. Nonetheless, I have been sitting on the idea of writing this review (my first for Amazon) for some months now as I absorb these remasters, Mono and Stereo, and fully collect my thoughts on them.
The enormity of what the Beatles accomplished and their musical legacy have been well documented, and I will not presume to try to educate the reader. My assumption is that if you are reading these reviews you already have a firm appreciation for the importance of the music contained on these discs and want to determine if these "new" remasters (they're already almost 5 months old) are worth buying.
The simple answer is a resounding yes. If you are a fan of the Beatles, a fan of Pop music or just a fan of late 20th Century culture, these remasters are essential. Even if you already own these recordings in one or another of their previously released forms you have never heard the music like this, and there are many earlier reviews posted here that detail all of the reasons why: Improved sonics across the board. Clarity. Detail. Punch. Dynamics. The accolades read like a high-end speaker manufacturer's website.
There is really no way to describe in words the job that the engineering team did on these remasters - Clichéd as it sounds, you simply must hear them to believe them - and it should be underscored how fantastically they performed given the overwhelming task they were assigned: Take the canon of popular music, the foundation upon which all Pop since has been built, and improve it sonically whilst simultaneously leaving the original mixes intact. And they did this brilliantly.
But that brings us to the not so simple answer. Mono or Stereo? Or Both?
But before I get to that I want to say a few words about the packaging of the remasters:
The Mono box is exquisite. I can find no fault in either the decisions made about how to do the packaging or the production of the packaging. The end product is truly befitting the music contained inside and the limited-edition nature of the set. Five stars.
The Stereo box is a more pedestrian offering, but still impressive. The individual packaging of the CD's is overall very good for the mass-produced nature of them. There are some functional flaws as I see it, however, with the box containing them. The shape of the box is unusual and does not conform to a standard size for CD's, so it either goes in a bookshelf or you remove the individual discs from it to put into your CD rack. Which, on inspection, may not be a bad idea as the discs lay flat on top of each other inside the two sections of the box and are removed, en masse, using a fabric pull that is attached to the bottom of the box and hangs out the side. So, for example, if you want to listen to Revolver (which is near the bottom of the top section) you tug on the fabric to pull everything in that section - from Please Please Me through Sgt. Pepper - out of the box, and then retrieve the disc you want to play. Not at all efficient or easy. The Stereo packaging gets only 3 stars.
So on to the question of which to buy, and as I said, not so simple. Not so simple at all. You see, despite the fact that Mono was the prevalent and preferred format for most of these releases at the time they were recorded, it remains a fact that the Stereo versions were originally released concurrent with the Mono and so we have two different but equally legitimate versions of most of these recordings. In some cases three, but more on that later.
That being said, my goal here is to compare the Mono and Stereo versions side by side and offer my opinions so that, hopefully, you can make a marginally more informed decision about which set is right for you, or maybe you will feel that you really need to have both. I'll go through them now and give a quick rating for each as we go, and suffice it to say that the Beatles music catalog, taken in whole, gets 5 stars and these reviews are strictly for the quality of the remasters vis-à-vis the original vinyl and '87 CD issues. One caveat - I don't think the 5-star rating is comprehensive enough to really compare them side by side, but I will conform to this standard as it is the Amazon convention. Off to the recordings:
Please Please Me Mono: 5 stars Stereo: 3 stars
The stereo retains the hard panning of instruments left/vocals right. But instruments and voices are more defined and have much more openness and bloom. A vast improvement, however the Mono just kills it: here, the band is cooking. This thing thumps and is an absolute revelation. Where the Stereo is polite, the Mono shouts. Where the Stereo purrs this one growls. Mono is definitive for this album.
With The Beatles Mono: 4 stars Stereo: 3 stars
Again the stereo has the hard panning, but the same attributes as PPM apply with overall improved sound. The Mono version loses some of the immediacy you hear on PPM, and the band does not come across as strongly. There is also a bit less definition between the instruments than on the stereo, but the Mono still easily wins.
A Hard Day's Night Mono: 4 stars Stereo: 4 stars
With the advent of more sophisticated recording techniques, we now get to the point where we hear a more balanced stereo mix and begin to get some sound stage out of the recording. Here, the distinctions are less clear between Mono and Stereo and both definitely have their strong points. The stereo is sweeter and you can track individual instruments better while mono is more tightly layered and rocks a bit harder. My overall nod goes to Stereo, but this one is very close.
Beatles For Sale Mono: 3 stars Stereo: 4 stars
Most all of the comments regarding AHDN apply here, the most significant difference being a loss of midrange clarity and dynamics on the Mono version. Both of these have a nice, round, tempered sound to them and it will come down to preference, but I think the space between the instruments on the stereo version gives it the edge. Stereo wins.
Help! Mono: 4 stars Stereo: 5 stars '65 Stereo: 4 stars
Of all of the recordings, Help! Is among the most transformed. And we have the added bonus of the original 1965 stereo mix (contained on the mono disc) to make things even more interesting. The Mono mix is a great improvement and has a lot of slam and power that didn't exist in this album before. It is an electric blast to listen to at volume. But what the Stereo mix lacks in force it more than makes up for in musicality and detail. There is a groove to the whole album in stereo that is just a bit lacking in mono, and also better than the '65 stereo mix, which while a really nice curiosity, can't compete with the new (1987) mix for overall musicality. Here, the stereo version is definitive.
Rubber Soul Mono: 4 stars Stereo: 3 stars '65 Stereo: 4 stars
Recording techniques couldn't quite keep up with the Beatles creativity, and on the stereo release of Rubbber Soul we are back to hard panning. It's slightly distracting, but with this album it definitely doesn't take away from the listening experience. The vocals and instruments have a vibrancy and tactile "feel" that wasn't present on any previous Beatles album. With the '65 Stereo mix (included in the Mono remaster disc) we get a slightly "softer" and more "delicate" presentation that on the '87 version. This is the likely the best choice for rainy afternoon listening, and I think it is an improvement when it comes to stereo, but where Rubber Soul really shines is in Mono. Here we start to understand what the fuss is about, and the mono version gives us a first taste of the remarkable dynamics and subtlety contained in much of the Beatles catalog. The mono is the clear winner here.
Revolver Mono: 5 stars Stereo: 5 stars
Both the Mono and Stereo are so strong as to make any comparisons essentially moot. The main strength of the mono version is the weight of the mix and the overall power the band managed to get across in the recording. The dynamic range is also intact here, so we get more emphasis of that power. But at the same time, there seems to be more detail in the presentation of the instruments in the stereo version, and we start to get our first taste of swirling psychedelic soundspaces. My subjective preference tends toward the stereo, but the truth is I can't get enough of either version. A draw.
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Mono: 5 stars Stereo: 4 stars
What they've told you is true: You haven't really heard Sgt. Pepper until you've heard it in mono. Trust me, the stereo sounds great - fantastic, in fact, compared to the previous releases. And there is definitely some merit to the swirling effects you get with stereo, but mono walks all over it. This time it's all in the mix as sonically they are very similar. But this mono mix is astonishing and is without question the preferred version. Mono is definitive.
Magical Mystery Tour Mono: 4 stars Stereo: 4 stars
As an underrated gem in the catalog, not even conceived as a real album, I don't think this one has ever gotten the treatment it deserved, and the original release was horrible sounding. Here we have a staggering improvement in both mono and stereo, on par with the quality of the Revolver remasters. There is new found detail and emotion, and I find myself being drawn to this recording as if I had never heard it before. The two versions are close, but despite some panning issues with the stereo, it exudes a warmth and sense of musical detail that I think put it slightly in front. Stereo by a hair.
The Beatles (White Album) Mono: 5 stars Stereo: 3 stars
Both are improvements over the '87 CD release in sonics and musical detail, especially in the vocals, but in comparison the stereo seems only marginally improved, while the mono is another revelatory experience. As amazing as the Sgt. Pepper mono mix is, this may be the most unexpected of the mono enlightenments. I never really thought that The Beatles was inferior in either mixing or sound quality in its previous stereo releases and therefore wasn't necessarily looking forward to listening to this mono mix as much as some of the others - in fact, it was the last of all of the albums that I played. Big mistake. This thing is just plain amazing, and it is as all over the board as the music on it. One moment huge sounding and the next stripped down and quiet. Everything is better, everything is amazing. Mono in a landslide.
Yellow Submarine 2 stars
Never mixed for mono, this is also the odd man out. Not a "real" Beatles album, not all-new material, no real purpose assigned to this other than a possible cash-grab. But these are still Beatles songs, so by pop standards in general they are worth a listen if only for the historical perspective. Here we don't get a huge sound quality improvement over previous releases, but it is packaged nicely and makes the Stereo box set complete.
Abbey Road 4 stars
A stereo-only release, so of course that's all I will deal with here. This would have easily earned a 5 if compared only against the previous CD version, however I am also comparing these remasters to vinyl, and in this case specifically to the early `80's Mobile Fidelity release. Here, they have managed to finally capture much of the essence of that seminal release and this is an absolutely fantastic remaster. One of the best remastering results in the set, in fact. A must-hear.
Let It Be 4 stars
Another stereo-only release. Much more detail has been brought out in this version and it is finally superior to the original vinyl, but again the overall rating is hamstrung because in comparison to Let It Be...Naked, we just don't have the same level of involvement and musicality. Also, depending on your viewpoint, Naked may just be the definitive version of this album, leaving this to the purists and completists. I personally fall into this category, but I have indeed enjoyed listening to this remaster due to its overall quality and historical significance.
Mono Masters/Past Masters Mono: 3 stars Stereo: 5 stars
No, they are not identical in track listings, but the idea behind them remains the same and they contain largely the same material. In either case, these are vital to telling the whole Beatles story and should be evaluated in context. Personally, I prefer to listen to the songs with the album release from their era and this helps me to appreciate them more. From the point of view of the remastering, the same care has been applied to these singles as to the albums themselves, and my thoughts on the quality of the job done are much the same as those for their contemporary album releases. All in all, these are standout, but the stronger track listing and overall quality of the included material make the Stereo the better listen, and I would judge the stereo set to be essential.
So there you have them... I hope that this can be of help as you evaluate them yourself. Taking a look, the final tally is as follows: Of the 11 recordings that were mixed in both Mono and Stereo (including mono/past masters), I have entered a vote for 5 better in Mono, 5 better in Stereo, and 1 draw. Then there are the three albums that were only released in Stereo, two of which you should also purchase if you choose the Mono box (Abbey Road and Let It Be).
So which would I recommend? The Stereo box if you can buy only one. For virtually all listeners in virtually all scenarios this set will serve them as well or better than the mono box.
That being said, if you have the means you really should think about acquiring both. I bought both and I am very glad that I did. I do prefer some of these recordings in mono (but I will also confess that I play the stereo versions almost exclusively when listening "casually" or while working and save the mono for critical listening) and it was worth it to have not just the recordings but the incredible packaging.
(One note about the hard-panned albums - It never really bothers me much when listening to vinyl, but I find it somewhat distracting with the CD releases. I realized somewhere along the line in comparing them that it is because of the inherent crosstalk present when listening on a turntable vs. the absolute channel separation you get with a CD. For this reason alone I "generally" prefer the Mono versions)
Free Music Review: A Box Set That Deserves a Globe!
Hit: 5 Stars
It's actually been several years since I have listened to any of the Beatles CD's released in 1987. After listening to all these remastered CD's of 2009, I will have to say, it was definitely worth the wait! I listened to all of the CD's on this stereo with a bass speaker. To me, they sound phenonmenal. You get to hear an efficient balance between the vocals and other instruments being played. Of course, the loudness of the vocals have to be sacrificed, but that's just the the way stereo versions work. Anyway, with that said, I'll talk about the albums individually:
PLEASE PLEASE ME: As we all know, this is the first Beatles' studio album. It consisted of songs that they has played previously during their Cavern and local club days. (The Cavern was one of the clubs in Liverpool, England that the Beatles' performed at prior to their stardom years.) It features Lennon and McCartney songs like "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" and well as songs written by people the Beatles' admire, such as "Chains" and "Boys"
WITH THE BEATLES: As with their debut album, this is a fine one. It features new songs by John and Paul, like "Little Child" and "Not a Second Time", songs by their heros like Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" and Meredith Wilson's "Till There Was You", as well as George Harrison's debut for songwriting, "Don't Bother Me".
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT: These consisted of songs written for their first film of the same title. This has songs in the movie like "A Hard Day's Night" and "Can't Buy Me Love" and songs not featured in the movie like "I'll Cry Instead" and "Things We Said Today". This happens to be the only Beatles' album where all the songs are written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
BEATLES FOR SALE: This album was when the group started to expand their musical horizons. You have the pessimistic messages in the Lennon-McCartney song "Baby's in Black" and "I'm a Loser", which was inspired by some songs of Bob Dylan. Along with these, you have songs written by some of the group's heros, such as Chuck Berry's "Rock 'n' Roll Music", Buddy Holly's "Words of Love", and Carl Perkin's "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby".
HELP!: The album here contained songs for their second film of the same title. It has the rocking title track, "Help!", the folk-based ballad, "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Ticket to Ride", and the McCartney classic, "Yesterday", (which was originally titled, "Scrambled Eggs!"). This was also, the time when Bob Dylan had introduced them to marijuana. Therefore, you could say that some of the music and lyrics was inspired by these drug phases.
RUBBER SOUL: Once again, the Beatles were expanding their musical creativity. In the Lennon-McCartney song, "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", George played a sitar, an ancient Indian instrument. John also wrote songs depicting human introspection such as "In My Life" and "Nowhere Man". Paul was writing tender ballads like "Michelle" as well as more songs on a personal level such as "I'm Looking Through You". George contributed the songs "Think for Yourself" and the Byrds-flavored "If I Needed Someone". The jacket cover was taken by Robert Freemen, (who has been their photographer ever since WITH THE BEATLES was released.) This photograph happened accidentally when he was protruding slides of his photographs on a card the size of a record or LP. The card then fell backward and somewhat stretched one of them. All four members immediately insisted this one to be on the front cover of the RUBBER SOUL album. So Robert complied.
REVOLVER: The Beatles' horizons in being creative were ever-so growing. It consists of three new songs by George Harrison: The rocker, "Taxman", the Indian-inspired, "Love You To", and the moderately paced, "I Want to Tell You". It also features innovative Lennon-McCartney songs. Among them are the following: The classic-inspired, "Eleanor Rigby", the folk ballad, "Yellow Submarine", as well as the LSD-influenced songs, "She Said She Said" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". The jacket cover was unique for its time. Klaus Voormen, an art-student friend in Hamburg when the Beatles performed in the city during their early years, drew line sketches and combined them with a collage of photographs of the Beatles.
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEART'S CLUB BAND: The Beatles stopped touring and playing at concerts at this time. Therefore, they wanted to put all their time and energy into the recording studio. That's exactly what they do here. Paul once replied "Let's pretend we're not the Beatles." That's how he came up with this imaginary title for the album. The group wanted to use more and more instuments; from those used in orchestras, to tape and electronics, to the guitar and drums, to the sitar. You get it all here. You hear rockers like the title track, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", rockers like "Getting Better" and "Good Morning Good Morning", and the sitar-inspired song, "Within You and Without You". I as well as many other people consider this album to be the epitome of the "Summer of Love" in 1967; time of the hippies, people avoiding the draft for Vietnam, Timothy Leary's "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" message, and free love. The jacket cover was fasioned by Peter Blake. He made it inspired by John and Paul saying to him that the group was imagining them selves as some other band, that they would perform in a park, and all these people would come and watch them. So, Peter would grab photographs to make into a collage, bring in wax figures, and well as flower and plant arrangements. All this would make as stated about Revolver, a unique album cover for its time.
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR: I personally don't hear too much of a difference between this album and the "Sgt. Pepper" album because many of the sounds still sound 'psychedelic' The differences are that it consists of some new songs that were put into a television film of the same title. That's not to say that "Magical Mystery Tour" is not a great album. All the songs are well-written, well-arranged and innovative. It was released during the end of the year of 1967, and became successful. It contains new Lennon-MCartney songs used in the movie such as "Magical Mystery Tour", "The Fool on the Hill", and "I Am the Walrus" as well as songs released previously such as "Hello Goodbye", "Strawberry Fields Forever,", "Penny Lane", and "All You Need is Love".
THE BEATLES: Also known as "The White Album", this became the first time when each member of the group started to work as individuals. Sure, they still played together. But each member would write and record songs for himself. John would bring in songs like "Dear Prudence", the rocker, "Happiness is a Warm Gun", the blues-flavored, "Yer Blues", and the folk inspired, "Cry Baby Cry". Paul would include rockers like "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Birthday" and especially, "Helter Skelter"(which I would say was an inspiration for heavy metal). Paul would also write the folk-based, "Blackbird", the 20's English/jazz based songs, "Martha My Dear", and "Honey Pie". George would able to write and record four new songs: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Piggies", "Long Long Long", and "Savory Truffle". Finally, Ringo would write and record the enjoyable song "Don't Pass Me By". The recordings were large enough to make the album a two-record set. Some people complained about this. However, the album still went No. 1 and became a gold album. Paul McCartney would retaliate by saying that since the album did extremely well, he did not see what all the fuss was about. I agree.
YELLOW SUBMARINE: This album consists of songs featured in the Beatles' fourth film, "Yellow Submarine". It consists of two new Lennon-McCartney songs, "Hey Bulldog" a rocker, and "All Together Now", a folk-based ballad. Also, it contains two the previous Lennon-McCartney songs, "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need in Love", as well as two new songs by George Harrison, "Only a Northern Song", and "It's All Two Much". The rest of the album consists of pieces of film score, both composed and conducted by George Martin, the Beatles' album producer. Because of this, many people think that this is not a true Beatles' album. While I can understand where they are coming from, I would defend and say that's what makes this album different from the other Beatle studio records. After all, the Beatles, did not want to repeat themselves from what they did previously. Also, while the album did not reach No. 1, either in the United States or the United Kingdom, it sold well enough to give both the Beatles and George Martin comfort. Plus the film itself was well-received, unlike "Magical Mystery Tour".
ABBEY ROAD: This would prove to be the Beatles' final album that was made. This would be made since they were disheartened with the GET BACK album,(which would later be changed to LET IT BE.) Along with that, they would stop fighting with one another. John would write and record rocker songs like "Come Together" and "I Want You(She's So Heavy)", as well as the classic inspired, "Because". Paul would write and record well-paced songs like "Oh! Darling", and the black comedic,"Maxwell's Silver Hammer". George would bring in the nice ballad, "Here Comes the Sun" and the chart topping "Something". Ringo, would write and record the song "Octopus's Garden". John and Paul on the opposite side of the album would write and record songs for a medley such as "You Never Give Me Your Money", "Polythene Pam", "Golden Slumbers", and "The End". "Abbey Road" would go on to become what many would consider, (I myself included the groups' best album.) It did not feature any studio tricks or exotic instruments which were on "Sgt. Pepper". The album also proved that The Beatles could still perform rock 'n' roll as well as have their creativity at their peak!
LET IT BE: "Let It Be" is an interesting album as well as a fine one, because it was made when a lot of the tensions and fighting (which started during the "White Album" sessions) escalated. Paul's idea for the album was to make a documentary of the group rehearsing songs at Twickenham Film Studios in London and then perform them at a concert. However, all members of the group were growing tired and constantly arguing amongst themselves and found that the film studio at Twickenham to be cold and uninspiring. So they took some time off from the album, and eventually moved to the basement studio of Apple located in London's West End. George Harrison also recommended that they bring in keyboardist, Billy Preston, whom they had met in 1962. While Billy did decrease a lot of the tensions and the nonsense shown at Twickenham, it did not solve everything. After the album and film was finished in January of 1969,both got shelved. Then along came Phil Spector and (against Paul's authorization), rearranged some of the songs with both orchestras and choirs. Among them are "Let It Be", "Across the Universe", and "I Me Mine". After a lot of struggles, "Let It Be" was finally released in May 1970. Some people have a problem with Phil Spector's involvement with the album, and I repsect their opinion. But I don't. I think that's part of what makes "Let It Be" different from the other Beatles' albums. It's also a 'funner' album to listen to beacuse you get hear the members crack jokes and make false starts during some songs.
PAST MASTERS: In 1988, Capitol released this two record set that consists of songs or different versions of songs not released on the Beatles' previous studio albums in England. These songs were either released as singles or on what they calle EP's(Extended Plays). Among the collection of songs on this two CD set are the following: "Love Me Do"(The original single verion with Ringo playing drums), "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Day Tripper", "We Can Work It Out", "Get Back"(which is different from the album version on "Let It Be"), "The Ballad of John and Yoko", and "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" (which was featured on the U.S. flip side of the "Let It Be" single. This collection of songs are great for any casual Beatles' fan who like I said are not too familiar with the songs not released on their previous studio albums.
Each remastered album is finely packaged, (which consists of fold-in CD covers), and features a litte booklet which consists of rare photographs of the group as well as containing information about both the songs and the albums themelves. Examples, of this are the following: When the albums were recorded, when the albums were released, when the songs were written, and how each member was inspired to write the songs.
THE MINI DOCUMENTARIES: This is a DVD which consists of short documentaries about the making of each of the studio albums. They're not much more informative than the booklets, and I realize that some of the film footage and interviews are borrowed from THE BEATLES' ANTHOLOGY, but I find this DVD to be entertaining enough.
Everybody is entitled to one's own opinion about this remastered stereo box set, but I think it's a masterpiece! The music is restored well enough to be audible to the human ear, and I think will be remembered and studied for years to come. Anyway, that's my opinion. Take it, or leave it!
Free Music Review: Finally, the Fab Four's music gets the treatment it deserves!
Hit: 5 Stars
This review also applies to The Beatles Mono Box Set
It took 22 years, but with the newly remastered stereo and mono box sets, The Beatles' music finally gets the treatment it deserves! Kudos to the EMI Abbey Road team for doing a terrific job with the remastering.
I'll try not to duplicate what others have written, but here is my review of the remasters, based on a disc-by-disc comparison that I did against the original 1987 CDs a couple of months ago:
PLEASE PLEASE ME, WITH THE BEATLES, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, BEATLES FOR SALE: These first four albums were originally issued as mono CDs back in 1987, though many of the stereo mixes later appeared on the Capitol Albums box sets and other compilations. Actually, only four songs make their global CD stereo debut here: "Misery" and "There's a Place" from PLEASE PLEASE ME, and "I Should Have Known Better" and "You Can't Do That" from A HARD DAY'S NIGHT. George Martin did not want the twin-track mixes of the first two albums issued on CD, and insisted that the mono versions be used; for the second two albums, recorded on 4-track tape, Martin wanted to remix those two for CD, but was informed by EMI that it was too close to the release date deadline, so four mono CDs were released in 1987. There is not a whole lot of difference between the 1987 and 2009 mono versions, though the new ones are cleaner and less muddy. The stereo versions, however, blow both mono sets out of the water, as far as I am concerned. NOTE: The "fake stereo" versions of "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You," which were issued on the original stereo vinyl album, were replaced with the standard mono versions on the new PLEASE PLEASE ME CD. For those who must have the fake stereos, they are available on THE EARLY BEATLES CD, included in THE CAPITOL ALBUMS, VOL. 2 box set.
HELP!, RUBBER SOUL: Because he was not satisfied with the original 1965 stereo mixes, George Martin did remixes of these two albums for their 1987 CD release. The remastered stereo CDs use these remixes, and while they sound considerably better in 2009, my preference is for the original 1965 stereo mixes, which appear alongside the mono mixes in the mono box set. The monos are good as well - in fact, they sound better than the 1987 stereo CDs, though not as good as the 2009 stereo versions. American listeners may find the mono mixes to the soundtrack (first) half of HELP! a little strange-sounding. This is because the mono version of the Capitol album (available on THE CAPITOL ALBUMS, VOL. 2) is a "fold-down" of the stereo mix - that is, the two channels of the stereo master tape are combined onto one track during the disc-cutting stage.
REVOLVER: My favorite Beatle album (next to ABBEY ROAD). Both the mono and stereo versions of the new CDs are far superior to the 1987 stereo version. Save for "Yellow Submarine" and "Eleanor Rigby," which have appeared in mono on CD singles, the mono mix of REVOLVER makes its global CD debut in 2009. It's a shame that American fans were denied the full 14-song version of this album until vinyl imports became available in the late 1970s; three of John Lennon's best numbers ("I'm Only Sleeping," "Doctor Robert," and "And Your Bird Can Sing") were issued on the YESTERDAY...AND TODAY album in America, leaving the U.S. version of REVOLVER with just 11 songs.
SGT. PEPPER: A magnificent album, in both stereo and mono, and again far superior to the 1987 CD. Although I generally prefer the stereo release, the mono version has its virtues as well, particularly on "She's Leaving Home," which is at its original speed on the mono version, but mysteriously slowed down in stereo. Also, the laughter at the end of "Within You Without You" and Paul's scat vocal at the end of the "Sgt. Pepper" reprise are much louder in mono.
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR: Because the original six-song double EP (released in CD format in 1992 as part of the COMPACT DISC EP COLLECTION) was not viable in the U.S. market in 1967, Capitol Records added the group's five 1967 single releases to create an 11-song LP, which was ultimately released in the UK in 1976. The newly remastered stereo CD, like its 1987 predecessor, is based on the 1971 German LP issue, which contained all 11 songs in full glorious stereo. The original Capitol album had the last 3 tracks in simulated Duophonic stereo, as well as different (earlier) mixes of "I Am the Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever." Strangely, when Parlophone issued the album in the UK in the 1970s, the cassette version used the all-stereo German master, but the vinyl reverted back to the original Capitol version with the Duophonic mixes. The remastered stereo CD is the clear winner here. Although all of the mono mixes have been issued on the EP and SINGLES COLLECTION CD box sets, this is the first time that the actual mono album has been issued since Capitol deleted it in early 1968 (and, according to Beatles historian Bruce Spizer, the surplus mono albums were sent to Brazil, of all places).
THE BEATLES (THE WHITE ALBUM): Of all of the remastered albums, the White Album is the most significantly improved. The original 1987 CD was flat and lifeless and had three indexing errors: when the songs "Wild Honey Pie," "Rocky Raccoon," and "Cry Baby Cry" were programmed to play by themselves, the intros of the next three songs (respectively, "Bungalow Bill," "Don't Pass Me By," and "Revolution 9") are heard as well. These errors have been corrected on the new remastered CD, and the entire album sounds fantastic. The mono version is also quite interesting because it was not originally issued in America, although the mono versions of two songs ("Helter Skelter" and "Don't Pass Me By") were issued on the Capitol RARITIES album in 1980. While the mono version is fascinating, the stereo is much better.
YELLOW SUBMARINE: This is the original soundtrack album, with six Beatle songs on the first half and the seven-song George Martin film score on the second half. On the original LP, "Only A Northern Song," was mixed only in mono because of technical limitations at the time; a fake stereo version appears on that LP and the original 1987 CD, but the previously unissued mono mix appears on the new CD. The mono UK release of the YELLOW SUBMARINE album was a "fold-down" version of the stereo. Although Martin's score sounds magnificent, as does the rest of the remastered CD, listeners who purchase the CDs individually are advised to purchase 1999's YELLOW SUBMARINE SONGTRACK, which contains 15 remixed versions of the Beatle songs in the film, including the first-ever true stereo mix of the "Only a Northern Song" master. An alternate stereo take of that song appears on the ANTHOLOGY 2 album from 1996.
ABBEY ROAD: The Beatles' recording swan song (though the next-to-last release, and, if you count the HEY JUDE LP, the third-from-the-last release in America). My favorite album (George Martin's too), and a magnificent presentation that is leaps and bounds over its 1987 CD predecessor. One minor beef: at the end of Side One of the vinyl LP, the song "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" has a closing instrumental riff that abruptly cuts off, creating a dramatic effect. On the original CD, "Here Comes the Sun" begins just a few seconds later and this effect is lost. On the remastered CD, there is only a one-second break between the tracks. It's too bad that the engineers didn't add a one-minute band of silence between the two songs, which would have restored the original effect.
LET IT BE: This is the much-criticized Phil Spector "reproduction" from 1970, and the sound quality of the remaster compares favorably to the 2003 release, LET IT BE...NAKED. Though NAKED is the better version, the lack of quality is not all "Crazy Phil's" fault; the songs themselves were not up to normal Beatles standards, probably because the group was not getting on well at the time. Actually, I prefer Phil's mix of the title song. The group wisely reunited later in the year to record ABBEY ROAD; they obviously wanted to finish out on a positive note, and certainly did.
PAST MASTERS/MONO MASTERS: Originally issued as two separate CDs (VOLUME ONE and VOLUME TWO) in 1988, the two PAST MASTERS discs have been combined into one set for this remastered CD release. All 33 of the group's original non-LP tracks are collected here, and four songs that were issued in mono on the 1988 version are in wonderful stereo here - "From Me to You," "Thank You Girl," "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand," and "Sie Liebt Dich." The sound quality on all of the other tracks is a significant improvement over the earlier version, as well. Interestingly, "Thank You Girl" appears in its original stereo mix for the first time (at its natural speed and without the echo effects that appeared on THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM version). Disc one of MONO MASTERS (included in the mono box set) has the same tracks as PAST MASTERS, but all in mono; disc two is similar, but replaces "The Ballad of John and Yoko," "Old Brown Shoe," and the single version of "Let It Be," which were only mixed in stereo, with the mono mixes of four songs from the YELLOW SUBMARINE album - "Only A Northern Song" (also found on the remastered YS CD), "All Together Now," "Hey Bulldog," and "It's All Too Much" (unique to this compilation). These mono mixes were intended for a YELLOW SUBMARINE EP that was prepared in March 1969, but never released. The mono mix of "Across the Universe" originally donated to the World Wildlife Fund, was also intended for that EP; it follows the mono UK single versions of "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" on this CD. A stereo mix of "Universe" with bird sound effects was prepared for NO ONE'S GONNA CHANGE OUR WORLD, the World Wildlife Fund charity album, in late 1969. Interestingly, these same bird sound effects (at the beginning and end of this song) are also on the mono version. NOTE: Because no stereo mixes exist for "Love Me Do (Original Single Version)," "She Loves You," "I'll Get You," and "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)," those four songs appear in mono on both PAST MASTERS and MONO MASTERS. (Although a reedited and extended stereo mix of "YKMN (LUTN)" was prepared for ANTHOLOGY 2 in 1996, the original has only been issued in mono).
The stereo CDs are packaged in digipaks with expanded booklets with original liner notes and new historical and recording notes. A modified version of the 1987 SGT. PEPPER booklet is included, as well as the complete MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR booklet. The YELLOW SUBMARINE booklet has the U.S. Dan Davis liner notes, as well as the U.K. Tony Palmer/Derek Taylor notes. The mono box set, manufactured in Japan, has the CDs packaged in mini-LP sleeves with resealable outer sleeves, complete with the original inner sleeve LP dust jackets, static-free rice paper sleeves for each CD, and such amenities as the MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR booklet with the Capitol logo, and the SGT. PEPPER cutouts.
Each CD has its proper period label: the gold-and-black Parlophone label for PLEASE PLEASE ME, yellow-and-black Parlophone labels from WITH THE BEATLES to SGT. PEPPER; the original Capitol rainbow label for MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR; and green Apple labels for the last four albums. PAST MASTERS and MONO MASTERS have the yellow-and-black Parlophone label on disc 1, and the Apple label on disc 2. The Mini-Documentaries DVD (included with the stereo box set) has a red Apple label. The mini-docs (also included as QuickTime files on the individual stereo CDs) don't have a lot of new material, but are a nice touch nonetheless.
If you can only afford one set, get the stereo box, but if you can afford it, get the mono box set too, as well as the Capitol Albums sets, YELLOW SUBMARINE SONGTRACK, LET IT BE...NAKED, and LOVE.
As they say in "Mr. Kite," a splendid time is guaranteed for all.