The Beatles - The Beatles Stereo Box Set
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Free Music Notes for The Beatles Stereo Box Set
Free Music Review: classic
Hit: 5 Stars
I just wrote a lengthy review of The Beatles Mono Box Set, debating the advantages of listening to the Fabs in both mono, and stereo.
There is no right or wrong to this argument, but there are certian advantages to each.
For the early albums, up to Revolver, it is mono's hands down. The clean rock and R&B and folk works better in mono, because the music works around the guitars. Since the Beatles used a sharp guitar sound, mono brings this fourth in a huge brick of sound, which may be part of the reason the mono albums were given the Fabs stamp of approval. The 1964-1966 albums were mainly relased in stereo in the US because, first, it was a relatively new medium, and second, the added eccho allowed this music to have the blast of AM radio.
On Revolver and after, Stereo becomes more of an asset. Those symphonic records benefited from sounds moving between the speakers. Still, in mono, you can hear more clearly the 100s of sounds the Beatles packed into these masterpieces. Ironically, I find the mono to be a good primer for stereo. You hear more clearly what to listen for when you do play the stereo albums.
A Beatle fan can go quite insane trying to decide what the perfect audio treatment for the entire catolouge is. It really, though, is not a question of which is better. You are really hearing different albums in stereo as opposed to mono. So you really do need both if you are a major leauge Beatle fan.
If you are not, though, and don't want to invest the time or money involved with these massive sets, I would argue, pick up the albums you remember. If you are English and liked the 1963-66 EMI records with their clean sound, there is your answer. The same is true for the other side of the pond--get the American discs if you want the albums you grew up on. If nothing else, you'll be used to the running orders.
But for hardcore Beatle fans who want to hear how every nuance of this music works, both box sets are the toolchests.
There is even, though, a complication with this. You have EMI vs. Ebbits, and given the option, I would go with the Ebbits for the albums you know. The EMIs are louder and more modern. There are defiantely sounds you can hear better, but they are moved up front. This is antithetical to the rounded sound the Beatles gave the albums in the 60s, where every little sound worked together
. Getting the Ebbits, though, will take more legwork.
To get the whole deal in two shots, this and the mono box are the way to go.
***PS 12/4 It is interesting that I reviewed the stereo and mono boxes on the same day, and have gotten six votes on the stereo and one on the mono. I guess more people are looking to the stereo albums. I wonder what is driving that.***
Free Music Review: Brilliant! Just Brilliant!
Hit: 5 Stars
Well, I finally received this box set last week and I'm now up to The Beatles (The White Album). This was a brilliant idea to remaster these masterpieces!!! I have never heard the Beatles like this before. The sound is so clear and much much better than the original recordings. If you have the American versions of the Beatles records, then you'll know what an embarrassment they are with the false stereo. An example of this is Roll Over Beethoven. You can hear an echo on the American version. Listen to this remastered version and it is clear as a bell, no echo, nothing just pure sound. The entire Beatles catalogue is like this.
This box set includes all 13 studio albums and a double disc of the Past Masters Vol. I and II CDs. Each CD has a mini-documentary at the end. Just insert into your computer and watch. There is an additional DVD of all the mini-documentaries as well. This set was very well planned out to provide the fans with one brilliant Beatles set that will knock your socks off.
Each CD has been carefully remastered and packaged with a three-fold cover. Each CD includes a booklet about the making of the album and historical notes. Each booklet also includes pictures neer before seen in both color and black and white. The Beatles (The hite Album) is really impressive. They have made it exactly as the original LP vinyl release. It is a four-fold fold out jacket. This remaster also includes a booklet of historical notes and the making of the album along with the lyrics. Do you remember the four individual pictures of the Beatles? Well, in the fold out cover of this beautifully remastered work are the pictures. Thic CD also includes a mini-poster of the original poster of the collage on one side and the lyrics to the songs on the other side.
The entire collection, not only individually packaged, is packaged as a whole with a shiny, black flip-top box with the words "The Beatles" centered in white. Below is a picture of an apple to signify "Apple Records".
I have been totally blown away by this collection. Once you hear these remastered works in true stereo, you'll never want to listen to the original CD again. I have also ordered the mono box set which I will be picking up from the post office tomorrow. I am quite sure that the mono box set, which does not have the last 3 Beatles albums, is just as brilliant as the stereo set. The reason for the last 3 albums excluded is because they were not recorded in mono.
If you're a Beatles fan, this is one set that is a must. If you want to replace your Beatles collection with a better sound, then this collection is for you. This is one collection that I have to say is very much well worth the money.
Free Music Review: Stereo vs. Mono? It's a matter of preference/what you're used to
Hit: 5 Stars
I purchased the stereo box, but have also had the opportunity to listen to the mono box. Personally I love the stereo box, but many say the mono sounds better because the albums were originally mixed in mono and the stereo mixes were not true stereo. That may be true, but at 25 years of age, I did not grow up listening to these albums, nor any albums I listen to, in mono. To my ears, the mono mixes sound flat, dull, and lifeless. In my opinion, having remastered albums in mono makes them not sound remastered at all, but rather like a regression of sound quality that sounds dated and boring. Listening to the mono mixes feels like listening to an old worn out cassette tape instead of a cd, or watching a vhs tape instead of a DVD. It just doesn't sound pleasant or enjoyable. Listening to the stereo mixes, on the other hand, is a vibrant, breathtaking, and immersive experience. I have never heard these albums sound so lively, dynamic, and clear. Sgt. Pepper's in particular, I believe sounds better in stereo due to the many different sound effects moving around you, rather than all crammed into one single channel. I think the remastering job is fantastic and is a long time overdue, but worth the wait. The packaging is superb, with great liner notes and gatefold lp style digipaks which house discs with labels that resemble the labels of the original vinyl albums. If you are wondering whether to spend the money on this box set, do it; you won't regret it. If you are wondering whether to get stereo or mono, get whatever you are used to or have a preference for. I am not going to say that the stereo is better than the mono, because that is what I prefer, but others may prefer the mono. If you grew up in the 60's when the albums were released and originally owned the mono vinyls, you'll probably appreciate the nostalgia of the mono box more. If you are like me and grew up in the 80's-90's, listening to all stereo, you would most likely enjoy the stereo more. However, if you're still not sure, I would suggest you sample both and see which sounds better to you. If you are a Beatles completist and have the money to spend, get both sets. Obviously, Paul and Ringo understand that neither version is the best version for everyone or they would not have released both. Mono may be the original version, but to say it is the best is your opinion, not an indisputable fact.
*Note: Abbey Road, Let it Be, and Yellow Submarine are only included in the stereo box, as they were never released in mono. If you purchase the mono box, be sure to purchase those separately. Whether you prefer stereo or mono, no Beatles collection is complete without those albums and Abbey Road is my personal favorite of all.
Free Music Review: Helpful Hints
Hit: 5 Stars
If you, like I was, are feeling overwhelmed by the choices involved here, let me try to help a bit. First of all, you have to decide where you fit in the spectrum of Beatles fans. Specifically, ask yourself, how were you introduced to the Beatles music? For myself, I was 8 years old when Beatlemania made its way across the Atlantic in early 1964. In the early 1970's, when I purchased most of the albums, the only choice were the American versions in stereo, which was really mono that was reprogrammed with echo, etc. to simulate stereo. So, those versions were the ones that I became familiar with.
I bring this up because it really makes a difference how you originally heard these tracks. I have no argument with the purists that claim that the mono releases are how the Beatles recorded them. However, it was not how I and many others stateside were introduced to the Beatles. So, when the CDs came out in 1987, I bought them all but was not only disappointed somewhat by the sound quality but many of the recordings were different. Thank You Girl was missing much of the harmonica. She Loves You, different than the one on the Beatles Second Album. I'm Looking Through You, different intro, etc. And, I wasn't crazy about the first four albums on mono.
Now, however, if you get the stereo remastered versions, you will hear these like the original American stereo albums had them, except much better. There is absolutely no room for argument: these remasters sound much better than anything ever before produced, including the original British LP's, which I own in a wonderful Beatles Box, that was released back in the 1970's so I have heard them at their previous best but these are much better!!
DO NOT HESITATE, GO OUT AND BUY EITHER THE STEREO OR MONO.
Now, if you were raised on the mono, go out and buy that. However, if you don't want to spend the big bucks on the box, I have a hunch that the individual mono albums will soon be available for purchase.
Second big bit of advice: Unless you love the idea of having a cardboard box to put these in, don't spend $180 and wait three weeks for amazon to send them to you. Go right now to Target this week and buy the stereo albums individually. When you factor in the gift cards, it is a savings of over $30!! And from what I can tell, there is nothing in the box set but the 14 albums and a box. The individual albums all have the embedded videos.
I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I have. Best $150 I have spent in a long time. BEATLES FOREVER!!!
Free Music Review: These are the definitive Versions now all in one place!
Hit: 5 Stars
First of all let me start by saying I own every Beatles CD release currently available, and have owned pretty much every vinyl release that has been available in the U. S. and Japan, and have been listening since they were introducing themselves on Ed Sullivan. So how do these new versions stack up to the available domestic versions currently available? If you are expecting these remasters to absolutely blow away anything out there, you may be in for a disappointment. I have spent considerable time comparing, and while I do feel that these versions now stand as the definitive versions, and are the zenith of what's been released-the 1987 releases do give these a run for the money, and I would say in most cases are 80-90% the quality of the remasters, There has been some talk and question about how these stack up with the Capital releases-Again I have done much compariing, and have come to the conclusion that the Capital releases are in many cases competitive with these new remasters,and mostly interchangable- except where there was intentional reverb, such as the I feel Fine massacre. There is a slight improvement here, and there especially in the vocals, and reduction in noise in general, and the new remasters again clean up the mix, especially in the older pre Help! material to a new high point! I think the bottom line here, is that finally we have pulled together in one place, the definitive release, and if that doesn't get you realizing, perhaps again. like it did me, that these guys are before everything, and everyone else in pop music, than I don't what will do it.
That said, I am slightly disappointed, and surprised that a dual disc affair with SACD or even a second disc of DVD audio wasn't included. One listen to the DVD docs that are included proves what could have been done. Maybe that is being saved for the next big round of releases. All in all though, I am satisfied with this new release, and appreciate having in one place the best of what is currently available in one place, the booklets, and art work is second to none, and if nothing else replace your originals to get the artwork, and treatment the Beatles deserved in the first place. The reviews that are treating this negative, are simply looking for something different than what is offered here, and possibly Apple, and Capitol can be blamed for releasing too much over the years, there just simply isn't any awful Beatles material still being offered, and as a result making the job difficult for this set. I look forward to hearing and owning the Mono Set as well!