Break Away II

Please Please Me Packaging

The Beatles In Mono Remastered Box Set features The Beatles first 10 albums in their original mono along with the “Mono Masters” double CD compilation which includes the original mono mixes for all of their non-album songs that were mixed in mono.

The Beatles Mono CD Box Set is a real “revelation” in some cases. A lot of the band’s earlier songs really sound a lot~better in mono than they do in stereo because they were originally mixed in mono and the stereo mixes were often done as an “afterthought” (because stereo wasn’t taken very seriously at the time.) Many of The Beatles stereo mixes are totally “wrong” by the standards of today because they pan everything to one side or the other which can be unsettling to listen to (particularly when listening on headphones.)

It’s good to be able to hear songs like “Taxman” & “Eleanor Rigby” without the wide panning that mars their stereo mixes.

But there’s more differences to these mono mixes than just the panning. In quite a few cases there are actually different takes and different effects used! And in many more cases different instruments/parts are highlighted in the mono mix vs. the stereo mix.

A great example of a different mix in mono vs. stereo is “Helter Skelter” because it’s almost a full minute shorter in mono than in stereo and it doesn’t include the “blisters on my fingers” yell at the end.

Another good example is all of the extra vocal effects on the mono version of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” But really a lot of the songs on the mono Pepper have a lot more vocal effects than do their stereo brothers.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Beatles Mono Masters Compilation is that it includes four previously unreleased mono mixes (“All Together Now,” “Hey Bulldog,” “Only a Northern Song and “It’s All Too Much.”) These four songs were never released in mono (in any format) before because when the Yellow Submarine album was first released in ’69 it was only released in stereo (which is why the entire album is not included in the mono box, the George Martin instrumentals were never mixed in mono) so these mono mixes were shelved in Abbey Road Studios for 40 years before finally being heard in 2009.

The Beatles Remastered Stereo Box Set

Now that I have been listening to The Beatles Stereo CD Box Set for almost a full seven days I think it’s time to do a review of the set as a whole. Now that I’ve had a chance to hear all of the remastered Beatles albums I can say without any doubt that they sound much better than the old Beatles CDs.

It’s fantastic how much more clear these new CDs sound when comapred to the old CDs. I’m hearing so many details in the music that I didn’t even know were there! It’s really like rediscovering The Beatles awesome albums all over again as I go through each of the 14 albums in The Beatles Remastered Stereo CD Box Set.

There’s been a lot of argument among Beatles fans over which box set sounds better; The the stereo or the mono? This debate is raging because The Beatles In Mono Box Set was also released on September 9th.

In my opinion the stereo mixes definitely sound better for the the band’s later CDs because they allow for greater clarity which is particularly essential considering how complex many of these later mixes are. With the first four or five albums it’s a closer call. I still like the clarity of the stereo mixes even with the earlier albums, but it is true that the really wide panning can be a bit distracting so I think there’s a good case for the more “powerful” sounding mono mixes too!

I definitely think both of these box sets are “must buys” for real Beatles fans. After all the mono mixes were how the albums were originally intended to be heard so they have great historical value, but the stereo mixes sound really really good, so you have to have those too.

Obviously the main reason I love this box set is how great The Beatles music sounds in remastered stereo but I also should give a “shout out” to the really great packaging.

The Beatles are set to make a return to the music scene in big way! First by releasing a new video game and secondly to re-release a massive backlog of their music. The new game which is called, "The Beatles: Rockband" is released on Wednesday the 9th September.
On the game you can see visual simulations of the band performing some of their most famous tracks at some of the most popular venues from around the country. This coincides perfectly with their record label EMI’s scheduled release of 14 of their new digitally enhanced albums which will available in early 2010. Additionally, from October 19th owners of the video game will be able to download the whole Abbey Road album either through their XBOX or PS3 for about £10. Or alternatively, you can download them individually for about 99p each. I think this is part of a master plan to get the Beatles back into the scene and apply their music to a younger demographic. There is no doubt that these new CD’s will sell like hotcakes in the shops and I bet EMI are licking their lips!
I am personally a massive fan of the Beatles. I am eager to hear how they have re-mastered their tracks to go on CD. I do hope they have not laid digital pianos over their grand pianos or added a hoard of electric guitars to replace the older sound. Plans on how to get the Beatles’ back catalogue implemented into the digital world has been widely discussed between all the parties involved. The various record companies involved will also be selling the infamous album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for sale in late November which is no doubt set to be a massive hit with fans from all over the planet!
You can watch game play trailers and get more information at The Beatles: Rock Band official website. By the time you read this the game should already be released! I will be making a purchase for sure!

If there is a Beatles fan in your your circle of friends (yourself included!) you should circle September 9, 2009 on a nearby calander because that’s the day three incredible Beatles related gifts are being released. The stereo box, mono box, and Beatles Rock Band video game. In this article I’ll go over what makes each of these things such a great gift for a Beatles fan.

The Beatles Stereo Box Set

Every recording The Beatles released from 1962 through 1970 in remastered stereo. That’s all 13 British albums from 1962′s debut Please Please Me through 1970′s Let It Be. And yes this is a great gift even if the Beatlemaniac in question already owns all of their albums on CD. Why? Because these CDs sound much better than the older CDs.

These new CDs capture more of the original sound from the master tapes than do the old CDs. They allow for more details in the music to be heard and they have a “warmer” sound as well.

The Beatles Mono CD Box Set

This is a great present for really serious Fab Four fans because this is what all of the real “purists” have been waiting for: Finally, the mono mixes from the ’60s are available on CD. This is the first time that these orginal UK albums will be heard as they were originally intended to be heard by many younger fans!

Each of the band’s first 10 albums (up through The White Album) was mixed in mono and in most of those cases the band actually spent far more time and energy working on the mono mix than they did on the stereo mix. The reason for that is that in the 1960s stereo was still a new concept and was thought to be something of a “fad.” Most Beatles fans listened to mono at that time so it only made sense for them to concentrate on mono.

The Beatles Rock Band Video Game

This is a great present for any Beatles fan who also enjoys playing video games. But I must say that you don’t have to be a gamer to like playing Rock Band. I hate games in general but I love playing this game.

If you have younger “gamers” in your family who don’t yet know or appreciate The Beatles music this may be a great way to get them into it.

The Beatles In Stereo Remastered Box Set

September 9, 2009 is the day that Beatles fans have been waiting for. On that day three fantastic “goodies” will be available for the very first time. Beatles fans like me have already ordered all this awesome “Beatles gear” online and are simply waiting for 9/9/9 to come around so it can be shipped to our homes!

#1 The Beatles Remastered Stereo CD Box Set

This fantastic box set includes every single recording The Beatles originally released from 1962 through ’70 in remastered stereo sound quality.

The new remastering will allow listeners to hear The Beatles timeless music with new clarity and detail. The CDs should sound significantly better than the 1987 CDs which have been The Beatles standard for 22 years now.

#2 The Beatles Mono CD Box Set

The first ten Beatles albums in their original mono mixes. Most of these original mono mixes have actually never been released on CD before. These mono mixes are thought to be the “real” versions of The Beatles songs by many Beatles purists because these were the mixes that the band worked most hard on in the 1960s.

Surprisingly, the original mono version of The White Album has not been released in the US previously. Not even on vinyl or cassette tape! Why? Because by the time The White Album came out in 1968, mono had already been completely “phased out” of the US marketplace so the original mono mix was only released in the UK at that time.

#3 The Beatles Rock Band Game

Rock Band is the greatest music related video game and The Beatles Rock Band will be the ultimate version of the game. It will include over 40 Beatles songs which can be sung, drummed, and rocked. Entire albums will also be available for download. 1969′s Abbey Road will be the very first Beatles album available for download.

The Beatles Rock Band will be the first version of the game that includes harmony singing. Three different players can sing at one time which lets your friends and you really sing the harmonies of the greatest band of all time.

The Beatles had 12 official UK albums from 1963 to ’70 and just about all of them were great so picking out just three of their albums as the top three is hard.

Why 12? You may have heard that they had 13. That 13th “album” is Magical Mystery Tour which was originally released just as an EP in the UK. An “album” version of it was cobbled together in the US by adding some earlier released singles to it.

Some Beatles purists don’t think of it as one of The Beatles official LPs, although it has been added to official UK discography since the 1970s (when it was also released in the UK because so many people were importing the American LP.)

#1 The White Album

This double album includes many of The Beatles greatest moments. It also includes some of the songs that a lot of people think of as their worst. But I actually think those weird songs (such as “Wild Honey Pie” and “Revolution #9″) add to the magic of the album. This was an “anything goes” album and it’s great because of it.

#2 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

A lot of people claim that Sgt. Pepper is overrated and I can understand that opinion from the standpoint that The Beatles other albums sometimes get overlooked in comparison. For example a lot of less informed people say that Sgt. Pepper was The Beatles first attempt at “art music” but obviously Rubber Soul beat it to the punch. But, I still think Sgt. Pepper is an amazing album that works as the band’s most “cohesive statement” and I think while it may be underrated by those who are slightly ignorant of The Beatles entire catalog, I think it’s actually become underrated by the “hipsters.”

#3 Revolver

Revolver is probably The Beatles most consistently great album. Every song is worthy of high praise from the beautiful “Eleanor Rigby” to the acid rock “She Said She Said”

After over 20 years of waiting, the remastered versions of The Beatles studio albums are finally going to be available on CD on 9/9/9. The 1980s CD versions are thought by most to be a very poor example of mastering for CD which is a big reason why people have been wanting new better versions for so long.

But the excitement from 9/9/9 doesn’t just come from the fact that the albums are being remastered for the first time since their original release on CD, it also comes from the The Beatles mono CD box set that is being released on that day. This will actually be the first time ever that the mono mixes of some of these amazing Beatles albums will be available on compact disc.

Why should we care about such outdated mixes in 2009? Even in the 1960s mono was starting to get phased out, so what reason would there be to listen to mono mixes in 2009? Well certainly many people may feel that way, but true Beatles fanatics want to hear these albums as they were originally intended to be heard and to do that you must listen to the mono mixes.

The mono versions are what The Beatles (along with George Martin & Geoff Emerick) were primarily focused on. The Beatles stereo mixes were done with little input from the band while they were very involved with the mono mixes which were worked on until they were just right. Because of this many feel that the original mono mix of an album such as Sgt. Pepper is the “true” mix of this legendary LP.

But there’s even more Beatles stuff for fans to get excited about coming out on 9/9/9, for gamers there’s the Beatles Rock Band game which looks awesome from the previews of it I’ve seen. You can play through The Beatles whole career from their beginnings in Liverpool through their final album, Abbey Road. The Beatles Rock Band instruments even look like the real Beatles instruments (check out Paul’s bass guitar!) And now for the first time with the Beatles Rock Band game, you can sing harmonies.