chronic
old and in the way
The new releases are reported to be excellent quality. The Capitol releases were pretty poorly mastered and most audiophile types were very disappointed with them.
Oh my...there goes $239.99 (Beatles mono box)
- Thread starter mjp
- Start date
The new releases are reported to be excellent quality. The Capitol releases were pretty poorly mastered and most audiophile types were very disappointed with them.
mjp
Founding member
The difference is obvious on something like "I'm Looking Through You" from Rubber Soul (one example of many). I just heard the stereo mix yesterday and McCartney's voice is on the left channel only, which makes it stick out from the overall sound in an odd way. Those kind of extreme "stereo" mixes were kind of common back in the day (like 3D movies and poodle skirts), but they suck to listen to. Especially on headphones. They make you dizzy.
Which is one reason I pre-ordered the mono release only. That "faux stereo" is annoying to me. I say "faux," but I think I mean "contrived."
Anyway, as I stated earlier (or meant to), the Beatles considered the mono takes to be the definitive versions up until 1969, so that's good enough for me. Plus, having heard most of the stereo versions for years, the monos have a few surprises that differ from the versions we might be used to.
Oh, and as an aside, one Sir Paul is playing the venerable Fenway Park in early August, and my tickets shipped today. He does tributes to both John and George, and plays a healthy selection of Beatle cuts. Here's an example setlist from 7/11 in Halifax (not too shabby!):
Drive My Car
Jet
Only Mama Knows
Gotta Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It
All my Loving
Flaming Pie
Long and Winding Road
My Love
Blackbird
Here Today
Calico Skies
Mrs. Vanderbilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing the Changes
Band on the Run
Back in the USSR
Something
Paperback Writer
A Day in the Life
Give Peace a Chance
Let it Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude
Encore
Day Tripper
Lady Madonna
Mull Of Kintyre
I Saw Her Standing There
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The End
Anyway, as I stated earlier (or meant to), the Beatles considered the mono takes to be the definitive versions up until 1969, so that's good enough for me. Plus, having heard most of the stereo versions for years, the monos have a few surprises that differ from the versions we might be used to.
Oh, and as an aside, one Sir Paul is playing the venerable Fenway Park in early August, and my tickets shipped today. He does tributes to both John and George, and plays a healthy selection of Beatle cuts. Here's an example setlist from 7/11 in Halifax (not too shabby!):
Drive My Car
Jet
Only Mama Knows
Gotta Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It
All my Loving
Flaming Pie
Long and Winding Road
My Love
Blackbird
Here Today
Calico Skies
Mrs. Vanderbilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing the Changes
Band on the Run
Back in the USSR
Something
Paperback Writer
A Day in the Life
Give Peace a Chance
Let it Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude
Encore
Day Tripper
Lady Madonna
Mull Of Kintyre
I Saw Her Standing There
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The End
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I saw him play a few months ago at Coachella, and his set list was very similar to that one. Excellent show, really the highlight of the festival for me.
I don't care if I never hear that song again. It was played to death here at the time and eventually spoofed with: "Mulligan's tyres, the tread's on the insides ..."
No problem with the rest of that set list.
nervas
more crickets than friends
The box set is ALREADY sold out. Wow. I guess I missed the chance!
nervas
more crickets than friends
They are listed as a pre-sell, seller says he/she has 3.
So I guess the seller has pre-ordered from somewhere and is now jacking up the price by over $100.00!
So I guess the seller has pre-ordered from somewhere and is now jacking up the price by over $100.00!
mjp
Founding member
I would think anyone who really wants them would just Google "Beatles mono box" and find them at a retailer. But you never know.
Six months from now I would expect to see a lot of those on eBay, and for a lot more than $350. Once they ship people will start writing reviews, and that will be the first some people hear of it. But they'll all be long gone.
That happened to me with the fucking Stooges Fun House boxed set, and I still can't find an affordable copy.
Six months from now I would expect to see a lot of those on eBay, and for a lot more than $350. Once they ship people will start writing reviews, and that will be the first some people hear of it. But they'll all be long gone.
That happened to me with the fucking Stooges Fun House boxed set, and I still can't find an affordable copy.
nervas
more crickets than friends
You know mjp, if I had been posting here about 3-4 years ago, I would have sold you an affordable copy. I sold my second copy of the Fun House boxed set for about $200.. Well, maybe at the time it seemed non-affordable, but I'd probably snatch up another if I saw for $200.00. And of course, there were only 3,000 of those.
I finally took the time to view/listen to these. It is so very odd; the stark contrast between the pre-September '66 shows and this one. The people in the street appear to be in a total state of either indifference or total awe. They are dead silent in either case. Little did they know it would be their last live show.
Funny thing is; the Beatles all seem to be really enjoying it - John in particular. And he spends a fair bit of time face-checking Paul; knowing that being tight required he and Paul to be in total synch. And they really are. There's a great deal of repect Lennon is showing Paul right there. Somehow it wasn't enough...
Ouch; Amazon has dropped the price on the stereo set to $179 with free shipping. I'm only interested in the mono set, and that's long gone @$240; but I've got mine locked in.
mjp
Founding member
If the stereo remasters are vastly better than what's been available, they're going to sell a lot of those. The buzz over the mono set - and the fact that it won't even be available by the time people start reading reviews of it - is probably going to sell a lot of the stereo sets.
I don't want stereo versions of the mono albums, and $179 is 5 or 6 times too much to pay for the three albums that were originally stereo. I just wonder if these new remasters are going to trickle down to the single album CDs or just stay in the boxes?
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And what the fuck is going on here? $179.00 - $624.98
I don't want stereo versions of the mono albums, and $179 is 5 or 6 times too much to pay for the three albums that were originally stereo. I just wonder if these new remasters are going to trickle down to the single album CDs or just stay in the boxes?
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And what the fuck is going on here? $179.00 - $624.98
I read somewhere (reputable) that these will be available in single-CD form as well. Not sure if that's both mono and stereo or not, but likely the stereo ones would, anyway.
mjp
Founding member
I just read that the stereo Help! and Rubber Soul mixes are going to be from 1987, and the Yellow Submarine mix is from 1999. So they are not going to be original stereo mixes in every case. But some of those original stereo mixes were pretty claustrophobic, so no great loss there.
This very long discussion on Amazon has some interesting information, and features a guy who really likes to type, and feels very passionately that the stereo set is a disservice.
This very long discussion on Amazon has some interesting information, and features a guy who really likes to type, and feels very passionately that the stereo set is a disservice.
Bukfan
"The law is wrong; I am right"
Yes, the stereo set will also be released as single-CD's for $12.99 a piece.
There's 13 discs in the set (plus a bonus CD) for $179. If you buy all 13 as single-CD's instead, the price will be about the same ($168.87). Of course, you won't get all of the extra material such as a poster etc.
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He may like to type, but he's not wrong. I own the '99 Yellow Submarine re-issue, and other than Hey Bulldog (it's distorted; probably just too much gain on the master), the fidelity is much better than the originals.
Anyway, I could give a rat's ass about the stereo versions. Mono is where it's at, brother!
LickTheStar
Sad Flower in the Sand
Now is the big deal on the mono versions because that's how the albums were originally released? I wasn't alive for any of this crazy stuff, so to me stereo SOUNDS like a better option... But I've never had anything but...
Basically, the mono mixes are more representative of the way it was intended to be heard.
Mono was the standard back when these albums were first released, so everyone spent most of their time and effort perfecting the mono mixes. Stereo was still in its early stages, so the stereo mix was more of an afterthought. I've read that the band was very involved with the mono mixes but not really at all with the stereo mixes.
mjp
Founding member
Early stereo mixes of everything were novelties, and they exaggerated the separation so people could stand in their living rooms with their new stereo "sets" and their friends and say, "Hear that? Hear how the sound comes from both sides?!" It wasn't stereo like you're used to now.
In many cases on the Beatles records, vocals were paned all the way to one side and music to the other. That just sounds weird, especially when you listen to it on headphones, which is how most people take their music these days. And as Purple keeps pointing out, it wasn't the way the Beatles wanted it the music to be heard, since they sat there and worked on the mono mixes with George Martin.
In many cases on the Beatles records, vocals were paned all the way to one side and music to the other. That just sounds weird, especially when you listen to it on headphones, which is how most people take their music these days. And as Purple keeps pointing out, it wasn't the way the Beatles wanted it the music to be heard, since they sat there and worked on the mono mixes with George Martin.
I thought I had re-iterated that point sufficiently. And when one of the Beatles says You haven't heard Sgt. Pepper until you've heard the mono mix, well, that's good enough for me.
mjp
Founding member
Sold out at Tower now too. Looks like the last place to get it is at The Beatles store.
(And it's back at Amazon.)
(And it's back at Amazon.)
What's odd about that listing on "The Beatles Store" website is that the White Album is nowhere to be found in the contents of the mono set. They show plenty of images in the montage of the set that includes White Album photos, but no mention of the tracks in the track listing.
But $269 ain't a bad price for something that may never be made again.
Oh hell, you know it will. But it won't be a first edition.
But $269 ain't a bad price for something that may never be made again.
Oh hell, you know it will. But it won't be a first edition.