Beatles in Mono. (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

Wow, Scott, you have more Beatle LPs and CDs that Paul McCartney probably does.

All I want is official releases of Hollywood Bowl on CD and Let It Be on DVD. Is that too much to ask?

 

[Ockeghem]

Sam,

My friend (a close personal friend of Pete Best!)* continues to send me Beatles material each month. He has vowed to have me own the finest collection of Beatles recordings in the state of Michigan. He may succeed.

Several of the LPs I own are, as one might expect, duplicate and triplicates. But there are hundreds which are not, including a very few that have never been played (mostly North American releases from 1963-1966). The only reason I took them out of the cellophane wrapping was because archivists have told me over the years that leaving the wrapping on can cause the LPs to warp.

Yeah, let's hope that the Hollywood Bowl (CD) and Let It Be (DVD) are released one day.

*I'm currently listening to The Mockers (a DVD of the Pete Best Band); I learned recently that Best will no longer be touring after this year. His recent recordings are not all that bad, actually.

 

[lukejosephchung]

Mastering specialist extraordinaire Steve Hoffman posted at his website, www.SteveHoffman.tv, that Record Technology International is about to receive metal parts to press the new remasters in vinyl from Abbey Road Studios in London. Apparently a friend "in the know" at RTI passed this info to him last week...

 

[Bleddyn Williams]

Well, its about two months to go, and I'm only seeing "Beatles in Mono" on Amazon.co.uk. Amazon US and other vendors I've looked at don't have this listed.

Surely this will be released in the US?

 

[Musicloveryan]

This topic has always gone back and fourth among Beatles fans, all preference I guess!
Cheers!

 

[MielR]

Originally Posted by Bleddyn Williams

Well, its about two months to go, and I'm only seeing "Beatles in Mono" on Amazon.co.uk. Amazon US and other vendors I've looked at don't have this listed.

Surely this will be released in the US?

I'm wondering the same thing. Neither of the boxed sets are listed on Amazon US for pre-order and I'd like to know how much they're going to be asking for them.

 

[Alan Tully]

Originally Posted by MielR


I'm wondering the same thing. Neither of the boxed sets are listed on Amazon US for pre-order and I'd like to know how much they're going to be asking for them.

A lot!! It's priced at £200 online at Amazon & HMV.

 

[MattBradley]

How cool is it that Paul McCartney is coming to town (Tulsa) a month before the remasters! What a great year to be a Beatles fan!

I'm in the same boat as you guys and want to see some prices as well. No matter, both boxsets shall be mine!

 

[Craig S]

Originally Posted by MielR


I'm wondering the same thing. Neither of the boxed sets are listed on Amazon US for pre-order and I'd like to know how much they're going to be asking for them.

The box sets went up for pre-order in the US this weekend. Both Amazon & Elusive Disc have them for basically the same price: $208 for the stereo set, and $240 for the mono set. This is 20% off list. The mono set is a limited, numbered release - only 10,000 copies, so if you want it, you should pre-order ASAP. My pre-order for both sets is in at Amazon.

The stereo set is housed in a foot-long black box, with a magnetic-clasped lid. It contains all 14 individual remastered releases (the 13 albums plus the Past Masters disc), along with a bonus DVD which compiles all of the QuickTime "mini-documentaries" from the individual releases. The mono set is a more compact affair, with the 10 mono albums (and Past Masters disc) in a white slipcase box.

Can't wait for September!

 

[WillG]

I'm as big of Beatles fan as anyone, but over $200 a piece for each boxed set. And then if you are going to buy the bundle of "The Beatles: Rock Band" you're in like $750. That's a jack!

 

[Craig S]

Originally Posted by WillG /forum/thread/284896/beatles-in-mono#post_3583483

 

[WillG]

Me, I'm in for both CD boxes but I think I'm going with the Rock Band game disc only ($60), as I already have the RB wireless guitar and drums.

Well, the whammy bar on my Rock Band guitar died so I was thinking of replacing it with Paul's Höfner bass. But, apparently, you can only get that in the Limited bundle. Would be nice if the main boxed sets were SACD hybrids with multi-channel audio, but guess not. Apple really seems to be going for the throat on this one IMO

Also, only 10,000 mono sets seems like a very small amount.

 

[MielR]

Originally Posted by Craig S




The box sets went up for pre-order in the US this weekend. Both Amazon & Elusive Disc have them for basically the same price: $208 for the stereo set, and $240 for the mono set. This is 20% off list. The mono set is a limited, numbered release - only 10,000 copies, so if you want it, you should pre-order ASAP. My pre-order for both sets is in at Amazon.

The stereo set is housed in a foot-long black box, with a magnetic-clasped lid. It contains all 14 individual remastered releases (the 13 albums plus the Past Masters disc), along with a bonus DVD which compiles all of the QuickTime "mini-documentaries" from the individual releases. The mono set is a more compact affair, with the 10 mono albums (and Past Masters disc) in a white slipcase box.

Can't wait for September!

Thanks!

 

[GuruAskew]

I'm as big of Beatles fan as anyone, but over $200 a piece for each boxed set. And then if you are going to buy the bundle of "The Beatles: Rock Band" you're in like $750. That's a jack!

Yeah, just think of all the idiots who aren't buying John and George's Rock Band guitar controllers.

$750? Amateurs.

 

[Paul D G]

I've pre-ordered the sets but I'm having a hard time justifying the $450. I might drop the stereo and pick it up closer to christmas (it's not limited is it?).

Anyway, I have not seen this posted here but thought some might be interested in this - the Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:
http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beatles/

 

[WillG]

To me, there's just no reason that both versions should not have been included in the boxed set, I would have even have been fine if the Mono versions were only available in the boxed set. But it's actually going to be more expensive for less material. Abbey Road and Let it Be are not even going to be included in the Mono set. It would have been nice to include them even if they were recorded in true stereo just so that you get a complete set regardless of which version you buy.

I remember reading that when Paul's "Wingspan" set came out that even thought it was a two CD set, he insisted it be sold at a single disc price.

Of course, in the case of The Beatles, Yoko is involved, who merchandised pretty much anything having to do with Lennon's legacy.

But of course, like an idiot, I put in my pre-order for the Mono set.

 

[Ron Reda]

OK, so quick and dirty...if I want to stay true to the way these albums were recorded, I would pick up the mono box set and then get the remaining few discs in their stereo versions?

Edited by Ron Reda - 7/23/2009 at 01:48 am GMT

 

[MielR]

I pre-ordered both sets from Amazon. I'd been saving up Amazon gift certificates in anticipation of this ($80 worth) so that helps...a little, but I do hope they drop the prices again before 09/09.

I'm debating whether or not I should sell my old Beatles CDs now. I'm hesitating to do it because of the possibility of any "surprises" with the new CDs.

 

[hotfive]

I would bet the cost of a Mono Box that only the numbered Mono Boxes will be limited to 10,000 copies, that they'll continue to produce the Mono sets, and that the non-numbered editions will see a significant price drop.

I'll be waiting for a non-numbered Mono Box, and won't pay more than $150 for it. If they did spend years remastering those albums in order to release only 10,000 numbered sets at an exorbitant price, then I don't guess I'll be owning a physical copy.


Edited by hotfive - 7/28/2009 at 09:40 pm GMT

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Ron Reda

OK, so quick and dirty...if I want to stay true to the way these albums were recorded, I would pick up the mono box set and then get the remaining few discs in their stereo versions?

There is that argument. Many audiophiles and music fans believe that the mono versions are best, and present the music as originally intended. Little Steven, to name one such person, says all the time on his radio show (The Underground Garage) that the mono mixes are the preferred way to hear this music.

That said, keep in mind that many of the American releases of the Beatles album were in stereo, and the two volumes of American albums released on CD had both mono and stereo mixes included. Given that the albums are pretty short (30 or 35 minutes), it really is inexcusable that the new box set doesn't include mono mixes on the same disc as the stereo mixes.

So, the long answer is... It depends. If you were an American kid in 1964 and bought an album like Beatles '65 (released late '64), then your first experience with the Beatles was in stereo. An album like Meet The Beatles (also an American release) was issued in both mono and stereo.

I guess the true answer is it depends on your preference.