OT - The Beatles Re-issues

[thedaner]

[quote="plutonic"]
I summed my early Beatles CDs to Mono in iTunes for the reasons cited above.

You can do this easily, and in theory at least, should sound fine. All depending on what your opinion of fine is.

I can't stand listening to the Stereo versions of Rubber Soul and Revolver.
Band on one side, vocals on the other sounds terrible to me.

I will probably get the Mono set, and pick up a few of the Stereo titles piecemeal, 'cause I just can't help it.

I already picked up Past Masters as I didn't have it, and Best Buy had it on sale for $13.[/quote]

I for one am glad the remasters are finally here. They've sounded like crap for years and releases like the Anthology and Love have surpassed those. That being said, we're not getting new mixes like on the aforementioned releases. They're just mastered w/better technology than 22 years ago. I personally LOVED the mixes on the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack"--they're in stereo and the vocals are centered. Actually, the stereo version of "Revolver" isn't so hard panned w/the vocals, just a couple of tracks (Eleanor Rigby comes to mind, but that's just the verses). I think once Sgt. Pepper came around, they had stereo mixing down much better.

I still have my '87 CDs ripped, but I would love to hear the new mono box to hear how much better the mastering is, especially on the first four albums.

[plutonic]

I still have my '87 CDs ripped, but I would love to hear the new mono box to hear how much better the mastering is, especially on the first four albums.

Agreed.

[TheEqualizer]

Ugh. Annoyed that it appears that the mono versions are only available as part of a boxed set. WTF? However, friends have advised that the new stereo versions of the first 4 albums are MUCH better than the original CDs, so I may just break down and just get the stereo versions.

[Tamadude]

Please tell me that if I buy this box set, that NOT ONE PENNY will go into Joseph Jackson's pocket.

Because if it does, I may have to resort to alternate means of aquiring the music.

[Throb]

When you buy them just think of Dhani Harrison and how he will benefit.
I think that kid is so cool, he's just awesome. The apple did not fall far from the tree as they say.

[ltwoman]

Are you sure? I agree, Dhani is good! But will he, Paul and Ringo,or John's estate, get anything? Isn't that already a done deal? Gone? A lost opportunity?

[TheEqualizer]

Though I'm still grumbling that the mono versions are available only in the box set format, I broke down and got the stereo remasters of With the Beatles and Beatles for Sale.


Wow. Just wow.
Waaayy worth it.

[thedaner]

[quote="TheEqualizer"]Though I'm still grumbling that the mono versions are available only in the box set format, I broke down and got the stereo remasters of With the Beatles and Beatles for Sale.


Wow. Just wow.
Waaayy worth it.[/quote]

Agreed. It took a little bit to warm up to these. I had to suspend the idea that they would sound like "Love" and The Anthology stuff (and yes, I know that those two contain mash-ups and alternate versions--I'm just talking about mix and mastering qualities) and that the remastering on this was a subtle job, yet a huge improvement from 22 years ago. What I love about it is that bass is more present; harmony vocals are easier to pick out and other things stand out like attack on drums or percussion. But, they didn't do what most remastering jobs do and just make things LOUDER.

I'm sure Michael Jackson's estate will get some money from this (although Sony will get more based on their share) but yes, the four Beatles (and their estates) stand to make a good chunk of change from this.

[TheEqualizer]

Borders has these reissues on sale for $13.99 (same price as Best Buy) AND currently has a Buy 2 CDs Get One Free special.

Uh, do you need any more incentive than that?

[thedaner]

Wayyyy too tempting. But, save for my boxed sets I've ripped my entire CD collection to an external hard drive and really want to avoid buying CDs again. I could make an exception with the boxes. Must mull over this one...

[Pezish]

I bought the mono box and all of the stereo discs. I sold all of my old Beatles CDs a few months ago on eBay for $135.00. I applied that money toward the stereo singles at Target for $11.98 (16.98 for the double sets) each and they gave me seven $5.00 gift cards (buy two titles and get a $5 card). Not a bad deal.

In 1987 the CDs came out only four at a time every few weeks and that was torture waiting for Revolver & Sgt. Pepper.

[thedaner]

[quote="Pezish"]
In 1987 the CDs came out only four at a time every few weeks and that was torture waiting for Revolver & Sgt. Pepper.[/quote]

I remember that. I also remember that they came in long boxes. Remember those? Nothing says waste of cardboard like a long box.

[Throb]

That's right and the big, long plastic things and they would take out the CD and toss the thing in a big pile of plastic behind the registers.

How enviormently uncorrect was that

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Ha! Yeah, I still have the first CD I ever bought (REM's "Green," circa 1989) and kept the long box for a long, er, time.

Ya know...that CD and its case are really a lot more solidly made than the releases you get now. Just sayin'.

Anybody sees a source for the mono box, you let me know.

Oh, and how come we don't have a thread for Beatles Rock Band? It's pretty cool. I actually drummed through all the Advanced songs on Medium setting last night...not too bad for a neophyte.

[conroy]

There's a great article about how the Beatles Rock Band came about in last month's WIRED magazine. I finally got a chance to read it and about half of Dinner Tales: the Book (great so far. Can't wait to hear Stewart read it when it gets released on CD) while my flight back to the US from LHR was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland due to a passenger falling ill during the flight.