Truth or propaganda? Seems the idea of perhaps the most notorious Beatles bootlegger (the old style who actually sold his wares!) not only hearing "samples" of the new remasters but praising them unequivocally.. eh, I don't completely buy it.

Don't think The Beatles would bother with something sinister like that for maybe a few extra preorders. He probably has a lot of contacts in the audiophile community, who have a lot of contacts with the record engineering industry. Not at all surprising that he would have gotten a chance to hear the remasters.

so i have heard rumours of a vinyl stereo and mono boxset being released in november...anyone else heard this

i am holding out for that, because if thats true i have no choice but to buy both sets

I'm the same exact way. Really don't want to just buy the stereo only albums to put next to the mono box, but I might do just that. In reality though, the stereo box will probably be bought at some point, but certainly not on 9/9/09. I have to find a way to afford Rock Band too.

I pre-ordered 'em both. I am hopeless.

The Mono box is c. £200 on Amazon.co.uk

Shit,those box sets look great,But 240 is a bit steep. But,it's the beatles so I'll def buy it. My only real concern is that from the pictures it looks like the records are going to come in cardboard sleeves(Which I fucking hate because they damage the CD's evertime you pull them out.).Otherwise I'm prepared to shell out riduclous prices for this stuff in good condition(Finally).

Edit:Just Pre-ordered the mono box.

I'll take two.

After tossing back and forth in my sleep all night a couple days ago, I finally broke down and ordered both box sets.

I made this decision knowing that those bastards will certainly release vinyl box sets at some point after 9/9.

I have never been more humbled in my life.

innaresting that the stereo box set is cheaper than the mono.

The mono version clearly has the greater illusion of legitimacy attached to it.

http://www.tonepublications.com/music/beat...tereo-and-mono/

The Beatles
Stereo and mono box sets
EMI/Capitol , CD

TONEAudio Exclusive by: Bob Gendron

The cost of owning a good-sounding Beatles record just got significantly cheaper. Arriving 22 years after the band’s catalog was originally issued on compact disc, Capitol’s long-awaited remasters of the Fab Four’s 12 studio albums, Magical Mystery Tour, and the Past Masters collections—as well as the label’s limited-edition Beatles in Mono box set, comprising 10 studio records in their original mono mixes plus the Past Masters set—sound, as a whole, uniformly fantastic. It’s clear that the team of engineers responsible for the four-year project ensured that the world’s most important and famous pop catalog finally received the care it’s always deserved no matter what mix is heard. While hardcore fans will want both the mono and stereo editions, the general populace is almost guaranteed to be content with the widely available stereo versions. Not that everyone will be happy. All accomplishments aside, it’s a foregone conclusion that no matter what the results indicate, certain parties will complain, criticize, and nitpick. Those curmudgeonly detractors and obsessive freaks are better off waiting for the second coming of Christ; rumor is that the payoff will be a lot better.

For the majority of listeners, however, any temptation to spend hundreds of dollars on rare vinyl pressings should erode as they become acclimated to what often resembles hearing familiar records for the very first time. Such are the near-miraculous improvements in the key areas of information retrieval, hidden details, palpable physicality, expanded midrange, transient presence, and frequency response. As expected, the mono and stereo editions have their share of positives and negatives. Yet the benefits of the mono mixes reign supreme through Revolver, no surprise given that original producer George Martin intended for the Beatles’ records to be enjoyed in mono. With Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the tide begins to turn, yet efforts like The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album) remain toss-ups for myriad reasons.

There will be little debate surrounding what box set received the superior packaging. Collecting a total of 13 discs in a plain and compact white box, The Beatles in Mono presents each album in replica mini-LP jackets that feature faithful reproductions of the original artwork, labels, and inserts. Protective plastic sleeves shroud the discs, and a re-sealable plastic cover slips over the glossy mini-vinyl CD holders. A booklet containing rare photos and copious notes by Kevin Howlett rounds out the rather economical and practical bundle. By contrast, The Beatles In Stereo set is housed in a shoebox-sized box that opens up to reveal two stacks of digipak CDs. (Unlike their mono counterparts, the stereo discs are available individually.) Enthusiasts should note that the discs slide in and out of the digipaks without any extra padding or protection. Still, the classy packages conform to the original vinyl artwork and contain archival photos, recording notes, and historical notes—but lack inserts and faithful gatefold replication. Each disc also comes embedded with a QuickTime mini-documentary about the respective album. Curiously, the set lacks an accompanying booklet. Not that it matters much.

What does matter, of course, is the sound. And it’s largely excellent, improving in accordance with time, parallel to advances in recording technology and the band’s groundbreaking studio techniques. As previously mentioned, every Beatles album through The White Album was mixed with the purpose of being heard in mono. Capitol’s remasters mark the initial occasion of Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, and Beatles for Sale being available on disc in a stereo mix; the converse is true for Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, and The Beatles. Finally, the mono editions of Help! and Rubber Soul also include the original stereo mix, which makes comparison listening that much easier.
Without diminishing the value and impact of the stereo editions, which blow away their 1987 digital predecessors in every imaginable facet, the mono discs are where it’s at for experiencing the Beatles in the most “authentic” manner. (Officially, no compression or de-noising was used on the mono mixes; a sum total of less than five minutes of de-noising graces the stereo editions.) Specifically, the group’s early records tend to sound unnatural in stereo, as the hard panning seems forced and artificial—which, in actuality, it is. In mono, the Beatles’ music thrives from ultra-dynamic front-to-back layering that, intentionally or not, often gives the impression of a stereo mix. The changes wrought by the remasters are dramatic.

Please Please Me is distinguished by a previously vacant fullness, richness, and enormity. There’s discernible air and echo around the swooping vocals on “Misery,” and resolute imaging on “I Saw Her Standing There”—quite a thrill. And the bottom end—quite possibly the single-biggest enhancement on all of the remasters—registers with a forceful thump rather than a dull, empty thud. No longer an undefined aural morass, “Twist and Shout” explodes with a clean yet musical clarity, the singing more distinctive and immediate, the instruments possessing true timbres and resonant clatter. And who ever notices the expressive “Yeah!” at the end of the take?

Similarly, the mono With the Beatles unfolds with ear-bending vibrancy and liveliness. The rolling vocal harmonizing on “All My Loving” astounds. Across-the-board upgrades in airiness, dimensionality, depth, size, and Paul McCartney’s vastly underrated bass lines are detectable on every song. And whether it’s the now-noticeable presence of the piano or the wonderfully rattling chords on “Money,” or discernible rhythmic rumble on “Hold Me Tight,” the record has received a startling facelift that even Hollywood’s most expensive plastic surgeon wouldn’t be able to configure. With the band long faulted for being too sweet, the mono remasters open up space for the argument that the Beatles possessed an edge—if not a slight mean streak (witness the 3-D imaging of “No Reply” off Beatles for Sale).

Vocal precision, smoothness, and extension become even more pronounced on Help! and Rubber Soul. Ditto for the realistic bottom end, long absent on most Beatles recordings. McCartney’s bass and Ringo Starr’s percussion ride side-by-side, and smart albeit illuminating shades and accents—the tambourine on “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” the twangy pitch of the guitar strings on “Ticket to Ride,” the breathlessness of Lennon’s singing on “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” the natural fade-out on “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” Lennon’s sucking of air through his teeth on “Girl,” the barbershop-quartet swoons during “Michelle”—emerge with breathtaking clarity. Enmeshed with the song as a whole, Starr’s Hammond organ playing on “I’m Looking Through You” now comes across as an integral part of the arrangement.

Revolver marks the point at which the mono-versus-stereo debates begin to get interesting. Admittedly, the backward tape loops on “Tomorrow Never Knows” sound cooler in stereo. In addition, stereo is how most listeners are accustomed to hearing music; for some, mono seems bare. Yet all that’s sacrificed with the latter versus stereo is a larger soundstage, a perceived sense of “hugeness,” and the security of familiarity; mono mixes exhibit an organic presence, naturalness, purity, and outright musicality that render moot any tradeoff. The horns on “Got to Get You Into My Life” have never emitted such boldness or pizzazz; the transparency of the chords during “Here, There and Everywhere” and movement of the bounding piano in “Good Day Sunshine” are utterly staggering. Pure genius.

For kicks, comparing the 1987 digital issue of Sgt. Pepper’s to the new remasters lends perspective to just how awful the former are, and how amazing Capitol’s 2009 entries sound. Whereas the previous edition of the landmark record comes across as tinny, lifeless, shrill, flat, and canned—to the extent where listeners are forced to mentally fill in parts they think (and know) should be present—both versions of the revised Sgt. Pepper’s present the album as an entirely new adventure filled with immense detail, holographic soundstages, authentic studio dimensions, and shocking instrumental and textural surfaces that heretofore have been missing in action. Tracks such as “For the Benefit of Mr. Kite” seemingly float on an ethereal bed of studio effects, with tremendous top-to-bottom frequency extension revealing trippy surprises such as bells, wood blocks, congas, and various other percussive trinkets that possess a reach-out-and-touch presence.

Sgt. Pepper’s signifies the first instance where stereo gains an upper hand. Compared to the stereo pressing, the mono edition features less impact, punch, and dynamics. In some ways, it’s almost underwhelming when heard against its technologically advanced mate. Ironically, the results seem to argue on behalf of the use of judicious compression—meaning that the strategy can indeed be positive when used for intended dynamic purposes and not taken to loudness extremes as it so often is in modern recordings. And that’s exactly what Sgt. Peppers—and the Beatles records that follow—now resemble; the remasters make them sound like contemporary state-of-the-art albums that are recorded properly and brim with mind-blowing features that never grow tiresome.

And yet, the mono version of Sgt. Pepper’s trumps the stereo in several regards. In stereo, “She’s Leaving” runs slower and lower in pitch; the laughter in “Within You Without You” is quieter at the end; McCartney’s scatting is hardly audible on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”; the psychedelic phrasing on “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” isn’t as clear. Such discrepancies owe to the time lapses that occurred between the mono and stereo mixes as well as the full (or partial) participation of the band and George Martin, both of which favored mono. Such discrepancies are why owning both the mono and stereo mixes of Revolver, Pepper’s, Magical Mystery Tour, and The Beatles borders on mandatory.

Accordingly, the stereo version of The White Album boasts life-size images and discerningly more pronounced frequency extension than its mono counterpart. The immersive experience gives birth to underexposed intricacies (the single snare drum strike that parallels the “shot” in “Rocky Raccoon”), defined footprints (McCartney’s bass purrs and growls), and completely new sounds (“Revolution 1” has what seems to be a horn—who knew?). Differences still abound. The mono version of “Helter Skelter” is shorter, sped up, and without Starr’s renowned “blisters on my fingers” comment. The aircraft effects during “Back in the U.S.S.R.” vary, and there are fewer grunts in “Piggies.” Due such distinctions—and no clear-cut winner between the two versions, although stereo does seem to have the edge—both versions are considered “authentic.”

Again, listeners get to be the bench judge, and most likely, won’t be able to come down on one side or another, which is another benefit of the series.
No painstaking decisions involve Abbey Road or Let It Be, as only stereo versions exist. Each album unfolds like never before—particularly Abbey Road. Thicker tracks such as “She’s So Heavy” come on as indestructible walls of sound replete with phenomenal low-end weight, superb definition, vivid dynamics, and unlimited ceilings and floors. Starr’s drumming on “The End” is absorbing and titanic; it sounds so good, it’s almost difficult to believe this is the Beatles, which, unless one had unlimited funds for collectable LPs, have never sounded great. Depending on one’s perspective, such a conclusion is the ultimate sign that the folks at Capitol and Abbey Road Studios not only succeeded but surpassed most expectations. For if the Beatles remasters signify the last great hurrah of the compact disc, at least the format is going out in style.

–Bob Gendron

so psyched for this...only a week to go!

I'll buy the mono box and just get the post The Beatles remasters at some other point.

I've been selling my copies of the 1987 CD's to fund a fair wack of this, I will likely buy Abbey Road, The Beatles and Past Masters stereo on the day and the Monobox on payday.

Will likely pick up the stereo versions as and when if more people come out and say they are worth having as well.

i'm getting both box sets.

it's the fucking beatles, man. can't wait to spend september devouring first the mono then the stereo.

apparently the mono box is almost sold-out worldwide on pre-orders alone. you'd imagine that they'll make more if so.

If you didn't order the mono box already, you may be out of luck. This is what Amazon has posted about it:



I have pre-ordered a box set. Two, in fact. Stereo and mono. I will receive them. I will be very happy. I will be roadtripping in a couple of weeks, and I intend to take these along as my faithful sidekicks, much as they have been in all of my life that I have memory of. I am excited to be hearing these friends in whole new ways.

Amazon.co.uk still had some the other day.

I'm sure waffles.fm will fill my needs if EMI doesn't.

So, I read the Tone article and it seems, mono is the way to go through the White Album but I'd like to get some (sound) opinions (not funny) on mono v. stereo.

Is the mono really going to be that much better?

where's the link to download both sets?

just because they are sold out online does not mean stores will not get them. i'll be at best buy.

http://bit.ly/uR8A8

From what I've read, the remastering team focused most of their time and attention on the stereo sets, meticulously going over each release - track by track. The mono sets are more 'as is' - which might actually be a good thing. I haven't heard them yet so it's all speculation.

From my experience with the original albums, the stereo versions generally have slightly better sonics (less distortion, better highs) but the monos are just mixed better - bass and drums are more prominent, better balance overall. Results vary from album to album. I still prefer the stereo White Album and Pepper.

thanks. i kinda wish you could do mono through rubber soul and then stereo the rest of the way.

My son attended a listening session at Audio Consultants a few days ago (work related), and they demo'd the remasters on a $12,000 audio system, comparing them against the original vinyl as well as the current CD versions. He called me later, just raving about how fucking great it sounded.

It's funny - he's successfully shunned The Beatles all these years, and even he was impressed.

they'll get to you eventually.

did they demo the mono or the stereo? both?

Both, though the audiophiles were upset that Greg Kot only had burned copies of the mono sets (CD-Rs have a harsh sound to them, you know ).

He was there for five hours or so - they were pretty thorough with the comparisons.

Remember guys, the Beatles are only loved because of the layers of fandom that have been built upon them over the years. If we applied the same sort of conditioning to newer bands, they would be just as beloved too.

-Pitchfork magazine

can i just download the box set? i feel like some .jpegs of the covers is just as good. can't find it on mininova.

after several weeks faffing, I went for the stereo set on the 'how bad can it be?' premise. I just don't have sensitive enough hearing left, or acute enough a craving for authenticity, to be trying to pick the beauty out of a remastered mono set.

Is the stereo set still going to have the vocals all on one side and the music on the other?

Right there with ya.

the most annoying beatles offspring (god she's so hot though)

apparently they leaked.

U trollin?

who's the hottie?

why would I?

Because I couldn't find anything. I guess I'm not in circles that would have access to them, though.

CAN'T WAIT!

Take it to PMs, k?

not on any of the torrent sites i frequent.

edit: scratch that... only the stereo versions of Revolver & Sgt. Peppers have so far

Pretty uspet with myself for not preordering the Beatles Mono when I had the chance.

It was in my darn amazon cart and I just didnt follow through. I suppose I will just sign-up for a notification email.

i'd put money on them issuing more mono box sets before Christmas.

granted they may differ somewhat, but still

Not numbered

Update from Amazon:

these are leaking all over the place. got Revolver and Abbey Road.

Pepper's is out there too.

oh darn.

i consider myself a pretty thorough collector, but buying something that's # say 2283 out of 10,000, especially when it's THE BEATLES, isn't exactly worth the hassle/price for me. now my two numbered Arcade Fire Tunnels 7"'s... that's another story

just checking out Peppers right now and comparing to the Ebbetts...

WOW!!!

this is going to be a fun few months revisiting every album

i can't f'ing wait! nothing like hearing the best group of all time in a new way 40 years later.