Beatles Remasters coming! 09/09/09

[AllenLowe]

but now I have an actual and serious question - can I assume that the single-cd stereo versions will be around for a while or do I need to grab them right away, even though I have no money this month -

[JETman]

but now I have an actual and serious question - can I assume that the single-cd stereo versions will be around for a while or do I need to grab them right away, even though I have no money this month -

Supposedly the stereos will be around forever, or at least until the next format comes along. The mini-docs on the stereo cd's will only be on them for a limited time though. It's the monos that are limited, and which can only be obtained in the box set.

Hope this helps.

[AllenLowe]

thanks - you know, it occurs to me that I can take the stereos and, with my digital sound program, put them back into mono - anyone tried this?

Edited September 15, 2009 by AllenLowe

[Claude]

The stereo and mono releases use different mixes.

[Teasing the Korean]

thanks - you know, it occurs to me that I can take the stereos and, with my digital sound program, put them back into mono - anyone tried this?

This will make many of them significantly worse - unless your software allows you to adjust the center phantom channel in the fold down. The main problem with most Beatles and 60s pop stereo mixes is that the vocals are in the center, and they tend to dominate the mix. The mono generally has a better balance between vocals and instruments, and hence have way more punch. The only way I can listen to these in stereo is by reducing the center channel.

[king ubu]

The part about those "documentaries" somehow escaped me... are they also on the mono discs in the box? Is there a DVD in the mono box as well?

What are they, if they're not in the mono box, is it worth getting some stereo discs because of them?

[J.A.W.]

The part about those "documentaries" somehow escaped me... are they also on the mono discs in the box? Is there a DVD in the mono box as well?

No and no, the mini documentaries and DVD can only be found in the stereo box.

(edited after checking the track and content listings again)

Edited September 15, 2009 by J.A.W.

[king ubu]

The part about those "documentaries" somehow escaped me... are they also on the mono discs in the box? Is there a DVD in the mono box as well?

No and no, as far as I know.

Thanks, that clears the first half... now, how long are these documentaries, are they worth having? What do they consist of?

[.:.impossible]

YouTube.

[jazzbo]

They're about 3 minutes long. I haven't watched any of them, they don't really interest me. . . .They apparently are little docs about the making of the albums.

[JETman]

The length of the DVD included in the stereo set is 49 minutes.

[Brad]

I watched the Revolver one. Thought it was neat.

Is the DVD in the box just the accumulation of what's on the indidvidual cds?

[AllenLowe]

well, as I write I'm listening to the new Revolver in stereo - very nice - important to remember, by the way, that most of these recordings will never sound 20k-20khz, since they tried to pack so much info on such small tape. There's probably only a few tunes - and I'm thinking of some of the very "acoustic" sounding material on the American version of Rubber Soul - that'll sound super clean.

that said, I'm loving the stereo Revolver - can't wait to take it home and add some reverb and a new mix-

[king ubu]

Thanks guys - I guess I'll live happily without these videos then

[JETman]

I watched the Revolver one. Thought it was neat.

Is the DVD in the box just the accumulation of what's on the indidvidual cds?

Yes, but future pressings of the individ cd's will NOT have the docs as I understand it.

Also, fwiw, DVD is for TV, docs on individ discs can only be watched on computer.

[Norm]

I apologize if this had been discussed in this thread previously or if it should be self-evident, but I have a question about the pricing structures of the two new sets.

I'm wondering why the mono box set, containing less material (13 discs vs. 17 including DVD) than the stereo box set is more expensive. Amazon's price for the stereo set is $180 whereas it is $230 for the mono box. Is this due primarily to the fact that the mono box set is a "limited release" and thus will be of greater value over time or is due moreso to the fact that more labor and technology has to be deployed for remastering mono albums.

I have bought several of the stereo remasters (individually) and ordered the mono set from DVD Pacific, though I've been informed by their staff that it was listed available ("low stock") in error when I ordered it on Friday (according to them, they haven't had any stock since 9/9/09) so its unclear when it will become available.

Edited September 15, 2009 by Norm

[Aggie87]

I'm not sure there's really one answer. It is a more limited pressing than the stereo cds, and it is also a "better" box, IMO. The mono's mini-lp sleeves are much nicer than the digipaks on the stereo discs. The discs have individual plastic sleeves, and cardboard sleeves, as well as a plastic sleeve for the lp sleeve as well. Plus the mono box has a separate booklet, whereas the stereo box doesn't (but it does have individual booklets for those).

I don't think it has to do with the mastering being any more expensive, though I could be wrong.

Edited September 15, 2009 by Aggie87

[JETman]

The mono box was manufactured and hand-assembled in Japan. Better cd quality than exists in the US as well. Typically, individual Japanese mini-lps of this type go for $20-$25 a pop. At the MSRP, these work out to $300/13 = $23 per. This seems to be in the ballpark. I believe you needn't look further than this to explain the price differential between the mono and stereo sets.

[king ubu]

sure, the mono mastering was much more expensive, it used much more Beatles and George Martin time back then, and the value of that time has grown as... well, time went by...

[Van Basten II]

The mono set is a limited edition to squeeze more money out of collectors since the consensus among the audiophiles that the monos are the real version while the stereo set can be either be bought as a set or individually and is not seen as pure.

[Quincy]

Argh! Passed by an independent shop that was selling them for $11 so I grabbed Beatles For Sale & Abbey Road. Would have gotten the White Album too had they had it as my copies of that one could be improved upon. Unlike some I've never had a severe reaction to stereo versions after hearing mono, nor do I consider the Dexterized songs to be abominations. I'm glad to have variations of it all considering I've heard the songs 10,000 times or whatever. Darn the luck Beatles For Sale does sound very nice, very very nice - the drums and acoustic guitar especially. Dammit, all the compliments about the clarity is correct, at least with the initial impression. This album remained fresher for me than any of them as it was probably the least played when I was young. I love the Lennon lead vocal original songs, liked the covers and always found "Baby's In Black" to be such an odd choice to add to their short live sets. And "Mr. Moonlight" is so bad that I love it. It's a fun album to sing along to when doing dishes.

Hell, I could see getting it all...again. Still, as I live in a college town I think I can pick off the stereos at my leisure as they'll show up used left & right, especially before winter break and then again after as the kiddies need money and cash in presents from parents. But I may fold and have to get the mono box after all. Aye...

[jazzbo]

If you order the Mono box from amazon and take the free shipping option, that costs you 230. If you divide that by 12 each cd costs you 19.09. For excellent quality lp facimile Japanese cds, that's not a bad price.

Edited September 16, 2009 by jazzbo

[WorldB3]

Argh! Passed by an independent shop that was selling them for $11 so I grabbed Beatles For Sale & Abbey Road. Would have gotten the White Album too had they had it as my copies of that one could be improved upon. Unlike some I've never had a severe reaction to stereo versions after hearing mono, nor do I consider the Dexterized songs to be abominations. I'm glad to have variations of it all considering I've heard the songs 10,000 times or whatever. Darn the luck Beatles For Sale does sound very nice, very very nice - the drums and acoustic guitar especially. Dammit, all the compliments about the clarity is correct, at least with the initial impression. This album remained fresher for me than any of them as it was probably the least played when I was young. I love the Lennon lead vocal original songs, liked the covers and always found "Baby's In Black" to be such an odd choice to add to their short live sets. And "Mr. Moonlight" is so bad that I love it. It's a fun album to sing along to when doing dishes.

Hell, I could see getting it all...again. Still, as I live in a college town I think I can pick off the stereos at my leisure as they'll show up used left & right, especially before winter break and then again after as the kiddies need money and cash in presents from parents. But I may fold and have to get the mono box after all. Aye...

Report back after you crank up Abbey Road.

[J.A.W.]

If you order the Mono box from amazon and take the free shipping option, that costs you 230. If you divide that by 13, each cd costs you 17.70. For excellent quality lp facimile Japanese cds, that's not a bad price.

Facsimile Japanese CDs usually cost 2500 yen, which at the moment = about $27.50.

[Quincy]

Report back after you crank up Abbey Road.

Bass! There's a bassist on this album! Who knew?

This was tops on my list as my MSFL vinyl is too...uh, mannered. (Something about it didn't move me to become a MSFL vinyl junkie back then.) Plus this was the 1st rock album I listened to on the folks' Magnavox console while I played with my Matchbox & Hot Wheels cars (just last week! ) so there are highly sentimental reasons for getting it. I might still play the UK needle drop or the vinyls I own for old time's sake as some of the pops have become part of the song for me but boy howdy...great work.

What a strange time we live in where lately rock reissues (Elvis P., Rod the Mod) are being released with mighty fine masterings, meanwhile the companies doing it are in deep dodo financially for a multitude of reasons, everything from too much leverage to the piracy problems. I have hope that they've discovered that they can resell it all to old (40+) folks who don't want overly compressed music & who for some reason still want something to touch. Whatever happens, I'm over my knee jerk reaction that rock reissues will likely be shrill or compressed, or other "Hoffman" terms for bad masterings.