9th September, 2009 marked another important day for music fans – especially for the Fab Four’s fans. It was the day of the long-promised releases of the remastered Beatles’ whole catalogue – in both mono and stereo edition. It sure is such a long wait, considered that the Fab Four’s catalogue has not been touched, or improved, for more than 2 decades.
The mono edition, dubbed “The Beatles in Mono”, is a 13-disc box set contained 11 remastered albums originally released in true mono format – not the mono mixes from the stereo recordings. Including 1 official compilation album, the mono box set contains the following albums;
Please Please Me (1963)
With the Beatles (1963)
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Beatles for Sales (1964)
Help! (1965)
Rubber Soul (1965)
Revolver (1966)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band (1967)
Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
The Beatles (1968) (aka the White Album)
Mono Masters (1962-1969) (aka Past Masters vol.1 & 2)
Although the 1969’s Yellow Submarine was released as a 5-track mono mix EP in UK, the producer decided not to put in here because it was re-mixed from stereo version – not a ‘true’ mono mix. Each album was packed in a mini-LP package with the resized replica of the inserts, giving the feeling of the original releases. The compact-size, clean-looking box is also a nice touch.
The sound quality is also superb, cleaner and clearer than before. The majority of the fans may turn to this set instead of its stereo counterpart – probably it is the version they grew up with. (We all know and love Beatles because of those mono recordings, don’t we.) Some even argue that this mono set definitely sound better than the stereo one. And George Martin was right, Sgt. Pepper album does sound much better in mono.
However, there is one more reason why you should go for this box set. There are a more bonus materials in this mono edition than in the stereo edition. In the albums ‘Help!’ and ‘Rubber Soul’, the producer also included the original 1965 stereo mix in each disc – meaning 2 version of the album in one disc! The track list of Past Masters vol.2, now the 2nd disc of Mono Masters, was also re-arranged. 4 stereo singles (“The Ballad of John and Yoko”, “Old Brown Shoe”, “Across the Universe”, “Let It Be”) were removed in favor for the 5 previously unreleased 1967/68 mono mix (“Only a Northern Song”, “All Together Now”, “Hey Bulldog”, “It’s All Too Much”, “Across the Universe (Wildlife version)”). All these features make this set a worthy purchase for fans who love the original mono sound with lot of genuine rarities – even though it cost more than the stereo box set. |
