Thursday, August 13, 2009

Meet The Beatles' Boxes

In one month's time, one of the most celebrated catalogues in the history of music will finally get a proper sonic upgrade and spectacular release. No, not the 60's Robert Goulet LPs, but...you got it...The Beatles. Fans have been waiting since 1987 for Capitol/EMI to do the right thing.

Take a look at what you can expect.





Stereo Box Info:

Hard black glossy lift top with magnet clasp
CD's packaged in three panel digi-pak with digital mini documentaries
Remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee

Contains:

All 13 Studio remasters plus Past Masters (digi packaging with digital mini documentaries). DVD of all 13 mini-documentaries (Running time: 40 minutes)

Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles For Sale
Help!
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles (White Album)
Yellow Submarine
Abbey Road
Let It Be
Past Masters






Mono Box Info:


Hard white glossy slip box
Limited edition (10,000 in the U.S. market)
CDs packaged as mini LP replicas (replica artwork, sleeves and gatefolds)
Remastered by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee with Guy Massey and Steve Rooke

Contains:

Original Mono version - 11 albums (12 discs)

Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles For Sale
Help! (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix)+
Rubber Soul (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix)+
Revolver +
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band +
Magical Mystery Tour +
The Beatles (White Album) +
Mono Masters (features all of the mono tracks that appeared on singles, EPs. or that never made it onto the 13 albums)

+ denotes mono mix CD debut

(Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be are not included, as they were originally recorded in stereo)


"Aside from remastering the catalog, EMI and Apple Corps are including several value-added features to sweeten the pot for fans wondering if they need more versions of the songs they’ve already been listening to over the years.

For starters, each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original United Kingdom cover art. Included are expanded booklets containing original and new liner notes and rare photos. Furthermore, for a limited time only, each CD will include a short documentary about the album.

All 12 Beatles albums are in the digitally remastered collection, including track listings and artwork as originally released in the U.K. The set also includes Magical Mystery Tour, which was originally released in the U.K. as the soundtrack to the TV film of the same name, and wasn’t fleshed out to album size until it was released in the States. Plus, the group’s Past Masters Vol. I and II are being combined into one title, resulting in 14 titles in all – the original 12 albums, Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters."


DROOOOOOLLLL

10 comments:

steve simels said...

"The Beatles For Sale" in stereo at last?

I can die happy.

A serious candidate for most beautiful rock album ever made, and I've been jonesing for the stereo (which I had on Brit import vinyl) for ages.

Have I mentioned that the Robert Freeman cover photo is also a serious candidate for most evocative group shot ever?

Sal Nunziato said...

Yes! Yes! Yes and I know!

Noam Sane said...

And these will be given away for free, right? At least to those of us who have purchased virtually the entire catalog 4 times over?

Sal Nunziato said...

Actually Noam, unlike so many artists--Elvis Presley & The Who, to name the two biggest offenders--The Beatles catalogue has NEVER been reissued or remastered. Not once. There are no repackaged remasters. Not sure what you bought 4 times over, but if you bought the catalogue once, there'd be nothing else to buy again.

Anonymous said...

Sal, i think you made a mistake re: Beatles remasters- the Yellow Submarine,Blue& Red cd's oh and don't forget the 2 Capitol boxes are remastered.

Mel

Sal Nunziato said...

Mel,
Yellow Submarine was a compilation, as was the Red & The Blue. The Capitol Boxes each include only 4 records, and those were the US LPs, which are significantly different. The Beatles catalogue proper, debut album through Let It Be has NEVER been remastered, repackaged or reissued. Sorry, but it's true.

Michael in New York said...

Oh Sal, you and your facts. Why must you always insist on facts? To the other posters (and why would someone put up a snide post about repurchasing the beatles over and over again when it hasn't even been possible and they could have done it every five years with justification whereas Elvis Costello reissues his albums with a teasing demo or live cut to draw you in again virtually every week)?

Anonymous said...

Sal,

Are the individual cd's in mono or stereo? I saw your review on altercation about which albums are better in mono and which are better in stereo. I would love it if the White album was mono. I've looked everywhere but I can't seem to find out. The cover doesn't seem to indicate which it is.

Thanks,

Scott

Sal Nunziato said...

Scott,
The Mono editions are NOT available separately. The individual CDs are stereo.

Judemac said...

The 2009 remasters Mono/Stereo are the closest to the original UK releases. Even convinced Dr Ebbetts to retire from his Beatles needle drop releases.