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3.44pm
31 March 2008
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Ping! An email: “Your Amazon.co.uk order of “The Beatles In Mono [VINYL]” has been dispatched”
Yes, I caved. I went on a vinyl binge over the weekend and decided I simply had to have this.
Oh, and OBP, I’m with you on the She Loves You edit. I know they strove for authenticity with the remasters, but it’s one error I really wish they’d fixed.
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1.36am
28 March 2014
Offline parlance said
^^ I’m no expert by any means, but someone on the panel claimed that with great care, records “wear well” and not out. Michael Fremer, the guy who did the needle drop was almost hilariously careful, wiping the records and stylus with each play. Point being I suppose that a case can be made that virgin vinyl can last longer than most people might think. Of course, the average person won’t be going to the same lengths as that guy.parlance
parlance, the very reason he was being hilarious careful, was simply because like Inner Light mentioned, they do wear. But it would take a lot of playing to start wearing, jut like the originals started wearing. probably worth the risk. Especially if you have very expensive equipment.
I’m jealous of you guys who’ve bought the new set! 
BEATLES Music gives me Eargasms! 
10.59am
Reviewers
17 December 2012
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My first thoughts, and I’m only up to With The Beatles and Please Mr. Postman – Paul’s sodding bass! Feck Me! That’s suddenly THERE! And the texture of their voices! Listen to George on Chains ! Think this is becoming my go-to!
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
11.49am
Reviewers
29 November 2012
Offline Ron Nasty said
My first thoughts, and I’m only up to With The Beatles and Please Mr. Postman – Paul’s sodding bass! Feck Me! That’s suddenly THERE! And the texture of their voices! Listen to George on Chains ! Think this is becoming my go-to!
I hear you! Ever since I got the mono CD box a few years ago, it’s been my go-to…this weekend I started doing a side-by-side comparison of the mono and stereo versions and by Pepper, which was HUGELY different between the two, it confirmed to me that mono is far superior (even though I grew up on the stereo versions). Pepper in stereo is just so thin and weak (even though it’s crystal clear and a still a great album)…the mono version is a marvelous soundscape. It’s obvious the Beatles spent lots of time and care on the mono mixes and not on the stereo (which they’ve all claimed for years)
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2.59pm
Reviewers
4 February 2014
Offline I really can’t wait to get my hands on the Mono albums in one form or another based on all these reviews!
5.49pm
8 November 2012
Offline4.01pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline Mr. Kite said
I really can’t wait to get my hands on the Mono albums in one form or another based on all these reviews!
Same here. I have been putting it off but now feel I’m ready to take the plunge.
So this is reason # 8,246,437 why I love my wife. The other night, we were talking about Cheap Trick (stay with me here) and I mentioned that I still had their first few albums on vinyl. She said she has been hearing a lot on the radio lately that vinyl is making a comeback and I should go out an buy a new turntable. I then mentioned that this box set was out. To which she replied, “Ho, ho, ho”. I am one lucky S.O.B.
Anyway, I think I’ll start with the Mono CD’s first so I can put them in my iPod. The vinyl will come later on down the road.
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Mr. KiteTo the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
4.19pm
31 March 2008
Offline Happy Christmas, Zig! Unless that was just a “Yeah, lol, dream on” reply. In which case, you should go right out and buy yourself the box set.
I got my set a couple of days ago, but haven’t had time to sit down and listen to it yet. Ellie and the kids are away for a few nights soon, so I’m going to immerse myself in vinyl goodness and (gasp!) do a whole heap of writing. I will say, the production values are very high – they’ve done a fabulous job with the replicas. I think I might throw away my shabby old 60s vinyl now I’ve got these (j/k).
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9.02pm
28 March 2014
Offline 
Joe said
they’ve done a fabulous job with the replicas. I think I might throw away my shabby old 60s vinyl now I’ve got these (j/k).
I almost cried, then laughed……..
BEATLES Music gives me Eargasms!
9.32pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline Joe said
Happy Christmas, Zig! Unless that was just a “Yeah, lol, dream on” reply. In which case, you should go right out and buy yourself the box set.
I got my set a couple of days ago, but haven’t had time to sit down and listen to it yet. Ellie and the kids are away for a few nights soon, so I’m going to immerse myself in vinyl goodness and (gasp!) do a whole heap of writing. I will say, the production values are very high – they’ve done a fabulous job with the replicas. I think I might throw away my shabby old 60s vinyl now I’ve got these (j/k).
Nope – she is definitely an enabler of my Beatles sickness. 
Enjoy your upcoming nights of bachelorhood…for about five minutes. After that you’ll miss them like crazy.
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JoeTo the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
10.00pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline I’m wondering if Ellie knows she’s away with the kids for a few days yet, or whether @Joe is on the phone to his in-laws, “You know you’d love to see your grandchildren, and I have new Beatles vinyl… erm… work to catch up on…”
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
10.05pm
31 March 2008
Offline @Ron Nasty She knows that I wouldn’t want to stay with the in-laws, so I get a few days’ reprieve. As Zig said, it’s nice for a while. I do start to go a bit crazy when left on my own – I’ll probably start talking to the cats about run-out grooves and fold-over covers.
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Don't miss The Bowie Bible – now live!
4.08pm
8 November 2012
Offline Rolling Stone review of new White Album mono edition.
parlance
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Zig, Bongo4.17pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline 
This reissue reminds me of Tommy Lee Jones’ crack about technology in Men in Black: ”Guess I’ll have to buy the White Album again.” But you get it as the band intended you to hear it.
*sigh*
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
8.51pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline Weren’t the 2009 stereo remasters the way we were meant to hear them; i recall an article telling us that it felt like we were in the same room as The Beatles when John was singing ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun ‘. Now those stereo mixes are implied as being s**t because it was digital not analogue and the mono vinyl is the way we were meant to hear them. Going on that basis every new release will be the way we were meant to hear them* until its got to the point where we can get teleported back in time to actually be in the studio as the songs are being recorded.
Anyone else losing the will to give a toss?
*repeated with the intention to annoy as much as these new formats are getting to annoy me.
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8.54pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline I am starting to feel that way. It seems it’s more a case of “the way we were meant to keep paying for them”.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
9.40pm
20 December 2010
Offline meanmistermustard said
Weren’t the 2009 stereo remasters the way we were meant to hear them; i recall an article telling us that it felt like we were in the same room as The Beatles when John was singing ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun ‘. Now those stereo mixes are implied as being s**t because it was digital not analogue and the mono vinyl is the way we were meant to hear them. Going on that basis every new release will be the way we were meant to hear them* until its got to the point where we can get teleported back in time to actually be in the studio as the songs are being recorded.Anyone else losing the will to give a toss?
*repeated with the intention to annoy as much as these new formats are getting to annoy me.
The stereo and mono masters from 2009 are great! They used the analog original master tape. The songs were not remixed but cleaned up. After all this was done, they transferred it to the digital format and compact disc. There is no degradation of sound. The vinyl masters sound great but are just another way of trying to be retro and telling us that the Beatles wrote and performed songs for vinyl format only and in mono. Anything else was not what they wanted. This is ridiculous. Paul and Ringo both highly approved the remasters from 2009. I understand the technical variations between CD and vinyl but that doesn’t make the vinyl sound better. This to me is like someone saying they can hear a real difference between an MP3 320kps versus a MP3 256kps. I think we are all brainwashed into thinking and believing that what these engineers say is the gospel truth. Don’t forget, they get paid and once again, it’s all about the money and sales. The Beatles recordings will continue to be re-released as long as their is interest in these recordings which will probably be forever. Also, keep in mind that records do wear out especially the sonic capability regarding mids and highs. CD’s do not wear out. What you hear on day one will sound the same twenty-five years from now. I was a National Sales Mgr. for a record label and dealt with vinyl, CD’s, cassettes and tape. We need to just draw the line and enjoy the music.
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11.22pm
20 September 2013
Offline All valid points, folks. However there is no doubting the quality of these mono LPs. I also have the mono cds, and as good as they are they don’t hold a candle to the LPs, and I haven’t got a fantastic hi-fi set-up, decent but quite modest if I’m being honest. The vinyl will degrade over time, but I’ve recorded the albums on my computer as Flac files, so they’re good to take anywhere in whatever format I need them, (even cd, the irony) and they’ll stay at the same quality.
The problem with the mono cds and the 2009 stereo vinyl is the 16 bit/44.1 format is flawed – there’s a lot of information missing that is present on the mono LPs. It’s a cliche but there’s so much more I can hear, across the board the vocals have a depth and power missing from the cds, which sound brittle in comparison. It’s the silly things you notice, like the laughter at the end of Within You Without You , or the claves in And I Love Her – it really does sound like they are in the room with you.
The LPs are also incredibly quiet – between songs you can hear the tape noise of the individual tracks on the master tape fade-in and out, crazy! As much I’m as a sucker for chucking my money down the Beatle plug-hole, I can’t recommend them enough.
11.51pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline Had the 2009 remasters been done as you suggest, @Inner Light – the original analog masters remastered then transferred to digital, people might have less problems with them. However they were not. The analog masters were only used to create a new set of digital masters.
For the transfer and archiving part of the process, we did it song by song… – Guy Massey
The Pro Tools system was treated as a tape machine. – Paul Hicks
It was only then that any work started on them.
There was a listening period once we’d transferred an album and were happy with the transfers. We would have detailed lyric sheets and timing sheets, and between us all, we’d identify areas that we thought we would want to remove — clicks, de popping, if we could do it. We’ve got the luxury of going back to the multitracks and saying ‘Is that an electrical noise? Yes it is, let’s take it out.’ In ‘Kansas City ‘ [from Beatles For Sale ], the stereo version, there’s quite a big drop-out that’s very noticeable. We used Retouch in the CEDAR world to fix issues like that. And then we’d cut those fixed portions into the master file, so it wasn’t a complete process we were doing there. On some tracks there were quite a few little edits we had to do. – Guy Massey
And then the remastering process began, and some subtle remixing (see the bit below about instrument separation, bass and drum).
Guy and Paul came up to my room, we had a listen through to what was now the cleaned up master version, and decided how we were going to tackle each track. We took each track in turn and tried to get the best out of it sound wise. We were always careful not to go too far, because we were dealing with the Beatles, and everyone knows the Beatles sound, but we wanted to give the public the best possible sound we could. So we were trying to get as much separation between the instruments, as much clarity as possible. If we could put a bit more bass line or kick drum in and give it a bit more punch, we would do. So we listened to each track in turn, once we were happy with the sound, we’d put it onto my workstation. It took about a day to do 14 tracks, something like that. – Steve Rooke
[The above quotes are taken from this detailed October 2009 article on the remasters.]
The new mono remasters are completely analog, and all the better for it. I’ll admit I only have a (very good) needledrop of the new mono, but they are a clear improvement on the 2009 mono remasters, and do create an argument for the stereo to be given the same treatment.
The disappointment has to be that in 2009 they did not create analog remasters and then digitise.
"I only said we were bigger than Rod... and now there's all this!" Ron Nasty
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
12.12am
20 September 2013
Offline I also have an issue with the ‘cleaning-up’ of the masters for the 2009 releases. I’d love to know what happened to the ‘top-end’ on the opening bars of A Hard Day’s Night for instance. Tape degradation or lessening the impact of the opening bars, i.e. more ‘radio friendly’?
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