Norm Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Has anybody found a better price on the stereo CD's (individually or box) anywhere? I've been holding out for affordability reasons. felser, I was in J&R in NYC today and they are selling the stereo cds for $10.99 each, except for the double cds. regards, Amazon currently has new stereo copies of The Beatles (the "White Album") and the Past Masters two-disc set on sale for 12.99 each. I doubt you'll ever find new copies cheaper than this for the double-CDs. Order both and qualify for free shipping. If I didn't already have both I'd hop on this in a second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Has anybody found a better price on the stereo CD's (individually or box) anywhere? I've been holding out for affordability reasons. felser, I was in J&R in NYC today and they are selling the stereo cds for $10.99 each, except for the double cds. regards, Amazon currently has new stereo copies of The Beatles (the "White Album") and the Past Masters two-disc set on sale for 12.99 each. I doubt you'll ever find new copies cheaper than this for the double-CDs. Order both and qualify for free shipping. If I didn't already have both I'd hop on this in a second. Thx. I ordered the doubles from amazon over the weekend, will order the singles from J&R. JF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 I just received the mono set a few days ago; I thought I'd post a few shots of it for those who haven't seen it, but are thinking about picking up a copy. I think they've done a fantastic job making the cover, sleeve, liner, outside plastic wrap and CD all look like just like a miniature LP and its accoutrements to scale. I believe these were hand-assembled in Japan... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 After much fiscal hesitation, finally made the plunge, am listening to the White Album (stereo) on headphones at work, and I'm stunned. Amazing what they have done with the sound quality. I know this is a seven week late "me too", but I can't help it. It's like I'm really hearing this music for the first time, and I've lived with this stuff for 40 years. Worth every penny and much much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Yes . . . that rare thing: a record company doing a big project right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 I went to a Target a few weeks ago for other stuff and looked and they had ZERO new Beatles remasters. Nada! The store display is already missing from my local record store! I didn't check the bins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 When I looked, all they had in the bins were copies of the earlier cds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 I was in Amoeba Records SF yesterday and there were plenty of used copies of the individual stereo remasters going for 10-11 bucks. I knew it would be a matter of weeks before these would start showing up due to the i-pod generation just ripping them and trading them in. Yes the stereo White Album remaster is wonderful. Even the Mono Beatles or bust folks over at the Hoffman forums are gaga over the stereo remaster of the White Album. I am curious to hear the mono of though as folks are saying the White Album has a more lo-fi indie rock feel to it in mono. I am still in love with the Stereo remaster of Beatles For Sale, I played No Reply, Im A Loser, Every Little Thing She Does and What Your Doing everyday this week. Pure pop bliss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 I just received the mono set a few days ago; I thought I'd post a few shots of it for those who haven't seen it Nice porn pictures there! I had buyer's remorse for about 10 seconds. Then when I slid the white box open...and here I thought I was immune to miniature faithful reproduction. (I imagine the designers are also model railroaders.) And yeah, as said the sound (most important part) is so fuggin' great. I do play these a bit louder than most of my CDs. Play it loud since it's not a "loudness war" victim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 I just received the mono set a few days ago; I thought I'd post a few shots of it for those who haven't seen it Nice porn pictures there! I had buyer's remorse for about 10 seconds. Then when I slid the white box open...and here I thought I was immune to miniature faithful reproduction. (I imagine the designers are also model railroaders.) And yeah, as said the sound (most important part) is so fuggin' great. I do play these a bit louder than most of my CDs. Play it loud since it's not a "loudness war" victim! Thanks for posting those photos. I'm almost ready to take the plunge. Must.... resist.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Englewood Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 I just received the mono set a few days ago; I thought I'd post a few shots of it for those who haven't seen it Nice porn pictures there! I had buyer's remorse for about 10 seconds. Then when I slid the white box open...and here I thought I was immune to miniature faithful reproduction. (I imagine the designers are also model railroaders.) And yeah, as said the sound (most important part) is so fuggin' great. I do play these a bit louder than most of my CDs. Play it loud since it's not a "loudness war" victim! Thanks for posting those photos. I'm almost ready to take the plunge. Must.... resist.... Don't resist, do it. :g I had the ole buyer's remorse until I got it home and opened it up and realised, "ah, this is why it's so expensive, it's perfect". The sound on the Mono set will blow even the most jaded Beatles fan away, especially if it's your first time hearing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 No buyers remorse here. When I got my copy of the mono set in the mail I was all over it. And it is a thing of beauty. They did an amazing job with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 I had the ole buyer's remorse until I got it home and opened it up and realised, "ah, this is why it's so expensive, it's perfect". For me it was seeing how small the cardboard box was from Amazon. It wasn't Mosaic shaped! I spent $220whatever for this? After the brief angst of a surgical slice of the plastic to avoid doing damage to the little white box, that moment where you slide the box out and see all those little LPs...weeeee!, it's like Christmas Day when you're 4. The sound on the Mono set will blow even the most jaded Beatles fan away, especially if it's your first time hearing them. I've noticed I've been sunnier lately, despite the rainy grey weather. This set has turned me into a whooped babbling fanboy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Wired magazine online just published a story about someone offering the complete Beatles catalogue for download cheap. You can also stream it for free. I'm listening to Beatles for sale. You guys were right. It's great. BTW Everyone presumes that this is illegal but it's sure blatant. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/bea...ne-on-bluebeat/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjarrell Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Geez, the whole mono set is there. 160kbps, but it's there, 25 cents a tune. Hard to believe it's not shut down yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 I perhaps should have inferred it from what's been written so far but which cds do you think are the most improved stereo versions? (Buying the complete set just seems too indulgent for me.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 I perhaps should have inferred it from what's been written so far but which cds do you think are the most improved stereo versions? (Buying the complete set just seems too indulgent for me.) Here's the best review I've read thus far comparing mono and stereo versions and what you might consider essential from each. It's an Amazon customer review by James Perlman posted on 9/10/09. Maybe this is more than you wanted, but I thought it was extremely informative. If you don't have time to read the whole thing, go directly to the bottom. ----- Introduction: The following is pretty much a full review of both the mono and stereo reissues largely written in real time as a series of e-mails to an old friend who once owned a legendary record store here in Chicago. The story of the reissues really comes down to the technical limitations of two-track, four-track, eight-track, etc. recordings and the relative complexity of the music of the Beatles. Listening occurred on what would be considered an audiophile system with Quad 988's as the speakers. If following reading this review, you wish to read an expanded essay by me on the box sets, please visit The Beatles Wiki site by Hyperarts. Please Please Me: The sound on the mono is just amazing. You can hear the echo in the room as John sings Anna. The vocals just soar. Ringo was just so good, even at this early stage and so was Paul. They supported and framed the songs so perfectly. And just think, in twenty-one minutes, or so, Twist And Shout! Stereo can't hold a candle to this, if for no other reason than the left/right "stereo" found later in With The Beatles, Rubber Soul and Revolver. With The Beatles: As with Please Please Me, the mono sounds so, so, nice. As the stereo has that annoying left/right "stereo," no contest: mono hands down. A Hard Day's Night: Seems better and more enjoyable in stereo. I think the reason is that they now had four tracks so George Martin could do proper stereo mixes and still have a mostly fresh first generationish sound. Remember, there were only two track available for Please Please Me. However, when they got to Rubber Soul and Revolver, four tracks weren't enough, which required, in some instances, numerous dubs of the four tracks to another four track tape, merging the four tracks to one track, thereby opening up three new tracks. While this degraded the sound somewhat it also made it difficult to back-track and do the after-thought stereo mixes, which is why we have the atrocious "stereo" of Rubber Soul and Revolver. Consequently, the reason the monos of these albums rule has mostly to do with technical limitations. While the mixes on A Hard Day's Night are true stereo mixes, they carry George Martin's idiosyncratic, but really right, decision to put the vocals in the center, the rhythm section to the left and the other instruments to the right. I always have loved how Martin took care to isolate the brilliant work of Ringo and Paul so many times instead of just following the convention of placing the drums in the center. This is why one of Martin's memoirs is entitled: "All You Need Is Ears." The Beatles For Sale: Comments, preference and reasons for preference similar to A Hard Day's Night. Help: Well, thank God we have three different versions to compare to make life ever so easy. First, mono is the definitive mix, that's a plus. As a minus, while it sounds richer, it is also a bit muddy compared to the stereo mixes. As for the stereo mixes, the remaster of George Martin's '87 remix does show some limiting in this new incarnation. A bit a hard to dial in the right volume. Sounds fuller, but that's the limiting. Not sure I care for this version too much. As for the `65 stereo version, that comes on the same disc as the mono version, as this album is somewhat acoustic, the absence of the limiting that was done to the new stereo remix/remaster is a plus. The delicacy is there in I Need You. Overall, the "old" stereo is prettier than the "new" stereo. One can argue over whether the "new" stereo or the ""old" stereo is better, I come down on the side of the "old" stereo, I like pretty. But as you get both the mono and the "old" stereo on the single mono disc, the cheapskate in me screams if you had a pistol to your head and only had to purchase one version of Help, it would be the "mono" disc. Rubber Soul: Mono over stereo, if for no other reason than the left/rt channel mix that plagued Please, Please Me, With The Beatles and Revlover. Revolver: There is a section of I Want To Tell You where Ringo is just so muscular and explosive in the mono that is missing in stereo and this is before we get to the issue of the left/right "stereo" of the stereo mix. Plus, there is just this overall richness of sound to the mono that is missing in the stereo. That said, it is a bit cooler to hear Tomorrow Never Knows in stereo. But, overall, mono. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: The things you have heard are correct about the mono mix, the clarity and control over the notes, instruments and vocals is all there. Overall, it just sounds better, fuller and richer than the stereo, plus it is what the boys intended. Oddly, the thing that was most breathtaking was She's Leaving Home; just a full, gorgeous, sound. In stereo, it just sounds relatively wrong; thin compared to the mono. That said, because Day In The Life is such a mind-f the stereo is the definitive version of this song. Magical Mystery Tour: While Pepper's sounded better in Mono, MMT sounds better in stereo. The Beatles (The White Album): Both versions have their merits, you need both. If you can only go for one, it's the stereo. Abbey Road: The defining moment of these reissues, and why it took four years, may be found on AR's I Want You (She's So Heavy). Because they couldn't take the tape hiss out without compromising the sound, they didn't. But when it came to John's final "yeah" which was over saturated and clipped previously, they were able to take the clipping out, and for the first time, you can hear all of John's vocal. Second side now, Here Comes the Sun and now Because. Wonderful sound throughout. Can't wait for Ringo at the end. Let It Be: Now that I have had the time to compare three versions of LIB, an original 1970 EMI vinyl, this remastered CD and LIB Naked, it turns out that LIB is one of the more interesting remaster releases. First, LIB Naked has it all. It is true to the original vision of the Beatles for this music. It has clarity, correct dynamics and musicality. One of the places you can hear this best is in the title track and the differences between the Martin and Spector mixes. Martin got the church-like nature of the song. Consequently, you get more organ and the choir-boy harmonies of John and George, which Spector dubbed over with horns, strings and over the top solos by George. And I'm with Sir Paul concerning the damage done by Phil to The Long And Winding Road. As for the 1970 LIB vinyl, it has its problems from a sonic standpoint, particularly as it is a Phil Spector production. This brings us to this remastered CD. It trumps the 1970 standard vinyl in clarity but not LIB Naked. The real surprise is that the compression added to this remaster actually makes this a more Phil Spectoresque production than the original. And surprisingly, I like it, at least compared with the 1970 vinyl. Still, Naked is what you want. Mono Past Masters: Right now, listening to the The Inner Light, which I hate, but it sounds so, so, so good in mono that I may actually like it. And, look out, Paul's bass piano notes in Hey Jude are right there as is Ringo's tambourine. Can't wait for Revolution plus the mono songs from Yellow Submarine. The mono Past Masters would have been perfection if they had added a stereo Let It Be and The Ballad Of John and Yoko. After all, the "stereo" Past Masters is actually a mixture of stereo and mono. So kids, here's where we end. Your core, oddly enough, should be the mono box set. Augment this with the stereo Hard Day's Night, The Beatles For Sale, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles, Abbey Road, Let It Be and stereo Past Masters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 (edited) I perhaps should have inferred it from what's been written so far but which cds do you think are the most improved stereo versions? (Buying the complete set just seems too indulgent for me.) If you not going to buy a Mono or Stereo box and want to pick up just a few of the individual stereo remasters based on the biggest improvement over the original 87 disc's my fab four picks would be: Beatles For Sale Revolver White Album Abbey Road Peppers is also has its amazing parts. Its just more of a cohesive sounding record in mono. Speaking of the mono's I will be digging more into a friends mono box this weekend so I will report back on the mono's later. Edited October 31, 2009 by WorldB3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Englewood Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 (edited) I had the ole buyer's remorse until I got it home and opened it up and realised, "ah, this is why it's so expensive, it's perfect". For me it was seeing how small the cardboard box was from Amazon. It wasn't Mosaic shaped! I spent $220whatever for this? After the brief angst of a surgical slice of the plastic to avoid doing damage to the little white box, that moment where you slide the box out and see all those little LPs...weeeee!, it's like Christmas Day when you're 4. The sound on the Mono set will blow even the most jaded Beatles fan away, especially if it's your first time hearing them. I've noticed I've been sunnier lately, despite the rainy grey weather. This set has turned me into a whooped babbling fanboy. If you want to be even more of a whooped babbling fanboy you can try doing what I have been doing these last few days. Make yourself a Mosaic style Beatles Box Set using the excellent "Revolution in the Head" as your guide. I'm calling mine "Revolution In THe Head - The Beatles Chron-tology". :g I cheated a bit and started at 1965 and "Ticket to Rinde" and from then on just followed the book and made cds with the songs in the order they were recorded, including the tracks from Anthology's 2 and 3. I find with the Fabs the track listings of the albums are almost as hard coded into your memory as the songs themselves and hearing them out of this context gives you a slightly different view on them. Also putting in the previously unreleased stuff, obviously not all of it, just the ones mentioned in the book, is great as well, hearing "Not Guilty" straight after "Hey Jude" was pretty cool, for example, or putting the early version of "Looking Through You" on before the final version is nice as well. Basically some good wholesome fun. :tup Edited October 31, 2009 by Cliff Englewood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 I just received the mono set a few days ago; I thought I'd post a few shots of it for those who haven't seen it Nice porn pictures there! I had buyer's remorse for about 10 seconds. Then when I slid the white box open...and here I thought I was immune to miniature faithful reproduction. (I imagine the designers are also model railroaders.) And yeah, as said the sound (most important part) is so fuggin' great. I do play these a bit louder than most of my CDs. Play it loud since it's not a "loudness war" victim! Thanks for posting those photos. I'm almost ready to take the plunge. Must.... resist.... Don't resist, do it. :g I had the ole buyer's remorse until I got it home and opened it up and realised, "ah, this is why it's so expensive, it's perfect". The sound on the Mono set will blow even the most jaded Beatles fan away, especially if it's your first time hearing them. Don't resist do it. The thoughtfullness that went into this is very reassuring. I love the packaging, the albums like the way we bought them and the mono sound, just like the way we grew up on them. The whole thing is very sweet. I've been listening to Beatles for Sale (I'm taking each album in chrono order) and listening to them all very carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Wife is out doing chores, got my friends mono box cranked up starting with Help because I know the new stereo version well. Review: Holy Crap! the mono version of Ticket To Ride is face melting! I everything I read about it did not prepare me for what I felt 5 seconds into it. Wow!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 If you want to be even more of a whooped babbling fanboy you can try doing what I have been doing these last few days. Make yourself a Mosaic style Beatles Box Set using the excellent "Revolution in the Head" as your guide. I'm calling mine "Revolution In THe Head - The Beatles Chron-tology". :g I cheated a bit and started at 1965 and "Ticket to Rinde" and from then on just followed the book and made cds with the songs in the order they were recorded, including the tracks from Anthology's 2 and 3. I find with the Fabs the track listings of the albums are almost as hard coded into your memory as the songs themselves and hearing them out of this context gives you a slightly different view on them. Also putting in the previously unreleased stuff, obviously not all of it, just the ones mentioned in the book, is great as well, hearing "Not Guilty" straight after "Hey Jude" was pretty cool, for example, or putting the early version of "Looking Through You" on before the final version is nice as well. Basically some good wholesome fun. :tup I did love having Please Please Me thru Pepper's on the iPod for reference while reading on my trip. Vocal flub at 1:43 you say? Ah there it is, never noticed before. At the time I put it together I didn't have the box so I mixed it up with stereo and mono but missed the non-album tracks. Sounds like a fun project to upgrade the sound on some, extend it by adding the later albums, add the Past Masters and unreleased stuff mentioned in the book. But I'm so young & modern I'll keep it to playlists rather than CDRs. Review: Holy Crap! the mono version of Ticket To Ride is face melting! Face melting?! Dude, did you wander in over from the Grateful Dead thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorldB3 Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 (edited) Review: Holy Crap! the mono version of Ticket To Ride is face melting! Face melting?! Dude, did you wander in over from the Grateful Dead thread? Ok wrong term. Its more like a Mike Tyson punch into the abdomen that stops you in your tracks when the bass and drums come in and then when Lennon starts singing its the left hand haymaker that floors you. Just awesome. I did a head to head comparison of the mono Help vs the single stereo (not the 65 stereo in the mono box) and while there are a few songs I prefer in stereo like Hide Your Love Away, Lose That Girl and Yesterday, over all the Mono blows away the Stereo. The Sgt. Pepper head to head was quite interesting. The version of Lucy is way more psychedelic and the versions of Rita/Good Morning rocks harder but the versions of Mr. Kite, Within And Without You and Day In The Life are epic in stereo. The mono version makes the album flow together better but the those magic moments on the stereo are just something else, like seeing your favorite movie in wide screen blue ray. Both are worth having. Edited October 31, 2009 by WorldB3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Both are worth having. This is the key phrase right here... I prefer the mono to the stereo in most cases, but I wouldn't want to be without both... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 For anyone who's been on the fence about the stereo box, they're back in stock at many brick-and-mortar Borders stores again (you can check in-store availability online). And Borders currently has a 40% off coupon good through Monday, so it's possible to get the stereo box for around $157 plus tax. This is probably the best deal there's likely to be on this set for a while. They're also tripling Borders Bucks this weekend - instead of $5 for every $150 you spend, you get $5 for every $50, so purchasing the stereo box with the coupon also gets $15 in Borders Bucks. 40% off coupon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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