The Beatles Remasters: My Personal Review

Is this new box set really worth getting? Are these newly remastered Beatles CDs really that much better than the old Beatles CDs that most Beatles fans have been listening to for the past 20 years? In a word: Yes.

I don't think people realize just how poor the sound on the old Beatles CDs was. These new remasters reveal new details and allow all of the glory of this music to be heard as it was meant to be heard. I suppose it's like watching a film in HD after you had only see it on an old VHS tape.

The Drums
Perhaps the biggest difference can be heard in the drums. On the old CDs, Ringo's drumming was often buried in the mix and difficult to hear. Now you can really hear the drums so much more clearly and they become more a part of the songs.

The Bass
Probably my favourite thing about these new remasters is how much more well defined and fuller the bass sounds. This is great, because Paul McCartney's bass parts on most of The Beatles songs were absolutely fantastic. McCartney is the greatest bass player of all time and you can hear his amazing playing more clearly than ever before on these new remastered CDs.

The Vocals
The Beatles had a lot of harmonies in their music and now finally with The Beatles Stereo Box Set you can hear each part of those harmonies clearly. You now know if it's John, Paul or George singing. They sound so good.

Some new things I have heard on the Stereo Remasters:

On 'Please Please Me' (song), you can clearly here John sing the wrong lyric in the final verse and then give a slight chuckle in his delivery of the subsequent "come on".

Everything about 'A Hard Day's Night' (album) sounds so clear and fresh.

The handclaps on 'Eight Days A Week' are fantastic, and Ringo is heard clearly now snapping away at the latches on a suitcase throughout 'Words of Love'.

Rubber Soul just comes alive. On 'Girl' you can hear extra sounds in the backgroud, and the "Ting" in 'Nowhere Man' is now very clear.

On 'Magical Mystery Tour' (song), the bus is extra loud and goes from speaker to speaker.

That crazy 'cowbell' rages throughout 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey'.

On 'Blackbird' you can you hear Paul's foot tapping out the steady beat, and just listen to Yoko Ono and Maureen Starkey sing on 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'.

The 'shoot me...' intro and bass on 'Come Together' sound amazing, as does the whole of Abbey Road.

Which to buy?
In my opinion the albums Please Please Me and With The Beatles are best heard in their Mono versions. On the remastered Mono they sound much more fuller, it's as if you are in the Cavern listening to The Beatles playing live!

The rest of the albums generally sound better in Stereo, apart from a few later songs which I actually preferred in Mono, (eg: Eleanor Rigby and Helter Skelter).

For the Beatles novice and first time buyers The Beatles Stereo Box Set is a must. It is the most popular Box Set. But, for the true Beatles fan both Box Sets are essential to appreciate the subtle differences in each song.

The Beatles Complete Catalog: Remastered and Enhanced
The Beatles Stereo and Mono Box Sets are available from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk

The classic original Beatles studio albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the Beatles catalogue has seen since its original release.

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

Within each CD's new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. The newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

Amazon.com
Please Please Me Buy CD

With The Beatles Buy CD

A Hard Day's Night Buy CD

Beatles For Sale Buy CD

Help! Buy CD

Rubber Soul Buy CD

Revolver Buy CD

Sgt. Pepper's LHCB Buy CD

Magical Mystery Tour Buy CD

The White Album Buy CD

Yellow Submarine Buy CD

Abbey Road Buy CD

Let It Be Buy CD

Past Masters Buy CD


Amazon.co.uk
Please Please Me

With The Beatles

A Hard Days Night

Beatles For Sale

Help!

Rubber Soul

Revolver

Sgt. Pepper's LHCB

Magical Mystery Tour

The White Album

Yellow Submarine

Abbey Road

Let It Be

Past Masters

The Beatles Stereo and Mono Box Sets are available from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.co.uk