Oh, Look Out

I get it.  I really  do.  You fancy yourself a huge Beatles fan.  You can sing along with every song in the catalog, except for those obscure, pre-Rubber Soul ones.  You dutifully purchased all the post-breakup compilations; Past Masters (yes, both volumes), Live at the BBC, maybe a couple of the Anthology records (Free as a Bird, yeah, yeah, yeah!).  You gave “1” to a favorite niece for Christmas, and you listened to the Love album with caution and trepidation, ready to heap scorn on the blasphemers who dared interfere with the primary arrangements.  Then you marched yourself out to Vegas and wept through the Cirque du Soleil fantasia.  And now, you find The Fabs at the top of the charts again, 40 years after the release of Let It Be, with their Re-mastered Mono and Stereo box sets.  Is there really anything new here?

 ..... In a not-nearly strong enough word, yes, yes, yes and yes.  What we have here, for the first time, is the digital re-mastering of the entire, original, Beatles catalog, as released in the UK.  Its release, on 09-09-09, coincided with the release of, "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. Each CD is also embedded with a QuickTime mini-documentary film about the album.  These can be purchased as individual CDs, or in two distinct boxed sets.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK.  In addition, Past Masters Vol. I and II are now combined as one title, for a total of 16 titles over 14 discs including, Yellow Submarine. This will be the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc.

    Within each CD's packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with cool and informative recording notes. The mini-docs contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chit-chat from The Beatles, along with current interviews with Paul, Ringo, George Martin and others.

    A second boxed set has been created  which, one supposes, is designed to appeal to collectors, but which is vital nonetheless. The Beatles in Mono gathers together all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release.  It contains10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two more discs of mono masters.  Additionally, the mono Help! and Rubber Soul discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs.  You’re not confused by any of this, because you’re a true Beatles fan, aren’t you?

    In short, this is undeniably the most important post-breakup release of anything done under The Beatles name previously.  Even if you’re not channeling the actual CD through Volcano cables and Eggleston Andra III speakers, there is no mistaking the difference between the re-masters and what has been available on CD up to now.  Like most of you will do, I ripped the CDs to iTunes, dragged them to the iPod, plugged in to the Aux port in my car and cranked the volume to 11.  According to the sound engineers at Apple Studios, these re-masters are as sonically close to the original master tapes as is technologically possible in 2009.  Where analog hiss and other non-performance noise has been removed, other sounds were left intact, such as instrument squeaks and breathing.   The quality of the sound is simply stunning, an unmistakable contrast to the tinny, shallow versions of the previously existing CD catalog.

    Other surprises abound, such as the sub-sonic tone following the fade-out on A Day In The Life, audible only to dogs, which itself is followed by the infinite backwards loop of the boys’ voices, previously only heard on the UK version of the original Sgt. Pepper vinyl.

    So, here’s what you do.  You take 300 bucks, go to Border’s or something, and buy the stereo box set.  Stick one of the CDs into your car’s player, and hear - in your case, for the first time - what all these wonderful songs are supposed to sound like.  You won’t be disappointed.  And no, you can’t borrow mine.