New pictures, details on Beatles remasters box sets

UPDATE: These boxes are now on sale at Amazon! Click the links or ads below to pre-order!

Capitol/EMI have released these new photos and details on the upcoming Beatles stereo and mono remastered box sets. The sets, and the individually available stereo albums are all out Sept. 9.


The Beatles (stereo box set)

U.S. MSRP: $259.98. Dimensions: 12"x6"x3".

Remastered albums in stereo -- 14 titles on 16 CDs) and one DVD with all 13 mini-documentaries. Each CD includes a unique album mini-documentary embedded in QuickTime, except "Past Masters, Vols. 1 & 2'".

Description:

* Hard black glossy lift top with magnet clasp
* CDs packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos
* The stereo albums have been remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee
* Additional historical notes by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley
* Additional recording notes by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett

Contents:

* "Please Please Me" (CD debut in stereo)
* "With The Beatles" (CD debut in stereo)
* "A Hard Day's Night" (CD debut in stereo)
* "Beatles For Sale" (CD debut in stereo)
* "Help!"
* "Rubber Soul"
* "Revolver"
* "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (also includes 1987 notes, updated, and new intro by Paul McCartney)
* "Magical Mystery Tour"
* "The Beatles" aka "The White Album"
* "Yellow Submarine" (also includes original U.S. liner notes)
* "Abbey Road"
* "Let It Be"
* "Past Masters, Vols. 1 & 2" (contains new liner notes written by Kevin Howlett)




The Beatles In Mono (mono box set - limited edition)

Remastered albums in mono (11 titles on 12 CDs) and an essay written by Kevin Howlett.
U.S. MSRP: $298.98. Dimensions: 5.75"x5.38"x2.63"

Description:

* Hard white glossy slip box
* Limited edition
* CDs in 'mini LP' sleeves (replica artwork, sleeves and gatefolds)
* The mono mixes have been remastered by Paul Hicks, Sean Magee with Guy Massey and Steve Rooke

Contents:

* "Please Please Me"
* "With The Beatles"
* "A Hard Day's Night
* "Beatles For Sale"
* "Help!" (CD also includes original 1965 stereo mix) -- mono mix CD debut
* "Rubber Soul" (CD also include original 1965 stereo mix) -- mono mix CD debut
* "Revolver" -- mono mix CD debut
* "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" -- mono mix CD debut
* "Magical Mystery Tour" -- mono mix CD debut
* "The Beatles" -- mono mix CD debut aka "The White Album"
* "Mono Masters"



Word is, from those who have heard 'em, that these remasters are phenomenally good, allowing us to hear the Fabs as never before, and much better than the CDs released in the late 1980s.

Do you need the mono box? I know I do. Why? Well, up until the late 1960s, mono is how most folks heard the Beatles. And the band itself spent much more time on mono mixes than they did with stereo. I have some mono releases on original vinyl and others via "needle-drop" CDs that have circulated among the Beatles bootleg community. I actually greatly prefer the mono versions of Sgt. Pepper and "The White Album" over the stereo versions. The mixes sound vastly different than those in stereo--if you've listened to the Beatles a lot, you can't help noticing the difference. And, to me, the mono mixes sound warmer, punchier and more direct than those in stereo.

Anyway, start saving your pennies. I know I am.