Just picked up the black vinyl issue of Meet the Beatles. Ran it through my Kirmuss Audio ultrasonic machine. Sounds fantastic! Dead quiet vinyl, nice loud dynamic cut! Better than any US mono version I have ever heard.
A lot of the pop music of that era was mixed hot because the engineers knew most would hear the music on single speaker AM car radios or on inexpensive home record players. Comparatively few listened on quality high fidelity or stereo equipment. Transitor AM radios were what most of us had then 😂
The MEET THE BEATLES albums were cut for vinyl from the original master tapes using a completely analog signal path and with constant reference to first generation pressings of the original albums. They were made using a Studer A80 master recorder with analog preview & program paths, and an Neumann VMS70 cutting lathe originally installed in Capitol Studios in 1971. This specific all-analog cutting technique allows faithful representation of the full musical range and dynamics present on the original tapes.
I enjoyed your insightful review! It was super helpful to hear your perspective on this US Mono re-release. I’m a British fellow collector who loves the original UK 60s mono Beatles albums; I appreciate your comparison. I have a 60s USA Stereo of ‘Meet the Beatles' which I bought as was curious how the folks in the US heard the band for the first time there. ‘I wanna hold your hand ‘ is a great opening track. Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise! I've just subscribed and look forward to future content from you. Be Well.
I agree on packaging being done very well , for a 67yo original fan , this is what we grew up on, I am waiting for my box to arrive and did pickup the blue vinyl at Target and I thought the sound was a great representation of what they sounded like in 64’. I was impressed, it is that compressed “ hot” mono sound with the Capital tricks all there with the echo or reverb added in, but I liked it and although I have many copies of the originals , as you said to hear a clean copy without the nostalgic pops n ticks was nice - Fab Review, take care 👍🏻
Yours is the most educated review that I will ever accept. I'm with you on Stereo. Mono Beatles records (as well as Beach boys) always sounded like AM radio. However, there are Beatles UK mono mixes that sound incredible, but they are not stereo, and to me that's like watching a color movie in black and white. If I want mono, I will flip the switch on my preamp and listen to is as such. I will wait for the stereo box to hit the street before I shell out $300.00 on a vinyl set. BTW, there was never a mono mix of Meet The Beatles, Early Beatles and Beatles Story.... they were fold downs of the stereo. What you have in your hands is a fold down of the stereo tape. Thanks for the review!
Funny enough, "With the Beatles" actually got a Canadian release in 1963, but with the word "Beatlemania" tacked in front of it, becoming the first Beatles LP to be released in North America. Now, don't get me wrong, the U.S. Capitol albums indeed are a significant piece of Beatle history, but the Canadian Beatles albums have been largely overshadowed and definitely should get a reissue of their own using the same tapes that were used on the original pressings in 1964. It was after the release of the "Long Tall Sally" album that Capitol in the U.S. put their foot down and ordered the Canadian office to match the Canadian Beatles records with the U.S. beginning with "Something New". And the greatest thing about the Canadian albums is that they didn't mess around with the sound quality like on the U.S. albums.
Enjoyed your show as well as your channel . Very informative David. I wish I had your insight and knowledge and especially your intalect. I bought my copy today. I’ve never heard the mono. Thanks art
I take a different view on mono . When you grow up listening to those Beatles classics on radio ,you want to hear them as they sounded on the radio when you buy the albums. Sometimes stereo will be a disappointment because there will be instruments you won't pick up as you were able to in mono Capitol out classes Parlophone/EMI/ Apple with the Magical Mystery Tour album . It was an EP in the UK.Everywhere else it was an LP with 5 extra songs including a song not released in the aUK - Baby You're A Rich Man which is one of my favs from MMT 🇺🇲
Great Review ! When I was became a teen in 1964 the first album, I bought was Meet the Beatles when it first came out. I saw the early LPs of the Beatles on VJ Records and other labels but never bought them (money from my paper route was tight) The local record store Farrington Records in Arlington Massachusetts sold LPs for $5.99 after buying 5 LPs you got 1 free. LOL I went to Jordan Marsh and Lechmere Sales and Harvard Coop - $2.48 for mono $2.99 for stereo. This was a better deal... I had a nice stereo setup because my dad was into "the" all new 360 degrees of sound. I still have in my possession, Meet the Beatles and the 700 album purchases that followed. *** My neighborhood friend Jeff Jones worked at the Harvard Coop in the early 70s, and he directed me to many records I now have in my collection. *** Jeff Jones went on to work for Sony NY and now runs the Beatles "Apple Corp." in the UK and USA. Jeff took over in 2007 when Neil Aspinall retired and later died. Jeff Jones stepped down Oct. 21st, 2024. The Beatles were true trail blazers... Joe S
Enjoyed the video! These LPs serve two purposes. First, they offer a nostalgic reminder to fans who grew up on these versions. Second, they provide newer fans an alternate way of experiencing the music… presenting it the same way that American fans enjoyed them in the 60s. I don’t think these will end up being definitive versions for most people, but I can appreciate how fun they are. They are not audiophile albums, but nobody should expect them to be. (Though it’s distressing to hear about noisy vinyl.)
I just got my blue vinyl version at Target, too. It took me awhile to find it - I had to flip through the entire record section! I gave up at first but then I tried one more time and finally found one between a batch of some other albums. I think it was the only one left. It was like I struck gold when I saw it! For a moment I felt like I was a kid again buying Beatles records. Haven't opened it yet because the dog is going to give it to me for Christmas!😉
Thank you David for honest and eye opening review. This is why I subscribed to your channel. I was totally disappointed in the number of boxsets available. With the price being such and for many who preordered it only never get it, I feel it leaves people not wanting to collect records at all. Bright side is I have more $’s for other records I will listen to.
I have all the original Beatle albums and inserts. Even though I have all Beatles’ songs digital, I still listen to my albums. The mono albums sound great, scratches and all. They were created that way. Love how the two speakers work individually. I think they lose something in stereo.
Thank you for your video. Very well done and you parallel my thoughts. I picked up my copy at Target this morning as well but more for a curiosity piece than a music piece. I have so many versions and releases of all The Beatles release from my original copies to the most recent ones. It is an act of passion for this music and how much it means to me. I enjoy them all. I bought all the “2009” version box sets in stereo and mono in both vinyl and CD and then bought each of the individual album box sets as they were released. I also have the Capital CD Box sets as well as Japanese versions of “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday and Today” (with the fake babies cover) but don’t usually play them as I am a UK / Stereo guy but Sgt. Pepper in mono is quite different and worth listening to from time to time. I ramble but it is for the love of this music. Thank you and enjoy this once in forever music.
Informative video Dave, I’m with you on the nostalgia part of the new Meet The Beatles colored vinyl Lp. At this point I have decided not to purchase the albums or the box set (the packaging is nice though). Since I have the original Capitol Beatles albums & Vol. 1 & 2 of the Beatles Capitol Albums sets on cd, I don’t feel they are a must have for me. And from your review it seems like a little tweaking was done to the original Capitol mix! I also discovered the UK Beatles Lp’s in the 1970’s & was fascinated by the album covers & song lineup. Plus when I played them I heard the sound/mix differences, it was later on I found out it was the way the Beatles & George Martin intended fans to hear them. Although the UK mixes are cleaner & dryer- sounding(no reverb added) I still like the reverb & punchier sound Dave Dexter added to the UK mixes. To me the Dexter mixes you can hear texture & bottom end (drums/bass) in the Beatles songs, on the other hand I can understand how the UK stereo mixes you can pick out the subtlety of the instruments better, which are easier on the ears. And I don’t mind the left & right stereo separation of vocals & instruments on the earlier albums. For me it comes down to what I feel like listening to on a particular day - US/UK Lp/Cd this mix or that mix. Enjoyed your knowledge & thoughtful video!
In February 1964, when I was 16, I bought the Capitol Meet The Beatles..mono, of course Later, I gave it to a friend who wanted it, a decision i regretted. I’d like a good replacement if price was right. The early Beatles songs were just so much fun .
Thanks for the review David🎸✌🏻👍🏻 Being born in the mid 60’s I did not grow up with The Beatles US albums. I did not get into the proper albums until the UK versions found in the cd breadbox came out. So that was what 25 yrs after the fact? Point is my ears go with the UK versions as what I am use to. So not much attraction for me with these. I am curious sort of as to how these new reissues differ from the original Capitols. “Better” being relative of course. So I might get Meet The Beatles to compare to my brothers old US original. But really for a listener fan like me I just do not have the “Oh that is so cool, just like I remember on the radio back in 1964!” nostalgia reference point. And like you said..the original Capital Dextorization sounds like a turd anyway. And you know what they said about those..can’t really polish them. My opinion on mixes.. My philosophy on prefered mix is “whichever serves the music best”. There are some anemic sounding mono mixes and some stereo mixes that are bizzare sounding. And some mono mixes that sound better than a bizzare “why did they set the drums way over there?” or “Sounds like the guitar is in a tunnel” stereo mixes. And the same can be true for mono vs stereo in that the mono mix sounds like its recorded in a tin can compared to the stereo mix. Dylans early albums sound much more balanced in mono for instance. Early soul usually sounds much better in mono. Yet “Help!” by The Beatles sounds better with the stereo mix. Mono gets a bad rap due to the idea that soundstage is always compromised. Which is a myth. Listen to The Animals in mono, or Kinks. Sounds like the band is right in front of you. Some mono mixed albums vs the stereo counterpart actually have such a great mix that they sound bigger than the poorer stereo. Same thing with The Beatles. Some of the mono stuff is powerfully right up front, just the way a band would sound with a good soundfield. The Beatles are such an example of there are a few scattered stereo versions of early songs that do sound better. But all in all mono is the way for the early stuff. “Rubber Soul” in stereo? Terrible. Mono 100% better (hoping Giles gets this one right when he demixes, remixes, puts it in a blender or whatever he does to get a decent stereo mix) If one has never heard the “Revolution” mono single vs the stereo, then I would highly recommend it. Hendrix “Stone Free” in mono is a monster. Blows the stereo version away. And I hate that phrase “blows it away”, but in this case it is true. Then sometimes both mixes are great but just different experiences due to different elements of the instruments being more present. The White album is a classic example. I like both stereo and mono depending on the day of the latter album. Same with Sgt Peppers. I like the mono Barclay of “Are You Experienced?” and I also enjoy the more psyche feel of the stereo version. Ones rockin’ the other is more trippy. See ya buddy🎸✌🏻
I just got my blue album yesterday for Christmas along with Jack White's Elvis Presley Sun Records 45 of my happiness from my daughter. We were having a mail strike up here in Vancouver Canada, and we have friends just over the border in Washington state, so we had them mailed to them, and they bought them over the border to my daughter. She does that here and there anyway because they charge an arm and a leg to mail them to Canada. I wish that they had paper glued on cardboard like the original covers. Also in the future maybe people will rave about the fact that we are getting French imports for this album, like they did in the past. I wonder if the box sets are also pressed in France
I was sick at home in 1964 when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan for the first time. I wanted a copy of the I want to hold your hand single. My mother went looking for it, but they were sold out, so she brought home the Meet the Beatles album instead. I played it over and over on her vacuum tube, mono record player. I still have the original, but I'm sure it's pretty beat up after being abused by an 8 year old kid (me). My turntable hasn't had a drive belt in probably 20 years. Once the first Beatles box set of CDs (the ones in the black wooden roll top box) came out in the late 1980's I never saw the need to listen to my old Beatles vinyl albums anymore.
@@MichaelSmith-rn1qw Wow. Did you ever make out on that deal! The entire album instead of the 45! My siblings and I could only afford singles, of course. It was a big deal when my older sister got 'Rubber Soul' for Christmas in 1965.
I resisted CDs until the industry forced my hand. I vividly remember my first CD experience - it was an Everly Brothers anthology. The instant the music began, I was knocked out by the lack of any surface noise before the music. ! ! ! I was sold. BUT. A decade or so later, I rediscovered the vinyl experience, since I'd collected a few hundred LPs and 45s. Now, I'll play both, depending on my mood, I guess.
@@richchannel-1311 although Apple Corp has licensed the releases and has the copyright, this is purely branded Capitol Records except for a small written text around the interior ring of the label next to the Rainbow where it says “This sound recording is owned by Calderstone Productions Ltd. ( a division of Universal Music Group)/Apple Corps Ltd
Does anyone know if these versions were cut on a mono or stereo lathe? Not truly mono versions if cut with stereo cutting heads! Just two tracks of mono which is fine of course. Just wondering.
@@cymbaldrum the UA-cam Video “Kevin Reeves on the 2024 US Mono Beatles box set” does not specify the lathe used or whether stereo vs mono. He only mentions is being cut by a sapphire stylus.
Mine has very, very slight warp too, nothing crazy or worth fussing about. I'm super happy with this overall and it felt great to get a "new" Beatles album on release day. 🙂
Nice review. After meeting Bruce Spizer, I bought all of the books he wrote about the Beatles. He and Perry Cox are pretty much the go-to’s on the subject. I’m glad I have the original copies, I’m done buying the same record six times😝
First time listener to your video. I started listening to the Beatles in the early to mid 70's with first purchase of Red & Blue compilations, and have progressed to where you are now. Very informative and educational video. I have to agree with you on all fronts. You lean to the original release and subsequent reissues being the better one to have than most of the new re-releases and remixed and remastered versions that have occurred in the last 15 or so years. They are trying to resell old product, and if you are lucky to have good copies of originals or reissues that later came out, or foreign pressings, you are lucky and should be ok. Spot on on the Capital and mono versions being made to sound "hot" for AM radio, because that is where music was heard back then. In '64, any major Top 40 radio station used heavy compression and reverb for a larger than lif sound. All teens listend to the these Boss Radio formated sations to hear the latest rock and roll. If you had a true"hi-fi" or "stereo" back then, you were in the minority and most who had it were older men who listened to classical and jazz, stereo reproduction was in its infancy for rock and roll, and even the engineers who mastered and mixed to stereo were just getting use to how to image the music as most of it was on 1, 2,3, or 4 tracks. A lot of the music was "folded down" from a stereo or multi-track mix. But here in the US, I remember buying this music in the 70's, being in that "stereo" format listening to it at home and on early FM stations that were now broadcasting in stereo in the early to mid 70's. Having first heard the Parlofone albums, I agree, they just sound better and more natural w/o the reverb, echo and added compression that made the music a "wall of sound" to the listener listening it on AM or a mono or cheap record player at home. But that was the way it was listened to. Based on your advice, and what I ave now for the Beatles (an other major artists), I will probably pass on buying these, as it just seems more now like a duplication, or alternative version (sounding better or not) or a feel good purchase, when in reality, I would probably pull the orignal, reissue, or Parlophone version, with its flaws and oddities and all simply becasue that is how I remembered it and eperienced it. Now if you are 45 and under, and do not have the library, or the memory of what the Beatles sounded like on radio or on other mediums growing up, then this would be a good purchase for you. I still want to purchase the individual albums..............................
Outstanding post. I'm patiently awaiting my box set and "Meet The Beatles"on blue vinyl. I purchased both of these through JPC online music stores out of Germany. They both were cheaper. So, with said again, thanks for the post. Hopefully one day Apple/Universal will re-release Mono box set.
Where Capitol really screwed up badly was not just taking the Vee-Jay issue of “Introducing The Beatles” and just applying the Capitol logo to that.I absolutely Loathe the release “The Early Beatles”, which is a butchery of a butchery to start with. There are some of us that will never forgive Dave Dexter for his anti-Rock sentiment in 1963.
I just put on an old 45 single of I'm down, after I played this vinyl on my system, I'm down , but not out, I will forget I bought this and just listen to the uk vinyl I have to clear my ears of this crap
I got my copy of meet the Beatles and Beatles 65 and the early Beatles, I was never a fan of the US album’s because of the Capitol Records treatment of the set list of the songs and the Dave Dexter Reverb. But I have to say that they sound pretty good I was surprised. I’ll get other albums next week without the Beatles Story
Finally, someone old enough to know what they're talking about, to tell you the facts about these packages, that might be more interesting to us old guys, than constant, boring rehashes of things have known for 60 yrs now. I was 10 living in New York City, when The Beatles first came to America, February 7th,1964 and I saw them for the first time in my LIFE, on "The CBS EVENING NEWS" with Walter Cronkite, as the group was being helped to load they're instruments in the limousine from J.F.K., on their way to conquer America!
The US Capitol curated stereo versions of "Meet The Beatles" and "The Beatles' Second Album" = pure sonic excitement. "With The Beatles" just sounds dull in comparison. Put on the mono of "Money" UK version and then play the stereo US version ... "nuf said" as Paul would say.
This hooray made me dig out my Dads OG’s. He had half in stereo and half mono turned out. The box is a hard pass for me, but fun to see the excitement✌️😎 Thanks David for the Review
I always preferred stereo over mono...well, almost always. My very first stereo purchase was "Golden Hits of The 4 Seasons", and though my first listen to those hits in stereo was a thrill, I noticed that some of the tracks were different takes, or mixes, that left out little bits. That bugged me, since I was SO familiar with the original releases (45s). SO. Like you, I would buy both mono and stereo copies of favorites. "Electronic stereo" was downright annoying - they just boosted the treble on one channel, and the bass on the other. I remember early stereo LPs having an admonishment NOT to play them on a mono player.
Great review. I also got the blue version. The mono is not my favorite. I enjoy stereo a lot more. I played it and was underwhelmed by mono. The album is a classic. I have the US Albums CDs from 2014 and the mono sounds so good, almost as good as the stereo. Yes its the UK version I know. I am glad I bought this as it is very nice. Yes, I agree that the box set was never a choice for me, way over priced. I also ordered the Second Album and Beatles '65 as well. They are supposed to arrive tomorrow. Again thanks for sharing your honest and informative views. Take care sir.
Thanks for the review. I still have my 70s versions, so I will pass on these. When I got my first European pressings, I thought the Europeans had superior record technology. It wasn’t until reviews on this box set came out that I found out that the US releases had been given a lo-fi treatment on purpose.
I agree with you on the sound of these new releases, I think there’s too much compression and the bass is too booming. I bought the Hard Days Night album because it’s suppose to have the true mono mixes. I found the bass to be way over the top, I can hardly hear the bongos on the title track. I too got tired of it by the end of the side, ear fatigue. I’m glad I only bought just the one album. My original pressings are much better. Is Hot press another description for compression nowadays? Loudness Wars?
I would love to collect these individually, not the overly expensive box, but my pricing sweet spot is $20 each, not $30. I already own the music many times over, I've already got used copies of the original U.S. releases, and honestly prefer my audiophile copies of the UK releases in both mono and stereo. I also have the CD box set of the U.S. releases in both mono and stereo, which sounds great to me. So, it's a wait and see game for me, hoping there may be some overstock of the individual titles I might score for $20 to $25 each, then I may get them. My used originals seem to satisfy the sentimental, nostalgia thing for me, after all those are indeed the sound we heard back then. They aren't near mint or in some cases not even VG+, but they are OG for authenticity which makes up for a bit of tolerable surface noise.
Capital honcho Dave Dexter didn't like the way the Parlophone records sounded, which is why he added embellishments that he thought sounded more alive or exciting. American Beatles's fans at the time didn't know the difference because, as you said, we didn't know Parlophone from Shmarlophone. My Capital albums were bought in the 1970s, all in stereo. I've since added the British versions (all in stereo) of Please Please Me (the Beatles first album), Help (on CD), Rubber Soul, Revolver, White Album, Sergeant Pepper, Abbey Road and Let It Be. Of course, as every Beatles fan knows, from Pepper on, the music was the same, and Abbey Road never had a mono mix. There's one thing that I haven't heard mentioned about the Capital and Parlophone versions - Capital listed the time for each song, where Parlophone didn't.
At 6:06 an incorrect statement is made about the compatibility of stereo records with mono record players. “They always told you, you could play stereo records on a mono player no problem” I don’t know where you heard this but it was not true. Most mono phono cartridges of the late 50s and early 1960s lacked sufficient vertical compliance to follow the vertical groove modulations. This doesn't just mean they could not play stereo. I will quote the warning that appeared on the inner sleeve of all Decca records of the time. “ Records whose labels bear the words Stereophonic or Stereo must be played with a pickup designed for stereophonic records using a sapphire or diamond stylus with a tip radius of between .005 and .0007 in. Failure to do so is likely to result in poor sound and irreparable damage to record and stylus.”
Mea Culpa! You are correct. I was 180 degrees off in my statement as I meant to say you could play Mono records on a Stereo player! I don't recall there being a lot said back then about NOT playing Stereo on a Mono player, but your Decca inner sleeve is revealing. Seems that info on the outer jacket may have been more helpful. But I guess ruining records could generate sales! Thank you for the feedback.
I just got my copy today but haven't had a chance to listen to it. I have original copies of both the mono and stereo version and am anxious to compare the mono versions. I, like many, had just a plain old record player, a good one, but it was mono. Because of this I got the mono versions of everything. I didn't have a stereo until 1965. When stereo was available, and I could afford the extra dollar, that's what I bought after December 1965. Like you, I just don't have a place for mono and prefer stereo, if available.
Thank you for an HONEST review of this album. I have the Capitol albums in many configurations. From original mono and stereo pressings to many reissues thru the years. I have held out from buying any of these new versions because I have pristine copies of these albums in mono plus the 2004 and 2006 cd boxes on the Capitol original mono and stereo versions on one cd for each album. My question was, "How do these 2024 monos compare?" You answer that question here, and, quite candidly, it's what I suspected. I am not interested in another unboxing and hearing "how beautiful" the package is. The bottom line for me is what's in the groove. I watched a few podcasters review this and one exclaimed, "This new Meet The Beatles version is like hearing the album for the first time!" 🤡 Uh, no... don't think so. 😂 Thanks again for a good and candid review.
I love vinyl, but yeah, the 2004 CD box set of Capitol releases in both mono and stereo always sounded great to me and of course perfectly clean. Some would say 'too clean,' but now we're in the age old debate of CDs versus vinyl records.
Interesting, I live in Fort Worth, I picked up mine at Target this morning right after they opened and ALSO found the sound a but shrill if you will. I am glad I put off buying the box. I own many 1st Odeon Japanese pressings which are my personal favorites. I was reluctant to share my feelings as I wasn't alive for the originals being new but sounds like my ears were spot on in this. Thanks for the excellent review, I also will most likely not be buying more.
Great review! Confirms my suspicions I had about this package, but didn't hesitate for a second, ordering George Harrisons " Living in the Material World " 50th Anniversary edition super deluxe boxset. THAT'S THE ONE TO HAVE !!! I've been a Beatlemaniac, transitioned to, Beatles freak in the 70's, and at 71 yrs of age TODAY NOVEMBER 22, still a Beatlemaniac/ Collector/ freak and KNOWS The Beatles are more popular than that religious nut with the Desiples hanging around. You know, the "thick and ordinary ones" !
Well hello David, hope your doing well brother! i agree , we are a product of how we were raised and exposed to and like you mentioned we all pretty grew up with those US Capitol pressings, so we were certainly (programmed) for those pressings and sound. me personally i didn't even know the UK pressings were different until probably '85 or '86 when i was finishing up high school and when i started getting really more hardcore into music and other genres like jazz, prog, etc. and listened a lot more intently. now i've always loved mono, especially The Beatles, but for me a lot of that depends on the band, the pressing and how it was originally recorded and mastered too, some are great and some are shit-lol. this new box set i've preached from the very start that instead of this crap, they really dropped the ball and should have just did another production run of the "Beatles In Mono" box set from 9-10 years ago or whenever it was, they REALLY dropped the ball and could have made SO many fans happy with doing that box again, that thirst was NEVER satisfied and now new sets cost what? 3 grand give or take? that's crazy! hell! until this video i didn't even know target was doing this blue vinyl exclusive ,BUT, i was able just now to ordered 2 copies which i'll be picking up later today-YAYYY!!! i'm like you though and it's more of an interest piece for me with the added material ,and, if i was going to get any or even just one of these new releases it would be the Meet The Beatles being the first album and all ,and it's blue vinyl. so i'll just hold back the extra copy as a gift or resell it to maybe hopefully just cover my cost and if i'm lucky will end up with the copy i'm keeping for free or next to nothing, well see. with that said my friend, i'm still very much enjoying my YES album i won this summer from you, it's certainly my nicest and go to copy for that album! have a great weekend my friend and i'll be watching your content as i do daily/weekly. see ya brother, Jerry
Putting lipstick on a pig made me laugh. For those of us in the USA this release is definitely a bit weird. We’ve been running from these since we found out what we’ve been missing. But i do kinda have a soft spot for the second lp. Man I played the hell out of that as a kid.
My Go To is With The Beatles 2009 Remastered CD 😊...a mono record..is like a Phototype of what is the come... like one that is made before the official release 😊
@@earlwarren4860 true…VJ was ready to release in mid-1963 but only had singles releases through associate labels (Swan and Tollie). I Want To Hold Your Hand was the craze due to the single and it was not on the VeeJay LP
Actually, compatible stereo wasn't an option until the late '60s. There were warnings printed on stereo records before then that strongly stated that such should NOT be played on any other equipment but a stereo unit. I received a stereo version of 'Rubber Soul' as a Chanukah present in 1965... but it had to be exchanged for a mono copy since every record player in my family home was a hi-fi monaural set-up.
A mono stylus back in the day was a diamond tipped (if you were lucky) furniture tack with a heavy tone arm. Too much industrial strength for your nice stereo records. That's why a lot of the best sounding records from the 1950s were 200 gram and built like a tank. But in the sixties, you started to hear people say, "I wore mine out" or "I wore out the grooves." Yeah, some of the old console players were notorious for creating 'heavy wear.' Not to mention, when your playback 'jumped' you might crudely tape a nickel on top for added tonearm weight. Kind of like jamming a book of paper matches into your car 8-track player to get the tape and heads lined up better. I'll be 70 next year. Those my age can relate!
Dave (we know best what the record consuming public needs to hear) Dexter should have never been allowed to modify the releases. George Martin, The Beatles, and whoever was in charge of mastering the Parlophone discs in England were and are the final ‘sign off’ arbiters of the product. Martin & The Beatles should have sued Capitol Records for the sonic mutilations done. The Capitol product is fatiguing. Always has been. Since AM radio was so heavily processed to begin with… Dexter and the ‘geniuses’ at Capitol ‘added’ an ingredient to the stew that was unnecessary and unwelcomed. We (the American consumer) have been stuck, for the most part, with this ever since. Short of having extra disposable income and going on a never ending rabbit trail search for ‘the best sounding copy of _______ from The Beatles (lots of work involved)…. most default to just give up.
EMI never cared much about Capitol and The Beatles themselves thought the Capitol releases were awful. If you think of it objectively, it was a huge 'money grab' at the time, riding the wave of the unbelievable success of the Ed Sullivan show. They quickly produced and saturated the market with the Capitol releases similar to mass producing crack cocaine for teenagers, which was basically how it all functioned. You had to be there. Beatlemania was very real.
new mastering cutters, and the amps driving the cutter are wayyyy better than the older cuts. also, unlike captiol recs. they had the original emi masters to use, and use the new multi band limters that are amazing. i work at a place that has a cutter. also, mono was the way they did it. the 24bit bluray kicks ass.
I’ve been listening since I bought the CDs back in the nineties, so the US albums still throw me off when I occasionally listen to them. I likewise prefer stereo, the sound definitely seems to be more open and defined. The first time I heard AHDN in stereo on the 2009, I heard bongos for the first time. I own nearly every mono of these albums, plus the Capitol CDs so I will probably only get the Target MTB and AHDN. Both of my vinyl copies of those are in rough shape, especially the covers.
That's why I haven't and will not put out the money for the box set. I have no reason for it, I have my original copies of all these albums and I am content with them. I might buy the Meet The Beatles exclusive just for collectors reasons.
Lets not forget here that the original recordings weee recorded and mixed in mono and then George martin remixed and released them in stereo so in the spirit of the true originality of the recordings must not be taken for granted here when they get dis-credited as a fold down stereo is kind of insult to injury commentary to the true thing and how the recording have evolved…imho i so like the MFSL Lps the best of all time
I agree. It is called a mono box? Of the 68 tracks 25 are really mono mixes. 31 are folddown mixes, meaning they are mixed down to mono from stereo originals. 12 tracks are unique mono mixes especially made by George Martin for the US market and are not on the UK originals!! On MEET THE BEATLES only I Want to Hold Your Hand and This Boy are true mono mixes. The rest are folddown mixes from the UK stereo version. On THE BEATLES SECOND ALBUM Thank You Girl is a unique George Martin mono mix, not on the UK version. She Loves You and I'll Get You are mono mixes (better than the UK originals). You Can't Do That, I Call Your Name, and Long Tall Sally are the unique mono mixes by George Martin. The rest are folddown (fake mono) mixes. AL tracks A HARD DAY'S NIGHT are true mono mixes. I'll Cry Instead is longer than the UK version and And I Love Her is a unique single tracked McCartney vocal. On the UK version his voice is double tracked. On SOMETHING NEW is also the the single tracked version, but on the stereo version of the album it is double tracked. Anytime At All and When I Get Home are unique George Martin versions for the Capital Market. The rest is the same as on the UK album. On Beatles '65 I'll Be Back is a unique mono mix by Martin. I Feel Fine and She's A Woman are unique U.S. mono mixes too, but on the stereo album folded up from mono tapes to stereo. The Eaerly Beatles is complete foldeddown from stereo tapes to mono. I'm from the Netherlands, so I apologize for my English. I am a fan since She Loves You (August '63)
@multiverser9585 Me too, I wonder since Let it Be was finally re-released after 43 years (The first format was VHS in 1981) on Disney+ will we FINALLY get a physical Blu Ray and DVD copy?
Thanks for your review. Not a fan of Any Capitol Beatles press. I have a Mint OG Mono Meet The Beatles and it sounds like utter garbage. It’s now framed on the wall for collectors purposes. But I am a little curious of the sonic improvements with these 2024 versions. I’m also curious if you listened to these with a mono cart? ‘Cuz that Definitely makes a difference.
it was not the technology. It was the standard recording method: all vocals on one of the two tracks, all music on the other, then -- this being all along the goal -- mixed as mono, because the market and the promotional medium -- radio -- were MONO. When 4-tracks are mentioned at the time, it was a second two-track machine for overdubbing. The problem with stereo -- try the first "Young Rascals" LP -- is that it dissipated the energy, the punch, of the mono.
Agree that early stereo was rough. But what Capitol (Dave Dexter) did to the US releases in compression and reverb really makes his efforts sound even worse on good equipment IMO.
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion You know, there are a lot of people who never heard a transistor radio who nonetheless talk about their "shitty" sound quality. Same goes for your comment that "early stereo was rough". Are you talking about the F-A-K-E "stereo" versions released on Capitol? PAY ATTENTION: The first 4 UK "Beatles" LPs were EXCLUSIVELY MONO. This is how it worked: 1. The STANDARD was already to record all the vocals on one track, and all the music on the other track. That made it easy to correct errors of either, instead of having to correct ALL of it. (Recording the music, then recording the vocals, was not a new process.) 2. When there is talk of "4-track" during that period it refers to the fact that a SEPARATE 2-track machine was used for overdubs. 3. As the MARKET was MONO, and the promotional medium -- radio -- was MONO, the intent for the recording, from the outset, was MONO. I.e., the two-track recording was NOT STEREO -- it was PRE-MIXED MONO. 4. The Capitol F-A-K-E "stereo" was made by running the MONO track to TWO tracks, slowing one of the two down a fraction of a second to produce the ILLUSION of stereo. And typically the low frequencies were on one track, and the high on the other. It also caused an "echo". 5. There was nothing at all "rough" about the original EMI recordings by George Martin. It was "old" technology compared with the US -- he wrote of hearing THREE-track MONO on a visit to the US -- but it was expertly used. Today's engineers are impressed with how dead on accurate they are as to speed of the taping. READ George Martin's _All You Need is Ears_ -- it is in print. You'll find in it a plain-English discussion of the 25 years of recording technology advancements BEFORE "The Beatles" first walking into the studio. And then you'll find his details about how "The Beatles" recordings were made. The FIRST STEREO recording was the "Help!" LP -- and as it was their first it was, as Martin said, "a mess" as a mix. And where were "The Beatles" on the issue? John Lennon encouraged listening to the MONO "Sgt. Pepper's". "The Beatles" were in the studio for the MONO mixes, NOT for the stereo. What does that tell you about the INTENTIONS of recording in the context of the MARKET and the promotional medium, BOTH being MONO? Do this experiment: find the "Young Rascals" first LP in both MONO and STEREO. Listen to "Good Lovin'" -- it begins, "1-2-3-4". The MONO mix is potent -- high energy and focused. The STEREO mix pans the numbers left-and-right: 1 (left) 2 (right) 3 (left) 4 (right). The STEREO mix _dissipates_ the energy. What should be done is to provide an actual complete US releases, in both mono and stereo, but properly remastered. And available on CD so the pops, clicks, and wear of vinyl can be eliminated. Yes: groove and stylus, in addition to adding distortion, begin to wear with very first playing.
I've never owned any Capitol albums because i live in England and they are hard to find and i just thought the UK were superior. I got Meet The Beatles today and i wasn't impressed with the sound at all. The only good thing about the one i played today was that it was nice and loud compared to the 2014 mono UK albums but apart from that i wasn't impressed. Exactly the same as yourself I had enough of the song after side 1.I also didn't get the box but I've bought MTB,EB,65 . The box isn't worth it at all. I cherry picked the ones i wanted. I own all the UK original 60s mono albums and stereo albums and all the 87 CDs and all the 2009 CDs and all the 7 years deluxe box sets but i won't be buying anymore of these Capitols after these 3. That's all i desire, i got no desire to get them all or collect the originals like i have with the UK.
Capitol had passed on the Beatles, The Vee Jay release was the First Beatles album in the USA. Introducing The Beatles prior to Capitol Most people are missing the point the idea is too have the true mono rather than Dexter Stereo fold downs to mono and the fake Stereo Duo Sonic. Had the head of Vee Jay hadn’t blown of the company funds gambling in Las Vegas Vee Jay would have the Beatle Catlog up to Sgt Pepper. We had the Capitol Beatle Story and it was a shameless ripoff loads of blathering interviews and little music. The original monos in the UK and US were EQ’s to Portable Record Players withe their tiny speakers and non existent bass, to be exciting not audiophile.
@@Renshen1957 how could veejay hold on to the catalogue for future albums? Capitol always had first choice as they were an EMI subsidiary. Veejay was merely an intermediary solution.
@@GBOAC Simply put Dave Dexter, Jr. of Capitol Records passed on the Group, chose not to release Beatle recordings. This is extensively covered in literature and the Internet, including a lawsuit filed by Capitol Records which Capitol won, which if it hadn't Vee-Jay had the rights to Beatle recordings. Capitol records (although owned by EMI) had in its management, Dave Dexter, Jr. who the early 1960s as a record company executive, which held the first right of refusal to sign the Beatles in the United States passed on the Beatles! Dexter did so after he heard “Love Me Do.” (Okay, not their best single). If hadn't Vee Jay included a single that they put on Introducing the Beatles, that Capitol did have the rights with a subsequent lawsuit, Vee-Jay could in theory been the sole distributor of the Beatles LP's Vee Jay, a Black American owned label, (who also signed the white act Four Seasons) Vee-Jay acquired the rights to the of the early recordings by the Beatles through a licensing deal with EMI Records, since EMI's American affiliate Capitol Records rejected issuing the Beatles records in America. The head man delayed at Vee Jay's planned the release date of July 1963 for Introducing the Beatles, as The President embezzled company funds to cover gambling debts in Las Vegas, subsequently the release was in Feb. 1964 before Capitol's Hodge Podge first album. Vee Jay picked up 'I Remember You' by Frank Ifield (which the Beatles sang on Anthology) single, and as a throw in EMI had a group and asked us if VEE JAY would take them, too. The group turned out to be the Beatles and Received a five-year contract on the Beatles as a pickup on the Frank Ifield contract. Granted Capitol's biggest success wasn't with Rock & Roll, the record shape Capitol Building in Hollywood California was nicked name the "House That Nat (King Cole) built, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and even started Bozo The Clown Records, Classical Records (Angel Label)...and had signed from Candix Records, a group that had to rename themselves from Surfers (originally Kenny and the Cadets) as another band was using the name prior, to the "Beach Boys." "Vee-Jay's biggest successes occurred from 1962 to 1964, with the ascendancy of the Four Seasons and the distribution of early Beatles material ("From Me to You" b/w "Thank You Girl," "Please Please Me" b/w "From Me to You," and "Do You Want to Know a Secret" b/w "Thank You Girl" via Vee-Jay;[ and "Love Me Do" b/w "P.S. I Love You" and "Twist and Shout" b/w "There's a Place" via its subsidiary Tollie Records), because EMI's autonomous United States company Capitol initially refused to release Beatles records..." by the same Dave Dextrer, Jr who didn't release the UK recordings. Dexter Also Passed on Please Please Me single...Dexter but would eventually assemble different separate from UK albums, US Albums with Duo-Sonic fake Stereo, fold down Stereo Mono mixes, added reverb, etc. because he "knew" what American kids (he was an old fart and a Jazz fan) wanted. Granted Dexter passed because the first recording he heard was Love Me Do. But once the British Invasion took off in early 1964, and after the lawsuit, Dexter would release cobbled together albums (Something New-Something, Yesterday and Today, and Early Beatles), the Help Soundtrack (which in this case made sense for the US Market, were popular way to enjoy a film as Beta-VHS was almost two decades away, which is the exception rather than the rule), and in the different version of Rubber Soul,...which when this continued to occur pissed off the all of the Beatles/ When Capitol's initial contract ended, and was renewed, stipulation of the new contract with Capitol, thankfully, from Sgt. Pepper onwar, a clause in the new EMI-Capitol Contract to prevent Dexterization of the catalog. "Introducing... The Beatles is the first studio album released by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States. Originally scheduled for a July 1963 release, the LP came out on 10 January 1964, on Vee-Jay Records, ten days before Capitol's Meet the Beatles! The Vee-Jay album, however, entered the U.S. album chart one week before the Capitol's Meet The Beatles! which peaked at No. 1 for eleven consecutive weeks, while Vee Jay's Introducing...The Beatles stalled at No. 2 where it remained for nine consecutive weeks. Due to two versions of Introducing the Beatles, infringement (Capitol owned singles were included) legal wrangling, but ultimately, Vee-Jay was permitted to sell their licensed album until late 1964, by which time it had sold more than 1.3 million copies, and also other albums with a different title Pictures and Stories of the Beatles, plus a Four Seasons Vs The Beatles Lp . Until it lost its lawsuit, as over including Please Please me (which Capitol US had the rights to the single, after Beatlemania hit), Vee Jay made a good deal of money but went backrupt. Belatedly July 24, 2014 the Introducing the Beatles album was finally certified gold and platinum by the RIAA 50 years after its release." "Introducing...The Beatles was one of the first and frequently Boot-Legged-Faked album (thats another subject). Ironically, the first Beatles Album released in North America as recorded in the UK was the Beatles 2nd UK album ironically by Capitol Records Canada, Beatlemania With The Beatles (only in mono) in November 25th 1963 which sold into early April 1964. Subsequent Canadian Capitol Albums began with Something New Something New (mono) and followed US Capitol Yesterday and Today, releases with Capitols Meet The Beatles and Second Album being released just before Sgt. Pepper.
@@Renshen1957 calm down, I know their history, I have all the Bruce Spizer books (even both Capitol ones), but Christ man you just keep rambling on about stuff that isn’t debated like a mad history teacher high on uppers… The specific thing being discussed is that VeeJay wouldn’t have had the opportunity to release future albums once Beatlemania took off. Hence why them going bankrupt wasn’t the thing preventing it, it was Capitol’s final say.
@@GBOAC You could have save both of us a lot of time, if you’d prefaced your ownership of the above information…no need for the calm down comment, you replied to me, not I volunteered information to you. And I am perfectly calm. Vee Jay had a five year contract…and such contracts generally have renewal options. Secondly, had Vee Jay not infringed on a Capitol Singles and went to court, there wouldn’t have been any recourse Capitol’s part as the 1963 contract was for 5 years. That would have included rights to The Beatles (White Album) and the Hey Jude Single. Vee Jay was offered the artists, not just a single album or record. “Records stem from a contract entered into in January, 1963, allowing it an exclusive license”, or I can ramble The rights of Vee Jay Records stem from a contract entered into in January, 1963, allowing it an exclusive license to manufacture and sell "Beatles" recordings in the United States under certain conditions for five years. This contract was entered into with Transglobal which in turn secured its rights from EMI. There are allegations that the Vee Jay contract was terminated because of failure to make statements of sales and failure to pay royalties. There are certain rights to four recordings which Vee Jay may possess following termination, but there are allegations that these rights, if they exist, do not extend to thirteen other songs which presently appear on an LP being marketed by Vee Jay. Capitol, on the other hand, secured its rights directly from EMI following the alleged termination of Vee Jay's contract rights. The truth, Capitol filed its law suit 5 days after VJ released Introducing The Beatles. The picture on the Cover is a Backward image from a single when compared to the original image the wrist watch is on John’s left arm. Transglobal was a division of EMI. Technically, the allegations of nonpayment of Royalties etc., had not been an issue as neither EMI or Transglobal had made any effort prior to contact or collect either since the contract, one years time. Capitol had the capital to finance lawyers and lawsuits, to state the obvious, and financially bleed Vee Jay to death, after the Beatles turned into a license to Print money. Additionally, EMI would miss out from the Revenue because of Dave Dexter’s stupidity, so no reason for EMI to uphold the agreement, or support Vee Jay against its monetary interests. BTW as to the “ramblings”, although I do not have a single video on UA-cam, I do have more than a few individuals subscribed to my channel to read what I comment, on a variety of subjects, therefore, what I replied wasn’t solely for your benefit. This generates zero income for me, and I am free to type on a public forum, within UA-cam’s Terms of service. Therefore you can “calm down” and delete my reply that’s in your email in box if you do not like it, and choose not to reread the comment in the future. No one is twisting your arm to read or reply. If the above reply bothers you, please try to remain calm…not worth raising your blood pressure, and nothing’s going to change my world, or across the universe. Peace
You nailed it in the title: "lipstick on a pig". This can look nice, feel nice in your hand and be well mastered. BUT the tapes are shit. Compressed, missing frequencies, songs with added echo.
@@thomosburn8740 I think people are nostalgic and I get that 100% and it was the best we had in the US the time, but we now realize how much Capitol abused what they had….
Even the Canadian versions of this record are much better sounding than what you've got there that you know this. I really wanted to buy one then I realized. Why would I spend money on something that isn't even true mono except for two tracks Todd that didn't come this far to buy inferior fold Downs of poorly mastered wonderful music. It's ridiculous that the only thing they can offer for way too much money is that two LP interview disc. You have a better application of that to LP set as your floor mat to step on when you get out of the shower! Good job. Still love the cool blue vinyl. Just won't buy that.
The vinyl is dead quiet until the music comes in and ruins the silence, I'm sorry but the meet the Beatles sounds terrible to me, actually got me a little down, yes that bad, I'm sorry to say,
_Lots_ of Americans, obviously! 😅 It was "original" to them for many years, perhaps until UK pressings became the standard in the late 80's. 🤷🏻 I grew up with the UK versions though, so that's what I'm used to.
Just picked up the black vinyl issue of Meet the Beatles. Ran it through my Kirmuss Audio ultrasonic machine. Sounds fantastic! Dead quiet vinyl, nice loud dynamic cut! Better than any US mono version I have ever heard.
A lot of the pop music of that era was mixed hot because the engineers knew most would hear the music on single speaker AM car radios or on inexpensive home record players. Comparatively few listened on quality high fidelity or stereo equipment. Transitor AM radios were what most of us had then 😂
First time I heard Hendrix was on the little dash speaker of my 66 Mustang's AM radio. It sounded like something from outer space.
U are right brother neal
@@hoot444 u are right ha ha ha ha ha
Your expertise and context are perfect for reviewing these new releases.
@@BruceColon-BSides thanks Bruce!
The MEET THE BEATLES albums were cut for vinyl from the original master tapes using a completely analog signal path and with constant reference to first generation pressings of the original albums. They were made using a Studer A80 master recorder with analog preview & program paths, and an Neumann VMS70 cutting lathe originally installed in Capitol Studios in 1971. This specific all-analog cutting technique allows faithful representation of the full musical range and dynamics present on the original tapes.
@gregory All well and good and why I want these. Just waiting for a price break, perhaps after Christmas?
I rather like Meet The Beatles. That blue vinyl looks nice. I generally prefer stereo.
@@vinylrichie007 with these, the stereo is generally the way to go, as the monos are mostly folds, which you can do yourself if you have the stereo :)
Then not mono?
I enjoyed your insightful review! It was super helpful to hear your perspective on this US Mono re-release. I’m a British fellow collector who loves the original UK 60s mono Beatles albums; I appreciate your comparison. I have a 60s USA Stereo of ‘Meet the Beatles' which I bought as was curious how the folks in the US heard the band for the first time there. ‘I wanna hold your hand ‘ is a great opening track. Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise! I've just subscribed and look forward to future content from you. Be Well.
Outstanding review David You are right on so many points. Thanks for your contribution of excellence in video !
I agree on packaging being done very well , for a 67yo original fan , this is what we grew up on, I am waiting for my box to arrive and did pickup the blue vinyl at Target and I thought the sound was a great representation of what they sounded like in 64’. I was impressed, it is that compressed “ hot” mono sound with the Capital tricks all there with the echo or reverb added in, but I liked it and although I have many copies of the originals , as you said to hear a clean copy without the nostalgic pops n ticks was nice - Fab Review, take care 👍🏻
Yours is the most educated review that I will ever accept. I'm with you on Stereo. Mono Beatles records (as well as Beach boys) always sounded like AM radio. However, there are Beatles UK mono mixes that sound incredible, but they are not stereo, and to me that's like watching a color movie in black and white. If I want mono, I will flip the switch on my preamp and listen to is as such. I will wait for the stereo box to hit the street before I shell out $300.00 on a vinyl set. BTW, there was never a mono mix of Meet The Beatles, Early Beatles and Beatles Story.... they were fold downs of the stereo. What you have in your hands is a fold down of the stereo tape. Thanks for the review!
Funny enough, "With the Beatles" actually got a Canadian release in 1963, but with the word "Beatlemania" tacked in front of it, becoming the first Beatles LP to be released in North America. Now, don't get me wrong, the U.S. Capitol albums indeed are a significant piece of Beatle history, but the Canadian Beatles albums have been largely overshadowed and definitely should get a reissue of their own using the same tapes that were used on the original pressings in 1964. It was after the release of the "Long Tall Sally" album that Capitol in the U.S. put their foot down and ordered the Canadian office to match the Canadian Beatles records with the U.S. beginning with "Something New". And the greatest thing about the Canadian albums is that they didn't mess around with the sound quality like on the U.S. albums.
Enjoyed your show as well as your channel . Very informative David. I wish I had your insight and knowledge and especially your intalect. I bought my copy today. I’ve never heard the mono. Thanks art
I take a different view on mono . When you grow up listening to those Beatles classics on radio ,you want to hear them as they sounded on the radio when you buy the albums.
Sometimes stereo will be a disappointment because there will be instruments you won't pick up as you were able to in mono
Capitol out classes Parlophone/EMI/ Apple with the Magical Mystery Tour album .
It was an EP in the UK.Everywhere else it was an LP with 5 extra songs including a song not released in the aUK - Baby You're A Rich Man which is one of my favs from MMT 🇺🇲
I used to have that EP. Used to. Sometimes I really hate my younger self!
Great Review ! When I was became a teen in 1964 the first album, I bought was Meet the Beatles when it first came out. I saw the early LPs of the Beatles on VJ Records and other labels but never bought them (money from my paper route was tight) The local record store Farrington Records in Arlington Massachusetts sold LPs for $5.99 after buying 5 LPs you got 1 free. LOL I went to Jordan Marsh and Lechmere Sales and Harvard Coop - $2.48 for mono $2.99 for stereo. This was a better deal... I had a nice stereo setup because my dad was into "the" all new 360 degrees of sound. I still have in my possession, Meet the Beatles and the 700 album purchases that followed.
*** My neighborhood friend Jeff Jones worked at the Harvard Coop in the early 70s, and he directed me to many records I now have in my collection.
*** Jeff Jones went on to work for Sony NY and now runs the Beatles "Apple Corp." in the UK and USA. Jeff took over in 2007 when Neil Aspinall retired and later died. Jeff Jones stepped down Oct. 21st, 2024. The Beatles were true trail blazers... Joe S
Enjoyed the video! These LPs serve two purposes. First, they offer a nostalgic reminder to fans who grew up on these versions. Second, they provide newer fans an alternate way of experiencing the music… presenting it the same way that American fans enjoyed them in the 60s. I don’t think these will end up being definitive versions for most people, but I can appreciate how fun they are. They are not audiophile albums, but nobody should expect them to be. (Though it’s distressing to hear about noisy vinyl.)
I just got my blue vinyl version at Target, too. It took me awhile to find it - I had to flip through the entire record section! I gave up at first but then I tried one more time and finally found one between a batch of some other albums. I think it was the only one left. It was like I struck gold when I saw it! For a moment I felt like I was a kid again buying Beatles records. Haven't opened it yet because the dog is going to give it to me for Christmas!😉
Awesome review! I’m interested to hear how this sounds, I’ll have to pick it up next time I stop by at target
Thank you David for honest and eye opening review. This is why I subscribed to your channel. I was totally disappointed in the number of boxsets available. With the price being such and for many who preordered it only never get it, I feel it leaves people not wanting to collect records at all.
Bright side is I have more $’s for other records I will listen to.
I have all the original Beatle albums and inserts. Even though I have all Beatles’ songs digital, I still listen to my albums. The mono albums sound great, scratches and all. They were created that way. Love how the two speakers work individually. I think they lose something in stereo.
Through the years, I've always kept a tube amp hi-fi in working condition, for my 'well-used' records. They were EQ'd to mask surface noise.
Thanks very much for this review Dave✌️🤘
Fantastic review!
Best Wishes from England 😊
Thank you for your video. Very well done and you parallel my thoughts. I picked up my copy at Target this morning as well but more for a curiosity piece than a music piece. I have so many versions and releases of all The Beatles release from my original copies to the most recent ones. It is an act of passion for this music and how much it means to me. I enjoy them all. I bought all the “2009” version box sets in stereo and mono in both vinyl and CD and then bought each of the individual album box sets as they were released. I also have the Capital CD Box sets as well as Japanese versions of “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday and Today” (with the fake babies cover) but don’t usually play them as I am a UK / Stereo guy but Sgt. Pepper in mono is quite different and worth listening to from time to time. I ramble but it is for the love of this music. Thank you and enjoy this once in forever music.
Yes, Sgt. Pepper in mono is what I've always called the 'elegant version.' The mix is astoundingly beautiful.
Dave, What is the red digital display behind you??? It's wigging me out!
@@philipciulla1417 decibel Meter
I wish I had a penny for every time😅…… hahah 😂
What type of mono cartridge are you using?
Informative video Dave, I’m with you on the nostalgia part of the new Meet The Beatles colored vinyl Lp. At this point I have decided not to purchase the albums or the box set (the packaging is nice though). Since I have the original Capitol Beatles albums & Vol. 1 & 2 of the Beatles Capitol Albums sets on cd, I don’t feel they are a must have for me. And from your review it seems like a little tweaking was done to the original Capitol mix! I also discovered the UK Beatles Lp’s in the 1970’s & was fascinated by the album covers & song lineup. Plus when I played them I heard the sound/mix differences, it was later on I found out it was the way the Beatles & George Martin intended fans to hear them. Although the UK mixes are cleaner & dryer- sounding(no reverb added) I still like the reverb & punchier sound Dave Dexter added to the UK mixes. To me the Dexter mixes you can hear texture & bottom end (drums/bass) in the Beatles songs, on the other hand I can understand how the UK stereo mixes you can pick out the subtlety of the instruments better, which are easier on the ears. And I don’t mind the left & right stereo separation of vocals & instruments on the earlier albums. For me it comes down to what I feel like listening to on a particular day - US/UK Lp/Cd this mix or that mix. Enjoyed your knowledge & thoughtful video!
In February 1964, when I was 16, I bought the Capitol Meet The Beatles..mono, of course
Later, I gave it to a friend who wanted it, a decision i regretted. I’d like a good replacement if price was right. The early Beatles songs were just so much fun .
Thanks for the review David🎸✌🏻👍🏻
Being born in the mid 60’s I did not grow up with The Beatles US albums. I did not get into the proper albums until the UK versions found in the cd breadbox came out. So that was what 25 yrs after the fact? Point is my ears go with the UK versions as what I am use to. So not much attraction for me with these.
I am curious sort of as to how these new reissues differ from the original Capitols. “Better” being relative of course. So I might get Meet The Beatles to compare to my brothers old US original. But really for a listener fan like me I just do not have the “Oh that is so cool, just like I remember on the radio back in 1964!” nostalgia reference point. And like you said..the original Capital Dextorization sounds like a turd anyway. And you know what they said about those..can’t really polish them.
My opinion on mixes..
My philosophy on prefered mix is “whichever serves the music best”.
There are some anemic sounding mono mixes and some stereo mixes that are bizzare sounding. And some mono mixes that sound better than a bizzare “why did they set the drums way over there?” or “Sounds like the guitar is in a tunnel” stereo mixes. And the same can be true for mono vs stereo in that the mono mix sounds like its recorded in a tin can compared to the stereo mix.
Dylans early albums sound much more balanced in mono for instance. Early soul usually sounds much better in mono. Yet “Help!” by The Beatles sounds better with the stereo mix.
Mono gets a bad rap due to the idea that soundstage is always compromised. Which is a myth. Listen to The Animals in mono, or Kinks. Sounds like the band is right in front of you. Some mono mixed albums vs the stereo counterpart actually have such a great mix that they sound bigger than the poorer stereo.
Same thing with The Beatles. Some of the mono stuff is powerfully right up front, just the way a band would sound with a good soundfield. The Beatles are such an example of there are a few scattered stereo versions of early songs that do sound better. But all in all mono is the way for the early stuff. “Rubber Soul” in stereo? Terrible. Mono 100% better (hoping Giles gets this one right when he demixes, remixes, puts it in a blender or whatever he does to get a decent stereo mix)
If one has never heard the “Revolution” mono single vs the stereo, then I would highly recommend it.
Hendrix “Stone Free” in mono is a monster. Blows the stereo version away. And I hate that phrase “blows it away”, but in this case it is true.
Then sometimes both mixes are great but just different experiences due to different elements of the instruments being more present. The White album is a classic example. I like both stereo and mono depending on the day of the latter album. Same with Sgt Peppers. I like the mono Barclay of “Are You Experienced?” and I also enjoy the more psyche feel of the stereo version. Ones rockin’ the other is more trippy.
See ya buddy🎸✌🏻
I just got my blue album yesterday for Christmas along with Jack White's Elvis Presley Sun Records 45 of my happiness from my daughter. We were having a mail strike up here in Vancouver Canada, and we have friends just over the border in Washington state, so we had them mailed to them, and they bought them over the border to my daughter. She does that here and there anyway because they charge an arm and a leg to mail them to Canada. I wish that they had paper glued on cardboard like the original covers. Also in the future maybe people will rave about the fact that we are getting French imports for this album, like they did in the past. I wonder if the box sets are also pressed in France
I was sick at home in 1964 when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan for the first time. I wanted a copy of the I want to hold your hand single. My mother went looking for it, but they were sold out, so she brought home the Meet the Beatles album instead. I played it over and over on her vacuum tube, mono record player. I still have the original, but I'm sure it's pretty beat up after being abused by an 8 year old kid (me). My turntable hasn't had a drive belt in probably 20 years. Once the first Beatles box set of CDs (the ones in the black wooden roll top box) came out in the late 1980's I never saw the need to listen to my old Beatles vinyl albums anymore.
@@MichaelSmith-rn1qw Wow. Did you ever make out on that deal! The entire album instead of the 45! My siblings and I could only afford singles, of course. It was a big deal when my older sister got 'Rubber Soul' for Christmas in 1965.
I resisted CDs until the industry forced my hand. I vividly remember my first CD experience - it was an Everly Brothers anthology. The instant the music began, I was knocked out by the lack of any surface noise before the music. ! ! ! I was sold. BUT. A decade or so later, I rediscovered the vinyl experience, since I'd collected a few hundred LPs and 45s. Now, I'll play both, depending on my mood, I guess.
I will kepp the mono version is better than stereo anyway that's my thought thank you
I am curious to know if this was a joint effort between Apple and Capitol or just Capitol? Also, was there any remixing and/or remastering?
@@richchannel-1311 although Apple Corp has licensed the releases and has the copyright, this is purely branded Capitol Records except for a small written text around the interior ring of the label next to the Rainbow where it says “This sound recording is owned by Calderstone Productions Ltd. ( a division of Universal Music Group)/Apple Corps Ltd
Great review. I bought just Meet The Beatles on black vinyl. Where would popular music be without the Beatles? ~~/)~~
Mono or Fold Downs?
I’m gonna compare the original album with the new release and listen for the difference even with the ticks and pops on original lp..happy listening!!
Does anyone know if these versions were cut on a mono or stereo lathe? Not truly mono versions if cut with stereo cutting heads! Just two tracks of mono which is fine of course. Just wondering.
@@cymbaldrum the UA-cam Video “Kevin Reeves on the 2024 US Mono Beatles box set” does not specify the lathe used or whether stereo vs mono. He only mentions is being cut by a sapphire stylus.
Next capitol needs to do a new vinyl of pet sounds duophonic, and see if they make that sound even worse if possible, but i see that it is possible
Thanks for this.. i like it better than the OG I compared it to. Mine had a little warp though.. This is what i grew up with.. it sounds great..
@@VinylPiper that warp is a feature to remind you of the old days! :)
Mine has very, very slight warp too, nothing crazy or worth fussing about. I'm super happy with this overall and it felt great to get a "new" Beatles album on release day. 🙂
Nice review. After meeting Bruce Spizer, I bought all of the books he wrote about the Beatles. He and Perry Cox are pretty much the go-to’s on the subject.
I’m glad I have the original copies, I’m done buying the same record six times😝
First time listener to your video. I started listening to the Beatles in the early to mid 70's with first purchase of Red & Blue compilations, and have progressed to where you are now. Very informative and educational video. I have to agree with you on all fronts.
You lean to the original release and subsequent reissues being the better one to have than most of the new re-releases and remixed and remastered versions that have occurred in the last 15 or so years. They are trying to resell old product, and if you are lucky to have good copies of originals or reissues that later came out, or foreign pressings, you are lucky and should be ok.
Spot on on the Capital and mono versions being made to sound "hot" for AM radio, because that is where music was heard back then. In '64, any major Top 40 radio station used heavy compression and reverb for a larger than lif sound. All teens listend to the these Boss Radio formated sations to hear the latest rock and roll. If you had a true"hi-fi" or "stereo" back then, you were in the minority and most who had it were older men who listened to classical and jazz, stereo reproduction was in its infancy for rock and roll, and even the engineers who mastered and mixed to stereo were just getting use to how to image the music as most of it was on 1, 2,3, or 4 tracks. A lot of the music was "folded down" from a stereo or multi-track mix.
But here in the US, I remember buying this music in the 70's, being in that "stereo" format listening to it at home and on early FM stations that were now broadcasting in stereo in the early to mid 70's. Having first heard the Parlofone albums, I agree, they just sound better and more natural w/o the reverb, echo and added compression that made the music a "wall of sound" to the listener listening it on AM or a mono or cheap record player at home. But that was the way it was listened to.
Based on your advice, and what I ave now for the Beatles (an other major artists), I will probably pass on buying these, as it just seems more now like a duplication, or alternative version (sounding better or not) or a feel good purchase, when in reality, I would probably pull the orignal, reissue, or Parlophone version, with its flaws and oddities and all simply becasue that is how I remembered it and eperienced it. Now if you are 45 and under, and do not have the library, or the memory of what the Beatles sounded like on radio or on other mediums growing up, then this would be a good purchase for you. I still want to purchase the individual albums..............................
@@68wrko thank you for watching and commenting
Outstanding post. I'm patiently awaiting my box set and "Meet The Beatles"on blue vinyl. I purchased both of these through JPC online music stores out of Germany. They both were cheaper. So, with said again, thanks for the post. Hopefully one day Apple/Universal will re-release Mono box set.
Swish sound?
It’s on the same radial location across most of Side 2. Just some soft crackling (is another way to describe)
Where Capitol really screwed up badly was not just taking the Vee-Jay issue of “Introducing The Beatles” and just applying the Capitol logo to that.I absolutely Loathe the release “The Early Beatles”, which is a butchery of a butchery to start with. There are some of us that will never forgive Dave Dexter for his anti-Rock sentiment in 1963.
Good review. The Yanks got a bad deal back in the 1960s - the wrong songs and awful Dave Dextoer/Capitol added reverb. Thank you & thumbs up.
It's cool! It's on the rainbow label!
I just put on an old 45 single of I'm down, after I played this vinyl on my system, I'm down , but not out, I will forget I bought this and just listen to the uk vinyl I have to clear my ears of this crap
I did a comparison with my original mono copy and it sounds cleaner and louder, but the EQ is about the same.
I got my copy of meet the Beatles and Beatles 65 and the early Beatles, I was never a fan of the US album’s because of the Capitol Records treatment of the set list of the songs and the Dave Dexter Reverb. But I have to say that they sound pretty good I was surprised. I’ll get other albums next week without the Beatles Story
Finally, someone old enough to know what they're talking about, to tell you the facts about these packages, that might be more interesting to us old guys, than constant, boring rehashes of things have known for 60 yrs now. I was 10 living in New York City, when The Beatles first came to America, February 7th,1964 and I saw them for the first time in my LIFE, on "The CBS EVENING NEWS" with Walter Cronkite, as the group was being helped to load they're instruments in the limousine from J.F.K., on their way to conquer America!
I think you gotta take it for what it is they are just some nostalgic releases. Which I’m not complaining about it but I’m enjoying them.
The US Capitol curated stereo versions of "Meet The Beatles" and "The Beatles' Second Album" = pure sonic excitement. "With The Beatles" just sounds dull in comparison. Put on the mono of "Money" UK version and then play the stereo US version ... "nuf said" as Paul would say.
excellent
This hooray made me dig out my Dads OG’s. He had half in stereo and half mono turned out. The box is a hard pass for me, but fun to see the excitement✌️😎 Thanks David for the Review
I always preferred stereo over mono...well, almost always. My very first stereo purchase was "Golden Hits of The 4 Seasons", and though my first listen to those hits in stereo was a thrill, I noticed that some of the tracks were different takes, or mixes, that left out little bits. That bugged me, since I was SO familiar with the original releases (45s). SO. Like you, I would buy both mono and stereo copies of favorites. "Electronic stereo" was downright annoying - they just boosted the treble on one channel, and the bass on the other. I remember early stereo LPs having an admonishment NOT to play them on a mono player.
Born in the early 50s this (MTB) is great without the snap crackle pops alone!
Great review. I also got the blue version. The mono is not my favorite. I enjoy stereo a lot more. I played it and was underwhelmed by mono. The album is a classic. I have the US Albums CDs from 2014 and the mono sounds so good, almost as good as the stereo. Yes its the UK version I know. I am glad I bought this as it is very nice. Yes, I agree that the box set was never a choice for me, way over priced. I also ordered the Second Album and Beatles '65 as well. They are supposed to arrive tomorrow. Again thanks for sharing your honest and informative views. Take care sir.
Thanks for the review. I still have my 70s versions, so I will pass on these. When I got my first European pressings, I thought the Europeans had superior record technology. It wasn’t until reviews on this box set came out that I found out that the US releases had been given a lo-fi treatment on purpose.
😮What could have been the reasoning behind that?
@ maybe Dave Dexter didn’t like Ringo’s cymbal sound?
The Vee Jay lp came out before this,
I agree with you on the sound of these new releases, I think there’s too much compression and the bass is too booming. I bought the Hard Days Night album because it’s suppose to have the true mono mixes. I found the bass to be way over the top, I can hardly hear the bongos on the title track. I too got tired of it by the end of the side, ear fatigue. I’m glad I only bought just the one album. My original pressings are much better. Is Hot press another description for compression nowadays? Loudness Wars?
I would love to collect these individually, not the overly expensive box, but my pricing sweet spot is $20 each, not $30. I already own the music many times over, I've already got used copies of the original U.S. releases, and honestly prefer my audiophile copies of the UK releases in both mono and stereo. I also have the CD box set of the U.S. releases in both mono and stereo, which sounds great to me. So, it's a wait and see game for me, hoping there may be some overstock of the individual titles I might score for $20 to $25 each, then I may get them. My used originals seem to satisfy the sentimental, nostalgia thing for me, after all those are indeed the sound we heard back then. They aren't near mint or in some cases not even VG+, but they are OG for authenticity which makes up for a bit of tolerable surface noise.
Capital honcho Dave Dexter didn't like the way the Parlophone records sounded, which is why he added embellishments that he thought sounded more alive or exciting. American Beatles's fans at the time didn't know the difference because, as you said, we didn't know Parlophone from Shmarlophone. My Capital albums were bought in the 1970s, all in stereo. I've since added the British versions (all in stereo) of Please Please Me (the Beatles first album), Help (on CD), Rubber Soul, Revolver, White Album, Sergeant Pepper, Abbey Road and Let It Be. Of course, as every Beatles fan knows, from Pepper on, the music was the same, and Abbey Road never had a mono mix. There's one thing that I haven't heard mentioned about the Capital and Parlophone versions - Capital listed the time for each song, where Parlophone didn't.
At 6:06 an incorrect statement is made about the compatibility of stereo records with mono record players. “They always told you, you could play stereo records on a mono player no problem” I don’t know where you heard this but it was not true. Most mono phono cartridges of the late 50s and early 1960s lacked sufficient vertical compliance to follow the vertical groove modulations. This doesn't just mean they could not play stereo. I will quote the warning that appeared on the inner sleeve of all Decca records of the time. “ Records whose labels bear the words Stereophonic or Stereo must be played with a pickup designed for stereophonic records using a sapphire or diamond stylus with a tip radius of between .005 and .0007 in. Failure to do so is likely to result in poor sound and irreparable damage to record and stylus.”
Mea Culpa! You are correct. I was 180 degrees off in my statement as I meant to say you could play Mono records on a Stereo player! I don't recall there being a lot said back then about NOT playing Stereo on a Mono player, but your Decca inner sleeve is revealing. Seems that info on the outer jacket may have been more helpful. But I guess ruining records could generate sales! Thank you for the feedback.
Hey, let's all put out a video about the Beatles mono release.
I spelled it "Disciples " and was corrected!
I just got my copy today but haven't had a chance to listen to it. I have original copies of both the mono and stereo version and am anxious to compare the mono versions.
I, like many, had just a plain old record player, a good one, but it was mono. Because of this I got the mono versions of everything. I didn't have a stereo until 1965.
When stereo was available, and I could afford the extra dollar, that's what I bought after December 1965. Like you, I just don't have a place for mono and prefer stereo, if available.
Thanks David, i bit the bullet and ordered this set i was not going to buy it, but have decided to get it. 😵
@@krwd I get the urge but I’m retired now and don’t have labels sending me freebies!
Thank you for an HONEST review of this album. I have the Capitol albums in many configurations. From original mono and stereo pressings to many reissues thru the years. I have held out from buying any of these new versions because I have pristine copies of these albums in mono plus the 2004 and 2006 cd boxes on the Capitol original mono and stereo versions on one cd for each album. My question was, "How do these 2024 monos compare?" You answer that question here, and, quite candidly, it's what I suspected. I am not interested in another unboxing and hearing "how beautiful" the package is. The bottom line for me is what's in the groove. I watched a few podcasters review this and one exclaimed, "This new Meet The Beatles version is like hearing the album for the first time!" 🤡 Uh, no... don't think so. 😂 Thanks again for a good and candid review.
I love vinyl, but yeah, the 2004 CD box set of Capitol releases in both mono and stereo always sounded great to me and of course perfectly clean. Some would say 'too clean,' but now we're in the age old debate of CDs versus vinyl records.
Interesting, I live in Fort Worth, I picked up mine at Target this morning right after they opened and ALSO found the sound a but shrill if you will. I am glad I put off buying the box. I own many 1st Odeon Japanese pressings which are my personal favorites. I was reluctant to share my feelings as I wasn't alive for the originals being new but sounds like my ears were spot on in this. Thanks for the excellent review, I also will most likely not be buying more.
My Japanese Odeon remastered CD of A Hard Day's Night is so amazing in sound quality, I've never heard anything come close to it.
Great review! Confirms my suspicions I had about this package, but didn't hesitate for a second, ordering George Harrisons " Living in the Material World " 50th Anniversary edition super deluxe boxset. THAT'S THE ONE TO HAVE !!! I've been a Beatlemaniac, transitioned to, Beatles freak in the 70's, and at 71 yrs of age TODAY NOVEMBER 22, still a Beatlemaniac/ Collector/ freak and KNOWS The Beatles are more popular than that religious nut with the Desiples hanging around. You know, the "thick and ordinary ones" !
Well hello David, hope your doing well brother! i agree , we are a product of how we were raised and exposed to and like you mentioned we all pretty grew up with those US Capitol pressings, so we were certainly (programmed) for those pressings and sound. me personally i didn't even know the UK pressings were different until probably '85 or '86 when i was finishing up high school and when i started getting really more hardcore into music and other genres like jazz, prog, etc. and listened a lot more intently. now i've always loved mono, especially The Beatles, but for me a lot of that depends on the band, the pressing and how it was originally recorded and mastered too, some are great and some are shit-lol. this new box set i've preached from the very start that instead of this crap, they really dropped the ball and should have just did another production run of the "Beatles In Mono" box set from 9-10 years ago or whenever it was, they REALLY dropped the ball and could have made SO many fans happy with doing that box again, that thirst was NEVER satisfied and now new sets cost what? 3 grand give or take? that's crazy! hell! until this video i didn't even know target was doing this blue vinyl exclusive ,BUT, i was able just now to ordered 2 copies which i'll be picking up later today-YAYYY!!! i'm like you though and it's more of an interest piece for me with the added material ,and, if i was going to get any or even just one of these new releases it would be the Meet The Beatles being the first album and all ,and it's blue vinyl. so i'll just hold back the extra copy as a gift or resell it to maybe hopefully just cover my cost and if i'm lucky will end up with the copy i'm keeping for free or next to nothing, well see. with that said my friend, i'm still very much enjoying my YES album i won this summer from you, it's certainly my nicest and go to copy for that album! have a great weekend my friend and i'll be watching your content as i do daily/weekly. see ya brother, Jerry
Putting lipstick on a pig made me laugh. For those of us in the USA this release is definitely a bit weird. We’ve been running from these since we found out what we’ve been missing.
But i do kinda have a soft spot for the second lp. Man I played the hell out of that as a kid.
My Go To is With The Beatles 2009 Remastered CD 😊...a mono record..is like a Phototype of what is the come... like one that is made before the official release 😊
Introducing The Beatles,, on Vee Jay Records, came out 10 days before Capitol's Neet The Beatles in 1964.
@@earlwarren4860 true…VJ was ready to release in mid-1963 but only had singles releases through associate labels (Swan and Tollie). I Want To Hold Your Hand was the craze due to the single and it was not on the VeeJay LP
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion But I sure came to love that VJ album! I was ravenous for anything available by my boys.
For my fellow Canadians, Sunrise Records carries this version. It's not cheap, but they have it.
Thanks for the info! I’ve seen it marked $59.99CAD
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion I got mine at $56.99CAD.
Actually, compatible stereo wasn't an option until the late '60s. There were warnings printed on stereo records before then that strongly stated that such should NOT be played on any other equipment but a stereo unit. I received a stereo version of 'Rubber Soul' as a Chanukah present in 1965... but it had to be exchanged for a mono copy since every record player in my family home was a hi-fi monaural set-up.
I realized my statement was backwards in that you could plant mono on stereo but the reverse was not advised. Thanks
A mono stylus back in the day was a diamond tipped (if you were lucky) furniture tack with a heavy tone arm. Too much industrial strength for your nice stereo records. That's why a lot of the best sounding records from the 1950s were 200 gram and built like a tank. But in the sixties, you started to hear people say, "I wore mine out" or "I wore out the grooves." Yeah, some of the old console players were notorious for creating 'heavy wear.' Not to mention, when your playback 'jumped' you might crudely tape a nickel on top for added tonearm weight. Kind of like jamming a book of paper matches into your car 8-track player to get the tape and heads lined up better. I'll be 70 next year. Those my age can relate!
Dave (we know best what the record consuming public needs to hear) Dexter should have never been allowed to modify the releases. George Martin, The Beatles, and whoever was in charge of mastering the Parlophone discs in England were and are the final ‘sign off’ arbiters of the product. Martin & The Beatles should have sued Capitol Records for the sonic mutilations done.
The Capitol product is fatiguing. Always has been. Since AM radio was so heavily processed to begin with… Dexter and the ‘geniuses’ at Capitol ‘added’ an ingredient to the stew that was unnecessary and unwelcomed. We (the American consumer) have been stuck, for the most part, with this ever since. Short of having extra disposable income and going on a never ending rabbit trail search for ‘the best sounding copy of _______ from The Beatles (lots of work involved)…. most default to just give up.
EMI never cared much about Capitol and The Beatles themselves thought the Capitol releases were awful. If you think of it objectively, it was a huge 'money grab' at the time, riding the wave of the unbelievable success of the Ed Sullivan show. They quickly produced and saturated the market with the Capitol releases similar to mass producing crack cocaine for teenagers, which was basically how it all functioned. You had to be there. Beatlemania was very real.
I hope they will bring out the stereo version of Meet The Beatles....I have With The Beatles on CD in Stereo 😊
new mastering cutters, and the amps driving the cutter are wayyyy better than the older cuts. also, unlike captiol recs. they had the original emi masters to use, and use the new multi band limters that are amazing. i work at a place that has a cutter. also, mono was the way they did it.
the 24bit bluray kicks ass.
@@boilinabag this video might interest you as these used the Capitol tapes: ua-cam.com/video/rxwLDYXVKiw/v-deo.htmlsi=ux5fWbsVz5k_77vH
I’ve been listening since I bought the CDs back in the nineties, so the US albums still throw me off when I occasionally listen to them. I likewise prefer stereo, the sound definitely seems to be more open and defined. The first time I heard AHDN in stereo on the 2009, I heard bongos for the first time.
I own nearly every mono of these albums, plus the Capitol CDs so I will probably only get the Target MTB and AHDN. Both of my vinyl copies of those are in rough shape, especially the covers.
That's why I haven't and will not put out the money for the box set. I have no reason for it, I have my original copies of all these albums and I am content with them. I might buy the Meet The Beatles exclusive just for collectors reasons.
Another very good review.
Mr. Pete-------->
aging hippie
Lets not forget here that the original recordings weee recorded and mixed in mono and then George martin remixed and released them in stereo so in the spirit of the true originality of the recordings must not be taken for granted here when they get dis-credited as a fold down stereo is kind of insult to injury commentary to the true thing and how the recording have evolved…imho i so like the MFSL Lps the best of all time
I agree. It is called a mono box? Of the 68 tracks 25 are really mono mixes. 31 are folddown mixes, meaning they are mixed down to mono from stereo originals. 12 tracks are unique mono mixes especially made by George Martin for the US market and are not on the UK originals!! On MEET THE BEATLES only I Want to Hold Your Hand and This Boy are true mono mixes. The rest are folddown mixes from the UK stereo version. On THE BEATLES SECOND ALBUM Thank You Girl is a unique George Martin mono mix, not on the UK version. She Loves You and I'll Get You are mono mixes (better than the UK originals). You Can't Do That, I Call Your Name, and Long Tall Sally are the unique mono mixes by George Martin. The rest are folddown (fake mono) mixes. AL tracks A HARD DAY'S NIGHT are true mono mixes. I'll Cry Instead is longer than the UK version and And I Love Her is a unique single tracked McCartney vocal. On the UK version his voice is double tracked. On SOMETHING NEW is also the the single tracked version, but on the stereo version of the album it is double tracked. Anytime At All and When I Get Home are unique George Martin versions for the Capital Market. The rest is the same as on the UK album. On Beatles '65 I'll Be Back is a unique mono mix by Martin. I Feel Fine and She's A Woman are unique U.S. mono mixes too, but on the stereo album folded up from mono tapes to stereo. The Eaerly Beatles is complete foldeddown from stereo tapes to mono. I'm from the Netherlands, so I apologize for my English. I am a fan since She Loves You (August '63)
You’re right! Guess they consider the end result is the same signal coming out of both speakers vs. how they got there.
I got Meet the Beatles! on CD. Vinyl records have been out of fashion since 1984
I have nothing against either format. I'm the oddball who loves both vinyl records and CDs. And hi-def blu-ray, etc. I'm just a media nut, in general.
@multiverser9585 Me too, I wonder since Let it Be was finally re-released after 43 years (The first format was VHS in 1981) on Disney+ will we FINALLY get a physical Blu Ray and DVD copy?
nice nod to JFK. im asian and im affected by his death up till this day
Thanks for your review. Not a fan of Any Capitol Beatles press. I have a Mint OG Mono Meet The Beatles and it sounds like utter garbage. It’s now framed on the wall for collectors purposes. But I am a little curious of the sonic improvements with these 2024 versions. I’m also curious if you listened to these with a mono cart? ‘Cuz that Definitely makes a difference.
She's a woman is way more rocking in North America than the British version
it was not the technology. It was the standard recording method: all vocals on one of the two tracks, all music on the other, then -- this being all along the goal -- mixed as mono, because the market and the promotional medium -- radio -- were MONO.
When 4-tracks are mentioned at the time, it was a second two-track machine for overdubbing.
The problem with stereo -- try the first "Young Rascals" LP -- is that it dissipated the energy, the punch, of the mono.
Agree that early stereo was rough. But what Capitol (Dave Dexter) did to the US releases in compression and reverb really makes his efforts sound even worse on good equipment IMO.
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion You know, there are a lot of people who never heard a transistor radio who nonetheless talk about their "shitty" sound quality.
Same goes for your comment that "early stereo was rough". Are you talking about the F-A-K-E "stereo" versions released on Capitol? PAY ATTENTION:
The first 4 UK "Beatles" LPs were EXCLUSIVELY MONO. This is how it worked:
1. The STANDARD was already to record all the vocals on one track, and all the music on the other track. That made it easy to correct errors of either, instead of having to correct ALL of it. (Recording the music, then recording the vocals, was not a new process.)
2. When there is talk of "4-track" during that period it refers to the fact that a SEPARATE 2-track machine was used for overdubs.
3. As the MARKET was MONO, and the promotional medium -- radio -- was MONO, the intent for the recording, from the outset, was MONO. I.e., the two-track recording was NOT STEREO -- it was PRE-MIXED MONO.
4. The Capitol F-A-K-E "stereo" was made by running the MONO track to TWO tracks, slowing one of the two down a fraction of a second to produce the ILLUSION of stereo. And typically the low frequencies were on one track, and the high on the other. It also caused an "echo".
5. There was nothing at all "rough" about the original EMI recordings by George Martin. It was "old" technology compared with the US -- he wrote of hearing THREE-track MONO on a visit to the US -- but it was expertly used. Today's engineers are impressed with how dead on accurate they are as to speed of the taping.
READ George Martin's _All You Need is Ears_ -- it is in print. You'll find in it a plain-English discussion of the 25 years of recording technology advancements BEFORE "The Beatles" first walking into the studio. And then you'll find his details about how "The Beatles" recordings were made. The FIRST STEREO recording was the "Help!" LP -- and as it was their first it was, as Martin said, "a mess" as a mix.
And where were "The Beatles" on the issue? John Lennon encouraged listening to the MONO "Sgt. Pepper's".
"The Beatles" were in the studio for the MONO mixes, NOT for the stereo. What does that tell you about the INTENTIONS of recording in the context of the MARKET and the promotional medium, BOTH being MONO?
Do this experiment: find the "Young Rascals" first LP in both MONO and STEREO. Listen to "Good Lovin'" -- it begins, "1-2-3-4". The MONO mix is potent -- high energy and focused. The STEREO mix pans the numbers left-and-right: 1 (left) 2 (right) 3 (left) 4 (right). The STEREO mix _dissipates_ the energy.
What should be done is to provide an actual complete US releases, in both mono and stereo, but properly remastered. And available on CD so the pops, clicks, and wear of vinyl can be eliminated. Yes: groove and stylus, in addition to adding distortion, begin to wear with very first playing.
Not a fan of Mono. I'll stick w/ the UK stereo versions.
I've never owned any Capitol albums because i live in England and they are hard to find and i just thought the UK were superior. I got Meet The Beatles today and i wasn't impressed with the sound at all. The only good thing about the one i played today was that it was nice and loud compared to the 2014 mono UK albums but apart from that i wasn't impressed. Exactly the same as yourself I had enough of the song after side 1.I also didn't get the box but I've bought MTB,EB,65 . The box isn't worth it at all. I cherry picked the ones i wanted. I own all the UK original 60s mono albums and stereo albums and all the 87 CDs and all the 2009 CDs and all the 7 years deluxe box sets but i won't be buying anymore of these Capitols after these 3. That's all i desire, i got no desire to get them all or collect the originals like i have with the UK.
beat the meetles?
😆
Capitol had passed on the Beatles, The Vee Jay release was the First Beatles album in the USA. Introducing The Beatles prior to Capitol Most people are missing the point the idea is too have the true mono rather than Dexter Stereo fold downs to mono and the fake Stereo Duo Sonic. Had the head of Vee Jay hadn’t blown of the company funds gambling in Las Vegas Vee Jay would have the Beatle Catlog up to Sgt Pepper. We had the Capitol Beatle Story and it was a shameless ripoff loads of blathering interviews and little music. The original monos in the UK and US were EQ’s to Portable Record Players withe their tiny speakers and non existent bass, to be exciting not audiophile.
@@Renshen1957 how could veejay hold on to the catalogue for future albums? Capitol always had first choice as they were an EMI subsidiary. Veejay was merely an intermediary solution.
@@GBOAC Simply put Dave Dexter, Jr. of Capitol Records passed on the Group, chose not to release Beatle recordings. This is extensively covered in literature and the Internet, including a lawsuit filed by Capitol Records which Capitol won, which if it hadn't Vee-Jay had the rights to Beatle recordings.
Capitol records (although owned by EMI) had in its management, Dave Dexter, Jr. who the early 1960s as a record company executive, which held the first right of refusal to sign the Beatles in the United States passed on the Beatles! Dexter did so after he heard “Love Me Do.” (Okay, not their best single). If hadn't Vee Jay included a single that they put on Introducing the Beatles, that Capitol did have the rights with a subsequent lawsuit, Vee-Jay could in theory been the sole distributor of the Beatles LP's
Vee Jay, a Black American owned label, (who also signed the white act Four Seasons) Vee-Jay acquired the rights to the of the early recordings by the Beatles through a licensing deal with EMI Records, since EMI's American affiliate Capitol Records rejected issuing the Beatles records in America. The head man delayed at Vee Jay's planned the release date of July 1963 for Introducing the Beatles, as The President embezzled company funds to cover gambling debts in Las Vegas, subsequently the release was in Feb. 1964 before Capitol's Hodge Podge first album.
Vee Jay picked up 'I Remember You' by Frank Ifield (which the Beatles sang on Anthology) single, and as a throw in EMI had a group and asked us if VEE JAY would take them, too. The group turned out to be the Beatles and Received a five-year contract on the Beatles as a pickup on the Frank Ifield contract.
Granted Capitol's biggest success wasn't with Rock & Roll, the record shape Capitol Building in Hollywood California was nicked name the "House That Nat (King Cole) built, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and even started Bozo The Clown Records, Classical Records (Angel Label)...and had signed from Candix Records, a group that had to rename themselves from Surfers (originally Kenny and the Cadets) as another band was using the name prior, to the "Beach Boys."
"Vee-Jay's biggest successes occurred from 1962 to 1964, with the ascendancy of the Four Seasons and the distribution of early Beatles material ("From Me to You" b/w "Thank You Girl," "Please Please Me" b/w "From Me to You," and "Do You Want to Know a Secret" b/w "Thank You Girl" via Vee-Jay;[ and "Love Me Do" b/w "P.S. I Love You" and "Twist and Shout" b/w "There's a Place" via its subsidiary Tollie Records), because EMI's autonomous United States company Capitol initially refused to release Beatles records..." by the same Dave Dextrer, Jr who didn't release the UK recordings.
Dexter Also Passed on Please Please Me single...Dexter but would eventually assemble different separate from UK albums, US Albums with Duo-Sonic fake Stereo, fold down Stereo Mono mixes, added reverb, etc. because he "knew" what American kids (he was an old fart and a Jazz fan) wanted.
Granted Dexter passed because the first recording he heard was Love Me Do. But once the British Invasion took off in early 1964, and after the lawsuit, Dexter would release cobbled together albums (Something New-Something, Yesterday and Today, and Early Beatles), the Help Soundtrack (which in this case made sense for the US Market, were popular way to enjoy a film as Beta-VHS was almost two decades away, which is the exception rather than the rule), and in the different version of Rubber Soul,...which when this continued to occur pissed off the all of the Beatles/
When Capitol's initial contract ended, and was renewed, stipulation of the new contract with Capitol, thankfully, from
Sgt. Pepper onwar, a clause in the new EMI-Capitol Contract to prevent Dexterization of the catalog.
"Introducing... The Beatles is the first studio album released by the English rock band the Beatles in the United States. Originally scheduled for a July 1963 release, the LP came out on 10 January 1964, on Vee-Jay Records, ten days before Capitol's Meet the Beatles! The Vee-Jay album, however, entered the U.S. album chart one week before the Capitol's Meet The Beatles! which peaked at No. 1 for eleven consecutive weeks, while Vee Jay's Introducing...The Beatles stalled at No. 2 where it remained for nine consecutive weeks. Due to two versions of Introducing the Beatles, infringement (Capitol owned singles were included) legal wrangling, but ultimately, Vee-Jay was permitted to sell their licensed album until late 1964, by which time it had sold more than 1.3 million copies, and also other albums with a different title Pictures and Stories of the Beatles, plus a Four Seasons Vs The Beatles Lp .
Until it lost its lawsuit, as over including Please Please me (which Capitol US had the rights to the single, after Beatlemania hit), Vee Jay made a good deal of money but went backrupt. Belatedly July 24, 2014 the Introducing the Beatles album was finally certified gold and platinum by the RIAA 50 years after its release."
"Introducing...The Beatles was one of the first and frequently Boot-Legged-Faked album (thats another subject).
Ironically, the first Beatles Album released in North America as recorded in the UK was the Beatles 2nd UK album ironically by Capitol Records Canada, Beatlemania With The Beatles (only in mono) in November 25th 1963 which sold into early April 1964. Subsequent Canadian Capitol Albums began with Something New Something New (mono) and followed US Capitol Yesterday and Today, releases with Capitols Meet The Beatles and Second Album being released just before Sgt. Pepper.
@@Renshen1957 calm down, I know their history, I have all the Bruce Spizer books (even both Capitol ones), but Christ man you just keep rambling on about stuff that isn’t debated like a mad history teacher high on uppers… The specific thing being discussed is that VeeJay wouldn’t have had the opportunity to release future albums once Beatlemania took off. Hence why them going bankrupt wasn’t the thing preventing it, it was Capitol’s final say.
@@GBOAC You could have save both of us a lot of time, if you’d prefaced your ownership of the above information…no need for the calm down comment, you replied to me, not I volunteered information to you. And I am perfectly calm.
Vee Jay had a five year contract…and such contracts generally have renewal options. Secondly, had Vee Jay not infringed on a Capitol Singles and went to court, there wouldn’t have been any recourse Capitol’s part as the 1963 contract was for 5 years. That would have included rights to The Beatles (White Album) and the Hey Jude Single. Vee Jay was offered the artists, not just a single album or record.
“Records stem from a contract entered into in January, 1963, allowing it an exclusive license”, or I can ramble
The rights of Vee Jay Records stem from a contract entered into in January, 1963, allowing it an exclusive license to manufacture and sell "Beatles" recordings in the United States under certain conditions for five years. This contract was entered into with Transglobal which in turn secured its rights from EMI. There are allegations that the Vee Jay contract was terminated because of failure to make statements of sales and failure to pay royalties. There are certain rights to four recordings which Vee Jay may possess following termination, but there are allegations that these rights, if they exist, do not extend to thirteen other songs which presently appear on an LP being marketed by Vee Jay. Capitol, on the other hand, secured its rights directly from EMI following the alleged termination of Vee Jay's contract rights.
The truth, Capitol filed its law suit 5 days after VJ released Introducing The Beatles. The picture on the Cover is a Backward image from a single when compared to the original image the wrist watch is on John’s left arm.
Transglobal was a division of EMI. Technically, the allegations of nonpayment of Royalties etc., had not been an issue as neither EMI or Transglobal had made any effort prior to contact or collect either since the contract, one years time.
Capitol had the capital to finance lawyers and lawsuits, to state the obvious, and financially bleed Vee Jay to death, after the Beatles turned into a license to Print money. Additionally, EMI would miss out from the Revenue because of Dave Dexter’s stupidity, so no reason for EMI to uphold the agreement, or support Vee Jay against its monetary interests.
BTW as to the “ramblings”, although I do not have a single video on UA-cam, I do have more than a few individuals subscribed to my channel to read what I comment, on a variety of subjects, therefore, what I replied wasn’t solely for your benefit.
This generates zero income for me, and I am free to type on a public forum, within UA-cam’s Terms of service. Therefore you can “calm down” and delete my reply that’s in your email in box if you do not like it, and choose not to reread the comment in the future.
No one is twisting your arm to read or reply. If the above reply bothers you, please try to remain calm…not worth raising your blood pressure, and nothing’s going to change my world, or across the universe. Peace
You would certainly know about lipstick on a pig. Personally.
Thank you very little!
You nailed it in the title: "lipstick on a pig". This can look nice, feel nice in your hand and be well mastered. BUT the tapes are shit. Compressed, missing frequencies, songs with added echo.
@@thomosburn8740 I think people are nostalgic and I get that 100% and it was the best we had in the US the time, but we now realize how much Capitol abused what they had….
Even the Canadian versions of this record are much better sounding than what you've got there that you know this. I really wanted to buy one then I realized. Why would I spend money on something that isn't even true mono except for two tracks Todd that didn't come this far to buy inferior fold Downs of poorly mastered wonderful music. It's ridiculous that the only thing they can offer for way too much money is that two LP interview disc. You have a better application of that to LP set as your floor mat to step on when you get out of the shower! Good job. Still love the cool blue vinyl. Just won't buy that.
I bought the albums, 8 tracks cassettes and CDs....I'm not going to buy the albums for a 5th time. Sorry
The vinyl is dead quiet until the music comes in and ruins the silence, I'm sorry but the meet the Beatles sounds terrible to me, actually got me a little down, yes that bad, I'm sorry to say,
IF YOU CAN'T STAND THESE RECORDS SO MUCH WHY DID YOU BUY ANY? YOU SAY YOU'RE A BEATLES FAN? I HIGHLY DOUBT IT FROM YOUR "SPEECH".
WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING
DRY UP. NOBODY IS shouting.
It's only an American mash up, not the original album, who cares.
I think it still carries some history, and the meet the Beatles album is probably their best American album, maybe yesterday and today.
_Lots_ of Americans, obviously! 😅
It was "original" to them for many years, perhaps until UK pressings became the standard in the late 80's. 🤷🏻
I grew up with the UK versions though, so that's what I'm used to.
I care.
Because tens of millions of Americans grew up with this album. We care more about this album than we do your snarky comment.
I just can't get into 60s pop Beatles aimed at teenage girls. Seriously ..listening to these in your 50s 60s is embarrasing. 😅
Still being embarrassed at that age is worse