Beatles remasters 09/09/09

[Awesoman]

I splurged and ordered the stereo box set off of Amazon.  Came in the mail yesterday.  I'm in heaven.   

I hate you. I ordered mine off Play on monday, and it still hasn't arrived yet! 

Well, Amazon.com can be hit or miss regarding the timeliness of the products they ship.  I've ordered stuff from them in the past and had to wait a week or two after the item came out.  This Beatles box set (surprisingly) came to me earlier than their estimated arrival date, which was 9/14.  I wasn't complainin'.

[hypehat]

Aye, tis a lottery alright. It probably has something to do with the insane amount of demand.... hopefully it will be here next week, and i can catch up with you guys 

[Jay]

I'm slightly confused. The info on the mono box set says it will have 10 of their albums. Does that mean we are not getting the complete Beatles catalouge in mono, or at least on the mono box set? Also, if you get both the mono and stereo box sets, will there be a need to still get each individual cd? I mean, will the cd's in the stereo and mono sets have the same deluxe packaging? I'm quite obsessive sometimes....

[hypehat]

You don't get Abbey Road, Let It Be or Yellow Submarine in the mono boxset, because they weren't mixed in mono.... as a pittance, i think they give you the 65 stereo mixes of Help and Rubber Soul. As for packaging, i believe the contents of the stereo boxset and single cds are the same, but i cannot speak for the mono. Anyone got this? how is it?

[Jay]

You don't get Abbey Road, Let It Be or Yellow Submarine in the mono boxset, because they weren't mixed in mono

Why wouldn't they just mix them in mono for the box set?

[Jay]

If I read this right, one of the "ten albums" originally issued in mono is the White Album, which came out in mono in Europe and for years was a hard-to-find piece of vinyl.   Assuming it's to be included in the "mono box set", that will be a great addition to the digital world, as the mono mix is strikingly different in many ways from the version everyone's heard over the years.

I can't wait to finally have a good quality mono mix of Helter Skelter. 

[hypehat]

You don't get Abbey Road, Let It Be or Yellow Submarine in the mono boxset, because they weren't mixed in mono

Why wouldn't they just mix them in mono for the box set?

I'm not sure. I guess they want to use the vintage mono mixes for everything, but i do thinik it's a tad rich to charge £80 more for a boxset without every album.

Mine finallly arrived! Listening to Magical Mystery Tour now, it sounds great! 

[cta]

Ordered the mono box just to have official complete monos.  That's the good stuff there. 

Heard the stereos over the weekend from a buddy.  Tell you what...the anticipation might make it seem like lobster tails, but the reality is it's a reheated frozen burger at best.  Using the 1987's to 24/96...and taking four years to do it was the red flag that did it for me.  Not even worth the plastic it's pressed on. 

[Cal]

I tell you, I'm just overwhelmed with the everything done to these Beatles albums. The mono box has wonderful packaging, with the CDs in cardboard sleeves with a plastic overwrap (resealable like a Dr. Ebbetts release) and they are easy to remove from the sleeves. Comes with a 40+page booklet.  The stereo discs are in beautiful digipacks with glossy booklets with new liner notes, session info, etc. Classy presentation all around.

The audio is what makes these remasters the talk of the town though. The mono discs are crisp, full of snap and punch. There are times things like a cowbell jumps out at you unexpectedly from a mono recording. Case in point: MONO MASTERS disc #1, "I Call Your Name". Whoa. How'd they do that?  SGT. PEPPER'S rocks harder. The WHITE ALBUM same thng. Stereo PAST MASTERS -  just listen to the opening part of "Thank You Girl" with the hard strumming guitars and pounding drums by Ringo. It will knock you out of your seat. Crank up "Paperback Writer" and you are enwrapped in a rock and roll song that gains power like never before. Guitar jabs on "I Me Mine" from LET IT BE pierce your ear drums. They want to bleed. ABBEY ROAD...the drums. Ringo's drums benefit as well as Paul's bass.  My speakers never heard such bass frequences before. It rattles and I have to turn the bass down! The moog synthesiser isn't muddy. The anvil on "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" feels like a lightning bolt to the brain. I've never heard bongos on "A Hard Day's Night" until I spun the stereo remaster.

This clarity and newfound power to these recordings is remarkable. A hazy layer that always masked these recordings are now gone. It's almost like hearing new mixes...but they're not! They sound like a revitalized band thanks to the wonderful and superb job done by the mastering team. Right now, I'm redescovering them, hearing new anomolies, and detail with such definition that I never expected to hear. I'm now in Abbey Road's Studio 2!

Regards,
Cal aka "Beatle Bob"

[Cal]

First week CD sales for the Beatles's remasters in US. From Billboard:

http://www.billboard.com/news/beatles-jay-z-dominate-billboard-charts-1004012340.story#/news/beatles-jay-z-dominate-billboard-charts-1004012340.story

Regards,
Cal aka "Beatle Bob"

[chris.metcalfe]

Apparently in the UK the Beatles CDs have failed to make #1 on the LP chart because of a Best Of by a lady called Vera Lynn (of 'We'll Meet Again'/'Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover' fame) - released to coincide with Britain's entry into WW2, 70 years ago 3/9/39.

Shades of '67, where Engelbert Humperdinck kept Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever off the #1 single position (at least in the BBC chart - you know, the one that DID have Please Please Me at #1 !!)

[Sheriff John Stone]

OK, if you wanna hammer me for being obsessive, go ahead, I deserve it....

So I went to WalMart to pick up a Beatles' remastered CD. Didn't know which one, whichever one struck my fancy. I just wanted to get going on this, get in the flow. They were on sale for $12 or $13, so I was happy about that. But....

THEY COME IN CARDBOARD CASES! NO WAY! WHY??!!

I hate those cardboard sleeves, whatever they're called. They tear, bend, and FADE! What's wrong with jewel cases? Yeah, they can scratch or crack, but they preserve the product (including cover) better than those cardboard things. This is Summer In Paradise crap!. Are these remasters eventually gonna come out on jewel cases?

[Alex]

OK, if you wanna hammer me for being obsessive, go ahead, I deserve it....

So I went to WalMart to pick up a Beatles' remastered CD. Didn't know which one, whichever one struck my fancy. I just wanted to get going on this, get in the flow. They were on sale for $12 or $13, so I was happy about that. But....

THEY COME IN CARDBOARD CASES! NO WAY! WHY??!!

I hate those cardboard sleeves, whatever they're called. They tear, bend, and FADE! What's wrong with jewel cases? Yeah, they can scratch or crack, but they preserve the product (including cover) better than those cardboard things. This is Summer In Paradise crap!. Are these remasters eventually gonna come out on jewel cases?

You mean digipaks? I didn't know SIP came in one of those...I didn't even think cardboard digipaks were used for CDs back in 1992!

[Cal]

Apparently in the UK the Beatles CDs have failed to make #1 on the LP chart because of a Best Of by a lady called Vera Lynn (of 'We'll Meet Again'/'Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover' fame) - released to coincide with Britain's entry into WW2, 70 years ago 3/9/39.

Shades of '67, where Engelbert Humperdinck kept Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever off the #1 single position (at least in the BBC chart - you know, the one that DID have Please Please Me at #1 !!)

Yeah but many fail to point out the Beatles re-released their ENTIRE catalog of albums at once:  Stereo albums available individually and in a box set, PLUS a mono box set. I think these would tally up to more than Vera Lynn's total for her release being #1. I'm sure if the Beatles released one title at a time, each and everyone would top out at #1 in the UK and US.

Regards,
Cal aka "Beatle Bob"

[Cal]

USA ALBUM CHARTS...BEATLEMANIA 2.0!

From Billboard:

- 626,000 units detected by Soundscan (up from 21,000 in the previous frame)

- prior to last week, The Beatles' 2009 sales total stood at 635,000

- YTD total now stands at 1,261,000. Total 2008 sales were 1,393,000

- The Beatles have never sold less than 1m per annum in the Soundscan era

Abbey Road 89,000
Sgt. Pepper 74,000
The Beatles 60,000
Rubber Soul 58,000
Revolver 46,000
Help! 39,000
Let It Be 32,000
Past Masters Vols I & II 31,000
Magical Mystery Tour 30,000
A Hard Day's Night 29,000
The Beatles in Stereo 26,000
Please Please Me 23,000
With The Beatles 22,000
Beatles For Sale 21,000
Yellow Submarine 14,000
The Beatles in Mono 12,000

Billboard 200(New Albums)Probably 2 of the Best - Charting Mega Boxes of All Time!

15 The Beatles in Stereo
40 The Beatles in Mono

Comprehensive Albums chart - Top 10(All Albums)5 Top Ten Albums!

3. Abbey Road
5. Sgt. Pepper
7. The Beatles
8. Rubber Soul
10. Revolver

Top Pop Catalog chart - Top 10(Older Albums) 9/10 Top Ten Albums!

1. Abbey Road
2. Sgt. Pepper
3. The Beatles
4. Rubber Soul
5. Revolver
7. Help!
8. Let It Be
9. Past Masters Vols I & II
10. Magical Mystery Tour

(Michael Jackson's "Number Ones" is the sole other title in the Pop Catalog top 10.)




UK ALBUM CHARTS (09-19-09)

RANK/PREVIOUS WK/ALBUM/ARTIST

1 (2) We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn

5 (-) Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 17,830
6 (-) Abbey Road 16,507
9 (-) Revolver 14,568
10 (-) Rubber Soul 13,203
21 (-) The Beatles 8,532
24 (-) The Beatles In Stereo 7,671
29 (-) Help 6,150
31 (-) Past Masters 5,748
33 (-) Magical Mystery Tour 5,568
37 (-) A Hard Day's Night 5,528
38 (-) Please Please Me 5,106
49 (-) Let It Be 3,993
51 (-) With The Beatles 3,909
54 (99) 1 3,418
56 (-) Beatles For Sale 3,390
57 (-) The Beatles In Mono 3,305
89 (-) Yellow Submarine 2,043

126,469 ALBUMS SOLD IN 4 DAYS

16 TOP 60 ALBUMS = NEW RECORD

The BEATLES' Stereo (14 Albums) and MONO (10 Albums) Boxes were only counted as 1 sale per box (for chart purposes).
stereo box = 7671 x 14 = 107,394 albums
mono box = 3305 x 10 = 33,050 albums



Thanks to Zeus555.

UK ALBUM CHARTS 09-19-09 CONGRATULATIONS FABS!

BEATLES UK CHART RECORDS IN THE CHART OF W/E 19th SEPTEMBER:

THE FIRST GROUP TO HAVE 4 TOP 10 ALBUMS IN THE SAME CHART

1) They are the first Group - ever - to have 4 Top 10 Albums, in the same Week.
The only other Act to manage 4 - or more - was Michael Jackson - earlier in 2009.
He had 5 Top 10 Albums in the Chart of W/E 11th July. Then 6 in the W/E 18th July
Chart. Then 5 in the W/E 25th July Chart. (Until 2009, no Act had ever managed more
than 3 Top 10 Albums at once).

THE FIRST GROUP SINCE 1967 TO HAVE MORE THAN TWO TOP 10 ALBUMS AT ONCE:,

2) The last time, (by a Group), was just over 42 Years ago:,

THE MONKEES

W/E 15th July 1967

No.2 - HEADQUARTERS
No.4 - MORE OF THE MONKEES
No.6 - THE MONKEES

Only 10 Acts have ever managed it. Until now, The Beatles had yet to achieve it.

The only other Groups to manage 3 Top 10 Albums -
George Mitchell Minstrels, (3 Weeks - 1962 - 1963),
The Shadows, (9 Weeks - 1963), The Beach Boys, (2
Weeks - 1966), & The Monkees, (1 Week - 1967).

THE MOST TOP 60 ALBUMS BY THE SAME ACT

3) Elvis Presley had a record 14 Top 60 Albums in the Chart of W/E 10th September 1977.
(3 of them in the Top 10). The Beatles have now beaten that. They have 16 Albums in the
current Top 60. (Michael Jackson had 9 Top 60 Albums in the Charts of W/E 18th July,
(all Top 20), W/E 25th July, (all Top 40), W/E 1st August, (all Top 50), W/E 8th August,
(all Top 50), & W/E 15th August, (all Top 60 - 11 in the Top 75, that Week)


Regards,
Cal aka "Beatle Bob"

[cptracks]

Beatles rule!!!! I love ABBEY ROAD!!!! but I hate it how there are few songs that are like less than 2 minutes long and it gets abruptly cut...it doesn't transition well to the next song