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REVIEW: The Beatles remastered 1967-70
Part 2 of our expert guide to the box sets
Joe Bosso, Tue 8 Sep 2009, 1:10 pm UTC
Hey Jude – the first time the group recorded in true eight-track – maintains its anthem status in stereo. The vocals sit better, they sound fuller, particularly when Paul and John harmonize on the last verse. And if you pay close attention, you really can hear Paul say "fucking hell" when he hits a bum piano note (it's around the 2:59 mark). The mono mix fades out ten seconds later than then its stereo counterpart, but nothing crucial is lost in the latter.
Mono-wise, Day Tripper runs a smidgen slower, but that doesn't make it any less swinging. In fact, the whole song has more muscle and pulse. The guitars are bolder, the drums burst with life and the vocals carry considerably more zip.
Revolution, too, pulverizes in mono. John's distorted-to-hell guitar is a much-imitated, never-duplicated thing of knotted-up beauty, and the stereo version spreads it too thin. Also, in mono you can hear some nifty little drum fills by Ringo that complete the transitions with verve and panache.
The final verdict
So there you have it, the complete rundown of both The Beatles In Mono and The Beatles Box Set: Remastered In Stereo. Both have strong, if not essential, selling points, but the question remains: should you buy?
In a word, yes. In three words - yeah, yeah yeah! The mono set is, for true Beatles obsessives and collectors, the real deal. Unfortunately, for the time being at least, you can't purchase each CD individually, so you have to part with some serious moola and nab the entire collection. A pricey investment, but hey, Christmas is coming - convince a loved one that an early present is in order. Or just treat yourself.
The stereo remasters you can buy individually or as one giant box, and while most of these CDs don't deliver the all-out kicks of the mono mixes, they're tremendous improvements on the discs issued in 1987. As an addition to any home, they too are a must. The packaging, by the way, is primo.
The toppermost of the poppermost, sounding better than ever. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.
Read part one of our review here: The Beatles remastered 1963-66
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