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REVIEW: The Beatles remastered 1963-66
Should you buy the mono and stereo box sets?
Chris Vinnicombe, Mon 7 Sep 2009, 10:41 am UTC
While the newly remastered stereo CDs will become the most readily-available versions of the albums in record shops across the globe, to really hear the splendour of the first two Beatles albums, there's no substitute for the mono versions. For the time being at least, they remain ghettoised in a limited edition box set.
Four tracks are better than two
By the time they began recording A Hard Day's Night – released on 10 July 1964 – The Beatles were using four-track tape machines, and it translates into a much more satisfying stereo experience.
The unmistakeable clang of the title track's opening chord – heard anew in beautiful clarity on the stereo disc – announces the arrival of George's 12-string Rickenbacker 360/12 not only in The Beatles' sonic palette but also in the musical vocabulary of the '60s.
There are inconsistencies between the 1964 mono and stereo mixes that remain – such as the 'broken' harmonica intro on I Should Have Known Better, John's voice double-tracked on the If I Fell intro, Paul's missed harmony on the second "in vain" in the same song – but there's no doubt that the extra width added by recording on two additional tracks makes for a lush stereo spread.
The acoustic guitars in particular sound wonderful on the stereo disc – the rich low end on the last phrase of George's nylon-string solo in And I Love Her, the strummed chords on I'll Be Back, all heard here in more detail than ever before.
And it isn't just the mellower songs that benefit from extra separation. In the mono mix Lennon's endearingly scruffy guitar solo in You Can't Do That fights for space with Harrison's 12-string riff. In stereo they are disentangled and as complementary as they no doubt sounded ringing out from either side of Ringo's drum riser on a concert hall stage. If you could hear them through the screaming…
Really down
Shortly before 1964 turned into 1965, Beatles For Sale was released. Hitting the shelves on 4 December 1964, their fourth studio LP is regarded as a backward step by some, returning to a mixture of cover versions and originals after the completely self-penned A Hard Day's Night.
However, the second half of 1964 had seen John, Paul, George and Ringo put in more work than most modern bands manage in three or four years. Was the strain beginning to show?
The predominantly Lennon-penned opening trio of No Reply, I'm A Loser and Baby's In Black is often cited as indicative of his introspective, downbeat songwriting beginning to subvert the public perception of the band as chirpy mop-topped caricatures.
However, on Beatles For Sale, some of McCartney's songs are equally troubled: What You're Doing and I'll Follow The Sun both feature protagonists scarred by the relationships they are leaving behind.
