sprucy in the sky
I'll Be On My Way
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
Posts: 313
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Post by sprucy in the sky on Sept 22, 2009 19:35:55 GMT
Thanks Beatle Bob - interesting comparisons. On a side issue - have you (or any one else) heard of any disc problems with the mono boxset - I've had to replace two discs (AHDN and Revolver) and my replacement copy of Revolver still skips on the first four tracks! you sure it the discs and not your player?
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Post by The End on Sept 22, 2009 19:55:24 GMT
Never had any problems with any other CDs and I have literally hundreds! Plus, the other discs load fine.
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sprucy in the sky
I'll Be On My Way
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
Posts: 313
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Post by sprucy in the sky on Sept 22, 2009 20:09:12 GMT
Never had any problems with any other CDs and I have literally hundreds! Plus, the other discs load fine. totally sucks dude, been remasters you'd think they could at least use decent cds!
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Post by mrmustard on Sept 22, 2009 22:18:24 GMT
Never had any problems with any other CDs and I have literally hundreds! Plus, the other discs load fine. My set is fine and I have had no complaints from other people I know who have bought it. I think you have just been particularly unlucky.
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Post by The End on Sept 22, 2009 22:25:54 GMT
Must be a faulty batch - both of the mono Revolver albums skipped on the 1st four tracks.
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Post by walrusgumboot on Sept 22, 2009 23:32:05 GMT
A PERSONAL REVIEW
Having read comments on various forums about rips , tears and even missing cds, it appears that my decision to order the Boxed Sets from Beatles.com might have been the correct one.
It only cost £20 more than from places like Amazon. They arrived this morning in two sturdy cardboard boxes fastened with that tough brown parcel tape. Inside were the boxes wrapped in four layers of bubble wrap. The boxes themselves were shrink wrapped and made of laminated tough cardboard including the sleeve for the Stereo Box.
I opened the Mono Box first..each cd was in a resealable plastic sleeve and the covers themselves were again made of cardboard and included a facsimile of the original vinyl album sleeve and another semi transparent sleeve to protect from scratching.
All round a superb job.
The Stereo came next and is in itself a work of art. A tall box in a sleeve which opens to reveal 2 compartments seperated by a plastic divider, holding the albums, each one shrink wrapped. The sleeves are the same quality as the Mono set.
To criticise the way in which this has been put together smacks of nit picking, but personally there are a few things that I would have liked to seen done differently.
Firstly..why couldn't the Mono box have had the same design as the Stereo..after all this is the set aimed at the collectors?
Why couldn't the Stereo set have had the same resealable plastic covers as the Mono and also included the inner sleeves etc ?
Minor points I know and of course it's a personal opinion, and maybe others are entirely happy with them the way they are.
My sets ( cds) were manufactured in the EU ..exact country not known, but the packaging was all made and printed in the UK.
Despite what a lot of us were hoping the sets do not appear to be numbered...not even the White Albums.
And of course there are no bonus tracks, unless you count the original stereo mixes of Help and Rubber Soul which are actually on the Mono Discs.
Many had been prophesying that we would at the very least have a snippet of Carnival of Light....
So what about the sound ? Now this is where any review becomes entirely subjective..after all we are all different ages and hear things ( even the same natural sounds) differently. As one becomes older the first thing to go is the lower register which affects your ability to hear bass and deep sounds..maybe that's why the 87 cds sounded so harsh and brittle after George Martin had " digitally remastered" them.
My system will be different to anyone elses and Speaker Placement , size of room and any one of a number of things can and do affect what comes out of the woofers and tweeters for your aural enjoyment.
So... how do they compare with first of all the 87 cds ?
This is a no contest...the Remasters win on all fronts. It's like the difference between a black and white tv, and my Panasonic 42" plasma.
Some have said, elsewhere that they prefer the vinyl and that it is still better. I wouldn't go that far...they are certainly different to the original LPs..For a start the warmth that you get from vinyl is missing, but they make up for that in their own way..no snap crackle or pop for example...on the minus side however purists will notice that one or two things have been sacrificed for the sake of aural clarity including the " chair" sound at the end of A Day In The Life.
Another forum has had a thread running discussing whether or not the good Doctors needledrops are superior to the remasters...the majority say yes.
In my opinion this is nothing more than elitism.. I have a number of originals from the Doc so was able to do an AB comparison. As good as they are they do not come anywhere near the standard of the Remasters.
It is not my intention to review each and every track or compare Mono to Stereo..each of us will have their own particular preference..although I will say that ,for example, the first two albums have a quaint naivety in stereo , but literally attempt to wreck your speakers in mono.
In this weekends newspapers there were a number of reviews varying from the cloth eared to the modern equivalent of William Mann with his " aeolian cadences" Perhaps the best was from Ken Kessler who is editor of a UK Hi Fi Magazine..his quote that "To appreciate the magnitude of the challenge, think of it as on a par with an art restorer cleaning a begrimed Turner. " probably sums it all up.
Those responsible for these discs have brought out subtle nuances in the vocals, enhanced the background and cleared away the sonic dirt which we knew all along was hiding even more brilliant music.
I believe that in years to come, these new discs, will be seen as the definitive versions.
If you haven't got them, then beg, borrow or steal, but whatever you do, don't let them pass you by.
Walrus Gumboot.
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Post by The End on Sept 23, 2009 11:32:44 GMT
Have to agree with you there Walrus! And I've got a Panasonic 42" plasma TV too!! LOL As for bonus tracks, there are sort of..... on the mono Past Masters CD we are provided with proper mono mixes of the Yellow Submarine tracks for the first time ever (the previous mono album was created by folding down the stereo mix). Plus the stereo Past Masters contains the first ever appearance on a UK album of Thank You Girl in stereo, albeit the same mix as the US version, complete with additional and different harmonica refrains!
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Post by coconutfudge on Sept 23, 2009 21:41:05 GMT
I'm almost done listening to the mono box (stereo up next). With just the "Past Masters" to go, I'm happy to report no problems with the discs at all. And I would have liked the stereo box to have been the same as the mono. It's much easier to remove the cd you want and I like the protective plastic sleeves for both the discs and the covers. My mono set was made in Japan.
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Post by The End on Sept 23, 2009 22:01:04 GMT
All mono sets are Japanese pressings and the stereo CDs are made in the "EU", as pointed out by Walrus.
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pat
And That's A Start
Posts: 6
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Post by pat on Sept 28, 2009 13:14:41 GMT
I decided that the only way to go was to buy each album separately in chronological order, 1 a week, so that I can listen to them as if they were new releases, and otherwise I would be like a kid in a sweetshop! So far I have Please Please Me, Meet The Beatles and Hard Days Night...oh, and I cheated somewhat this week and got the Past Masters, (theya re MY rules, so I can cheat if I want to!) So far so FAB!!!!!........
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Post by The End on Sept 28, 2009 13:26:41 GMT
Meet The Beatles, eh? That's a great way to buy them Pat
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Post by lennon9091 on Sept 28, 2009 21:32:54 GMT
I'm getting one CD at a time but not in order ! Just played Abbey Road, sounds terrific ,so i will be donating my old CD's to the charity shop
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sprucy in the sky
I'll Be On My Way
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
Posts: 313
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Post by sprucy in the sky on Oct 3, 2009 21:49:10 GMT
think i gonna buy a couple of the mono's after hearing other peoples but for now that about it
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BlueMeanie
For A Number Of Things
I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together
Posts: 606
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Post by BlueMeanie on Oct 4, 2009 9:06:34 GMT
think i gonna buy a couple of the mono's after hearing other peoples but for now that about it You'll be lucky, they're only available as a box set. Nice review Steve, thanks. And I'm joining Al in the 42 inch Plasma group!
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sprucy in the sky
I'll Be On My Way
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
Posts: 313
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Post by sprucy in the sky on Oct 4, 2009 11:01:06 GMT
thats the joy of the internet, hoping people will sell em off separately
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Post by The End on Oct 4, 2009 11:30:18 GMT
I have 1 spare copy of AHDN album and 2 Revolvers all in mono!
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sprucy in the sky
I'll Be On My Way
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
Posts: 313
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Post by sprucy in the sky on Oct 4, 2009 13:04:53 GMT
are you offering them dude lol
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Post by The End on Oct 4, 2009 16:05:26 GMT
Yeah, on eBay!
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sprucy in the sky
I'll Be On My Way
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
Posts: 313
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Post by sprucy in the sky on Oct 4, 2009 20:48:21 GMT
haha
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elementrypenguin
I'll Be On My Way
Living is Easy with eyes closed...
Posts: 155
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Post by elementrypenguin on Oct 15, 2009 19:40:19 GMT
The White Album Came Today. It's Brilliant!
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