Track Listing

1. From Me to You
2. Thank You Girl
3. Please Please Me
4. Love Me Do
5. Twist and Shout
6. Taste of Honey
7. Do You Want to Know a Secret
8. There's a Place
9. I Saw Her Standing There
10. Misery
11. Anna (Go to Him)
12. Chains
13. All My Loving
14. Ask Me Why
15. P.S. I Love You
16. Long Tall Sally
17. I Call Your Name
18. Slow Down
19. Matchbox
20. I Should Have Known Better
21. If I Fell
22. Tell Me Why
23. And I Love Her
24. Any Time at All
25. I'll Cry Instead
26. Things We Said Today
27. When I Get Home
28. No Reply
29. I'm a Loser
30. Rock & Roll Music
31. Eight Days a Week
32. I'll Follow the Sun
33. Baby's in Black
34. Words of Love
35. I Don't Want to Spoil the Party
36. She Loves You
37. I Want to Hold Your Hand
38. Can't Buy Me Love
39. I Feel Fine
40. Yesterday
41. Act Naturally
42. You Like Me Too Much
43. It's Only Love
44. Nowhere Man
45. Drive My Car
46. Michelle
47. You Won't See Me
48. Magical Mystery Tour
49. Your Mother Should Know
50. I Am the Walrus
51. Fool on the Hill
52. Flying
53. Blue Jay Way
54. Magical Mystery Tour [Mono Version]
55. Your Mother Should Know [Mono Version]
56. I Am the Walrus [Mono Version]
57. Fool on the Hill [Mono Version]
58. Flying [Mono Version]
59. Blue Jay Way [Mono Version]
60. Inner Light
61. Baby You're a Rich Man
62. She's a Woman
63. This Boy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46861 in Music
• Brand: Beatles
• Released on: 1992-06-30
• Number of discs: 15
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: 1.15 pounds

Customer Reviews

Mono is not just for people deaf in one ear.
The simple fact is, these original British MONO mixes sound much, much better than the "primitive stereo" US releases. Back in 1962-63 Rock and Roll was new and "stereo" was even newer. People didn't have Ipods, satellite radio, or 19-channel home theater systems. We (yes, "we!") had AM radios and portable record players. Even our parents' home "Hi-Fi" was usually mono. And that's something George Martin and the Beatles had to consider when intentionally mixing their music in Mono. Let's face it, commercial "stereo" technology was in its infancy and it would take several years of growth before it sounded even close to realistic. Compared to modern recordings, many of Rock's early stereo and "simulated stereo" recordings sound unnatural with guitar/vocals hard-left in one speaker and bass/drums hard right in the other and pretty much nothing going on in the middle. Played on a modern system, these original mono mixes actually sound like a band playing right in front of you. (Especially if you turn it up! C'mon, it's the Beatles!) Instruments and vocals are bright and clear and and everything is nicely centered. I think you'd be very pleasantly surprised at the overall improvement in sound quality.

Actually, ALL of the Beatles' music was mixed in mono for release in the UK, even the later true stereo releases, but, no, the UK mono versions are not "easily found on other [US] albums." I've managed to find all the UK mono albums through "Let It Be" and have compared them to the US stereo versions and I personally prefer the UK monos. (Frankly, "Abbey Road" and the "White Album" sound just fine in stereo. I guess by '68 they were finally getting the hang of it!) If you're interested, check Google and Yahoo for "Beatles Mono" for more detailed info on the subject and for product sources.

OK, so the early UK monos sound a lot better than the early US stereos. As for the "package," well, yeah, it was definitely marketed to "Collectors." The original 12 4-song British EPs (Extended Play vinyl records) are duplicated here on CDs in cardboard sleeves that mimic the original record jackets. Also included is the original 6-song EP release of "Magical Mystery Tour" on 2 separate mono and stereo CDs in a nice fold-out that looks like the LP jacket. (The US "Magical" had songs added by Capitol to fill out an album length.) The last disc contains "rare" UK stereo versions of 4 B-sides. Then there's the the nice black storage box that looks like one I used to keep my 45s in back in my misspent youth, oh so long ago(!)

If you don't have any audiophile-wannabe tendencies and you're content with the US stereo versions that you've probably grown up with, then no, I don't suppose you need this collection. But, if you'd like at least some of your "golden oldies" to sound more natural and realistic then go for it. And as for the expense, do you really expect to pay full price for something on Amazon?

Great for collectors, but....
Overpriced. I only own this set because, twelve years ago, a local branch of a major retail chain had this mismarked with the "1" accidentally left off of the then-$150 price tag (then it became a heck of a deal!). You can pretty much get any of these songs on all of the other lower-priced Beatles CDs out there. There are, however, some great carrots for collectors in the form of the mono mixes, especially on the Magical Mystery Tour disc (which is actually presented in stereo AND mono).

While the first seven discs contain widely-available mono mixes, the final eight discs contain mono tracks unavailable anywhere else. Some of these mixes are significantly different from the stereo mixes. This is nowhere more evident on "I Am the Walrus", in which the mono mix contains a couple of extra bars in the middle of the song.

Over all, a ripoff for non-completists but almost worthwhile for obsessive collectors.

Money Saving Idea
My purchase of the Beatles EP Box in Mono was an economic way of
getting the Mono best of the Beatles, without paying $250 for the
re-mastered 9-09-09 box set. Yes, I'm missing a few albums in
Mono that came out after MMT, however, the quality of the British EPs is as close to the Original mixes and sound great without
the NEW sound of modern day Digital DAWs. Basically, this is
Vacuum tube sound, not 24 bit , just great MONO. The shipment
was fast...the packing avoiding any damages...and the EP sleeves
were pristine....made me very happy!