Beatles remasters: Are you buying?

I'm sure they're terrific... but man, I can only buy the same damn album so many times.

The Elvis Costello catalog's been even worse with this stuff. I think I now have 5 versions of "King of America."

 

I am buying them all ... for my library. (Not the boxed sets, just the single CDs.)

There will be huge demand for them here. Our money is getting slashed, but this is an important buy. (Along with the new Whitney Houston and Kid Cudi's upcoming CD)

 

Thanks to my kids being budding Beatlemaniacs, I'll probably plop some charge down for a few. We've already reserved the Beatles Rock Band game. (The disc itself -- we bought the game at Best Buy for $100, so that means we're spending $160 total instead of $250 for the game and instruments.)

 

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
-Johnny Rotten

 

I'm a fanatic, so I'll be getting both stereo and mono sets once the funds allow. Stereo next Wednesday along with Beatles Rock Band, mono later on. Of course, I also have no life...

Rolling Stone gave the remasters five stars in the latest issue. I can't wait.

 

I think I have three different CD versions of The Who's Live At Leeds. Have the orginal release on vinyl too.

 

Same here, except replace "considering" with, "definitely buying." Perfect time for me, and I won't be duplicating anything I'm not eager to replace.

Stereo most likely, though I'm not enough of an audiophile to get too worked up about format. Is there a difference I should consider before dropping bank on this thing?

 

I'm probably going to buy the stereo box set, rip the CDs and sell it on eBay.

If not, I'll just pick up some favorites -- Revolver, Rubber Soul, White Album, Abbey Road. Past Masters and Help! -- and worry about the rest later.

 

Through the White Album, there were decided differences in stereo vs. mono mixes of the songs. The Beatles intended the songs to be heard in mono up until that point. The original CD mixes tried to make mono songs "stereo," which is why sometimes some of the mid-career albums (Rubber Soul, Revolver) can sound weird on good stereo equipment.

Short answer is, fanboys will get both. Average Joes will be happy with stereo.

 

The mono mixes (especially on the White Album) are substantially different than the stereo versions, in some cases with noticeably different arrangements.

They're very interesting for audiophiles and hard-core completists, but if you're buying the albums for the first time, go with stereo.

 

Often when the industry says "Remaster!" these days, what they really mean is "We brickwalled everything so it's, um, louder! Which is BETTER!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

Not sure if that's the case here, of course. Maybe not:

http://wogew.blogspot.com/2009/04/beatles-cd-remasters.html

Already have all of the albums from the previous CD releases, and just as I'm someone who doesn't mind my live bootlegs in mp3 ("You must get FLAC or other lossless!" scream the audiophiles), I can't say my ear would be able to discern a great difference in these releases. But maybe I'm just fudging that because of the cost right now.

The old CDs do have some interesting quirks. Their old-school use of stereo is pretty funny; vocals/drums on one side, guitar on the other. Freaky.

 

You oughta try listening to Led Zeppelin I some time with one speaker or the other disconnected/turned down. Almost unrecognizable ...