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2009 24 Nov

The Beatles Stereo Box Set

The Beatles Stereo Box Set was released in September of 2009 it instantly became the standard for The Beatles classic albums. These new stereo mixes sound far better than the old CDs from the late 1980s. When a listener compares these new remasters to the older CDs it’s like the older discs are under a pile of blanks while the new remastered CDs sound warm and clear so that all of the vocals, guitar parts, bass guitar parts, and drums punch through the mixes instead of being swallowed up by whats around them.

The Beatles in Stereo isn’t the only Beatles box set released in ‘09 but it has been the biggest seller because it appeals to the biggest set of Beatles fans. The Remastered Beatles in Mono Box Set is excellent too but it appeals mostly to Beatles purists who want to hear the original mono mixes (because the mono mixes are what the band themselves worked on) than to an fan. Although there are definitely songs that sound better in mono than in stereo (especially quite a few of the pre Magical Mystery Tour recordings) all things considered I believe the stereo CD set does sound better.

The great thing about The Beatles Stereo CD Box Set is that it lets you to buy The Beatles entire 1962-1970 catalog with just one order and when one considers the extremely high quality of almost all of their albums, it makes the most sense to buy them all at once instead of picking up some.

And beyond the great music included in this set there are some groovy visual elements, most obviously the DVD with 13 mini documentaries on it (one for each studio album.) Along with the mini documentary DVD there are also extended liner notes for each CD (there’s some good stuff in there, especially for new fans) and some great unpublished pictures.

I’m such a huge Beatles fan that I’ve ordered (or I plan on getting) The Beatles Stereo Set, The Beatles in Mono Box, The Beatles Apple USB, and The Beatles Rock Band. But if I had to pick just one of these things, it would be the stereo box because it is the best hear their legendary music and after all, it’s the classic songs that is the most important.