9 Sept 2009: All-Beatles

[Wayback]

so will anyone be buying the box set?  in stereo or mono?  
if not, which individual albums will you pick up first?
I might get the stereo set for my brother (and then rip the CDs for me!).

On 9/9/09, on way home from work, I stopped by a Target for some other items and saw the Beatles CD display. I decided right then and there to buy all 14 remastered stereo CDs, as they have 'em on sale: single albums at $11.98 and the two double CDs (White Album and Past Masters) at $16.98.  Bonus at Target, for every two of those CDs I got a free $5 gift card, so $35 worth for future use at Target.  Total for the CD's was $178 less the $35 gift cards = $143 (plus tax).  Good deal compared to the list price of the box set at about $250. Target sale runs thru Sat, be there!  A friend ordered the mono box set, so I'll have access to that.  I look forward to the Sat morning replay of AL's set to hear the comments between songs by George Martin & the boys!

[Gazoo]

so will anyone be buying the box set?  in stereo or mono?  
if not, which individual albums will you pick up first?
I might get the stereo set for my brother (and then rip the CDs for me!).

On 9/9/09, on way home from work, I stopped by a Target for some other items and saw the Beatles CD display. I decided right then and there to buy all 14 remastered stereo CDs, as they have 'em on sale: single albums at $11.98 and the two double CDs (White Album and Past Masters) at $16.98.  Bonus at Target, for every two of those CDs I got a free $5 gift card, so $35 worth for future use at Target.  Total for the CD's was $178 less the $35 gift cards = $143 (plus tax).  Good deal compared to the list price of the box set at about $250. Target sale runs thru Sat, be there!  A friend ordered the mono box set, so I'll have access to that.  I look forward to the Sat morning replay of AL's set to hear the comments between songs by George Martin & the boys!

Nice score, Wayback!

[Tinka Cat]

so will anyone be buying the box set?  in stereo or mono?  
if not, which individual albums will you pick up first?
I might get the stereo set for my brother (and then rip the CDs for me!).

On 9/9/09, on way home from work, I stopped by a Target for some other items and saw the Beatles CD display. I decided right then and there to buy all 14 remastered stereo CDs, as they have 'em on sale: single albums at $11.98 and the two double CDs (White Album and Past Masters) at $16.98.  Bonus at Target, for every two of those CDs I got a free $5 gift card, so $35 worth for future use at Target.  Total for the CD's was $178 less the $35 gift cards = $143 (plus tax).  Good deal compared to the list price of the box set at about $250. Target sale runs thru Sat, be there!  A friend ordered the mono box set, so I'll have access to that.  I look forward to the Sat morning replay of AL's set to hear the comments between songs by George Martin & the boys!

Nice score, Wayback!

yes, nice value shopping, WB.   I heard amazon was already sold out of the mono set, which the true Beatlemaniac wants.  I've read that the Lads didn't really care about the stereo mix on their albums (save for Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be, which were mixed in stereo from the start) b/c the common mode of listening back then wasn't necessarily hi-fi.  Some of the "stereo" mixes on their early stuff in particular is awkward, to say the least, like instruments on left channel, vox on right.  kind of hard to listen to, esp in headphones. 



 

[RGMike]

so will anyone be buying the box set?  in stereo or mono?  
if not, which individual albums will you pick up first?
I might get the stereo set for my brother (and then rip the CDs for me!).

On 9/9/09, on way home from work, I stopped by a Target for some other items and saw the Beatles CD display. I decided right then and there to buy all 14 remastered stereo CDs, as they have 'em on sale: single albums at $11.98 and the two double CDs (White Album and Past Masters) at $16.98.  Bonus at Target, for every two of those CDs I got a free $5 gift card, so $35 worth for future use at Target.  Total for the CD's was $178 less the $35 gift cards = $143 (plus tax).  Good deal compared to the list price of the box set at about $250. Target sale runs thru Sat, be there!  A friend ordered the mono box set, so I'll have access to that.  I look forward to the Sat morning replay of AL's set to hear the comments between songs by George Martin & the boys!

Nice score, Wayback!

yes, nice value shopping, WB.   I heard amazon was already sold out of the mono set, which the true Beatlemaniac wants.  I've read that the Lads didn't really care about the stereo mix on their albums (save for Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be, which were mixed in stereo from the start) b/c the common mode of listening back then wasn't necessarily hi-fi.  Some of the "stereo" mixes on their early stuff in particular is awkward, to say the least, like instruments on left channel, vox on right.  kind of hard to listen to, esp in headphones. 

indeed, as your good buddy Mr Selvin said yesterday, the early singles were made to be heard on an AM radio. Phil Spector hated stereo for the same reason. But those weirdly divided stereo mixes were great for making sure your stereo was working properly. 

When "AM stereo" (remember that?) was being experimented with in the '80s, you could take 2 cheap AM radios and tune them to the same station -- one slightly above the frequency, one slightly below -- and hear stereo. I remember when WNBC in NY was trying it out, and the best way to test it was during a Beatle record.