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The Beatles / U.S. Albums box: Q&A

By Paul Sinclair

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67

BOX

Monday 20 January 2014 (21 Jan in North America) sees the release of The Beatles U.S. Albums box set.

We have been previewing the packaging for the last few weeks (from a pre-production sample), but SuperDeluxeEdition is now in possession of a sealed retail box. We’d like to offer all our readers the chance to ask any questions they may have about this set by leaving a comment. You might want to know details about the packaging, or clarify which versions of tracks exist on the mono and stereo editions of each album. Fire away! We might not know everything but we’ll do our best to answer all questions.

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67 Comments

67 thoughts on “The Beatles / U.S. Albums box: Q&A”

  1. This box set is a joke on the buyer, if they really wanted the American mixes, they should have used them. Anyway, stick to the Capitol sets released a few years ago and Dr Ebbitts CD’s of the ORIGINAL US album mixes.

  2. Im sorry to be asking this repeatedly. But i am trying to find an answer to why my “yesterday and today” album came with two discs! Would anybody be able to help me?!

  3. I liked this box alot- brings back a ton of memories of owning the vinyl albums on Apple in the early to mid 70’s.
    I do know there are a few US mixes that were not featured in the box and that seems to have annoyed quite a few. But to me the over all set is very nice and the packaging is beautiful.
    The box set booklet goes into details on the difference between the America releases and the British counterparts . Of the releases, I always preferred the US “Meet The Beatles” , “Beatles Second Album” and “Magical Mystery Tour”, and to some extent “Rubber Soul”. The others I prefer the British versions, especially on ‘Hard Days Night” and “Help”- the US versions are far inferior to the originals although its nice to have all the goofy instrumentals that filled those albums. Enjoy !

  4. Received it today (From amazon France), the box looks great, the artwork and reproduction on the individual cd’s are not as bad as some people say it is, just a notch under the mono box. The box is printed in the USA so I don’t think it matters were you order it from. I’m quite happy with it – recommended!

  5. On iTunes, I logged into a different country where it’s already January 21st (I chose Lebanon) and was able to listen to some samples.
    I listened to She’s a Woman, I Feel Fine, I Want to Hold Your Hand and You Can’t Do That.

    As we suspected, Apple went and used the true stereo versions from 2009. The duophonic versions (aka really bad stereo — this is my opinion) have been replaced. I was never a fan of these.

    Give the Lebanese iTunes web site a try.

    Gerry

  6. Any clue regarding the country of manufacture of the discs? Matrix number? Manufacturer code embossed in the inner ring?
    The whole set is so much like the japanese-made discs that were included in the american Mono Box.

  7. Hello! Paul, I’d like to know how many versions of this boxset. The “Printed in the U.S.A.”, “Made in the E.U.”, “Made in Japan” or just the “Printed in the U.S.A.” version? Thanks a lot!

  8. As far as the 2009 Mono Box Set is concerned, I’m sorry but I was not impressed with the sound quality, and that goes for the stereo box also. What I WAS impressed with was the USB version. Now that should be the standard to listening to The Beatles. Nothing comes close comparatively! (I’m hoping they will eventually do a Mono version of the USB….)

  10. How is the 64 page booklet? Is the essay particularly informative/lightweight/in depth? Likewise are there any unique or well reproduced photos of the band & related memorabilia?

    I’m hoping it is of the calibre and quality of paper etc of the mono box set – the pinnacle of this sort of thing.

  14. Pingback: Shelf Assessment: The Beatles | superdeluxeedition

  15. Hi SDE
    I only bought the Mono Box when it came out and it’s my favourite Beatles purchase over the years. I couldn’t afford both Mono & Stereo boxes anyway.
    Would it be fair to say that buying the US Albums Box would make the whole affair a rounded experience after the Mono Box? I’m thinking aesthetically as well as the listening experience of course.
    Gary C

  17. Like Paul, I also own the two “Capitol Albums” boxes, so in that context do I need to buy these? (Either way, I wouldn’t mind being selected as the winner of the box.)

  20. Is the Yesterday and Today replacement cover a permanent “sticker” or is it like color-forms (if you remember what those were), which can be applied and removed at will?

    1. I think it is an actual sticker, but not sure how easy it is to remove. The one I tried out in December wasn’t particularly easy to be honest, so my advice is don’t go there!!

  22. If I already own Capitol Albums 1 and 2 and all the 09 stereo remasters and the Mono box, do I need this? As someone who usually wants everything Beatles, I have to really be sure this time. I sure love those pretty box sets though…

    1. You definitely don’t need it as a ‘content completist’ as you will be very annoyed to find it well populated with tracks you already have. there are a couple of 1987 mixes on here but that’s not worth getting it for. Of course, since you like pretty box sets and this IS so pretty, you’re probably gonna get it but, really, this set is designed not for completist collectors but for newbies and oldbies who fancy a nice price for US album sleeves and sequencing together with a generous helping of both UK mono and stereo box sets. If that’s you, this is your box set

  23. Are the color sliks pasted onto the front of the white sleeve (as the original LP’s covers), or are the front covers printed as the main sleeve and the backs pasted on. Thanks

    2. Indeed – pasted on the back unfortunately.

      These sleeves are high quality and a good value for the price.
      That being said, they are not quite as accurate as the Japanese release (The Bealtes Capitol Albums Vol 2 2nd Edition). Too bad Japan isn’t releasing a version of this box set as well!

  24. I own the 2009 Stereo Remasters, the new vinyl boxed set and the old Capital boxed sets (volumes 1 & 2). In your opinion, is my money better spent on this set, the 2009 mono set, or something else all together?

  25. Can you tell us more about the “butcher cover” cd in this box. Is the sticker on already? Is it simply resting inside the sleeve as a momento?

    Thanks!

  26. Got the box today, and while I didn’t make a track-by-track comparison they seemed to have missed out on a couple of those ‘unique’ US versions: Something New doesn’t have the ‘long’ version of “And I Love Her” (with the extended intro), and the Hard Day’s Night Soundtrack has the same (UK standard) version, not the United Artists version of “And I Love Her” with single-track vocal. And the long version of “I’ll Cry Instead” (with extra verse) only is in mono (I have it in stereo on both the US soundtrack LP and a German LP edition…).

    2. The extended And I Love Her was unique to the german version of Something New. The US stereo version is the same from the US one. The “stereo” extended I’ll Cry Instead is actually a mock-stereo version. We’re still waiting a true version of this long edit to be released.

  28. Thanks – my Amazon UK order will probably ship tomorrow, so would be grateful for comments asap, even on a couple of tracks. Can’t imagine there will be a significant change, however.

  29. Interesting the fold under Obi (like the Led Zepplin one again) is printed in USA, the box may not be though. For instance those Rhino ‘vinyl replica series’ CDs had all the sleeves, inserts etc made in Japan and are top notch but the CDs are standard US ones. The individual Beatles disc sleeves come in the re-sealable palstic outer sleeves as the mono set did presumably?

      1. As far as overall sound quality is concerned (leaving aside gripes about what mix may have been used), have you had chance to compare mono and stereo tracks against the equivalent 2009 box set tracks? Thanks

  31. I have the rare Heineken promotional Beatles cassette “Only The Beatles…” – Parlophone SMMC 151 from 1987.
    This has 12 tracks: Love Me Do/Twist And Shout/She Loves You/This Boy (Stereo version)/Eight Days A Week/All My Loving/Ticket To Ride/Yes It Is (Stereo version)/Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da/Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds/And I Love Her/Strawberry Fields Forever (all tracks are stereo except for 1 &3 which are Mono versions).
    Please can you advise which of these specific tracks are on this box set – the stereo versions of This Boy and Yes It Is were unique to this cassette for many years, and I was wondering if these versions are on this set? – I’m fairly certain the other 10 tracks match what’s on this box set.
    (Before anyone asks – No my cassette is NOT for sale)

  32. I imagine actually, these boxes and the sleeves, packaging are Japanese made with the CDs themselves possibly US pressed. I’ve never seen these disc union type drawer boxes utilised for any other collection. The US issued ‘Dylan in mono’ set for example is a nice sturdy drawer box but with amatt finish, I may be wrong though. US or UK issued items like this would not look as good and would be half the cost. Though I have seen this box advertised on CD Japan as an ‘import’ so who knows? Two questions:

    1. Do the discs come inside clear, plastic dust-protector inner sleeves (inside the paper inner sleeve) like the Mono box?

    2. There is mention made of an ‘Obi’ in the advertising. I am assuming this to mean the paper blurb describing the contents that sits loosly at the back of the box rather than individual Obis (ie that the Led Zepplin discs individually had but the Beatles in Mono did not)? It would be great if the manufacturers could makes these things a centimeter square smaller so it would slip inside the box after unwrapping rather than exactly the same size as the outer box so they risk damage just by being loosly kept.

    Thanks.

    1. 1. Yes they do.

      2. The mono box had a square ‘spec sheet’ shrink-wrapped to the back. This has the same thing but it folds under the bottom of the box too. So ‘OBI’ of a sort. Just noticed this has on it “Printed in USA”, so it seems these aren’t Japanese.

      1. The songs has the reverb or echo…”finally” ?? (like the song ..for example Roll over BEETHOVEN from Second Album…at the beginning of the song or I Feel Fine, She´s a Woman…. ?

  33. Hi,
    How does the packaging compare to the mono boxset? On par? As obviously that was made in Japan, and this is made in USA? Slight concern???
    Thanks

    1. Yes, made to a high quality standard. No doubt. The card is thicker than used on the mono box replicas, for instance. However if pushed I’d say the quality of the reproduction of front covers isn’t *quite* as amazing as the Japan mono box. Having said that it’s hard to know if that’s because the originals weren’t that great in the first place. Comparing mono revolver UK cover to the new US revolver, you can see that the USA version is very high contrast. The whites are very white and it lacks the ‘creaminess’ of the UK mono. It also doesn’t have the laminated finish. Both of those might be historically accurate however. I’m sure someone here can confirm.

  36. We have an Apple logo on the back of the outer box, the albums were released in the US by Capitol, Universal is now releasing the whole thing: are all these record companies (or their logo’s) displayed somewhere on the outer box (under) or on the sleeves or on the discs?

    1. Small Apple logos at the bottom of each disc. A mention of “Universal Music Group” on the small print on disc. Nothing on card sleeves, or outer box. One apple logo on inner box.

  37. Didn’t you open it??!! I’d like to know everything about all the contrversial issues: Sound quality? duophonic or true stereo? 87 0r 09 mix? Which are the unique Capitol mixes? A/B comparison with the previous Capitol Box (1&2). Made in Japan (like the mono box) or not? ….only everything….please :)

  38. I don’t have The Capitol Albums boxes from a few years ago; I’d like to know if the unique US versions of tracks are included – not the fake stereo or mono-folded-down-from-stereo, but the alternate mixes / versions e.g. “I’m Only Sleeping”

    1. The mono of “I’m Only Sleeping” is definitely different to the UK mono. No backward guitar after “running everywhere at such a speed” etc. So that must mean it’s an instance of unique US mix.

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