DealsDeal alert / Beatles US Albums box set
The exquisitely packaged Beatles US Albums box set, which contains 13 superb Japanese-style vinyl replica ‘mini-LP CDs’ (complete with ‘drawer’ box) is currently fantastically cheap on Amazon UK.
This set was released at the beginning of 2014 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ legendary first trip to the USA. It contains all the Beatles albums that were released in the USA with the original running orders, including Meet The Beatles, Something New, Yesterday and Today (complete with ‘Butcher’ sleeve) and Hey Jude.
Apple choose not to stay faithful to the original mixes (instead reverting to the 2009 remastered versions) but each CD here does contain stereo and mono versions.
If you’re quick, you can pick this up for £65, which is exactly £5 for each vinyl replica CD. Obviously, you get a lovely box and a 64-page book on top. Don’t hesitate!
Bad news… similar Japanese Meet The Beatles box set is also a great price right now!
In the US Albums box:
- Discs 1: Meet The Beatles Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: January 20, 1964
- Disc 2: The Beatles’ Second Album Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: April 10, 1964
- Disc 3: A Hard Day’s Night [OST] Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: June 26, 1964
- Disc 4: Something New Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: June 20, 1964
- Disc 5: The Beatles Story Original Release: November 23, 1964
- Disc 6: Beatles ’65 Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: December 15, 1964
- Disc 7: The Early Beatles Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: March 22, 1964
- Disc 8: Beatles VI Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: June 14, 1965
- Disc 9:HELP! [OST] Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: August 13, 1965
- Disc 10: Rubber Soul Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: December 6, 1965
- Disc 11: Yesterday and Today Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: June 20, 1966
- Disc 12: Revolver Mono Mix & Stereo Mix, Original Release: august 8, 1966
- Disc 13: Hey Jude Original Release: February 26, 1970
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This box set is now £46.99 on 365games.co.uk, cheapest I’ve seen it for :)
Paul once again thanks for The Beatles details, got a huge surprise, my initial order as suggested above unable to deliver your order a replacement is on the way great price & 2 things i could not
believe 6 days on my doorstep from the UK, and one day later still in “you’re kidding” mode, the
first order arrived? Yep you read it correctly i now have a 2nd copy at no charge. As i am in Australia in Aussie dollars $279! Judging by the box set, it looks as though it’s the same from the UK. Still in???.
Strange but hopefully no one else had the same problem just received a message but hopefully i should be fine or should i say i feel fine, due to unforseen circumstances we’re unable to deliver your order, but we have issued a replacement, i remember a few months ago with The Beatles number 1 box set there were a couple of issues too, but i guess the best thing to do is just wait and be patient hmmm.
A massive thanks Paul
Paul once again thanks for the info, from what i understand these are the Japanese versions and no doubt with lyrics, and just around the corner another massive box set, it’s difficult not to keep this one quiet i do apologize for mentioning this one, the Rolling Stones are at it again!
Their “Stripped” album will now be a massive 5disc box set available in early June! I have just found out too the Japanese version will be out 2 weeks before the UK date! and one extra disc & a t-shirt, start me up or should i say start saving your money. Ouch!
Indeed… post coming about the Stones very soon.
Paul–final update–I cancelled the third party seller copy and heard back from Amazon. They will match the reduced price but in looking at the Steve Hoffman music forum pages I saw 2 comments from people who claimed they got bootleg copies even though they ordered direct from Amazon. Since I live in US and returns are an expensive hassle I’m not going to order the US box. I have the Mono box so don’t really need the US box.
Find it hard to believe that Amazon would supply bootlegs to be honest, but get what you are saying.
Well, not direct bootlegs, but some of those radio show CDs are only a whisker away [how lucky the youth of today is, none of that driving to CD fairs a hundred miles away at five in the morning to be first in the queue malarkey]. But just as an addendum to Bill and Paul’s discussion, I took the Deal Alert on the Beatles In Mono Box Set some weeks back, from Amazon Germany, and although my order was from Amazon itself, the box was plainly a returned item, unsealed, black backing contents card screwed up and inside the box, presumably an ‘open box’ warehouse item. No complaints per se, as I bought it to play, not to stare at or resell, and the price was superb. And whilst here, never missing an opportunity to get my little bete noir in, I still think the Fabs remaining and Mrs Fabs should release ‘Across The Universe’ as a single.
Hey Folks.Here in Switzerland there`s a Online Shop called Dodax.ch where you will get this very nice Box for only Sfr.69.50(about 45£)!! Cheers
so out of interest, which one is sonically better the Japanese one or the usa one as I couldn’t work out which one to get; – so in the end got neither!!
There is no difference to the sonics. Both sets take music from the same pool, the 2009 remasters.
Is that strictly true? My understanding at the time was that the versions here were based on the 2009 digital pre-masters, not the released remasters, and that they had been remastered such that they stayed true to the original US masters?
Actually, I think you’re right. Thanks for clarifying. These don’t have the massive reverb etc. of the US originals, but now you mention it they were ‘tweaked’ marginally, as a nod to US sensibilities.
It’s worth noting that Yoko, Paul,Olivia & Ringo have seemingly washed their hands of this product. The Beatles’ official online store drastically lowered their price to dump their existing inventory of this product…..and they have never offered it again.
While many Ebay sellers offer this boxed set cheap, be cautioned that some of those boxes are Chinese counterfeits(some of the sellers are honest in telling people, others are less honest).
Even though I’m American, and grew up in the 1960’s with Capitol’s reconfigured, sonically altered albums, I obtained my first imported Beatles albums(EMI/Odeon West German pressings of “Please Please Me” & “Beatles Greatest”) while visiting New York City in 1968(I was 12 years old). I immediately noticed their superior sound quality versus the sonically degraded Capitol product.
Though the two CD boxed sets “The Capitol Albums” Vols. 1 & 2 are more true to the sound of the original American L.P.’s, and they do feature some unique mixdown variations, I have come to this inescapable conclusion: from both a sound quality and musical quality standpoint, the ideal way to hear The Beatles music is via the UK versions of the albums; compiled as The Beatles and George Martin intended, with the mixes that they preferred.
The Capitol U.S.A. albums had a purpose (mostly a marketing purpose) in the 1960’s, but these albums are essentially obsolete now. Having said that, I do have a soft spot for the original, reverb-drenched U.S.A. stereo version of “The Beatles Second Album” (as heard on “The Capitol Albums Vol.1” CD boxed set).
Pity, back up to £80
Paul
I looked at the profile of the seller and in addition to good reviews from customers it says:
“All of our items for sale are ‘Fulfilled by Amazon’ which means they are stored, picked, packed and shipped directly from Amazon’s UK Warehouse”. Hopefully that means it is careful with its inventory and product will be authentic.
Not sure it necessarily guarantees that, but certainly you’d think it would reduce the chance of problems. Certainly you get the advantage of good fulfilment, which is a big plus.
I have emailed Amazon with my concerns regarding provenance but no response as yet. If it is fulfilled by Amazon then return if dodgy/fraudulent should be pretty straightforward.
I have always found Amazon to be excellent with faulty items or returning an item because not as described. People are quick to diss them but they have fantastic customer service.
I actually bought the Mono CD Box Set from ‘other seller’ on Amazon a while back for £61 and it was genuine .
Amazon was listed as the seller when I added it to my basket. I didn’t click on a third party seller’s listing. It was only after I received my confirmation that the sellers’ name appeared.
Understood.
Paul;
I ordered this at 62.95 but when I added it to my basket and confirmed order it is listed as coming from Happy Zombie rather than Amazon UK. I have read that there are eastern Europe knock offs of this set and am concerned that I might receive one of those and pain to return since I am in US. I emailed Amazon and told them that I added the item to my basket and don’t know why at checkout it was sold to me by a third party seller when there are 10 Amazon copies still available. I asked them to substitute . Hopefully they will do it. Very strange circumstance.
You need to keep an eye on stuff like that. The cheapest price normally gets onto the ‘main’ page, and sometimes third parties can undercut Amazon. If that happens you’ll need to click on the “other sellers” box where you’ll see Amazon listed. A third party doesn’t mean it will be a knock-off of course, but the risk is there, but obviously that risk doesn’t exist ordering from Amazon direct.
The price jumped up, ugh.
It’s was down to £53 this morning
If I liked The Beatles enough even I’d buy it at that price!
Good to see this BUT Zoverstocks/ MusicMagpie have it new on Amazon at £52.02 including UK delivery on the Amazon site?!
Don`t order from Zoverstocks, good dependable company for 2nd hand CDs/DVDs but you are likely to get an unsealed box, so it may not be new. It happened to me with the Cheap Trick box, luckily all the content was pristine but unsealed.
If you look further down on Amazon Marketplace there are other sellers for a £ or 2 more but £50-£55 a bargain and Amazon will refund you if you are sold a dodgy box. I`d order it myself but I cherry picked the albums I wanted from this set.
I already this, however, noticed the Japan box at the same price, sweet
Just ordered at £62.95 with free postage – great to get this one at this price. Thank you.
I ordered via amazon the same item from a third party seller last year for around the same price and it turned out to be an eastern European/Chinese copy with terrible copied artwork – luckily amazon agreed with me and got my money refunded in days.
£62.95 this very minute.
even better, then!