While the Mono vs. Stereo may not have the same cache as Godzilla Vs. Rodan (an analogy so nice, I've used it twice) I've listened to both Beatles box sets enough since their release on September 9th, 2009 that I've come to just a few conclusions about listening to them. The Stereo Box, in my humble opinion, or IMHO, (for those of you keeping score at home) is far superior than the Mono Box set. Granted, both have their redeeming qualities and it is fun to compare and contrast. The Stereo box is like looking at the Sistine_Chapel after the restoration they did in the 1990's, nearly 500 years after Michelangelo first laid on a scaffold. The Stereo box is like digging at the "X" on the treasure map you had as a child! While the Beatles catalog hasn't suffered the same fate as 400 plus years of Papal elections, soot, candle wax, and tourist photography as the Sistine Chapel the entire catalog was long overdue for being remastered. What? You say the original CD's and vinyl feel fine? I thought the same thing. I thought it was a revelation the first time I heard "She's A Woman" in 1988 on a radio station in Ft. Lauderdale. Then I heard McCartney's count off of "I Saw Her Standing There" to kick of "Please Please Me" on the stereo remaster and I was sold. Admit it, hearing the Beatles for the first time on CD in the late 1980's with the records sequenced as the Beatles released them was like rediscovering them. I don't care if I ever hear The Beatles songs cataloged on records named "Second Album" "65", "Meet" or "Something New" ever, ever, again. Once I heard the complete UK version of Rubber Soul I felt like I had been duped, hoodwinked and ripped off by the bastardized US versions tossed down on throats all those years. Butcher shot, indeed. And to think The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson was influenced by the US version of Rubber Soul to create Pet Sounds. What kind of masterpiece would he have created had he heard the British Rubber Soul?
The Beatles on the stereo box just jump to life. They attack the you, they attack your senses. Listen to the guitar break on "Bad Boy". Crisp, clean, and a great example of less is more. The horns on "Magical Mystery Tour" almost blow your hair back like those old Maxell cassette print ads. John Lennon's Martin guitar never sounded better. Paul's harmonies on "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" are beyond reproach. "Two of Us", "Nowhere Man", "Ask Me Why", are just a couple songs that sound great. Interesting to note, as pointed out in the liner notes, listen to Paul's harmony on the stereo "If I Fell" and the second time he sings, "vain" he can't quite get the note. The best thing is to just listen to them for yourself. You don't have to buy the box set, just pick up one of your favorite Beatles records in the remastered form.
The Mono Box is a little more sweetly packaged than it's stereo counterpart. Each record has it's own little inner "record sleeve" as well as protective outer plastic sleeve. Also, the Mono versions of this collection can only be bought as the box set. You cannot buy the CD's ala carte, so to speak. If you want the Mono versions, you have to buy the box set. Beware of bootlegged box sets that look eerily like the real deal. The versions of the mono set just sound a little, canned, if I can say that without getting struck my lightning. There are differences, different jet noises on "Back In the USSR", a shorter version of "Helter Skelter" (sans Ringo's famous "I've blisters on my fingers!") and no hand claps on the intro of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da". "Help" sounds dramatically different in John's vocal. Paul has a scat style vocal that can be heard at the end of "Sgt Pepper's" reprise. The list goes on, I could cite probably an example or a revelation with each spin of the CD's, but those are just a few.
There are those who will tell you the Mono set is the way The Beatles intended their early music to be heard. It was the way music was released back then. "Stereo" was for a few elite music aficionado's. Kids listened to records and music on tinny one speaker systems. Even Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, as pointed out in the liner notes, was first mixed for a mono release. I can't argue with this premise of listening in the mono format. Some fans will tell you the vocals in the stereo mixes are too far in one channel, or speaker. I can see this, turn the balance on your stereo all the way to the right or left (especially on the early recordings) and you can completely lose the lead vocal, save for except maybe some echo. However, for my hard earned Beatle spendin' dollar, I'll take the stereo releases. Now, go home and crank the stereo version of "Hold Me Tight" and listen to the hand claps. It's like they are in the room with you.
Here's the stereo version of "Bad Boy" from YouTube. Now Junior, behave yourself.
