Yes I did. On September 9, the Beatles Reissue CDs came out. All the CDs were remastered for better sound than the previous 20+ year-old CD versions. You can buy them separately or in the big box set. Actually there area two box sets, one stereo and one very-limited mono. The mono box went out of print on the first day and the stereo box was sold out everywhere and back-ordered all over the Internet. I called all over town and even the bay area. No luck, sold out everywhere, early that morning. Some stores couldn’t even get a copy.
Finally, on Friday, a local store (R5 Records) got a few in and only one copy was not already reserved. So I grabbed it! Yeah, cool huh? It has all the CDs in great-sounding stereo, plus each one has a multimedia “mini-documentary” that you can watch. The box also includes a separate DVD with all the mini-documentaries included on it. It’s a gorgeous package with great music. And yes, the CDs do sound noticably better. They each come with expanded booklets too, that have the original notes and credits but also new commentary and discussion about the music and the remastering.
Here’s a press release with more information. Lots of information. Check it out if you like the Beatles at all.
DId anyone else out there buy it? If so, or if not, what do you think of it?
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Yep, I also bought it. I didn’t start my search until around noon of the day it was released. Tried Borders, since I had a 30% off coupon. I went to the one on Fair Oaks (nope); they called Elk Grove (nope); they called another one (nope); then they called the one in Roseville and they had one left, so they reserved it for me (as long as I picked it up that day). I love it; sounds great. I wonder sometimes if I should have gotten the mono one. I just automatically chose the stereo one, which means voices out of the right, instruments out of the left. A couple of the songs were still mono, just because they never had a stereo mix. I haven’t yet listened to all of them. I’m into Revolver at the moment. I’m curious as to how they did Let It Be. Anyway, it is really great. It’s a must have for a Beatles fan. Join the Borders rewards club and wait for a coupon. Use your junk email address, the one you risk getting spam on. The set cost me $197 (that included the tax). I wonder what the mono sounds like, and which songs were done in stereo in the mono package.
I tried those stores you mentioned too. You beat me to it there. My fault for not getting on it earlier!
I love the stereo box. Almost everything sounds more vibrant and vivid. Many of the background vocals are clearer and the bass is too. Just lots of little things. And the mini-documentaries are nice too, if short. The expanded liner notes give some real insight as well.
As for voices on one side, instruments on the other, those were the early albums and that’s how the did stereo back then. That might be a factor on headphones, but sitting in a room a ways back from the speakers, it will sound fine.
Bottom line, I agree, a must have for a true Beatles fan. Yeah yeah yeah!!!