The Beatles In Mono

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I don't have it in front of me, but I think the one I bought many years ago is the 2 CD Lingasong Records release that is the same as the Lingasong LP version that came out in 1977. In his spare time, you can find Ruben cooking something delicious or, more likely, lying in bed consuming content. Here, the added auditory information of stereo actually does make for a richer, more detailed listen. It's nice when you play a track, the music envelops you, and you can place the elements of the track on a virtual stage all by ear.

I know there are some releases that just took the Lingasong fake stereo and folded the L and R channels together to make "extra fake mono". The folks at the retirement home can spin their single-channel vinyl all they like, but I was onto bigger and better things. All CDs replicate their original album labels as first released, from the various Parlophone Records label variations, to the Capitol Records label (for Magical Mystery Tour) and the UK Apple Records side A and B labels for discs 1 and 2 respectively for The Beatles. The Beatles in Mono was released to reflect the fact that most of the Beatles' catalogue was originally mixed and released in the monophonic format. Original copies sold in the US have a shrinkwrap seam along the center of the top, bottom and mouth sides of the outer box.Therefore, the last few Beatles LPs— Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be—were mixed only in stereo. From what I’ve read, they used the original master tapes to make it, so it’s not just a repressing of the old mono releases. But, I'm wondering if there's a release that has true mono that never got the fake stereo processing. I have lately been listening to the audiobook of Mark Lewisohn's wonderful "The Beatles: All These Years – Volume 1 Tune In" (weird title).

Abbey Road and Let It Be were issued in the UK in mono on reel-to-reel tape and on LP in Brazil and other countries but, again, only as fold-downs from the respective stereo versions. Also omitted from this set, but included in the stereo box set, is a DVD containing the mini-documentaries included with the stereo remasters of the different albums.

Have yourself a listen, and once again, the difference will be easy to spot after a few seconds: there's no strange, unnatural division to the music, no unholy separation of the elements. It's a lesson I'm thankful I learned, and hopefully, this article can serve as a reminder to young and old folks alike that, even today, sometimes you're better off listening in mono over the traditional stereo mix. The CD set also includes a 44-page booklet with an essay on the important role that the mono mixes played in the Beatles' recording career, notes on every track featured in Mono Masters, and a track-by-track listing of the recordings.

Surround sound is a real thing and so is spatial audio, that's true, but stereo is still the dominant format. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. I love hearing the voices that come from different channels when it is not a single performer - a singer accompanied by an orchestra -, which, obviously, should be heard in the center. A lot of it concerns their time in Hamburg, which got me interested in the "Beatles Live at the Star Club, 1962", which was released in several different forms.A significant amount of musicality just evaporates instantly when you load up a stereo version of an early Beatles track.

Tracks 9–12 and 15 of disc two were prepared in March 1969 for release as a 7" mono Yellow Submarine EP, two months after the release of the similarly titled soundtrack album, but the project was scrapped, although the EP was mastered. Alas, I posted this comparison on the now-defunct All About Jazz forum, where it is now inaccessible to anyone, including its author. It was still to remain a "limited edition", but since it had already been certified platinum by the RIAA it was not limited to 10,000 copies as originally stated. For a lot of music, especially older music originally engineered to be in mono, a stereo mix can sound strange and off-putting while the mono mix sounds delightfully musical.Until one day, a schoolmate invited me to his house and made me listen to his father's mono equipment. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Of course, the bigger version with the records is more desirable but this is pretty good alternative too :).