Update (1/16/05) A very anti-Capitol-box set review from popmatters.com. Update (1/2/05) From Gary Howman in the UK:

I got my Capitol Box Set for Christmas and was a bit underwhelmed. Perhaps its because I'm a Brit and they don't have the same nostalgic pull. I agree with Rob Stormont's views about the poor quality of She's A Woman. Even my old Parlophone 45 sounds better in its glorious mono. In my view the sound is nothing special (Beatles '65 is a real letdown) and although its nice to have the few oddities, I don't think I would buy a volume two. I prefer the original mono mixes carefully laboured over by George Martin. I would like to see the Hard Days Night/Help US soundtracks come out with his excellent orchestrations. I have a boot but its a bit muffled. Apple really should release something we can all enjoy in 2005 - of course we have all been saying this for years. Its no wonder people turn to bootleggers. I got four dvd's this year and they are perfect quality - Chronology, Japan 66, Let It Be and Help. I wrote to Neil Aspinall in October asking why these weren't available officially but he hasn't responded yet. At least they cheered up my Christmas!

Update (12/19/04) From Rob Stormont in Australia:

Dear Steve,

Now that "Santa" has delivered my copy I would like to offer a non-American perspective on the boxed set. It is quite novel to hear the differently configured albums, but they are so short. It is great to hear the stereo versions of the songs from the first four British releases, although to some extent the stereo is buried under the echo, especially on The Beatles Second Album. The extra harmonica on Thank You Girl is an interesting touch, as is the longer mono version of I'll Cry Instead, but She's A Woman truly sucks (why not use the British stereo version?). These are not, however, first generation tapes and it shows. The quality of the British CDs per se is far superior, but it is great to have the stereo versions which do sound more animated than their flat mono equivalents. It is pleasing to see that Capitol/Apple put the stereo versions first (unlike Pet Sounds). On the whole it is good to have something different to listen to by the Fab Four, and the songs are always great, regardless of the configuration. I look forward to Volume 2.

Regards,
Rob Stormont
Sydney, Australia

Steve,

In the debate over the Capitol box set, some listeners overlook that a lot of the tracks are BY FAR the best sounding versions of these tracks available on CD anywhere. A lot of credit has to go to Ted Jensen for taking the Capitol (2nd generation copies of the British masters) and producing such clean sound. Paul McCartney's bass-playing is appropriately present, and you can hear the kick-drum Beat.

And debating George Martin's original intent for the sound of these recordings is a very slippery slope after the passage of 40 years. People forget that George Martin 40 years ago mixed for AM radio and relatively low-fi consumer equipment. Fifteen years before, he would have mixed the tracks to sound good on 78 rpm vinyl. Today, new digital mixes of all Beatles tracks are in order. We all want to hear Ringo's kick drum and Paul's bass.

As always, this is the best Beatle site in the world. I've been reading the debate over the release of US CDs for the last many weeks, and until now I have kept out of it. The piece by Martin Lewis about his troubles with the HDN DVD has gotten me to finally to put my two cents in. In the HDN piece Martin Lewis mentions that when the original soundtrack was destroyed it "robbed us of part Beatles heritage." I agree with that. But I also think the "Beatles Heritage" goes well beyond the albums and singles released in The UK. Yes, the US albums were "tampered" with, but they are part of Beatle history right or wrong. I feel there is enough written about every aspect of The Beatles career that the Capitol Albums will never be confused with purist might call the "real things." History is not just what we wanted it to be. We can't simply forget something happened, and make it better. These albums were released in the 60's. Not releasing these CDs would also be robbing us of "part of The Beatles heritage."

Update (12/19/04)

I find Martin Lewis's comments on the new Capitol Albums set amusing, especially given his work overseeing the recent "A Hard Day's Night" DVD. The DVD's audio mixes, especially those during the theatre finale, are (to use Mr. Lewis's own words) horrifically remixed with artificially-added echo. With the advent of the Capitol Albums set, fans have the option of hearing the 1987 CDs, duplicating the original UK configurations, or CD versions of the 1964 US albums that many of us grew up with, even those of us like me who are not first-generations fans. The Capitol box does not replace the original configurations, but gives fans a choice. Anyone offended by the Capitol box need not acquire it.

With the AHDN DVD, however, fans have no choice to hear the film's original 1964 audio. It was left off the DVD. DVDs are capable of multiple soundtracks, so there was really no reason to exclude the excellent original mono soundtrack that appeared on AMC broadcast of the film in 1996.

Why are lousy remixes unacceptable as a choice for American fans, but they are OK as the ONLY option for the AHDN DVD?

Update (12/17/04)

Steve,

I've been reading the debate about the Capitol box with much interest, but wanted to wait to comment until I had the box in my own hands. Now I finally do, and have the following comments to offer. I'll TRY to make it as short as possible, but it will probably be long anyway. :-)

1) What's up with EMI and "play prevention" (as I like to call it - THEY like to call "copy control")? I've had order the box from amazon.com, waiting a couple of extra weeks and pay extra taxes and fees in the process, as it's "play prevented" here. As far as I understand, EMI's releases are "play prevented" in Europe - except the U.K. - and not in the US. I don't have details on other markets. Anyway, the record companies' excuse for this nonsense is to keep people from making pirated copies of the records, spreading the music on P2P networks and so on. It doesn't work, of course, and only turns into a big nuisance when you actually want to PLAY the music you have shelled out big bucks for. But seemingly, no people ever try to illegally copy EMI's records in the big markets of the U.K. and the US? Strange...

2) Some people have commented that the box itself is a bit flimsy. I agree. I also agree that the design could have been a bit more interesting, but oh well... I think the look of the individual CD covers is more of a "problem". They look like they actually ARE forty year old, weather-worn covers. Is that intentional? I have scans of these covers, gathered from the Internet, that look better than this. Apart from that, the "LP replica" designs of these covers are fine.

3) The good thing is that the records SOUND good. I haven't done any proper comparisons with the regular (British) CDs, but I would be surprises if these Capitol CDs don't sound better. Also, I'm very happy that Apple and Capitol have done the only sensible thing and included both stereo and mono mixes.

4) It would have been nice to have the "A Hard Day's Night" soundtrack album in the box as well ("The Beatles Story" is not that much of a loss), but of course I realise that it was not a Capitol release, and most of the tracks - apart from the title track - are duplicated on "Something New" anyway.

5) I'm wondering a bit how they plan to put together the next box(es) (if they'll ever appear). From "Sgt. Pepper..." and onwards, the albums were of course the same in the U.S. and the U.K. The couple of exceptions to that rule have either been released already ("Magical Mystery Tour") or are really unnecessary ("Hey Jude"). That leaves "Beatles VI", "The Early Beatles", "Help!", "Rubber Soul", "Yesterday... And Today" and possibly "Revolver" - six albums. I suppose they COULD leave out "The Early Beatles" (songs previously released by another company) and "Revolver" (just "the rest of Revolver" after Y&T, really) and have four albums for a Vol. 2. Well, I guess we'll see!

6) Finally, the debate between Martin Lewis and Bruce Spizer has certainly been entertaining, but a bit silly. In fact, I think they're BOTH right. I'm neither American nor a baby-boomer (having been born in 1971), but of course I recognize the historical importance of the American releases. I think Mark Lewisohn says it best, in the box's booklet: "This box helps complete the story, for irrespective of the how-and- why of their release, the Capitol albums remain absolutely amblematic of 1964, and are packed with the music that, for many, will evoke still the adrenaline-rush of Beatlemania. This is the soundtrack of that authentic - and inspirational - revolution."

Personally, I think it's worth having the American releases just for the rare mixes contained on some of them (I'm not talking about the "duophonic" or reverb bastardisations, of course). I'm one of those who would like to have everything available - every stereo mix, every mono mix, every promo mix, every mix released everywhere, and I'll gladly take remixes and surround mixes as well... :-)

In closing, though, I have to say that on my own wish list of Beatles releases (proper remasters, Hollywood Bowl, getting all the films out in proper fashion etc.), the Capitol albums were not at the very top of the list. However, for this 40th anniversary, and having started the year with the (re-)release of "The First U.S. Visit" on DVD, I must admit that it's a fitting end to the year.

Update (12/15/04)

Dear Steve,

I have been following the debate on the Capitol Boxes with interest, sympathy, and sometimes with amusement. Here’s an "old European’s" irrelevant view:

I think any Beatles‘ release is a feast. I would have preferred a different outfit, too, but enjoy the Capitol mixes a lot. As someone has said on this wonderful site: If we don’t like the American versions we still have the UK-mixes.

When I started listening to music in the mid-seventies there were all kinds of versions of Beatles albums available in Germany. Italian, German and Dutch versions and compilations, and also the American albums. So we sort grew up with your versions, too, and it’s nice to hear "No Reply", for instance, in the sound that I first heard it. Also, in my opinion, some of the stereo versions are superior to the mono mixes, like the afore mentioned for example, and almost all the tracks on "Beatles For Sale" and "A Hard Days Night".

It is also interesting to speculate which other American albums will appear in the next box(es). Do you have any information yet? Theoretically there are 9 U.S. albums left. That could result in two more boxes:

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (Original Soundtrack Album)
THE EARLY BEATLES
BEATLES VI
HELP! (Original Soundtrack Album)
RUBBER SOUL
YESTERDAY ...AND TODAY
REVOLVER
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
HEY JUDE

As we all know, the American LP MMT replaced the UK-EP already in the sixties. So that wouldn’t be that much of a sensation. Also AHDN and HELP pose a marketing problem with their soundtrack music. HJ would be nice for reminiscing, though.

Comparing the Capitol mixes with the UK versions inspired me to do a list of all the legally available mixes on CD to this date. I have attached it to this mail, in case you want to present it to the members of the group or the readers of your truly fabulous web site. In this context I would also like to recommend an excellent book by two German maniacs with the title "The Beatles Mixes". (Holger Schoeler & Thorsten Schmidt, "The Beatles Mixes", Publisher: Kultur Buch Bremen, April 2000, ISBN: 3933851009, € 18,-).

The authors have meticulously gathered all the vinyl and CD mixes of each song, ordered alphabetically, from the Silver Beatles up to Yellow Submarine Songtrack. They include UK American, German, Japanese, Brazilian and Italian mixes of the Beatles’ songs and many other odd versions.

I hope this contribution will be of interest to you. Thanks again for the great work and the regular updates. I check your site daily!

Update (12/10/04)

Update (12/9/04)

Update (12/6/04)

Update (12/4/04)

Update (11/27/04)

Update (11/24/04)

Update (11/23/04)

PHILLIPS: The date was February 7, 1964. We remember that well, don't we, Tony? The day American music and four lads from Liverpool would never be the same. The Beatles landed at New York's JFK airport to screaming fans and a media throng. Their manager Brian Epstein even said the band knew America would either make or break the Beatles as world stars. Today the Beatles are set to conquer the continent again. Capitol Records is releasing a box set of the original American edition of the first four Beatles albums, and even the most ardent Beatles fan will hear some new things. Beatles historian and author of "The Beatles Are Coming," Bruce Spizer joins me from New York to rock and roll through this new release. Good to see you, Bruce. Try not to start dancing. Why is this a big deal?

BRUCE SPIZER, AUTHOR, "THE BEATLES ARE COMING": These are the albums Americans grew up with and the things we remember. The British albums didn't have the 45 hit singles on them, whereas Capital to market the Beatles in America put the hit singles on it, songs like, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" which weren't on those British albums or on albums like "Meet the Beatles" and the Beatles' second album.

PHILLIPS: Now, to give fans a difference and to explain what we're talking about here, 32 songs in stereo for the first time. Let's take a listen to "Things We Said Today." All right, so listening to this, why should this make us appreciate the abilities of the fab four even more?

SPIZER: When the British catalog came out in 1987, the first albums were only in mono. Whereas when we hear a song like "Things We Said Today" in stereo, you can hear the brilliant harmonies by Paul and John, how beautiful they really are.

PHILLIPS: And there were some changes. Capitol Records added, deleted, emphasized here, did a little switchy changey. Let's take a listen to "Roll Over Beethoven."

Now, you said Capital actually gave a little extra echo in this version? SPIZER: Yes, when they dubbed it from the original mixer, they punched it with extra echo on it to give it a more brighter sound, more energetic, and thinking that this would be something Americans would appreciate. And, yes, admittedly it's a little bit hokey, but you know it's wonderful to hear it like this way again.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. You say something Americans would appreciate. Do you think, though, when you look at the package this comes in that it gives the American perspective or is it more the British perspective?

SPIZER: I think because they use the original Capital masters from a sound standpoint, it's right on target. These are the albums that we all grew up with and loved. I think the great thing about it, when I sat down and listened to these CDs, I really felt that it was like I had gotten together with a group of old friends I hadn't heard from in a while. The running order of the songs was what I was used to and the bright sound of everything. They did a fabulous job in mastering these CDs.

PHILLIPS: And, you know, when you listen to the songs before hearing them, obviously like this, you remember these songs a certain way. Do you think the Beatles wanted -- would want everyone to hear the songs this way?

SPIZER: Well, I think this was not what they intended, but what you have to realize is America was their biggest market, and still is, and the way that "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was added to the album "Meet the Beatles" helped sell that album, and at the time, rock albums only sold 200,000 or 300,000 units but "Meet the Beatles" sold 3.6 million units in just two month's time. So obviously Capital was doing something right.

PHILLIPS: And within this box set too, there are a lot of quotes and sort of personal comments from the Beatles. Paul McCartney saying, yes, it's pretty funny, I remember when dads were telling their kids, oh, they're just weird guys wearing wigs. You sort of get this human insight into the Beatles that maybe we haven't had...

SPIZER: It was a very innocent time, and I think the book was great. It had wonderful pictures and images from the timeframe, a good essay by Mark Lewis who is a leading Beatles expert, and it's a very good package. And to complement it, I wrote an essay for -- which is from an American perspective, which I have on my website, www.Beatle.net. That gives -- it's from an American slant. The package is superb, and the music is superb. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't view this as a cause for celebration hearing these albums again on CD.

PHILLIPS: You've probably been asked this a million times, but why do you think that even kids that are 12, 13 love the Beatles?

SPIZER: It's the quality of the music. I know that sounds like a silly trite answer, but it's so true, and because of the outstanding song-writing abilities of John and Paul and later on George. These are classics songs. We're talking about it 40 years later, and 40 years from now hopefully we'll still be around talking about it some more.

PHILLIPS: I have no doubt that we will be. Bruce Spizer. Go get it if you haven't gotten it. It's the new release, "The Beatles, the Capital Album's Volume I." I know there's a Volume II headed our way also. Bruce, thanks.

SPIZER: Thanks. Glad to be here.

David Scott makes an excellent point. And indeed I could have used the debacle of the "Yellow Submarine" film and how - just like the Beatles recording oeuvre - it too was butchered on its original US release. ("What's with this 'Hey Bulldog' song? Why don't we just chop it out of the film?") Frankly it was such an obvious example of that crass mentality that I didn't want to stir up further fan resentment against the other Blue Meanies that have messed with the Beatles. Also - having soundly thrashed my good friend Bruce Spizer in the debates with the irrefutable power of the Beatles' own preferences - I decided to follow Winston Churchill's advice and be magnanimous in victory!

Update (11/22/04)

IMO many of the readers disappointment with the Capitol Box set, is due to the relatively small amount of new Beatles releases from Apple. Or, if this is the only item we get this year, why this? But you have to admit, this box is fun--in the same vain as the old nicely done bootleg sets, with little album sleeves, original labels, and unique mixes. I would have liked A Hard Day's Night, Beatles Story, and Hollyridge Strings albums in the box also, just for fun. If Apple were more open to releasing interesting new ideas, they might consider several box sets each year. For example, a box set for each album with 1) Orig. Mono mix 2) Orig. Stereo Mix 3) New Mix (from the multitracks) 4) Session outtakes. Sort of like the Capitol "Pet Sounds" box.

For me, the most-desired new product from Apple is new stereo mixes of every album--from the original multitrack session tapes (Like the Yellow Submarine Song Track Album,). Even the old two-track recordings could sound a lot more modern than the old mixes done for vinyl.

I have just checked the HMV Australia website. The Capitol boxed set was released here November 15 (effectively 2 days before the US. It is $99.99AU, but is no doubt cheaper at K-Mart or Target.

A friend of mine told me he saw an alternate package for the Capitol Vol. 1 box set at Circuit City. I stopped by today and sure enough it is true. The box is 5 inches tall and an inch thick. I have not seen it in other outlets. I asked the clerk, but he was engrossed in watching the Good Charlotte video playing on the monitor above the cash register. I checked out the Circuit City web site, but it shows the long box there. Thoguth this was interesting for people with shelf space concerns. (It is on sale this week there for $49.95)

After being listening to The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1 CD-box for a couple of days, I must say this is a really TRAGIC release! Well, the sound-quality is rather OK. But not that magic. (But I can understand that this is exciting for the hardcore first-generation American Beatle fans.)

Of course, Apple/EMI/Capitol first should have released the ORIGINAL UK albums remastered from the FIRST GENERATION master tapes, still stored in mint condition in the Abbey Road Studios vaults in London. Very important to use the first-generation tapes to optain the best possible sound-quality! The American masters now used in the Capitol box are far from first-generation tapes and are distorted with echo, too much equlization and fake stereo in some places .

In 1995 I purchased really high-quality bootleg CDs of the first four original UK albums in STEREO. In 1995-98 I started a campaign to get them released offficially. 12 expensive CDRs were sent the highest managers at EMI International, Abbey Road Studios and Apple Corps in London. In those days CDRs were very expensive to make. (Each one costed $30!) But with the help of sponsors this was made possible. All the top people in London showed great interest in the CDRs!! I also wrote several articles about it in well-known magazines like The Beatles Monthly Book, Beatles Unlimited, Tokyo Beatles Fan Club Magazine, London Beatles Fan Club Magazine and many more. The whole story can be found at my website THE MAGICAL BEATLE TOURS at http://home.tiscali.se/magicalbeatletours/ Click on First 4 in stereo! The site has been very acclaimed.

Now almost ten years have passed. And still no remastered CD release of the original UK albums. A big disappointment! The Beatles are now the only main acts that, not yet, have got their original CD catalogue being remastered with today's superior technology. The CDs sold today were prepared in 1985 (almost 20 years ago!) and were released in 1986-87. Today we can optain much better sound-quality. And the booklets ....An embarresment!!! I think Apple show a total lack of humbleness over this magic material - The Greatest Act In The Whole World - The Beatles!!!

Well, nowadays I have been a little bit tired of the whole 'stereo-campaign'. I sit comfortably at home, listening to my high-quality bootlegs and give a damn if Capitol/EMI/Apple won't earn a fortune by relasing the ORIGINAL CDs in best possible sound-quality! Off course all UK (and American) albums should be released in both stereo and mono!

Keep up the good works! Your site is the BEST in the whole world - without comparison!

I've been enjoying the Capitol US LP/CD debates, mainly the Spizer-Lewis articles. The movie analogies have been quite amusing, but I'm surprised that they left out a film that *does* have different (US and British) versions: Yellow Submarine! The superior British version made it to DVD, but what of the US scenes with the "Baby You're a Rich Man" excerpt, or the jazzy battle scene where the Blue Meanie watches his weapons turn into flowers? Not to start another "sub"-debate, but I'm surprised they missed this obvious example of US/British differences. :-)

Update (11/20/04)

Update (11/19/04)

Help!!! I can't stop listening to THE BEATLES new box set. I keep switching back and forth on my Ipod between Stereo and Mono comparing versions, enjoying how fresh it all feels and sounds. How am I to get any work done? It has taken on a obsessive compulsive nature at this point. I LOVE IT!! I don't want it to stop. The sound quality (whether you like the mix or not) is a giant step in the right direction and is a teaser for what is to come with future releases. The stereo version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" felt so fresh and new that I couldn't help but smile all the way to work this morning on the subway! As I am certainly one to debate packaging and all the little nitpicking details that come along we these things, all of that was instantly blown away and off my mind as soon as I had my first listen. ITS THE BLOODY BEATLES!!! Yay!

As a first generation Beatle fan it is great to hear once again the music that we first heard in the format and order that we heard it. Of course time has brought refinements to the catalog, but this is memory lane stuff. This is how we heard it orginally in all its echo drenched richness. These are the discs that introduced us to the greatest band of all time. These are the photos, the liner notes, and, most importantly, the sounds that changed our lives forever.

Many people have expressed their dismay at this latest release from Apple. But that has been true of almost every release. I think that we need to be appreciative of what Apple has given us over the years. After all, they could have simply dried up and released nothing. Are we getting our money's worth from them? The bottom line is if you don't like it don't buy it.

This is an attempt by Apple, and those of us first generation fans, to relive a time in our lives that is long gone. We have all grown older, grayer, and many of us have gone. It is hard to explain to someone who wasn't there just what this music means to us. It is a chance to relive in our memories those hectic days of our youth. It is a chance for the years to slip away and again think of ourselves as kids-lost in the soundtrack of our lives.

Update (11/17/04)

Steve,

Many thanks for your ongoing maintenance of the best Beatles site on the net. I was surprised today when I went to purchase The Capitol Albums at my local Circuit City (Tampa, FL) , and found them in the small, short box format, similar to the size of the Beatles Singles and EP Collections. I hadn't seen anything indicating Capitol was releasing this set in anything other than "long box" format, so it was a novel surprise. I chose the short box over the long box because I think the artwork looks better -- more nostalgic, less garish. The sound is excellent and brings back many memories -- it's great to hear those subtle (or not so subtle) mix differences and the "Americanized" Beatles sound after so many years. Here's to Volume 2 and beyond!

I bought my boxset tonight at Target and noticed that it came in a CD sized box instead of the longbox as shown on your site and elsewhere. Circuit City also had the same small box that I got. I have enclosed a pic here for you to see in case you have not seen it yet. I paid $44.98 for mine by the way.

I was 11yrs of age in 1979. This is when I really started to get into the Beatles. The first album I bought at Leed's (remember that dept store? It later turned into Service Merchandise, atleast down here in Florida that is) was Abbey Road if I recall. I then got MMT, YS and my mom had the version already of Let It Be that had the book inside, but I am getting off the beaten path here...LOL.

I am not really able to compare and contrast with everyone else here because I never bought the albums that are in the Capitol boxset, so I really am hearing these versions for the first time. As a child I was more into the later period Beatles and so sadly I never heard these versions. So far I have listened to only Beatles '65 and I love the stereo versions up until it hits She's A Woman and I Feel Fine...WHOAH! IT IS LIKE GETTING HIT WITH A BRICK IN THE HEAD WITH THAT REVERB/ECHO whatever you want to call it. Being in the recording/mixing of my own written songs I know the danger of too much reverb/echo. What they put on those two songs in particular is a bit too overboard. It is still fun to listen to though. I guess whoever added that to those songs was really obsessed with reverb and never heard the old adage...LESS IS MORE...LOL!

At any rate, that is just my first impression, but as I said, it is nice to heard the songs in stereo and in a different sequence and hell, isn't it just fun as hell buying anything Beatle related?

Give my apologies to Bruce Spizer. Sure enough, the only songs with added echo are those on Second Album. I had figured as much originally, but recently I had heard some clips that seemed to suggest otherwise. Luckily that wasn't the case. I still have no use for the US albums themselves, but at the least the sound quality (echo and Duophonic aside) is pretty good. This is something of an anti-climax after collecting great LPs and bootlegs, but it's welcome nevertheless.

If I were in charge there are many releases I would come up with before this one. Apple is painfully slow in releasing anything. ... Even though the American LP's were not my first choice, I would much rather see them to yet another greatest hits package. Even if you are not fond of the playing order, fake stereo, or echo, there are still unique mixes to enjoy. How can you complain about that? I hate these original British stereo only purists who screamed when the first four cd's were released in mono and screamed again at the Yellow Sub Songbook remixes. ... If I had to pick one and only one format for the Beatles music it would have to be the British mono mixes. That is what George and the Beatles cared about. But I don't want to pick one. I want everything. I what the original mono and stereo mixes. I want remixed stereo, 5.1 mixes, the American mixes, and LP's as well. I think George Martin is the greatest, but even he could not always make decent stereo when working with 4 track tapes with one or more mix downs to another tape. Now that we can sync these tapes up and create good stereo and 5.1 mixes why not do it. If George had 8 or more tracks back then the stereo mixes would be similar to what can be created today. There are some fans out there that want to decide the way all of us fans listen to the Beatles. I say let the all of the fans decide how they want to listen to them. Besides, no matter which why is your favorite, it's still the Beatles.

Sean here, reporting from Colorado Springs on the Beatles Capitol Albums' first day on sale. Three of our five Target stores have sold out of the package (as of 3:00pm, mst). They do have an excellent price ($44.95), so lots of Beatle People did the Target thing. I went down the street to our closest Borders and they had loads left (@$59.95 on sale! ouch). Anyway, thought you'd be interested in knowing that the Fabs are still selling out. Don't know about Peoria, tho'. LOL Curiously, Lennon's Acoustic CD is sold out at a couple of our Best Buys and at least one Media Play. Have been for nearly two weeks. What's up with that?! It wasn't a limited release, I don't believe.

Let me quote Paul McCartney circa 1986 (from another context but this seems appropriate) "Don't like it. don't buy it."

Lets put this in perspective....It's a box set of CD's........ This debate is getting out of hand. This type of energy should be used for arguing/debating for a number of **REAL** issues. The War, Outsourcing, The Economy. You know when we start attacking each others countries with arrogant remarks over MUSIC!!!!, or reminding each other about WWII or the sacrifices of the American family on a debate regarding CD's, we are in trouble.

I mean with all respect to Martin Lewis, are these albums going to effect American foreign policy? Will these albums end the nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea? Will Apple lose money??? No one is forcing you to buy this set. we are still around to enjoy this music.

Let's be thankful that the music of The Beatles is still being offered....Good music is good music. And if these releases make people happy...well what the hell's wrong with that? there isnt lots to be happy about these days. It seems now, more than ever we need the Beatles..

Hi Steve-

I was very pleasantly surprised to see the box set already on sale last Saturday morning at a local Walmart (for $49.95). Naturally, I could not resist it... Although I'm glad to have it, my single gripe is that the quality and design of the packaging (art work preferences aside) is not good. The section that slides out of the long box folds over with the book in one side and the CD's in the other. You have to be careful with it as one or both sides will fall out very easily! Could be just me, but the quality of the cardboard materials in and out is cheaper than the usual you find with a box CD set. But in the end, the CD's are great! Sound quality is decent, but within the obvious limitations of the US tapes that are at least a couple of generations from the original UK masters.

I have the Capitol Albums Volume 1! I found three leaked copies in Walmart in Oneonta, New York. The packaging is pretty cool - the albums replicate the original packaging (of course). As for sound? 90% of the stereo mixes are excellent with the exception of Little Child, I wanna be your man and I feel fine. They separated the vocal and instrumental tracks on Little Child and I wanna be your man and I feel fine has reverb that is God - awful. But the mono mixes, all of them, are fantastic and hopefully good feedback on the sound of these albums will force capitol to reissue all official Beatles albums out on the market.

TOO MANY PEOPLE!!!! AN OPEN LETTER TO MARTIN LEWIS "America, the land that I love so much that I have made it my home, will continue to bemuse the rest of the world (especially Britain, which is the country, let us not forget - from whence the Beatles came!) with its insistence that whatever it wants it must ALWAYS have - even when it's wrong… (Ah! the hubris of a comparatively young nation… How we love it though.)"

AND love it you should. Had it not been for our "hubris", your native country could very well be speaking DEUTCH, and for that matter, the rest of the world. No Beatles, no freedoms, only tyranny. But history has not gone that way.

As for the CAPITOL release, you can not and will not ever understand the excitement this release means to this American. I was 8 years old when I got my "MEET THE BEATLES" lp on my birthday, February 9th, 1964. What a Sunday that was. I got to stay up late to watch 'em on SULLIVAN, and, I got their album!! This is how I got to meet the Beatles music. I played it so much on my parents Sears Silvertone turntable, I wore it out by the Summer of '64. Luckily, I had a paper route making $9 a month so I could replace it. Having 3 brothers and a sister, my parents could not afford to buy me another one. They could not understand why I even wanted another one!!!

Furthermore, CAPITOL's manipulation of THE BEATLES albums for the American market seems to have worked out ok. Did we not succumb to BEATLEMANIA? The Beatles were well aware they needed to conquer America. Once completed, the rest of the world would follow. Granted, Dexter's handling of George Martin's title credits is inexcusable. But what about The Beatles handling of Pete Best? Face it dude, business is cut throat and people will do whatever they must do to make it work. CAPITOL did what it had to do for sales, THE BEATLES did what they had to do to be successful. Both succeeded beyond their wildest imaginations.

And as for your thoughts that CAPITOL's releases were not the way THE BEATLES intended the world to hear their music, well, I seem to remember people saying that if GOD meant man to fly, he would of given us wings. We fly sans wings, THE BEATLES music IS being heard still.

If you're right, Mr. Lewis, then CAPITOL'S BOX SET will only have significant sales in AMERICA. After all, " whatever it wants it must ALWAYS have - even when it's wrong." We, as AMERICANS, are not always in the right. We do what we must do, because history shows if we don't step up to the plate, nobody will. WE do not go around waving a piece of paper exclaiming " Peace in our time "; America has paid with its sons and daughters, and will continue to pay so that th rest of the world can have it say in PEACE.

Respectfully,
Richard Noriega
( An AMERICAN Beatlefan )

Update (11/15/04)

Just wanted to let you know that the Capitol U.S. Beatle CD Box has arrived yesterday at the local cd store I work for as a part-timer. I cannot understand all the problems people are having with the package, because it really looks gorgeous!! It's really very, very well done, the packaging. I have heard Something New and Meet The Beatles so far, and the sound is fine by me, but I have to hear it at home before I can make a proper review of it!

Update (11/13/04)

Update (11/11/04)

Update (11/9/04)

Well, it's here. The box itself is very small - about an inch thick and considerably shorter than your typical CD boxed-set. The slide-out inner box is divided into two parts; one with the four discs and one with the book (CD-sized).

They've used mono covers for the cardboard sleeves, thank goodness (no Gold Record Awards) and the back covers are faithfully reproduced, liner notes and all - very readable. It is strange, however, to see a B&W Apple logo on the back covers. No writing on the sleeve spines.

The CDs have rainbow labels, and at first look they seem to have used the original (silver) typography, ie Meet the BEATLES! Very retro, and well done. Somebody was paying attention.

The book starts with Lewisohn's essay, which is as usual insightful, but curiously mentions nothing about the great UK/US debate about Capitol's excessive use of echo and compression on some of the tracks. No Dave Dexter digs. The rest of the book is quotes from the Fabs over the years about the early days in America, lots of pictures (curiously, including one showing the Fabs on Ed Sullivan in '65!) Overall, it looks very much like this is Capitol's salute to the arrival in America. Probably shoulda come out a bit earlier, yes?

The discs sound great and very faithful to the old LPs. "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman" are, of course, drenched in echo and will come as a shock to those of us used to to Parlophone CD mixes. It really does bring back memories of first hearing this stuff on AM radio, though. "Roll Over Beethoven" sounds like a different track (I know it's not, it just sounds that way). I haven't had time to pore over the sonics of the thing yet. For me, best of all is the "single voice" mono mix of "And I Love Her," here beautifully on the mono part of Something New. I seem to remember that most if not all subsequent mono releases used the double-tracked voice (or worse). This one is the prize, and it's beautiful.

It looks great. It sounds great. What else is there to worry about?

Update (11/08/04)

Capitol Records prepared a sampler from the upcoming CD box set "The Capitol Years, Vol. 1." The CD includes stereo versions of All My Loving, I Wanna Be Your Man, I Call Your Name, Roll Over Beethoven, Things We Said Today, If I Fell, She's A Woman and I'm A Loser, followed by the mono versions of the same songs.

All My Loving has already appeared in stereo on CD as part of the red 1962-1966 hits collection. The new version shows how much CD mastering has improved in the past few years. The song was E/Qed to give the bass more presence. This is the case with all of the songs on the CD. The mixes are identical to what appeared on the Capitol albums, but due to the way they were mastered, there is more bass. I Wanna Be Your Man has the same "vocals on one side, instruments on the other" mix that appeared on the stereo albums Meet The Beatles! and With The Beatles. It was, after all, recorded on a two-track recorder. I Call Your Name was recorded on a four-track recorder, so the song has a more conventional stereo mix with centered vocals and the instruments separated over both channels. Roll Over Beethoven has the added echo that was unique to the stereo version of The Beatles' Second Album. As expected, Things We Said Today and If I Fell sound incredible. These songs were recorded on a four-track and were mixed expertly by George Martin. The vocal harmonies are as amazing as ever. I still get chills down my spine when I hear John and Paul sing the line "We'll go on and on" towards the end of the song. She's A Woman is the fake stereo duophonic mix that appeared on Beatles '65. It sounds just as terrible now as it did back in 1964. And that's how it should be! The stereo selections conclude with I'm A Loser. This is another true stereo mix making its CD debut. Once again, an excellent George Martin mix.

The mono versions of the these songs also sound great and carry forward the quirks from the Capitol albums. All My Loving, I Wanna Be Your Man and Roll Over Beethoven are two-to-one (stereo to mono) mixdowns. I Call Your Name is the mono mix prepared by George Martin for the Capitol album. He would later remix it for the British EP. Things We Said Today and If I Fell are beautiful songs, whether in mono or stereo. These are the same George Martin mixes appearing on the UK album. She's A Woman in mono is better than the song in duophonic, but it still has too much echo, just like we all remember. I'm A Loser is a winner in both mono and stereo.

Based on the songs on the sampler, listeners should be very pleased with the sound of the songs appearing in the CD box set. Purists may complain that the songs have a bit more bass than the vinyl records from 1964, but I find this to be a positive thing. When the Capitol Beatles albums were prepared in 1964, Capitol's engineers mastered the records to take full advantage of the sound capabilities of the mono and stereo playback equipment available at that time. The compact discs were mastered from the same mono and stereo tapes from the Capitol vaults that were used 40 years ago to create these albums. In keeping with Capitol's practice of achieving the best possible sound for current playback equipment, the compact discs were mastered from the original tapes with minor tweaking to optimize their playback capabilities on today's improved audio equipment. The songs were not remixed. Nor was any echo removed. Every effort was made to ensure that the compact discs faithfully duplicate the listening experience of 1964, but with greater fidelity and without the scratches.

I'm always amazed at how much knowledge some fans have regarding the Beatles recordings. I recently posted a commentary regarding the upcoming Capitol box set. I was called to task by Luke for three things. Well Luke, the force is with you, so I'm sending you a No-Prize for your thoughful comments. That said, I do want to respond point by point.

In my commentary I said there were 32 songs making their stereo debut. I counted them up and know that there are 7 duophonic mixes and 6 songs that have aready appeared in stereo on CD, including And I Love Her, which was on the red 1962-1966 hits collection. I mentioned that song because I am really looking forward to hearing it on the new CDs. I expect the new CDs to sound better than the red hits collection because CD technology has improved so much over the past few years. I did not mention it as a new-to-stereo song. I'm sorry that the placement of that sentence may have given you the impression that I was calling And I Love Her a new-to-stereo song. That was not my intent.

You imply that albums other than The Beatles' Second Album have added echo. I personally examined each of the Capitol master tape boxes and only the stereo box for The Beatles' Second Album has a reference to being dubbed with echo. Some of the songs were E/Qed differently at the mastering stage, but they were not taken from the British master tapes with added echo dubbed on. The stereo version of The Beatles' Second Album is the only LP given such treatment. The mono version of The Beatles' Second Album is very dry compared to the stereo version. The only other tracks showing significant added echo are I Feel Fine and She's A Woman, which were released on a Capitol single a few weeks ahead of the album Beatles '65. Capitol added echo to these songs perhaps not realizing that George Martin had already made Capitol special mixes with added echo. So these two songs really have extra echo. And, of course, the duophonic mixes of these songs that appear on the Beatles '65 album were mixed from the echo-on-echo mono tapes, so they are truly a sonic disaster. As for Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby, the mono and stereo versions have heavy echo, but so do the U.K. versions. Apparently George Martin and the boys were truing to duplicate that Sun Records sound and went a bit over the top.

Third, you mention that there are some mono and stereo differences on some songs. Right you are. I carefully go through the mono and stereo mixes used by Capitol on its albums and compare those mixes to what was on the U.K. albums in my Capitol album book. See pages 245-254 in my book "The Beatles' Story on Capitol Records, Part Two: The Albums." See also my article in the current issue of Goldmine Magazine (the annual Beatles issue). In my commentary, I felt it best not to get into the few exceptions to the general rule, so I didn't. Your posting mentioned the exceptions for those who care to know. Thanks.

And so to Luke and all those Beatles fans in this galaxy and a galaxy far, far away, I say "Bring on the Capitol Albums, Vol. 1."

Update (11/2/04)

Both Bruce Spizer and Martin Lewis say a few things that are, well, not true:

Lewis:
"In 1964, George Martin had been rightly horrified by the temerity of Capitol changing the sound of early Beatles recordings without even the courtesy of seeking the Beatles' permission - and doing it so BADLY. Rather than allow Capitol to again molest the Beatles' newest recordings with their tawdry cheap effects - he succumbed to pressure from Capitol in 1964-5 for "stereo mixes" and hastily dashed off a few crude stereo mixes to appease the hungry machine. Mark Lewisohn's "Sessions" records how little time and thought was put into those stereo mixes for Capitol.

But when given unlimited time and resources to present the Beatles catalogue for posterity on CD in 1986-7 - he consulted with the three surviving Beatles and they all agreed that the only TRUE representation of what they had created deep in the heart of England in those magical early years were the mono masters. Hence the wise decision to issue those first four real albums in mono."

How this myth hasn't died, I'm not sure. PPM was mixed and released in stereo in the UK before Introducing The Beatles was released in the US, and LONG before Capitol came into the picture. And there are instances of stereo mixes being made (IWTHYH and I Feel Fine come to mind) that Capitol didn't even use. It was EMI/Parlophone - not Capitol - that was on the ball when it came to stereo mixes.

And the "Martin wanted the CDs in mono" story has pretty much been debunked over the years, at least in regards to AHDN and BFS. Apparently EMI thought he meant all four when he just meant the first two. Plus, he was apparently fine with all of the 4-track material coming out in stereo on Past Masters.

Spizer:
"The important thing to know is that "The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1" marks the stereo debut on CD of 32 Beatles songs. Hearing George Martin's stereo mixes of songs such as "And I Love Her," "If I Fell," "Things We Said Today," "No Reply"and "I'll Follow The Sun" on CD will certainly be a treat."

And I Love Her was released in stereo on the Red CD.

"The company used what it was sent. The stereo mixes on "Meet The Beatles!" are exactly the same as those appearing on the stereo version of "With The Beatles.""

To the best of my knowledge, these have added echo, just like Second Album.

"As the stereo master for the album was nothing more than a balanced copy of the original two-track master tape, Capitol's engineer merely duplicated what George Martin had done in mixing the mono master."

Not true in all cases. Hold Me Tight is a good example of different edits in mono and stereo. And of course Money has lot of stuff different, notably the intro.

Update (10/30/04)

Update (10/29/04) From Bill DeYoung:

Hi Steve:

I happened to be looking at the text of an interview I did with George Martin in 1993, and I came across this, which I thought was kind of relevant to what's in the air right now:

---

Goldmine: On the American LPs, they added all that echo and awful stuff. Did you used to hear that, and throw your hands in the air?
George Martin: Of course I did, but I was powerless to do anything about it. Capitol ran the roost. And they used to take the credit for it too.
Goldmine: Do you know why they did those things?
George Martin: Ego? I don't know! I mean, there's a guy who actually put his name on the records, saying he produced them. So you tell me. Eventually, when we do this anthology thing, then we'll go back over all those albums and make sure they're in the right order, and in the original versions as well as other stuff. It'll be quite a big job, but it'll be fascinating to do. The last thing I'll ever do with the Beatles.
Goldmine: You think so?
George Martin: I guess so. The final thing. The final solution.
Goldmine: So you're content with being known as the Beatles guy now?
George Martin: Well, you can't escape these epithets. You get pigeonholed. Some people think I've never done anything else.

---

The full interview is online at www.billdeyoung.com

Update (10/27/04)

And as we've said before, the fact this set is being released is a complete reversal of Beatle sentiment. We were told several years ago by an excellent source that, at that time, the Beatles didn't want this stuff out. At that point, the chances of this boxed set being released were next to nothing. How times change!

Finally, to set the record straight, several notes we've used have made references to holding Capitol responsible for these mixes, but, as you have learned reading the various essays we've put up, these were the mixes that George Martin made and provided for this set. The added echo by Capitol is only on some of the tracks. There were only seven duophonic stereo mixes, out of over 90 versions of these songs -- and they were only made because stereo versions weren't made for the singles and they needed these mixes for the stereo LPs. Ok, enough from us.

Dear Steve,

Just a last comment about the recent box set debate, which is turning out to be as acrimonious as the Presidential elections....I think something that might have made both sides happier would have been to reissue the UK albums from Please Please Me through Revolver (and possibly up through The Beatles, although that might have been a three-disc set) with both mono and stereo mixes on each album, with bonus tracks of the rarer mixes such as the U.S. "Thank You Girl", "I'm Looking Through You" with the extra guitar, "And I Love Her" with the added riffs, and the like. These albums would also be remastered, which might improve sound quality noticeably. I would far rather buy these hypothetical CD's than an overpriced boxed set of the Capitol albums, just to get some of the songs on CD in true stereo for the first time. I will say, though, that I have no problems with the box cover; the design looks fine to me.

By the way, surely there must be other women who read your webpage, or am I the only one who writes you? :)

Dear Steve and folks,

As a longtime reader and contributor you can believe on my words. I rarely complain about the releases..I use to complain about the LACK of the releases, you know, believing that Apple and Beatles have always been moving a bit slower compared to another classic acts. Anyway, perhaps this can assure us more quality stuff in the future, as it was provided for us in the past in the form of the Anthology DVDs (I think, no complaint words about those, huh?) as well as the Anthology CDs and books.

The same - concerning of complaints - can be said of Let It Be...Naked. Some loved it, some not that much. I'd stand by the cathegory in between, saying that we could have a better bonus disc with complete songs rather than snippets. Besides that, I think the album is classy and it has such marvellous moments such as The Long And Winding Road crystal-clear.

Now we face another big issue again - The Capitol Albums Vol.1. Well, I'd like you folks please wake me if I'm sleeping and still in a middle of a nightmare. Am I reading right or you guys are complaining about this release? All my life - which is not that big time as I'm only 32 - I have been listening to the voices claiming for, urging for the release of the American discography. And I mean, here in Brazil, not in the USA, the country that are likely the more interested on this revival. So when the thing is about to materialyze...there go so much people whining and crying about. I truly don't understand.

I have been carefully reading all comments - and respecting them - but that does not mean I'll take'em. Some say that the sound should be remixed; some wanted REAL stereo; some claim for the "sound the Beatles wanted". I heard that on Let It Be Naked...too. What ended up was that the Beatles were in the midst of their huge invasion on America and I'm tempted to believe that they were not much into mixing or something. Actually, they were not even aware of anything at that time. If you remember, it took about 1 or 2 years for this "art" be realised by the Fabs, right? I cannot affirm the correct date right now as I'm at work and it's quite early in the morning as I write this letter :-)

To sum up, I think I've heard people saying that Let It Be...Naked wasn't the thing the Beatles wanted in 1969 (actually, the Beatles themselves never found a way about it). Then the project came to be in a very satisfied sound, in my humble opion. Perhaps, not as the Nature Intended in the 60's, but close to it in the 00's. And more: perhaps better than the Spector's mixes, but it's a matter of tastes, right Chris Chardi? By the way, I'd like to congratulate you for your comments on the Capitol Albums project. I know we're not often agreeing in everything but that's cool because it wouldn't be fun, don't you think?

Back to Capitol stuff, I'm balancing it with Naked JUST because of that autenticity thing. Now you fans - mainly American ones - will put your hands and ears on something REALLY fair to the original releases. What can be more accurate? I guess only original LPs being pressed and delivered to your homes.

Regarding the artwork, I stopped to think and showed the box sex to my wife Crisitiane who is not as a HUGE fan I am. Without mentioning the rain of criticism that it took, I questioned her and she simply answered: I think it's nice, I liked. Well, this is it. While I think that's really a more fan-based released, Capitol also opted by the simplicity releasing it just like this. Plus, the Capitol logo is based on their old Lps, right? Again very accurate. Not fantastic, but what's the point? I've heard about the more radical desing Let It Be...Naked got and the eggs were flying against Paul..er Apple. I read things such: why didn't them put a cover like the Get Back original LP? (maybe because it wasn't the same thing?)

So, all in all, I'm looking forward to add this box set to my collection. I'm also looking forward to getting the US Rubber Soul. I just love I'm Looking Through You false starts and the different colours of the cover. My two cents.

Thanks for reading
Claudio Dirani (clcrdirani@uol.com.br)

I promise to myself not to write anything on the capitol version again but I just recently read the posting of Mr. Bruce Spicer. No disrespect with Him, in fact I have all his books, good work there I always enjoy them, and in the light of what he just recently publish I have to argue a few things.

First of all, when George Martin and Brian Epstein sent those “crude” stereo mixes for US releases the have to do that because “they have to” given the fact that at the time they don’t have too much control over the “money machinery” in US, they have to be submitted to the orders of others (See Mark Lewhison book – Recording sessions). That is why for those releases they don’t really care much about the mixing of those stereo tapes. Second, if George Martin have at the time Love me do, P.S. I love You, or She loves you in “fake” stereo is because at the time, the common practice is that the master tapes went destroyed after the mono mixing was made, so when they reach the Please Please Me LP (namely the songs Love me do and P.S. I love You) they don’t have the master tapes can’t be mixed in true stereo because they just simply NOT exist (See again Mark Lewhison recording sessions book) not because they want to. And third and last, when the time came for Sgt. Pepper and as Mr. Spizer said in the web publication (let me quote), “By the time the Beatles submitted “Sgt. Pepper” to Capitol, the practice of reconfiguring albums had stopped. Capitol knew the Beatles had recorded a brilliant album that needed to be left intact…”, I think in with this paragraph Mr. Spicer became seriously contradicted with himself, because in his Book “The Beatles Story on Capitol Records, Part Two: The Albums ” he said in the chapter related to Sgt. Pepper that the Beatles having take control over their recordings, strongly urge capitol to NOT reconfiguring this album. So iIt is not that Capitol know that the album needed to be left intact. Is Because the Beatles insist on that (said so by yourself in your book). If not Capitol maybe doing something as they did in the Malaysian Market with Sgt. Pepper, they Place “The fool on the hill” and “Baby You’re a rich man” on side A instead of “A little help from my friends” and “Lucy in the sky with Diamonds” and “I Am the Walrus” on side B instead of “A Day in The life” (Yuckkkkk!!!!)

I Always love Beatles music, what ever they did, yeah as some said, “well just simply not buy them and not complain”, but as a serious Beatle fan and scholar I just simply not understand the lack of congruency from Mr. Spicer here, I mean I bought 1 I bought Yellow submarine songtrack, I bought "Let It Be Naked," the anthology on DVD and all the solo remasters when they came out (Even the four versions of Paul’s Band on the run), just for the improvement of sound and if apple put out the entire British catalog again in the same improved sound or better I will buy them again… not this substandard versions and why this “make up” mono versions if the true mono already exist without any bonus tracks, Yes, these records are part of the history of Beatlemania, if I have them in the future it will be ok because of the odditie, but if not, they are not a priority as a fan to me.

Thanks for listening, I promise not to talk about this subject again…

And Steve keep up the good work, I think your site is great I always love to have my dose every morning

Hey Steve,

Kudos to you and Mr. Spizer on the forth-coming Beatles box-set essay; to you for printing it, to Mr. Spizer for voicng the opinions of "THE SILENT MAJORITY" of American Beatle fans who have been clamoring for this release for years. One need only go to EBAY to see the prices people are paying to get bootlegged versions of the CAPITOL releases, as well as VEE-JAY. Speculation here on my part, but I can see why the bootleggers would hate to see these albums released.

I for one, look forward to the release. The PARLOPHONE release of at least the first 3 CD's are a sonic nightmare. The sounds just lay there like a dead skunk in the middle of the road. Granted, the sequencing is how the FABS wanted it, but the audio sucks. Not until "A HARD DAYS NIGHT" does the audio begin to show signs of improvement.

Bottom line here is no one is forcing anyone to shell out their hard earned money on this set. Face it, APPLE will continue to line its coffers with future releases ( i.e., remixed versions, DVD-A versions, SACD versions, future formats versions, etc. ) of Beatle music for years to come. I'm wondering when APPLE will release surround sound DVD's of the BEATLES music videos. And for that matter, MACCA if your reading this, when will you release a surround sound DVD of your music videos? The whole world wonders.

The Beatles box set, I anxiously await. The audio has to be a vast improvement over the PARLOPHONE releases, it can't get much worse!! And to have stereo versions of songs previously unavailable, finally, what can I say. Bring 'em on!!!

am looking forward to hearing the new Beatle Cds when they come out - I wish that the complainers would give it a rest. Life does not send us everything we want all the time. Would we all like to wallow in the Beatle music vaults? Of course we would - but it 's not going to happen. I came upon the Beatles in late 68 and played catch up for years. It was $5 an album and we weren't wealthy - so it took awhile. I will never forget the thrill of hearing a Beatles song on my transistor (AM) which was glued to my head when I was not in school. No one is going to force people to buy this stuff and there is much more important things to fret over in this world. I consider these things a little bit of sunshine.

Update (10/23/04)

Steve,

Great site, as always. If you can stand one more comment about the box: I love the unintentional irony of the Capitol announcement, which basically sounds like "we're going to remain absolutely faithful to the bastardizations!" This box is gonna be some trip down memory lane for most of us -- I just can't wait to blast those incredibly heavy stereo mixes of "Money" and "Tell Me Why". This box is about as unexpected (and welcome) as Brian's "Smile". Shame about the box cover. A black front with the Capitol rainbow around the drop-T Beatles bass drum logo would have been nice.

An important point of clarification regarding "The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1." Apple handled the packaging and accompanying booklet. Capitol handled the mastering of the CDs, which were mastered with the original Capitol tapes at Sterling Sound.

Steve,

Well, here's what I think about "The Capitol Years". First, I may be in the extreme minority here, but I like the packaging...looks very classy. Nice touch with the B & W photos. The background, which is a variation on the Capitol swirl. It looks great, to me.

Now about the contents. Like it or not, it is part of The Beatles recorded history. For those who have a serious problem with this release, please try to compare this to "Rarities" or "Anthology", a sidebar to their real musical legacy. And unlike those other two releases, these versions were around for more than 20 years, for heaven sakes. They just can't be ignored. Many of us were introduced to The Beatles this way. And, to some of us, probably, we're still looking to hear "I've Just Seen A Face" when we put on "Rubber Soul". This doeosn't justify what Capitol or Dave Dexter, Jr. did to The Beatles work, but the songs were far from ruined...as the response to them, and the requests for their being re-issued shows.

Look, 90 tracks from The Beatles otherwise unavailable on CD, plus a 48 page booklet and other inserts for about $60 is a pretty good deal. Maybe not for everyone. But Apple and EMI could have included much less and charged much more...knowing that the hard core fans...millions of them...would still go into the record stores, curse, but still plunk down the money for it.

I'm looking forward to it. Be great to have it. And I'm glad it's being treated as something special...like everything from any of The Beatles...or all of them...should be.

Thanks, Steve,
Casey Piotrowski

I don't understand all the complaints about the Capitol US box artwork. It's just what I had pictured back when I posted in the newsgroups about how they SHOULD package the albums on cd, with the "rainbow" label and design on the box. My only gripe (if I had one) is the picture, but maybe there is some signifigance that Capitol used it for. I would have probably gone for the picture of John, George, and Ringo around Paul sitting in the chair on the giant American flag backdrop. Just my opinion :)

Hello Steve,

I would like to add my opinion on this whole box set matter. I believe that this set is essential. Again this is the set that we all grew up with. As far as the sound goes, well yes they were slathered in echo and fake stereo. But it says something about the Beatles music. despite the technical limitations or abhorations it was still the Beatles and the songs were still great. After I started buying the British issues in the late seventies did I realize the difference in sound. However, I cant wait to hear "SOMETHING NEW" again on CD (the first Beatles album I ever got back in '74 and havent played in quite a long time)

For this set to come to light, Capitol may have had to work with what they had in their vaults with minimal involvement from Apple (Like the Hard Days Night DVD) And as someone wrote before, this is a separate release from the main catalogue. With releases like this, it is always easy to criticize, especially the artwork. I believe Apple who controls the image and likeness of the Beatles may had a hand in telling Capitol what it could and could not use for the artwork. So Capitol probably negotiated its creative input away just for this set to come to light. (losing the battle but winning the war)After all Apple is a British Company so their interest in the retro-Capitol look may be next to nil. I can assume that our British fan counterparts don't really care either as this is a world wide release.

Besides this release is SOMETHING NEW(sorry couldnt resist) to buy from the Beatles, and when they sonically overhaul the British UK catalogue, we will all buy it all over again.

Steve, keep up the good work!

Been reading all of the comments of the Capitol Box since I left my whining response last week My only additional comments are:

What about A Hard Days Night-Yes it came out on UA originally but it was 1965. It should have been the American issues for that year. Where will they stick that one later?

It should have been one full box of all of the American Albums, not year by year separate boxes. A complete series makes more sense.

And those who feel the Box cover is OK, I have two words for you: PAST MASTERS. A blind person probably designed those. Bootlegs look better.

Update (10/18/04)

Hi Steve,

I wonder how many of the folks complaining about this set also complained about the new special edition DVDs of the Star Wars movies? The chief complaint about the special editions is "these aren't the way we all experienced the movies when they were first released". Seems to me that Capitol is doing precisely that with this boxed set - releasing these albums the way most people in one of the largest markets in the world experienced them when they were first released. What Dave Dexter did happened 40 years ago - forget about him already. At the time none of us noticed there was anything "wrong". We just enjoyed the music. And lest we forget, many of us had the mono versions of the albums (who gives a hoot about "duophonic"?) and most record players at the time were decidedly inferior to the home theatre systems we own today.

I look forward to buying this set and plan to thoroughly enjoy it over the holiday season and for many years to come.

Hi Steve,

As a view from the “outside” of all American fans, I would say that as a second (or third) generation fan member, here in Mexico capitol did the same thing here that in the American market, so all my disc where let’s say “bastardized” versions of the American records and also from the English versions which is worst, that create a lot of confusion to my generation because we ask first why the US Records are different from what we have here and then when I became a serious Beatles scholar I realize that also they are different from the British counterparts, in that I became seriously offended by capitol because I knew by then that their albums were not really THE ALBUMS that the Beatles are intended to do; the British records are the real reflex of their progression as a musicians; from the cunning simplicity of please please me to the luxurious Abbey Road, imagine if here in Mexico we began to ask for “the discs we grew up with”? It will be madness, here, applies a comment from Mr. McCartney about the bootlegs: “If I put out all the versions of a song that we release it became a moment when no one knows what is the real one, the one that we really intend to do”. Saying that I have to add that am not going to buy this one (well maybe as an oddity), I rather wait until a better sounding version (DTS, Surround 5.1, Dolby, DVD sound, etc.) of the ORIGINAL (What the Beatles planned really) catalog came out (if such thing happened in this life), Really Supervised by The Beatles. Because that is other issue: The sound that capitol is about to put out is going to be bastardized as well. Not the quality that the Beatles want to gave us ever.

Hi Steve!

Just a few words on the upcoming Capitol box set:

There have been some complaints about the apparent plan to use the UK mono mixes. But for the most part, this makes perfect sense.

Some of the folks who have Bruce Spizer's book about the Capitol albums will have read that many of the "mono" mixes used on Capitol's early mono albums were, actually, the Capitol stereo mixes "collapsed" into mono. On "Meet the Beatles!," for instance, ten of the songs are the Capitol stereo mixes, combined onto one track. The other two songs, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "This Boy," were provided to Capitol in mono only - identical to the UK single mixes. The "stereo" versions of these two songs are in "duophonic" (i.e., fake) stereo. Because of the way Capitol created the mono mixes from the stereo masters, there is really no significant difference between the mono and stereo versions, and including these particular mono mixes would be redundant.

There are, however, a few exceptions where Capitol did, in fact, have unique mono mixes. The most interesting example that comes to mind is "And I Love Her." On most versions of this song (including every UK version and the Capitol stereo mix), Paul's vocal is double-tracked the whole way through. But the Capitol mono mix has a single-tracked vocal for much of the song, with occasional double-tracked accents. It's a significant variation, and it would be a shame if Capitol left that mix in the vaults in favor of the already-available UK mono mix.

Of course, that elusive mix of "And I Love Her" also appeared on the Capitol single. Maybe we could see, someday, a box set of the Capitol singles? Picture sleeves and everything? That would also provide a home for some other interesting variations like the unedited "I Am The Walrus." Maybe they could even cheat and use the promo mix of "Penny Lane" with the horn riff at the end.

Other minor points:

People complain about the artwork on the front of the box, but we haven't seen the 48-page booklet and the scrapbook stuff. That could be very interesting, if done with proper care.

The speculation about "will there be a Volume 2?" seems to be settled by the fact that this box is called "Volume 1."

Pipe dream: either issue the U.S. version of "Rarities" on CD, or a similar odds-and-ends collection.

Also: Will they stop at "Revolver"? Or will we see the "Hey Jude" album? Some of the late-period albums are identical to the UK versions, so Capitol versions would be pointless. But the "Magical Mystery Tour" album features some unique mixes, so let's hope that doesn't get lost in the shuffle. I would think that Mr. Spizer's involvement would boost the chances of such material being released.

Finally: Anyone who doesn't like the idea of the Capitol albums box set doesn't have to buy it. I remember the torrent of complaints that scuttled the proposed "Hey Bulldog" single in 1999 - what was the B-side going to be? I would suspect maybe "A Day In The Life," the only song in "Yellow Submarine" not to make it onto the "Songtrack" album. I hope that the malcontents will spare us all another "favor" like that.

Thanks for keeping us up to date on the Capitol box and all the other Fab news!

Hello, I have an issue with Martin Lewis' comments in regards to the New Capitol Box Set. He makes it sound as though Capitol Records is the only organization in the world who have butchered Beatles recordings, or released product that was changed from the way they were originally recorded, and presented to the buying public. That is so not true. George Martin, EMI, and Apple do it all of the time. They did it for the horrible Rock and Roll Music LP in the 70's (Note I Call Your Name, I'm Down, Slow Down etc, etc.) George Martin did these things. He did it for the Love Song LP too. He changed original Beatle recordings, floated the vocals into the center channel, he remixed titles into True Stereo that originally did not even have True Stereo Mixes associated with them. Then to make matters worse, Apple issued CD's in the late 80's that had been completely remastered. ... The bottom line is that altered Beatles recordings are part of their history, and should be available to everyone in the world. If they existed, then we should have the right to hear them. We made the Beatles in the US based on these LP's!! Will the Capitol Mixes ever take away from the original Mixes, of course not. They won't replace them either. If Apple feels so strongly about this, then reissue all of the Beatles CD in the exact way that they were originally released in the UK on Vinyl. In unaltered mono, and in true stereo. If they would do this, then I would agree with Martin Lewis. If not then Martin needs to rethink his position because the rest of world does not agree with him, and I have the vinyl catalog to prove it. Thanks for listening.

Steve: After reading Martin Lewis' column on the upcoming box set of Capitol albums, a few thoughts occurred to me: 1. Sound Quality: There's no question that some of the Capitol mixes are not just different from the conventional British mixes, but are just flat-out "distorted" by the duphonic (fake stereo) process. Whether these mixes represent an improvement over the British versions is a purely subjective question. (For example, John Lennon himself loved to slather his voice in reverb and other effects, but I happen to love the pure sound of his unaltered voice.) So without saying which is better or worse, I would readily agree with anyone who suggested that these duophonic tracks lack the clarity of their British counterparts. Having said all that, we have to remember that relatively few of the tracks on these four American albums are duophonic. Most of the stereo tracks are true stereo, and they sound spectacular. In fact, each and every track on the stereo "Something New" album sounds infinitely better to my ears -- more dynamic range, more punch, more clarity -- than the compressed mono British mixes available on those mastered-in-1987 CDs of "A Hard Day's Night." So it's a mixed bag. I'd guess 99 percent of all Beatle fans will reach for this new box set when they want to hear "Tell Me Why" or "No Reply" or "Any Time At All" in the best possible sound. When they want to hear the best-sounding version of "This Boy" or "I Feel Fine" they'll reach for "Past Masters."

2. The Dave Dexter factor: I agree that Dexter really shouldn't have the word "producer" attached to his name. He should have had a credit line such as, "Compiled by Dave Dexter." But, as Bruce Spizer has pointed out, Dexter did put together some classic song line-ups. (To this day, many fans prefer the thematic unity of the American "Rubber Soul" over the more musically diverse British version.) As for Dexter's use of reverb, he did seem to go way overboard on "She's A Woman" and "I Feel Fine" -- with the duophonic process compounding the effect -- but I'd argue that he was otherwise fairly restrained in the use of reverb. And let's not forget that George Martin and the EMI engineers also created some notably different reverb effects. If I recall, there are at least three markedly different EMI-approved stereo mixes of "I'm So Tired" and "I Want To Hold Yoru Hand," plus three EMI-approved reverb variations of "And I Love Her." And the difference in reverb used on EMI's mono and stereo versions of "Paperback Writer" is night and day. My point is this: Who is to say what constitutes an "official" Beatle-approved mix when so many fully approved variations of the same song came out of Abbey Road itself?

3. Purity of the catalogue: Lewis and others argue that these American albums don't represent "albums" as envisioned by The Beatles and George Martin. That's absolutely, unequivocally true ... but a bit beside the point. Because the time to make that argument was 40 years ago, before they were created and marketed to an entiore generation (or two) of American fans. "Meet The Beatles," "The Beatles' Second Album," "Something New" and "Beatles '65" were issued as albums in 1964 and each sold millions of copies. They weren't gray-market releases or bootlegs or unauthorized compilations. They were, in every sense, the official Beatles catalogue for everyone living in America. As such, it only makes sense to have them back in print in some format. To do otherwise would be a denial of Beatles history from 1964 to 1990. Now, I agree that if these American albums were to be re-released today as stand-alone CDs, the Beatles catolgue as we now know would it be "polluted" in much the same way RCA polluted the Elvis catalogue with an endless array of poorly packaged compilations with overlapping track lists. Any new Beatles fan trying to navigate his or her way through the catalogue would have a terrible time and could wind up with an odd mix of British and American albums with unwanted overlap. Fortunately, that won't happen with this new set. Capitol is wisely packaging the four new discs in a box that will physically and thematically set them apart from "the classic thirteen." The availability of the American albums in such a clearly identified box set will no more diminish the artistic integrity of the current line-up of CDs than, say, the releases of "Past Masters 1," "Past Masters 2," "1962-66," "1966-70," "The Singles Collection" box set of CDs, "The EP Collection" box set of CDs and "1." Those are all official, Apple-sanctioned CD releases that, together, represent dozens of variations in mixes with plenty of overlap in song titles.

4. Choice: Those who complain about the release of this new box set seem to forget that Capitol Records isn't going to be forcing people at gunpoint to buy the set. All the company is doing is giving fans the option of buying the American albums. For the millions who have clamored for such a set, this is a plus. For the millions who see no need to add such a set to their collection, the box set is neither a plus or minus ... because the British versions will remain in print. I can understand why some fans wouldn't want to own these American albums, but I can't understand why they would begrudge other fans the opportunity to own them.

Hi, Steve: I just thought I'd put in my "two cents" about the boxset. I'm thrilled! I'm going to get it the instant I can get in through Best Buys doors. If Capitol didn't use the "duophonic" mixes (for stereo) and the UK stereo mixdowns to mono that were originally used, the CDs wouldn't be "authentic". And, the songs just wouldn't sound like my first copies of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Meet The Beatles" bought in 1964. I can still hear that sound in my head. And, it doesn't sound like PM1 and "With The Beatles". The Capitol versions have more punch and power than the UK versions, on CD or vinyl, and I've had both. BTW, great job you're doing, Steve.

PS-To hell with the people who're complaining about the artwork!

Steve, just wanted to throw my two pence worth in that I'm for the new release(s). Not for the sonic mis-adventure (it will be a flashback hearing those LPs again), but for the running order. And let's face it, they have to sound better than they did on my parents old hi-fi that I first heard them on in '64! Thumbs up from me. It's how I hear them from the record player in my American head. It's what I grew up with. Just let us "oldies" have our little trip back...it's a limited edition, so it won't be around to aggro you naysayers very long anyway. So everyone, stop yer whinin', it's all BEATLES, fer cripes sake! The more the merrier! But, I must agree, the cover is a bit crap. Went to the link for Sean Murdock's vision of the cover, wow, it's gear fab!! Yes, I love it. That's the happy-sound Beatle-look we want! I think Sean should make available a box sized slick that we can slap right over our boxes when we get'em. I'm, at least, keeping a copy of it on the inside with my booklet...a reminder of what might have been. Great job, Sean, way to go, mate!! Steve, as always, I can't make it a day without my abbeyrd fix. Thanks!

All the best,
Sean

Wow! Get Sean Murdock a job at Capitol! That's EXACTLY what the box set should look like. Whatever your thoughs on the merits of such a release... and admittedly, the only possible reason to be excited about this set is PURE nostalgia... Sean's work should make everyone at Capitol feel like hacks. (For the record, I have no idea who Sean Murdock is!)

Why no word out of Apple on this release? It appears as if they don't fully endorse the release of the box set yet aren't trying to stop it from going forward.

I can’t wait to get it – the booklet sounds great also and I do agree about the lame cover art. Let’s hear it for Anthology!

I don't get all the complaining over the sound (reverb, echo, etc.). If it wasn't a duplicate of the original mixes, then the complaints would be about the lack of accuracy and the failure to be true to the original sound. Nostalgia requires the echo if they are going for recreating the "sound we grew up with."

This is a case of sell it while you can; this American material just wouldn't fly (or sell) if it followed 5.1 mixes or a definitive collection of SACD or DVD-Audio sets that will most likely show up eventually (maybe just as the formats are about to be obsolete?). Why sell something once if you can sell it two, three or thirty times?

There was a reader comment about the British mono versions maybe being included. Much of this was already remastered in '93 or so for the EP set; perhaps that's what will be included. I hope not. Ten years plus has passed since then, and I agree, I want the US versions. I like the echo, especially on I Feel Fine/She's A Woman.

Question: At one point, Capitol released a cassette of the UA A Hard Days Night. In the 80's I believe. Do they still have the rights and might we be seeing this at some point from Capitol?

Keep up the great work!

Hi Steve:

I think its great for the fans in the States to be getting their versions of the Beatles albums on CD. I used to love collecting them here in the UK for the groovy covers and odd alternate takes.

Can I state the obvious though -- when are we gonna get something really new that we would all like? How about a vote - Christmas Messages, Shea Stadium, Hollywood Bowl on CD anyone?

Or would you prefer "Help," "Cartoon Series" or "Let It Be" on DVD?

It does annoy me that these are denied us -- what is Apple waiting for?

Anyway, sorry to rant on - keep up the great work on the site. Always checking it out here in the UK.!

Hey Steve,

American Beatle fans have moaned for how many years about the lack of availability of the U.S. albums on CD? And now I see everyone is dismissing it as a stupid idea!

And even the people that want the box are kvetching about something as innocuous as the artwork. Don't forget that each disc is coming in a miniature LP sleeve replica, and will contain remastered mono and stereo versions of each album, plus a 60 page booklet. Who cares what the outer box looks like?

I do wonder, though, if the infamous Dave Dexter mixes will be used here. Does anyone know?

Hi Steve,

I read the news today, oh boy, about the release of the first four US albums. I'm a first generation fan that went through the whole rush of 1964 and heard all these songs in their original North American incarnations, with these mixes and running orders.

When I got a little older and finally heard the original British versions of the records (on vinyl), I felt like I had been totally cheated through those early years. It wasn't just the slapdash chop jobs done on the song selections --who can forget the Beatles themselves trying vainly to remember which songs were on what albums on their tours -- but the truly awful re-mixing. George Martin had not somehow forgotten to slather the Beatles in reverb and thereby committed some error that needed correcting.

With the standardizing of the Beatles catalogue when it went to CD in the 'eighties (yes, we all know there are big problems there but that's another discussion) accurately representing the way the group and Martin recorded, produced, and released them, one assumed that these early incarnations would be consigned to the dust-bin of history. But now they have risen from the grave like some horrific money-sucking vampire wearing one of Dave Dexter Junior's old suits.

As for the packaging, the cheap, garish, no-thought-behind-it look could not be more appropriate to the project. It is a shame, however, that something this shoddy-looking bears the Beatles name, and that another new generation of fans will now fall prey to these inferior versions and be misled about the band's progression and achievements. One can only pray that this project is a one-off and there is no re-release of Capitol's total desecrations of Rubber Soul and, heaven help us, Revolver.

I just wish everyone would just stop trashing the new box set release. There are too many "purists" out there. They should just be glad that these are finally coming out on CD!!! These songs are 40 years old!!! How good do they want them to sound??? I agree on one thing. The cover art is lousy. Maybe just the famous Beatles Drum logo on a black box??

Update II (10/14/04)

Update (10/14/04)

Hi Steve,

I also think the cover art is crap! And by the way, it would be nice if someone actually CHECKED to see how to spell the last name of "Famed Beatles Historian" Mark Lewisohn! They can't even get THAT right. Sheesh! He deserves better than that! I hope the insides are much better than the outside.

Have a great day.

Steve,

Too bad they misspelled Mark Lewisohn's surname on the press sheet-- TWICE! Also, why include the RIAA gold record logos on the cover of "Meet The Beatles" and "The Beatles Second Album?" I hope these intrusions are removed prior to the set's actual release. I'm surprised Spizer didn't catch this. And by the way, how come the famous Beatles CAPITOL releases historian, Bruce Spizer didn't do the liner notes? Seems to me a natural fit!!!! Bruce is the man!

Yes; the packaging is abysmal...but the whole project is a huge mistake, as well. The best thing that has ever happened to the original 1962-1970 Beatles releases was the world-wide standardization of the catalog. The best thing that could happen in the future is a remastering of that "standardized" catalog, deleting the two "Past Masters" discs and adding their various single and EP tracks to the appropriate CDs, and updating the entire original Beatles UK canon with better packaging.

Hi Steve,

I never thought I would see the day when Capitol Records would not only release its first four American releases on CD--with only eleven songs per disc--but would preserve all the substandard, horrible mixes that were originally included on the vinyl issues as well! My jaw dropped when I read Capitol's press release, which not only flat out stated proudly that the echo and reverb added to the Capitol tracks would be included on these issues, but that "duophonic" songs would also be included! Hey, folks, have you forgotten? "Duophonic" is a code word for "fake stereo". On CD?! And fans wonder why Apple is not backing this release?!?

I originally bought these albums when I first became a fan in 1977, wasting great amounts of money for fewer songs per album and lousier sound quality. A few years later, I got rid of these losers and sought out the vinyl British releases. I've never been sorry, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when EMI issued the British records with the British mixes in 1987 on CD. Don't settle for less because of something as vague as nostalgia, people. If you want great sound, it's there on your current CD's. If you think it should be better, then petition EMI to remix *them* and/or issue them in stereo--but this junk is fit only for drink coasters.

Thanks for always providing the best Beatles information around! I may be the only one, however I WILL NEVER LISTEN TO THE BRITISH VERSION CDs ANY MORE! These were THE albums I grew up with and I plan to grow old listening to these too. Thank you CAPITOL RECORDS (and EMI and Apple)!!! I can’t wait for Vol. II American Rubber Soul!!!!!!! w00t!! Jeff Falkenstein

Hi Steve. This is amazing.... Today's LA Times (10-13-04) has an article in their Calendar section (page 1) on the new Capitol cd set. There is some nice info from Martin Lewis and the pres at Capitol. But what shocked me is they say the CD's will contain the American stereo versions and the BRITISH mono versions!! Maybe it's incorrect reporting, I hope so. If it's true, it's too bad, as the American monos are different than the British. Maybe this was a compromise from Apple in order for their permission on the project, that the monos not vary from the currently available (since 87), but maybe they'll be remastered. It just goes on and on...

Why is everybody whining about how the cover of the box set looks like? We’ve waited years for this to set to materialize. Come on people it’s a box. Just be thankful that it’s finally gonna happen and that we’ll get the “real” cds of our beloved American versions. I know where I’ll be on 11/16.
Dana Pannell's Beatles Karaoke
http://wsp3.wspice.com/~dpannell/beatles

Hello Steve, Just to drop in a word to tell you that the release date of the boxset in Japan is November 17. Bonus contents are the usual things: Japanese translation lyrics, and CCCD.

Leslie
www.thebeatles.hk

What do I say about the art work for the Beatles Box – at least make it look like “Reel Music” – I’ve always liked what Capitol did in 1982 for the Reel Music LP.

Update (10/13/04)

I agree with the comments about the box set packaging. This is just shockingly bad. But I guess this shoddy cover sums up the treatment the Beatles' catalog received at the hands of Capitol during the 1964-1966 years. I suppose they are going for intentional retro cheeziness?

I mean... I'm excited about it... and I'm going to buy it...

But during their active career, the Beatles took great pains to produce cover artwork that didn't look cheap and crappy. This makes that mid-70's silver Rock 'N' Roll package look like Sgt. Pepper in comparison.

And yet nothing on Beatles.com ? Odd when you compare it with the build up to 1 and Let it Be Naked ?

Update II (10/12/04)

Update (10/12/04)

Horrible cover package. Reminds me of the Roy Kohara artwork days at Capitol with the Rock and Roll two LP Beatles’ reissue. And the Reel Music LP. Real Crap! Looks like a bad K-Tell package. A slapped together Cosco release!

Update (10/10/04)

Don't know if someone's already pointed this out, but if you go to the Sterling Sound mastering house website and look at their top engineer, Ted Jensen's, profile, you'll notice some familiar titles under his "Current Projects" section: Early Beatles, Meet the Beatles, etc. Pretty cool to know he's doing the remastering (let alone the fact they're being remastered!) Take care!

The Beatles Capitol Box set is now listed on the Capitol records website,though there is no image or release date.

Update (10/8/04)

Update (9/29/04)

"Capitol Records will release The Capitol Albums, Volume 1 for The Beatles on November 16. Don't ask."

Update (9/14/04)

The Beatles "The Beatles American Boxset" Release [ September 12, 2004

Reliable source claimed that on November 16, 2004, Capitol and Apple will release a boxset of Beatles US albums, titled The Beatles American Boxset. Possibly albums included are Meet The Beatles, The Beatles' Second Album, Something New and Beatles '65. No bonus tracks will be included and the albums are digitally remastered.

Update (8/2/04)

... Are we Brits to be ignored in all of this? If the stereo versions of the early tracks are to be put out in the US, then why not in the UK versions? I bet there is a plan to revamp the catalogue and remaster it. We mustn't forget that the early catalogue becomes public domain in the near future and they MUST want to maximise their profits by then.

I was also having a chat with my local friendly record shop owner who reckoned that Warners have wanted to reissue the Traveling Wilburies stuff but have been prevented by Barbara Orbison. This seemed at odds with what we have read recently about the possible re-issues this year....but maybe this WAS a problem that has been solved?

Anyway, keep up the good work Steve...

Update (7/28/04)

Update (7/22/04)

Hi Steve,

A good friend works at Barnes & Nobles in the music and DVD division. I had dinner with him last night and the first thing he said is, "We met with Capitol Records today and do I have news for you!" To which I replied, "Don't tell me ... the November Beatle box." He said, "You know already?" Well, his impression is that Capitol is struggling to put this collection together. He gave me a release date, which was November 16th. Apparently, they do not know what the box will contain and if they have enough time to release it for the holiday season. My friend is not a Beatle fan and was not aware that Capitol's releases differ from the British LPs. Nor that the Beatles preferred mono over stereo. As more info is available he will pass it along.

Ciao,
Joe

Update (7/12/04) A couple of points: First, the albums included in the box are still being worked out. "Early Beatles" is not a certainty (it was released very late in '64), and we're told "Beatles Story" may not be included at all. "Meet the Beatles," "The Beatles' Second Album" and "Beatles '65" are more likely -- and given the $50 list, would seem to make sense that it'll be a three CD set. A second source confirmed the details we printed, but hadn't heard it had been added to the schedule. So at this point, it may still be tentative. One other important point: The fact this box is being considered and apparently planned at all is a MAJOR reversal for the Beatles triumverate, who were very much against this set in past years. It seems that we'll see a "Let It Be" DVD in the future, but one can only wonder what else might be under consideration now that this U.S. Capitol CD wall may have fallen -- possibly the long-ago mentioned "Live at the Hollywood Bowl"? A major overhaul of the UK CDs? (We can dream, can't we??)

Here's some details: