Johnny Hiland Band

It is the age old Beatles argument: “Lennon or McCartney” Which songwriter was more essential to The Beatles music? It’s my opinion as an enormous Beatles fan that the real answer is “both!” It may sound like a cop-out but I actually believe it’s true.

I’m definitely not one of those people that goes out of his or her way to disparage the solo careers of John and Paul but I do think it’s obvious that they never reached the same level on their own as they did together with The Beatles (of course who has?) I think that’s pretty good evidence that there was something magical about their partnership that allowed the songs they wrote together to be more than the sum of the parts.

A lot of The Beatles greatest work wasn’t the tunes that John or Paul wrote on their own but were the songs that they worked on together. Many of The Beatles early singles such as “She Loves You” and “Love Me Do” were written as a team and some of their most timeless songs such as “A Day in the Life,” “We Can Work It Out,” & “I’ve Got a Feeling” consisted of different song segments that Paul & John wrote which were added together to form a whole song.

And even when a song was solely written by one or the other such as in the cases of “Hey Jude” and “Dear Prudence” there was still some great input by the other one.

For example with McCartney’s songs like “Hey Jude” and “Getting Better” John would give Paul very good lyrical advice. John told Paul to keep a lyric in the song “Hey Jude” that Paul felt wasn’t clear enough. Lennon added the “it couldn’t get much worse” line to “Getting Better” which helped to offset the relentless positivity of the rest of the lyrics.

McCartney added some amazing bass parts to John’s songs such as “Rain,” “Come Together,” and “Dear Prudence.” Try to imagine those songs without the bass, they wouldn’t be anywhere near as awesome!

The essential point that I’m trying to get across is that both Lennon & McCartney were necessary ingredients of what made The Beatles so great.

The Beatles In Mono Box Set includes The Beatles first ten albums in their glorious original mono mixes along with the “Mono Masters” two CD set which includes the original mono mixes for all of their non-album songs which were mixed in mono.

The Beatles Remastered Mono Mix Box Set is a real “surprise” in some cases. A lot of the band’s earlier songs really sound far~better in mono than they do in stereo because they were originally mixed in mono and the stereo mixes were often done as an “afterthought” (because stereo wasn’t taken very seriously at the time.) Many of The Beatles stereo mixes are totally crazy by the standards of today because they pan everything to one side or the other which can be annoying to listen to (especially when listening on headphones.)

It’s fantastic to be able to hear tracks like “Taxman” & “Eleanor Rigby” without the wide panning approach that mars their stereo mixes of these songs.

Panning is not the only differences between the mono & stero mixes. In some cases there are actually different takes and different effects used! And in many more cases different instruments/parts are highlighted in the mono mix vs. the stereo mix.

A good example of a different mix in mono vs. stereo is “Helter Skelter” because it’s almost a full minute shorter in mono than in stereo and it doesn’t include the “blisters on my fingers” yell at the end.

Another good example is all of the extra vocal effects on the mono version of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” But really a lot of the songs on the mono Pepper have a lot more vocal effects than do their stereo sisters.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Mono Masters Double CD Compilation is that it includes four previously unreleased mono mixes (“All Together Now,” “Hey Bulldog,” “Only a Northern Song and “It’s All Too Much.”)

If you have a Beatles fanatic among your family & friends (including yourself!) you ought to circle September 9th on a nearby calander because that’s the day three incredible Beatles related gifts are being released. The stereo box set, mono box set, and Rock Band video game. In this article I’ll go into a little detail about what makes each of these products such a great gift for a Beatles fan.

The Beatles Remastered Stereo Box

Every single tune The Beatles released from 1962 through 1970 in very high quality stereo. That’s all 13 British albums from 1962’s Please Please Me through ’70’s Let It Be. And yes this is a great gift even if the Beatlemaniac in question already owns all of their albums on compact disc. Why? Because these CDs sound far better than the older discs.

These new CDs capture more of the original sound from the master tapes than do the old CDs. They allow for more details in the music to be heard and they have a “warmer” sound too.

The Remastered Beatles Mono CD Box Set

This is the perfect gift for really serious Fab Four fans because this is what all of the true “Beatles purists” have been waiting for: Finally, the mono mixes from the 1960s are on CD. This is the first time that these Beatles albums will be heard as they were originally intended to be heard by many Beatles fans!

Each of the band’s first ten albums was mixed in mono and in most of those cases the band actually spent much more time working on the mono mix than they did on the stereo mix. The reason for that is that in the 1960s stereo was still a new concept and was thought to be something of a “fad.” Most people listened to mono at that time so it only made sense for them to concentrate on the mono mixes.

Beatles Rock Band Video Game

This is a great present for any Beatles fan who enjoys playing games. But I must say that you don’t have to be a video game addict to like playing Rock Band. I hate video games in general but I love playing this game.

If you have younger “gamers” in your family who don’t yet know or appreciate The Beatles music this may be a great way to get them into it.

Mono Mixes Were The Focus In The 1960s

It was not until the time of Abbey Road & Let It Be that the stereo mixes became The Beatles primary focus. Until then they were actually far more interested in the mono mixes because they were considered to be the “standard” at that time.

The Original Beatles Albums

You can make a strong case that these Beatles mono mix CDs are The Beatles albums in their most pure form. These are the mixes that most people heard back in the 1960s. These original mono mixes are the ones that made them the most popular band ever. Even if just for historical context, these mixes are very interesting to true Beatles fans.

The Mono Album Box Set Includes

• The Band’s first 10 studio albums in their original mono mixes.
• The original stereo mixes of Rubber Soul & Help!
• The Mono Masters compilation of the mono mixes of the band’s non album songs.

Where’s The Beatles Last Three Albums?

These final three LPs were never mixed in mono because by then stereo was the standard.

Why Are Stereo Mixes For Two Albums Included?

The two albums included in stereo (Rubber Soul & Help!) were recorded in 1965. At this time mixing in stereo was still a very new thing and these albums were mixed in what would now be considerd a very strange way. When the bands albums were first released on CD in the 1980s they didn’t use the 1960s stereo mixes and made brand new stereo mixes to replace them with. The original stereo mixes for these 1965 classic albums have never been on CD until this new mono box set.

The White Album In Mono In The US For The First Time

This will actually be the first time the band’s classic self titled 1968 album (best known as The White Album) will be released in mono in the US in any format. Why is that? In 1968 mono was already done in the the USA so only the stereo version was the only one released. In the UK both the mono & stereo LPs were released.

The Beatles Remastered Box Sets

There are 2 Beatles box sets to be released on September 9th. A mono box set & a stereo box set. Both are necessary purchases by~essential for} real Beatles fans.

Now that I have been listening to The Beatles In Stereo Box Set for almost a full seven days I think it’s time to do a review of the set as a whole. Now I have heard everything at least once (although some albums I’ve heard multiple times and others just once) and I have no reservations in saying that these remastered CDs are far superior to the old CDs most of us Beatles fans owned previously.

It’s fantastic how much clearer these new CDs sound when comapred to the old CDs. I hear lots of details in these songs that I have never heard before! It’s really like rediscovering The Beatles timeless music all over again as I go through each of the 14 albums in The Beatles Stereo Box Set.

There’s already been a lot of debate among fans of The Beatles over what sounds better; The the mono or the stereo? This debate is raging because along with this stereo box set The Remastered Beatles In Mono CD Box Set was also released this month.

I think the stereo CDs sound much better for the later albums because they allow for greater clarity which is essential considering how much is going on in most of the later mixes. But with the earlier albums it’s a bit of a closer call. I still like the clarity of the stereo mixes even with the earlier albums, but it is true that the really wide panning can be a bit distracting so I think there’s a good case for the more “powerful” sounding mono mixes too!

In short, I’m very glad that I bought both box sets and I really think they are both essential for serious Beatles fans. After all the mono mixes were how the albums were originally intended to be heard so they have great historical value, but the stereo mixes sound really really good, so you have to have those too.

Obviously the main reason I love this box set is how great The Beatles music sounds in remastered stereo but I also should give a “shout out” to the really great packaging. An informative booklet with many pictures and notes on the historical context of the album and the recording process for that album is included with each CD.

After over 20 years of waiting, the [remastered CD|remastered CD] versions of The Beatles studio albums are finally going to be available on CD on 9/9/9. The CD versions from 1987 are considered to an example of very poor mastering which is why Beatles fans have been wanting to hear these classic albums remastered for so long.

But the excitement from 9/9/9 doesn’t just come from the fact that the albums are being remastered for the first time since their original release on CD, it also comes from the mono box set that is being released on that day. This will actually be the first time ever that the mono mixes of some of these amazing Beatles albums will be available on compact disc.

So why should we care about such an outdated way of listening to music here in the 21st century? Mono was being phased out in the 1960s, why should we listen to mono mixes today? Sure a lot of people think that stereo is all you need because it’s the standard these days, but for those curious about the original intention of The Beatles and their production team the mono mixes are of great interest.

The mono versions are what The Beatles (along with their production team) were primarily focused on. The Beatles stereo mixes were done with little input from the band while they were very involved with the mono mixes which were worked on until they were just right. And because of this effort put into the mono mixes, many feel that the original mono mix of Sgt. Pepper is the “real” version of the album.

But there’s even more Beatles stuff for fans to get excited about coming out on 9/9/9, for gamers there’s the Beatles Rock Band game which looks awesome from the previews of it I’ve seen. You can play through The Beatles whole career from their beginnings in Liverpool through their final album, Abbey Road. Even the Rock Band instruments look like the original Beatles gear (the best example is McCartney’s bass!) And now for the first time with the Beatles Rock Band game, you can sing harmonies.

The Beatles created 12 official UK LPs from 1963 to 1970 and just about all of them were fantastic so picking just three of their albums as the best three is hard.

Why 12? You’ve probably heard the number 13. That 13th “album” was actually Magical Mystery Tour which was originally released just as an EP in the UK. An “album” version of it was cobbled together in America by adding some earlier singles to it.

Many Beatles purists don’t think of it as one of their albums, although it has been added to official UK discography since the ’70s (when it was released in the UK because so many fans were importing the US Magical Mystery Tour LP.)

#1 The White Album

This double album includes many of The Beatles greatest moments. It also includes some of the songs that a lot of people think of as their worst. But I actually think those experimental songs (such as “Wild Honey Pie” and “Revolution #9″) add to the magic of the album. This is an “anything goes” album and it’s great because of it

#2 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

A lot of people claim that Sgt. Pepper is overrated and I can understand that opinion from the standpoint that The Beatles other albums get overlooked in comparison. For example a lot of less informed people say that Sgt. Pepper was The Beatles first attempt at “art music” but obviously Rubber Soul & Revolver beat it to the punch. But, I still think Sgt. Pepper is an amazing album that works as the band’s most “cohesive statement” and I think while it may be underrated by those who are slightly ignorant of The Beatles entire catalog, I think it’s actually now underrated by those known as “hipsters.”

#3 Revolver

Revolver lacks the cohesiveness of Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper. It has less “hits” than Rubber Soul. But it does have 14 great songs. It’s arguably the most consistently great LP The Beatles recorded.

9/9/9 is Christmas Day for Beatles fans. That is the day that The Beatles 2 stereo and mono box sets and Beatles Rock Band are finally released. Beatles fans like me have already ordered all this awesome “Beatles gear” online and are simply waiting for 9/9/9 to come around so it can be shipped to our homes!

#1 The Beatles Remastered Stereo CD Box Set

This stereo box set includes every single recording The Beatles released from 1962 through ‘70 in remastered stereo sound quality.

The new remastering will allow listeners to hear The Beatles timeless music with new clarity and detail. The CDs will also be somewhat louder than the 1987 CD versions which have been out for the last 22 years.

#2 The Beatles Remastered Mono Box Set

The first ten Beatles albums are included in their original mono mix. These original mono mixes haven’t been put on CD until now. Many Beatles purists consider the original mono mixes to be the “true” Beatles mixes because these were the mixes that The Beatles originally intended their fans to hear.

Most amazingly, the original mono mix of The White Album has actually never been released in the United States before. Not even on LP or tape! Why? Because by the time The White Album came out in 1968, mono had already been completely “phased out” of the US marketplace so the original mono mix was only released in the UK at that time.

#3 The Beatles Rock Band Game

Rock Band is the greatest music related video game and The Beatles Rock Band will be the ultimate version of this game. The game includes 45 Beatles songs to be sung and played. Complete Beatles albums will be available to be downloaded and played on Beatles Rock Band. The first album to be made available for download will be Abbey Road.

The Beatles Rock Band will be the first version of the game that includes harmony singing. Three different players can sing at one time which lets your friends and you really sing the harmonies of the greatest band of all time.