The Beatles Stereo Box Set [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

By Song Bear "Blue Moo"

This is a commendable effort. Trying to improve on the original GeorgeMartin/Geoff Emerick/NormanSmith mixes of the Beatles albums would be daunting - to say the least. The results are mixed, and whether or not you like the results here is going to be a matter of taste and personal preferences.

The Pro's

The sound on all of the discs is cleaner, crisper, with individual voices and instruments being more distinct. The high end on the cymbals and tambourines is noticeable on everything from" Love Me Do" to "I Dig A Pony." The imaging on some of the songs is better - McCartney's vocals on "Let It Be," and the sound of the Help/Rubber Soul/Revolver era recordings is marvelous. The tape hiss from the 1987 transfers is gone.

The Con's

Someone needs to explain the difference between re-master and remix. These are NOT remasters. They are completely different mixes. Clean as they are, in many of the songs that used reverb and other effects in the original recordings, the vibe and original energy has been completely destroyed. "She Loves You" was never supposed to sound like this. "Penny Lane" sounds too dry and upfront, as if every instrument was recorded in a closet with the microphone being placed no more than two inches away from each instrument. The cellos and other orchestral instruments don't sound right. "Strawberry Fields" is anemic, and "Day in the Life" - crisp as it is - just doesn't have impact anymore. Without the reverb - which any engineer knows can cover up a multitude of out of tune vocals, bad phrasing, and other mistakes - you hear things I don't think the Beatles or George Martin ever intended you to hear. Whoever is responsible for Harrison's vocals on ""Old Brown Shoe" should be beat with a lamp cord.

Should you own this set if you are an avid Beatles fan? Yeah. I think you would probably want it. But be aware of what you are getting here. Remember the "stereo"mixes of the early albums where you had vocals coming out one speaker and the instruments coming out the other? For some reason, with all the digital tools and plug ins available - they didn't correct that. I suppose that would, to many people's way of thinking, been going too far. But to my way of thinking - if you are going to change things, improve the imaging along with the clarity. Tune the some of the vocals. Re-equalize and tweak the bass a little. Put the vocals in the middle of the mix. Do the things that George Martin and the Beatles would have done had they had the technology and tools available today.

When you listen to "Let It Be: Naked" the engineers took a bold stand, stripped away the orchestration without stripping away the vibe, the sense of excitement that the original Beatles recordings generated. I would compare these "remasters" to what we got with the Beatles Anthology CDs. Interesting. Nice addition to the collection. In NO WAY a replacement. Before you invest in the whole set - buy a remastered copy of your favorite album to see if you can tolerate the changes. Then you'll have a better idea whether or not to buy the entire set.