Over the last few weeks, I have gotten dozens of emails from Beatles fans asking me which box set they should get, the stereo box or the mono? Now that the sets are out, hardcore Beatles fans are arguing the merits of each set, with differing opinion about which mixes are the 'real' Beatles mixes.
My friend and colleague Harry Neyhart (also a big Beatles fan) wrote a very insightful piece on this very subject, and I wanted to share it with you:
Stereo - Mono - Why not both?
The common wisdom is that The Beatles "worked" on the great bulk of their material in mono, thus it must be something special. Well, that's true, but there was this up-and-coming format that expanded sound into what we know as stereo, and the powers-that-be, if not The Beatles themselves, worked their magic in this format too.
Now, stereo virtually "took over" the way color overtook black & white - the way DVD's overtook LaserDisc and VHS - the way HDTV is taking over standard definition television. Many view the monaural format as antiquated, simpler, and unnecessary in this day and age.
But, with The Beatles, we're blessed with two versions of many of their recordings. Only the final two albums were really only conceived and executed solely in stereo. All of the rest have two mixes - one for the masses of the time (mono) - and one for the masses of today (stereo).
That's not to say that to be modern, with-it, hip, one has to choose the stereo version of a song, because we all know that there are mono versions that simply work better. The recording (particularly those early works) wasn't designed with stereo in mind, but with the tools of the day, a perfunctory stereo mix was at least provided for those who wanted it.
The beauty of The Beatles catalog - and these wonderful remasters - is that not only do we have a choice, but we can have it both ways. Those who act now, can get a mono box set to compliment the stereo versions which have become the de facto standard. We've long read the praises of those who've scoured the Earth looking for original mono mixes, well the verdict is largely in, that the mono mixes on the boxsets pretty much provide a pretty close approximation to those nice, clean vinyls sought out by fans and collectors, but denied to a great many in the general public by their rarity in clean condition.
By limiting the mono box set output, EMI has at most, continued the relative rarity of these mixes, but at the very least, they've given the fanbase this one chance to hear, compare, and savor the format of sound in which The Beatles themselves worked.
It's a somewhat expensive proposition to dedicate large amounts of hard-earned funds to both box sets, but for the hours of fun and enjoyment that these will provide in the coming years, I think it's worth it.
Go for it. Do what you need to do, but get both stereo and mono. You'll be happy you did.
Harry
Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks, Harry!