"Paperback Writer" is essential to listen to in mono. It is far better than the stereo version. You can perfectly hear the repeated echo's at the end of the chorus, just as it was meant to be heard. This was 1966, and far ahead of it's time...

This helps TREMENDOUSLY. I grew up in the states with the Capitol versions of the albums. A few years back I began collecting the Parlaphone CDs...and was amazed at the difference. Even further amazed at the differences between, stereo and mono. I really like the mono sound, as it sounds somehow 'fuller' to me. If that makes any type of sense? LOL. Thank you so much for posting this!

As an owner of both boxes, you are right on the mark about every single album suggestion. Please Please Me and With the Beatles are way better on mono..The stereo versions are stretched too thin.. Hard Day's sounds way better on stereo for some reason. Great upload, extremely well-done.

@ChurchillCigar

10 жыл бұрын

I so wish I had bought both when they came out in 2009, but had not enough money to buy them, so I bought the stereo. But it is strange how some songs are so much better in mono, others in stereo and for a few, just about equal. Most songs on PPM and WTB sound better in mono, as Past Master (black). Help! sounds much better in stereo, as Sgt Pepper (my opinion) and the latter ones.

@wasteofspace20

10 жыл бұрын

I agree with you, you may be in luck though if you are in the states, I have seen a few of the mono box sets pass through a used bookstore called half price books, especially in the Chicago and Minneapolis area as of late for significantly less than what the market price online is, usually around $59.99. For some reason the first two albums are simply way crisper and energetic on that mono set, the stereo set stretches out too many of the vocals and the instrumentation.

Mono for the simple reason it is a cleaner sound and closer to what The Beatles wanted the albums to sound like. All the albums were mixed in Mono 1st and I believe the early albums ('63/'64) were released in Mono 1st and sometimes it would be weeks till the Stereo version was released. I love the sound/feel of Sgt Peppers & White Album in Mono that you don't get in Stereo.

@elvisleeboy

7 жыл бұрын

backbaconnbeer In general, I agree, but there are exceptions where some of the mono versions sound a lot weaker than their stereo counterparts. The songs Help and You're Going To Lose That Girl were a shock to me, considering that's how they'd have been heard by most people when first released.

Yes, "Let It Be Naked" is much, much better.

@robfriedrich2822

8 жыл бұрын

They tried to make the sound of the "Abbey Road" album.

Focused, concise and definitive content. Excellent! Thanks for making this.

You definitely need both Mono Masters and Past Masters.

Thanks for the info, think I'll order a box set of the mono's for my 60th. I vividly remember my parents coming down the garden path with two lp's. One was by Sinatra, the other was Revolver, still play it regularly. TNK had a profound effect on a 9 year old in '66.

The song HELP! has a far better vocal in MONO, and this take was specially selected for the film's title sequence. Sadly, when remixing the film they lazily substituted it for the completely different stereo version, meaning the lip-sync is out due to the different phrasing and there is no emphasis on the word HELP! when the title comes up due to the more laid back vocal on the stereo take.

This was very helpful..... Thank-you!

Just purchased the album mono set. It is awesome! So happy to have it since I got so used to the stereo mix.......

Brilliant! Thank you.

Fake stereo was, as stated on Elvis Presley reissues of the 1960s and 1970s, is "Stereo Effect reprocessed from mono" In Elvis' records, this involved adding reverb and echo. In the case of Beatles' records, a fake stereo mix involved using EQ to split bass and treble into left and right. Please Please Me and With the Beatles were recorded on Two track, and released in true stereo (except for Love me do and PS I love you on PPM) It's strange stereo, but true stereo. The album which truly shines in Stereo vs Mono is Beatles For Sale. Not the most inspired album, but in stereo is a sonic orgasm.

Thanks for uploading! It helped me a lot :)

I'm sorry I have to object to your definition of early Beatles albums are in fake stereo. As long as different sounds are heard on either side of the stereo spectrum, it is still true stereo. In the case of Please Please Me where it sounds like a Karaoke release, all the instruments are in the left and vocals on the right, that is sill true stereo EXCEPT for Love Me Do and P.S. I Love You. These tracks which was their first single, for it to be deemed as stereo, one of the channels were all treble and the other was all bass. STILL, you are actually hearing the exact same information/sound on both channels. That is fake stereo. Different labels have different definitions of fake (in UK mock) stereo, like Capitol's DUOPHONIC, Columbia's ELECTRONICALLY RE-CHANNELED STEREO, RCAs ELECTRONICALLY RE-PROCESSED STEREO. Many labels did what Geoff Emerick/Mike Smith did to those fake stereo Beatles tracks - all treble on one side and all bass on one side. Others like Mercury an original mono dry signal on the left and the same track with reverb on the other - a perfect example are those Platters and Patti Page stereo releases. Still others like Capitol's Duophonic and RCA's Elvis fake stereo releases they place on channel a few milliseconds later to create an illusion of dual track.

Excellent help! Thanks

Such an amazing video mate. This has hands down been the best 'comparison' for the Mono and Stereo versions of the Beatles. I have had the Stereo box set since 2010 and have had my eye on the Mono box set since then knowing there are different mixes I would quite like to hear plus the fact these are only available as the complete set, the other factor being up until now it has been a little out of by reach price wise however I have found it for £75, yes it's second hand....

Really good video mate thanks

Probably also worth noting that a true stereo mix of "Only A Northern Song" was eventually created for the 1999 soundtrack album _Yellow Submarine Songtrack_. I assume this was kept off the 2009 remasters because it's not a "vintage" mix.

I absolutely adore Sgt Peppers and longed for it on vinyl because of the looping end track (which is also present on the vinyl version of Scenes from a Memory) I'm not sure if my Dad remembered my discussion on Beatles Mono vs Stereo or not but he got the Mono version for my birthday (yay) And it sounded absolutely wonderful! I think the beatles and the beach boys and even early pink floyd are represented better in Mono that Stereo. But... when it got down to A Day in the Life, I anxiously awaited the looping track and... it never came. The arm rose and clicked back into place. I guess there is a certain distance the arm will travel before automatically returning and the looping section goes just beyond it's reach. Damn shame because, honestly that's what made the album so haunting for me. I remember the first time I ever heard it. I put it on, went to sleep, and that part scared me awake. I thought my CD was skipping. took it out, looked, cleaned it off, and sure enough, it was there on purpose. I then because reading up on it, what's it's purpose, why was it there. and then back masking and other albums with other hidden meanings. I got into Pink Floyd because I heard The Wall ended where it started and the album could essentially loop on forever. (Much like Octavarium) But anyway...

Very well presented. The best version of Walrus, I think, is the mono 45 version with the shorter intro and the longer stretch before "Yellow matter custard..."

Thanks for this. I have the vinyl mono box set - great as the remastering and cutting have all been done in the analogue stage. I also have various 1987 CD's, first and/or 2nd mono pressings of some of the LP's and stereo LP,s pressed during the 1980's. Out of all this, I'd say that the mono,s - in particular the 2014 LP's - are my "go to" choice when I want to hear a Beatles album, provided it had been given a George Martin mono mix. Obviously the last 2 albums are stereo only. I'd agree that maybe the White Album is better in stereo as well. The first two albums - Please Please Me and With - DO have genuine stereo mixes. This is not fake stereo. It's not very good stereo and technology existed in 1963 to make better stereo recordings, but George Martin opted not to u se it. Nevertheless, you can tell that most instruments are panned hard left as the were recorded on track 1 of the twin track machine - and the vocals are clearly on the right. Fake stereo is when they attempted to create a stereo effect from a mono master. This is physically impossible. For example, when The Beatles needed a stereo mix of She Loves You (for the oldies LP in 1966) - the original 2 track master had been destroyed. So they created a twin track master with the mono mix on both tracks. One track had the bass cut, the other had the treble cut. They panned one hard left, the other hard right. The end result was a wider image when played on stereo equipment but you couldn't reliably pin point exactly where each instrument (or group of instruments) came from. The stereo PPM album contains fake stereo mixes of Love Me Do and PS I Love You. The technical issues you mention on the stereo Walrus are that from Sitting in an English Garden, the mix reverts to fake stereo, since the radio effects were mixed straight onto a mono master.

great thanks

Nice video, thanks.

Thanks for the positive feedback Caleb :) As far as I know, yes it would equally apply to the vinyl, since the comments concern the mixes and not the media. BUT don't take that as the final word-I haven't followed the development of the vinyl box sets in any detail. Please let me know if you find out anything different.

My friend, this is fantastic! I really appreciate the effort you put into it!.. I have a question - Does this also apply for the Vinyls? I ask because I think the mono boxet is coming out in vinyl soon (stereo already out) and I'm not 100% which to get.. I'm swinging towards mono but will probably get both for some albums :) Thanks again,

nice video!

.... The main reason being is that it is missing the plastic sleeves which have spares anyway due to replacing my Led Zeppelin ones from their Definitive Collection. Sorry for the long winded two part comment but you really have helped in my decision. Take care :)

I still have the original CDs, since 1990. From Please Please Me to Abbey Road. Is it time to replace my 26 year old collection with one of these sets. I've been thinking a lot about the Mono set.

Good video

Sorry if this is a stupid question im a newbie to physical music collecting, if mono is so much better than stereo then why is it so hard to find mono copies? surely they would have made more mono versions than stereo versions if it was the preferred way to hear the music.

@yangtze2000

7 жыл бұрын

Stereo was in its infancy when the music was made, but quickly became the norm. We've had decades of stereo reissues since the music was made, hence many more stereo copies out there than mono.

aparte de cual es mejor, si en mono o stereo, es discutible, ya que ambos tiene pros y contras en lo que a sonido se refiere, en lo que sale perdiendo la edición stereo de estos sets es en la edición de las tapas, que desvirtúan completamente los originales, lo que no pasa con la edición en mono

I agree she's leaving home is much better in mono but overall I prefer stereo for sgt. pepper because hands down stereo a day in the life sounds amazing.

@Jameshatford1966

9 жыл бұрын

David Brailsford the 2014 mono vinyl version of a day in the life is WAY better than the 2009 mono cd.

I bought all of the reissues on vinyl, but now I want the mono versions too. I really wish that they included both versions, it would have made the whole "mono or stereo" box-set argument a moot point. It's a bit of a bummer that the mono box-set costs more too, seeing that it doesn't include as many albums as the stereo box-set.

@instrumentals61

9 жыл бұрын

It's because the mono mixes were made from their master tapes without technology. It was a LOT more work, and took more time and money. The stereo mixes came from remasters, not the original.

If A Hard Day's Night was recorded in true stereo, it means that the mono mix is a fold-down/fake mono made from the stereo mix? Like Rolling Stones' Let it Bleed. Unless Beatles were recorded the album in mono at the same time having all the mono and stereo machinery in the studio working on the process, do they?

I always grew up with the stereo albums and a few mono albums, so I feel like I'm a really bad Beatles fan for not listening to the mono versions of their best albums.

@yangtze2000

10 жыл бұрын

No way are you a bad Beatles fan if you like the music :) The songs are great in whatever format, and whatever the year of release or re-release, that you listen to them. But these mono re-releases are a revelation.

@TooCooFoYou

10 жыл бұрын

You're not a bad Beatles fan, the Mono versions of the Beatles were usually pushed off after the '60s for Stereo since Stereo became more popular than mono.

@blueshirttail

9 жыл бұрын

yangtze2000 I just got the Mono box set a couple days ago and I totally agree with you. It was like hearing all the songs for the first time again.

I prefer stereo.

What's the point in listening to a record if it's ripped from a cd? Might as well just buy the stereo cd box set.

Wouldn't the 24/44 usb be the winner, at least for the stereo, which is a higher resolution than the stereo CD box at 16/44. And, since the stereo vinyl box are actually mastered from the 24/44 digital files; even though it may be great, its still digital on vinyl, why not listen to it digitally then. If your going mono, the Vinyl for the mono's may be choice, since they are mastered from analog tapes to vinyl.

I have a stereo audio system. Do I need a mono audio system to play the mono mixes? Plz someone fill me in.

@yangtze2000

10 жыл бұрын

Hi Tyler, I play my mono CDs on two different normal stereo systems, the car stereo, and a stereo radio/CD player in the bedroom. The music plays from both speakers and sounds fantastic wherever I play it, so I'm not intending to put together a dedicated mono system. I believe quite a lot of audiophiles prefer their mono playback this way. I'm not an expert in this field though, so you may want to ask around a bit more. This Stereophile forum thread is worth a read: www.stereophile.com/content/mono-system-1

@wpollock1

9 жыл бұрын

Mono is fine on your stereo system. Mono is the same sound through both your stereo speakers.

@BentheDalek

9 жыл бұрын

No, you can have mono on your system. This is because the CD's of the mono boxset are rendered in mono, meaning that it will basically be fine for it to be played.

@chrissyman77

7 жыл бұрын

If you wanted to hear the Beatles as they were originally intended then disconnect one of your speakers and listen to just the one speaker if you want to be a purist, really listening to the mono mixes on a stereo system is going to sound far better than what anyone heard back in the sixties.

Whats the music in the video? i can't find it any where.

@yangtze2000

10 жыл бұрын

Hi John. The music is actually one of my own songs, called Wheel, and you can find it, plus others from my band Yangtze, here: soundcloud.com/yangtze I couldn't use Beatles music because KZread pulls the video if it thinks there's been a breach of copyright. Anyway, glad you like the song!

¿donde los compraste

@yangtze2000

7 жыл бұрын

Apologies for late reply, I don't check along here as often as I should :) www.amazon.co.uk/Beatles-Mono/dp/B002BSHXJA

Does this apply to the vinyls as well?

@yangtze2000

8 жыл бұрын

+Joaquin Jimenez Hi Joaquin. I haven't heard the vinyls, but here's a glowing review from the Audoiphile website: audiophilereview.com/audiophile-music/i-have-to-start-this.html

@chrissyman77

7 жыл бұрын

joaquin jimenez I have the mono vinyl box set and all the stereo cd's, there is no doubt that the mono vinyl sounds best and closest to the original recording as these were cut from the analogue tapes and they do sound great.

@edwarde5452

7 жыл бұрын

joaquin jimenez I'd have to say yes. I used this video as a reference when buying my UK Beatle LPs. If you buy the 2014 reissues, you are listening to the same remastered tracks from the 2009 cd release.

What are the songs at 5:07 and 11:52?

@yangtze2000

9 жыл бұрын

Engels and Wheel by Yangtze. You can download them for free. The first can be found at... soundcloud.com/yangtze/engels ...and the second at... soundcloud.com/yangtze/wheel

@joelcompton7018

9 жыл бұрын

yangtze2000 Thanks

I hate reverb on vocals.

Great review, but what's the point with the music starting at 5:05? It's not even close to the genre being discussed

@yangtze2000

7 жыл бұрын

If I could have used Beatles music I would have. KZread is very sensitive to commercially available music being used as background, and since I had a ton of my own stuff lying around I felt it was better than nothing. YMMV :D

is Mono and remastered the same thing?

@yangtze2000

8 жыл бұрын

+Will M No, mono is short for monophonic recording, i.e. recording and mixing on one track, as opposed to stereophonic recording, i.e. recording and/or mixing on two tracks. Remastering is the process of creating a quality enhancement in the master recording from which vinyl records and CDs are made.

@willm3027

8 жыл бұрын

+yangtze “yang” I have no idea what you just said but thanks haha in your opinion which sounds better for the beatles albums?

@yangtze2000

8 жыл бұрын

+Will M definitely mono for me :)

@TheJohnnyLivewire

8 жыл бұрын

+Will M No. If you are listening through headphones or speakers with mono it is the same signal coming out of the left and right speakers/earbuds (as adverse to stereo where different sounds are coming out of right and left). Remastering merely means that you are mastering something that has previously been mastered, again.

@willm3027

8 жыл бұрын

+Johnny Livewire thanks dude, since that comment listening to a few beatles albums, i get the difference now, thanks :)

I think it's important to point out also that back in the sixties most people listened to mono through one speaker, today nobody uses just one speaker, so mono through a modern stereo system will sound better.

Rubber Soul is the best sounding Beatles album imo, right next to Abbey Road in stereo. Stereo is farrr better I reckon.

What is with the bad 80's synth music and the wretched track at the end that bear NO relevance to the excellent over view???? Completely out of Place and out of sync with the well put together informative piece.

@yangtze2000

7 жыл бұрын

LOL! As I replied before, KZread take down anything with commercially available music on it, so I applied some tracks of my own. They still tried to take it down, until I explained I'd written, recorded, and produced the tracks myself :D Don't feel bad about hating on it. Enough people like it to make me feel good about it :)

Do any of the comparison videos actually let u hear the sound difference instead of just talking about it. It is very misleading and annoying.

@yangtze2000

7 жыл бұрын

I tried to include Beatles music but you run foul of KZread's copyright infringement policy.