The Beatles 1962-1966 (2023 Edition)

As a life-long Beatles fan, I always wished that their initial albums could sound fuller and given a better, true-stereo mix, but the original burned-in recording techniques couldn't allow for such improvement. All that has changed now, and with absolutely spectacular results - much, much better than I could even imagine. The greatest music in the world has been transformed into a sonic masterwork. The most obvious improvement is that the instruments and vocals have been unglued and properly separated, allowing for a spatial spread across the stereo landscape that has never been heard for most of these early songs. The original recordings were intentionally mixed in mono, then quickly done in an afterthought-type of stereo, with most of the instruments in one channel, and most of the vocals in the other. That, and Capitol Records' "fake stereo" versions of some songs, where a bass-heavy and dulled version of a mono mix was in one channel, while a prominently high-end and less low-end version was used in the other channel, was all that was available to re-mix or remaster from. Until now, we couldn't really separate anything from those original recordings. Now, every instrument is unbelievably clear, separate and tastefully mixed into a proper stereo field. John and George's guitars are no longer one clump, but often in opposite channels; vocals are sometimes spread across the stereo field; even Ringo's drums do an occasional pan while doing a drum roll! In most of these songs, the kick drum really does kick you in the chest and rattle the floor. Paul's bass is sometimes so deep it shakes the furniture and the windows. There are so many little details that have been improved, and so many examples that could be given for each song, that it is impossible to relate how good this music sounds now, but a few highlights can be offered. "She Loves You" had, in every version I have ever heard, a noticeable splice of two takes at the last verse of the song, easily heard in the hi-hat. After singing "I think it's only fair..." right before "Pride can hurt you, too", there was a very obvious edit, mostly heard in the hi-hat. Well, that has finally been corrected, for the first time in sixty years! "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sounds spectacular with guitars properly separated and fidelity at its best, and when the song ends, the guitars don't suddenly get cut off. They are allowed (or enhanced?) to normally quiet down after hitting the last chord. "This Boy" brought me to tears with its exquisite three-part harmony spread across the stereo field, as if they were standing in front of you singing, with the acoustic guitar clearly on the left, and the electric guitar clearly on the right. "Nowhere Man" had a similar remix, while "Please Please Me" featured, as I mentioned before, a panning drum roll in the middle of the song! Covers such as "You Really Got a Hold on Me" sound magnificent, and I love the fact that the songs have only a second or two between them, so it's like getting assaulted with the full extent of early Beatlemania on disc one - as soon as "You Can't Do That" ends, "A Hard Day's Night" slams in with that wonderful first chord. We've gotten spoiled with new mixes of the later Beatles albums, sometimes in multi-channel, or, as in last year's "Revolver", a stereo re-mix using artificial intelligence. But I never dreamed that these first Beatles albums could sound as magnificent as they do now, using the same technology. It is truly amazing, and a real treat for those of us still able to immerse ourselves in the greatest music ever made.

If you have been buying all the remixes, you already own almost all of the "Blue" set. Only six of the songs on "Blue" are new 2023 mixes using the Peter Jackson MAL process. Of those six, Revolution sounds about the same, Old Brown Shoe is not a very good mix, Fool on the Hill is good, Magical Mystery Tour is just, IMO one of the weakest Beatle tracks, Now and Then is good, if a little cluttered sounding (and available elsewhere, of course). That leaves I Am the Walrus, which sounds much better on the "Love" version. And why did they obscure the ending with a more pronounced "King Lear" BBC broadcast? IMO it was to cover up the background singers, because, for some reason, the Beatle camp has always denied those lyrics at the end. "Got one", indeed. Listen to the "Love" version, the rumors were true. 'Fess up, Paul! Save $30 bucks and skip "Blue". The "Red" album, on the other hand, is all new mixes, with the exception of all the Revolver songs (the last eight). It's pretty amazing to hear the guitars separated on From Me To You, to hear a stereo drum fill on Please Please Me, the deep bass in Michelle. That said, some of the mixes are better than others. She Loves You sounds a little lifeless, and it's funny how Love Me Do has such pronounced bass and drums, but Help and Can't Buy Me Love have hardly any. It's obvious that the producers were trying to emulate the original mixes, for better or worse, which means, often, drums panned hard to the side, same for bass., vocals often quite loud. Some of the songs really shine, You Can't Do That, for instance. Over all, it's a revelatory set. Considering that half of Rubber Soul, and the Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out single are here, I'm betting that they've already finished Rubber Soul, and your next hundred bucks will be for that box set. Asked about whether he was going to be doing RS next, Giles Martin said 'I'm not working on it now'. Hmm...

When listening to this CD the listener is reminded how many creative and good songs the Beatles wrote and recorded. This collection of their greatest hits from 1964 until 1966 demonstrates why the group’s popularity continues to rise decades after they disbanded. This album was originally released in 1973 without the approval or support of any of the band’s members. It and The Blue Album were some of the best selling albums of that year. This CD includes songs that were not included on the original Red Album. George Harrison’s “Taxman” did not receive a great deal of recognition when initially released on “Revolver.” However, when it was included on the 1978 “ Rock and Roll Music “ , it became immediately popular with a new generation of listeners. Paul McCartney’s “Got to Get You into My Life” was released as a single in 1977 and peaked in the top three on Billboard singles chart. “Here ,There and Everywhere “ is one of their best love songs and it should have been released as a single. Even if you have the original CD , this is an excellent addition because of the new additions.

Tiene un excelente sonido, además trae bonustracks

Bella musica, non posso fare paragoni audio con versioni precedenti ma devo dire che suona bene.

Llegó antes de tiempo, en buenas condiciones y muy buen precio. Intenté conseguirlo en la página de universal pero es un ASCO su servicio. Aquí Amazon y el vendedor muy bien!!!

I bought both the Red and Blue 2023 Remaster CD's and was greatly impressed with the sound restoration on the Red album (Blue album is remasters from the past few years). The Red album is mostly 2023 Remasters (all in stereo) and the quality can be heard. All the early Beatles hits have been cleaned up quite nicely with better dynamics, separation and clarity (without being harsh). You can hear the bass and drums much more clearly. Voices sound great too. The package contains 2 CDs (made in Germany by Optimal) in a 3-section fold out paper jacket plus a nice color booklet with background information. The songs are in chronological order. A nice package of the Beatles early greatest hits which everyone knows and can sing/play along with. Happy Listening!

CD ist okay