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If you’re a Beatles fan who already owns all of their albums on CD I can understand feeling like it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to buy the new remastered Beatles CDs. You maybe thinking “How much difference does it really make?” or “I’ve already spent hundreds of dollars on The Beatles CDs, do I really need to spend more?” Yes, I can understand this feeling, but I completely disagree with it! I bought the Beatles box sets as soon as they became available for pre-order and in this article I hope to explain why all other serious Beatles fans should also buy these CD box sets.

I think the importance of the Mono Box Set is actually quite obvious. This is the first time that these original mono mixes have been made available on CD. And it doesn’t take too much of a history lesson to understand why these mono mixes matter so much. These were the mixes that the band itself worked on so hard in the 1960s. These were the mixes that they thought of as the real final version of their albums. Why? Because throughout most of the 1960s (up until the final couple of years) mono was the “standard” by which almost everyone listened to their music so it made sense for The Beatles to work much harder on the mono mixes than on the stereo mixes. Believe it or not, stereo was thought by many to be a “fad” at the time.

So clearly these original mono mixes are an important part of the history of The Beatles and anyone who wants to hear their music as it was originally hears in the ’60s should be very curious to hear these new mixes. But there’s more to it than that. It’s not just about the historical importance of these mono mixes and a “curiosity factor.” Lots of Beatles fans have claimed that these mono versions of famous albums such as Sgt. Pepper are actually better than the stereo versions. John Lennon himself said that the mono Sgt. Pepper was much better than the stereo mix.

The Mono Box Set includes The Beatles first 10 UK studio albums (all of them up through the self title double album that’s known as The White Album) and a compilation of non album tracks in their original mono titled Mono Masters. This non album tracks compilation is actually a vital part of this box set because many of The Beatles greatest songs were never included on a studio album (including “Hey Jude” & “Day Tripper” among many others.) Beyond the music, this box set also includes some very cool packaging, most notably the vinyl replica artwork for each album in the collection.

A cool bonus feature of the Mono Box Set is that it also includes the original stereo mixes of Help! and Rubber Soul which had been lost to history because both albums were remixed for stereo in 1987 when The Beatles albums were first released on CD. This is the first time that the original stereo mixes of these two albums will be released on CD.

The importance of the remastered Stereo Box Set may not be quite as obvious but it should be noted that these new stereo versions of The Beatles classic albums will be the new “standard” these will be the only versions of the albums available for sale as individual CDs. In other words these are going to be the CDs that everyone else is hearing, don’t you want to know what they’re hearing? Plus these newly remastered versions should reveal interesting new details in The Beatles music that you may not have heard before due to an unprecedented clarity in the recordings.

Author Bio: Johnny Moon recommends that all Beatles fans: Buy The Stereo Box Set and The Mono Box Set. Read this Music Blog for cool Beatles related articles.

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Beatles Anthology was initially broadcast as a TV miniseries to run alongside the series of three Anthology double-CD albums. This set of eight documentaries has the heft and scope of one of Ken Burns’ expansive projects. Still, you may find yourself with more material–particularly about the Beatles’ early lives as lads in Liverpool–than you’ll want to watch. The documentary material is copious, including early performance films and tapes, at the point b (more…)

I haven’t read every book on The Beatles but being the big Beatles fan that I am, I have read many of them. I’ve read books that are primarily about their biography and books that are primarily about their music. I’ve read books on The Beatles that are really great and I’ve read some that are not so great. In this article I focus on the good ones that I do recommend reading.

Revolution In The Head – This is a book that I love a “love/hate” relationship with. I strongly disagree with many of the opinions shared in this book but I still find it to be a really good read. One that makes me want to listen to The Beatles songs again to hear things from this author’s perspective. It takes a close look at each of the songs The Beatles recorded during the 1960s (originals and covers.) Although it contains many opinions, it also contains a lot of facts that make it a good resource.

The Beatles As Musicians – This is actually a two book set that is sold separately. One edition covers all of the music The Beatles recorded from their beginnings up through 1965′s Rubber Soul and the other edition covers their music from 1966′s Revolver through the break up of the band in 1970. This books is really aimed at students of The Beatles music. It largely bypasses the biographical stuff (which is fine, because so many other books cover that stuff) and instead focuses in great detail on the musical construction of their songs. This book is probably over the head of many readers because of it’s focus on music theory. But for those really interested in the musicianship and songwriting of the band, there is no better resource.

Lennon Revealed – This is a “revealing” biography of John Lennon (hence the name!) I have read a few books on Lennon and I think this is the best of them. It does a good job of making you feel like you’re getting to know the real John Lennon rather than just the “icon.”

Many Years From Now – Tells The Beatles story from Paul McCartney’s perspective. Includes many direct quotes from Paul. This is an extremely informative book.

Here, There, & Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles – This book was written by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick and it tells The Beatles story from his very interesting perspective. I don’t think any other book had me feeling like I was really there for the recording of their albums as much as this one. It includes some interesting technical details on how the music was recorded. I very highly recommend this book!

The Beatles Anthology – The “official Beatles story.” I think this is an obvious “must have” for any Beatles fan. It’s the perfect companion to the Anthology documentary film (which is available on DVD of course.)

The Beatles Complete Scores – The music (including guitar & drum tabs) for every song the band officially released during their active career (ie: no Anthology songs are included.)

Author Bio: Joshua J. Jacks believes that all of these Books On The Beatles are available for the Global Kindle. The Kindle With Global Wireless makes the Kindle EBook reading device available to the rest of the world (outside of the US) for the first time.

No description for this product could be found, but have a look over at Amazon for reviews and other information.

No description for this product could be found, but have a look over at Amazon for reviews and other information.

Like many people born well after the 60s ended, I love the music of that era. It sounds much fresher to my ears than does most of the music recorded today. These seven bands are my most favorite.

(#1) The Beatles – Surprising pick, right? Sometimes conventional wisdom is on target. Yes, The Beatles really are the greatest band of all time (and thus, obviously, the best band of the 1960s.) Considering they recorded their final album, Abbey Road, in 1969 they are really a “purely 60s” band (unlike most on this list which went on to record more music into the 70s (and in some cases beyond.)

My favorite Beatles album is 1968′s self titled double album which is most well known as The White Album.

(#2) The Rolling Stones – Much of The Stones best music was recorded in the ’70s, not the ’60s but that being said they definitely recorded a huge amount of stone cold classics in the ’60s too.

(#3) The Who – Like The Stones, they recorded a lot of their best stuff in the ’70s. But then again they did recorded Tommy and a lot of their most famous singles (including “My Generation” of course) in the ’60s. The musicianship of this band always blows me away and I think they were the best live band of the decade. I definitely recommend getting the Live at Leeds CD, I think it’s the best live album ever.

(#4) The Jimi Hendrix Experience – They only released three albums (all of them in 1967 and 1968) but all three albums are absolute must have classics. I think my personal favorite is the final of the three: Electric Ladyland which is a real sprawling psychedelic double album that includes many different styles of music.

(#5) The Beach Boys – This selection isn’t entirely on the strength of Pet Sounds. They did release a lot of other great music that sometimes gets overshadowed by Pet Sounds. All of this being stated, this selection was made mostly because of the greatness of Pet Sounds (and the mystical Smile which was finally realized by Brian Wilson almost 40 years later.)

(#6) Pink Floyd – The ’60s Floyd of Syd Barrett was a different beast than the ’70s Floyd lead by David Gilmour & Roger Waters. 1967′s Piper at the Gates of Dawn is one of my all time favorite albums. I also highly recommend Syd Barrett’s two solo albums (they were both released in 1970) if you are into this sort of psychedelic pop music.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the 1970s Pink Floyd too especially Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Animals but I don’t think the ’60s Barrett lead Floyd should be as overlooked as they are!

(#7) Led Zeppelin – Most people think of Zep as a ’70s band but they did release their first two albums in the ’60s and I actually prefer those ’60s albums over their ’70s work (although of course that was great stuff too.)

Author Bio: Mike Jensy recommends Jamorama Guitar Lessons for anyone who wants to learn how to play guitar like these 60s legends. He also recommends the Beatles Remastered Box Sets for all Beatles fans, they sound fantastic. Beatles Mono Box Set is truly amazing.

CD DescriptionNow That’s What I Call Music 70 takes a look at the biggest tracks dominating the airwaves in 2008. With two discs and 43 tracks, this compilation album is loaded with huge hits from rock, pop and dance chart superstars. Basshunter’s thumping “All I Ever Wanted”, is joined by the upbeat indie of “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” by the Black Kids, American sensation the Jonas Brothers deliver “S.O.S.”, while Girls Aloud, Kylie Minogue and t (more…)

Synopsis
Switzerland’s legendary Montreux Jazz Festival has been host to countless once-in-a-lifetime performances since its 1967 inception, but none more thrilling than the 1997 collaboration between guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Steve Gadd, pianist Joe Sample, and saxophonist David Sanborn. Clapton brought his deeply felt blues-rock influence to the quartet’s sophisticated jazz stylings for an amazing reinvention of classics such as ‘Full House’, ‘Groovin’ (more…)

Amazon.co.uk Review
Rank ‘em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four’s varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. So many classics: “Drive My Car” and “Nowhere Man” merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; “The Word” can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden “Norwegian Wood” and the evocative “Girl” (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in Jo (more…)

Amazon.co.uk Review
The closest the Beatles came to a greatest hits package, this document of the early part of their career features hit singles (in chronological order) and selected album tracks, running from “Love Me Do” through the groundbreaking Rubber Soul and Revolver albums. While this may be an excellent intro for beginners, real fans will never be content with only selections, especially when you’re dealing with those aforementioned albums. Capitol packages the collection (more…)

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