The Beatles 1962-1966 (2023 Edition)

How did they make stereo mixes of the very early singles? Truly amazing. The sound and the addition tracks. And to get a taste of remixed tracks of Rubber Soul! Can’t wait for the deluxe Rubber Soul (finally coming after 3 years). So many surprises, a great listen. With the 2023 edition, I love the Red better than the Blue. Didn’t used to be that way.

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...

I listen to predominantly vinyl, so to hear The Beatles on CD was a little antiseptic. Great quality and great sound - but NOT vinyl. Never will be ! Go for The Beatles on Analog - your Dog will like it too !!!

Really awesome collection of Beatles songs and sounds great. If you're a fan you won't regret spending the money on the best band ever.

Nicely compiled! Lots of wonderful memories!

This is perfect for people who love the Beatles

The Red and Blue albums were in my family since they first came out, so I was really excited about these, because they feature a bevy of all new remixes, and after listening to them I have remixed (ha ha) feelings. Here is where the opinions come in. For the most part the early material that has been demix-remixed (demixing is made possible by new technology pioneered by Peter Jackson which makes it possible to break down each individual component of the song for remixing) in full stereo sounds great. One of the exceptions is one of the bigger disappointments for me because I have been dreaming for decades of a true stereo version of She Loves You, and while this sounds perfectly fine I do not prefer it over the original mono mix. I can't even say that I prefer it over the stereo outfake done by Dr Ebbets sound systems about 20 years ago. It is now in true stereo, but it is not as crystal clear as some of the other early material, it sounds somehow muted and fuzzy. By comparison I Saw Her Standing There sounds like it was recorded yesterday, and my all-time favorite song I Want to Hold Your Hand sounds celestial - there are many mixes of this song that have been done over the years and this one is to my ear the absolute best. I was ready to dislike A Hard Day's Night based on YouTube reviewers saying that the bongos were ridiculously loud, but to be honest I don't hear the bongos any more than I ever did in any mix - they've always been there. Yesterday is absolutely beautiful - the string quartet surrounds Paul's vocal in a very natural way that was never possible to mix that way before the demixing technology (the old recordings of the earliest material especially had elements layered onto single tracks that were impossible to separate until now). The tracks that have been remixed here from Rubber Soul sound absolutely amazing. The first song in this collection to really strike me as sounding unbelievably fresh and crystal clear was Norwegian Wood. I've heard that song a million times over the course of my life and I felt like I was listening to it the first time - every single detail was astonishingly immediate and vibrant. The Revolver tracks sound equally amazing but I'm quite familiar with them having bought the deluxe version of that last year from which these mixes were pulled. Overall - Well worth buying again for the new mixes!

La riedizione del "The Beatles: 1962-1966 (Edizione 2023)" è un gioiello imperdibile per ogni appassionato dei Fab Four. Questa versione, presentata in un elegante Digipak a 2 CD, cattura perfettamente l'essenza e l'evoluzione dei Beatles durante i loro anni formativi. Dai loro successi iniziali alle canzoni che hanno definito un'epoca, ogni traccia suona fresca e vibrante come mai prima. La qualità del suono è impeccabile, riportando in vita l'energia contagiosa e la genialità musicale di John, Paul, George e Ringo. Una vera delizia per gli occhi e per le orecchie, questa edizione è un must-have per qualsiasi collezione musicale.

Excellent expanded edition of the old double album. Great sound brings detail to the musicianship, vocals and production.

This Beatles "Red" 1962-1966 best of album begins with a first disc of tracks that are Merseybeat in style. They are a poppy type of rock, but the melodies/rhythms are timeless, anthemic and thrilling. John Lennon tended to write the louder and faster numbers while Paul McCartney had a propensity to write the quieter, sweeter ballad-type numbers but both were such great songwriters that they could do both styles. The A Hard Day's Night album saw them reach their Merseybeat peak and then 1965's Help! and particularly the Rubber Soul record saw them start to move away from Merseybeat and sow the seeds for their creativity on their later works. Revolver - the last album to be covered on the "Red" collection - has to be their finest ever record as it is ultra-consistent and every song is great. Although there were pleasingly traces of their older music at times, it was a very revolutionary record for the Fab Four - using the "fifth Beatle" (producer George Martin) and the studio as an instrument it sounded very different to their earlier albums and showed the way for their unbelievably even more artistic and successful later records. The maturity of the four young men was shown in writing songs as iconic and reflective as Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, Nowhere Man and In My Life. In terms of the Giles Martin re-mixing, it honestly is extremely worthwhile and not a cynical waste of money. Deploying AI technology - first used by Peter Jackson in the Get Back film two years ago - to separate the instruments more has not made it sound artificial but instead made these earlier Beatles numbers sound more powerful and with greater sonic detail while there is a greater tenderness/crispness to the acoustic numbers. They are basically even more fit for modern age but at the same time true to the legacy of the original recordings - Giles Martin has done the band and his father proud. In regard to the song selection, it is delightful for there to be additional songs included compared to the original "Red" album. It was always a swiz years ago for particularly the "Red" album to be on two separate CDs when it could have all fitted onto one. Now it is two fairly fuller CDs, and the extra tracks are well chosen and add to the variety of brilliant songs from this period - their top album Revolver is much better represented now while it is pleasing for two classic George Harrison-penned songs to be included and even the covers add to the story. Also, although Yellow Submarine is a silly but fun song the track list is much better now with Tomorrow Never Knows as the final number as that is amongst their absolute best, most influential songs and it led to Sgt. Pepper's. This expanded "Red" collection is much more comprehensive than the single CD "1" album at showing the journey of The Beatles from the scintillating pop of their early period to the more boundary pushing mid-period. Although the "Blue" album tends to outsell this "Red" one they are equally magnificent and there is a real youthful exuberance in their earliest work matched by a further development in their song writing towards their mid-period - while the re-mixing is excellent and vital - that ensures that this is further evidence that the Beatles are the greatest band and artist in the entire history of music.

Un clásico. Imprescindible

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!