The Beatles - the 1964 US albums in Mono

We wrote at length about the Beatles in early 2006 and then in 2009 in connection with a series of compact disc reissue sets.

We did attempt to make a list of the beatles lps I had built up over the decades and even explored in those pre 2010's the options we had available before getting on to stereo reissues in 2012 and the Mono Box on vinyl in 2014.

It's kind of obvious then this blog, reflecting my likes has tended to have a fair bit to say regarding them, not least in the era it was linked to a forum about music I belonged to.

Nothing in the Beatles world stays still for long, we had a number of "Super Deluxe" editions with remixes and last year the expanded 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 albums with remixed versions.

Missing by design when it comes to vinyl reissues was those original American albums on Capitol (and United Artists) that were formally discontinued around 1990/1 although for a time copies (and the cassette versions) could be found new.

Part of  that revolves around the fact they were not the albums the beatles themselves wanted out, preferring the world to just listen to the albums as issued in the UK they had some input into and part due to the incomplete nature of that catalogue.

It can't be argued however those albums were, at least the first few,  the albums that made them international superstars selling millions from their arrival in the United States in 1964 and to mark that 60th anniversary, actually they've issued a set of their 1964 albums in a box set on vinyl.

Americans Met the Beatles in January 1964 and on the back of the rush released I Want To Hold Your Hand on December 26, 1963, their first capitol album was prepared mixing singles tracks and mainly original compositions from the UK With The Beatles album of November.
 

The first thing to say about this series is, they are all in Mono from the tapes compiled by Capitol with mix variants and processing done back then but cut without the restrictions to avoid returns from kids with inexpensive poorly designed record players so they do sound fuller than the originals did.

Second Album came out in April of 1964 with a mixture new (in some instances new to Americans but old) hits, the unissued cover versions from that second UK album and two tracks from what was to be an Extended Play 45 in the UK of exclusive tracks.
 

The mono albums were discontinued in 1968 but this one unlike the stereo edition has much less echo added and is an easier listen than the stereo that at times sounds as if it was recorded in a cave! 

 

The first film was set up as a deal in late 1963 with United Artists at their London office and part of that was that for North America, it would have sole rights to the soundtrack album whereas in the UK the film songs from A Hard Day's Night were given a side on all beatles album.

That's why I bought this, it has the instrumentals featured and a longer I'll Cry Instead although that was dropped at the last minute from the film.

The year had been a major success for the Beatles, global success had been achieved at a price one might add to the bands well-being and having issued two albums in the UK that year, a version of Beatles For Sale was prepared by Capitol for release in Mid December to land in teenage Christmas stockings that took a a good number of songs from that album issued in the UK around the same time adding their latest hit record, I Feel Fine and it's B side.

The stereo version is notorious for its terrible fake stereo versions of those two songs and at least here it sounds better although like the single it has echo not found on the UK 45.

Highlights include the Dylan influenced I'm A Loser, I'll Follow The Sun and a great cover of Carl Perkin's Honey Don't.

They come with a four page insert with notes and are even polylined although they have mock period inner sleeves.