Can you remember the first time you heard a CD? In my case, it was sometime in 1987. One of the guys from the radio station bought a player and invited a couple of us over to hear it. He chose a disc by the Tonight Show Band, stood us in front of the speakers, and cranked it up. I am by no means an audiophile, but even I could hear the astounding clarity of the sound, and was impressed by the way it rose up from dead silence between tracks. (No more crackle or rumble.) It must have been early in 1987, because if it had been after June, my friend, a certified Beatles fanatic, would certainly have chosen Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to demonstrate the player. Sgt. Pepper was released on CD on the 20th anniversary of its original release on vinyl, and when I finally got my own CD player in 1988, it was one of the first CDs I bought. (I bought the two Tonight Show Band CDs too, although I haven’t listened to either of them in years.)
In the intervening years, dozens of other bands famous and not famous have re- and re-re-released their catalogs in special editions, remastered editions, give-us-your-damn-money editions, etc. The Beatles have not—the CDs in the music-store racks are the same versions that have been there for 20 years. Until today. Starting today, the first-ever remasters of the Beatles catalog are available in stores. All of the individual albums are being rereleased; in addition, two separate box sets feature the stereo albums and the mono versions of each album. The extras included with each box are different. Allmusic.com says of the mono set:
[T]his also is arguably the better-sounding of the two sets, providing ample evidence that the Beatles did spend more time on mono mixes during much of their career. For generations of listeners raised on stereo mixes, there are plenty of surprises here, from the faster versions of “She’s Leaving Home” and “Don’t Pass Me By” to the numerous little differences that pop up on Pepper, The White Album, and Revolver, all adding up to dramatically different experiences. Sometimes, the density of mono just has more force —”Lady Madonna” rolls like a freight train, “I’m Down” hits to the gut—and sometimes the colors just seem more vibrant; in either case, there’s enough emotional difference to make this worthwhile for the dedicated, and depending on taste, it may even be preferable.
I’m guessing that the idea of mono being superior to stereo in some ways is going to be a bit of an education for some listeners. Not to anybody here, necessarily, where we believe that newer isn’t always better, but to some listeners.
If you’d like to compare a couple of the remastered tracks with the original masters, head for Viva la Mainstream.
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It’s not so much the mono to stereo phenomenon but with Chicago II– I found online and downloaded the quadrophonic version (ripped from vinyl to mp3). That version blows away any and every CD version I’ve ever heard of that album.
For some reason the CD releases sound “muddy” in the production. The rip from quad vinyl to mp3 sounds incredibly crisp and full by comparison. There are also some noticeable differences (different guitar and drum fills, and etc.) on some key songs (including the hit, 25 or 6 to 4).
I’d like to try to find either a remastered version or a rip from vinyl of Toto’s Turn Back album as I truly love the material on that album but rarely listen to it because it has a similarly “muddy” sound due to poor production and/or mixing.
I wonder if that will be the next phenomenon. Re-releases Quadrophonic versions of albums on CD instead of the regular vinyl versions.