The Beatles Mono Albums on CD

By Jackson Weinheimer

19 Beatles Mono Albums

With the release of The Beatles in Mono box set on September 9, 2009 there are now a total of 19 Beatles albums (10 original UK, and 8 cut-up American versions, and the Mono Masters compilation of non-album tracks mixed in mono) available in mono but none of them are available for individual purchase, only as a part of these box sets.

Three Albums Only In Stereo

The only three Beatles albums that are not available in mono now are Abbey Road, Let It Be, and Yellow Submarine. Why are they holding back on these three you may be asking? Well they're not. The reason they are not included is quite simple: They were never mixed in mono in the first place! By 1969 mono had been completely phased out in favor of stereo mixes.

American Albums In Mono

Capitol Albums Vol. 1 includes their first four Americanized albums in both stereo and mono. Meet the Beatles, The Beatles Second Album, Something New, and Beatles '65 are included.

Capitol Albums Vol. 2 picks up where the first set leaves off with their next (and last) four Americanized albums in stereo and mono. The Early Beatles, Beatles VI, the Help! (US soundtrack version) and Rubber Soul (US version) are included.

UK Albums In Mono

While the American versions may be of interest to collectors and to people who want to hear their early albums in historical context (how the American audiences first heard them back in '64 and '65) it should be made clear that the band never approved of those cut-up versions of their albums.

It was their original UK albums that they considered to be the "real" versions and they are considered the official albums today. The Beatles in Mono box set includes Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, and The White Album in mono. It also includes the double disc Mono Masters compilation set which includes all of their non-album tracks mixed in mono.

Magical Mystery Tour

This is a bit of a strange situation in The Beatles discography as this album was originally released as an EP in the UK and it's actually the "Americanized" LP version that has become the official version. The US LP version was so popular that it was being imported into the UK until they decided to release the US version in the UK in 1976.

When The Beatles albums were first put on CD in 1987, the US LP became an official part of The Beatles catalog although it was not originally released as such. This is a point of some debate among "purists" who always say that this album isn't really an album at all!

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The Beatles Mono Box Set is what all Beatles "purists" have been waiting for.

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