The Beatles: Capitol Albums Volume 2

Although these songs have all been issued before, the "US albums" format allows for a number of these chestnuts to be remastered for the first time in almost 20 years. The mono and stereo mixes are available for the first time together on CD, as well. Essential for any Beatles fan.

For stateside fans of the Fab Four whose Beatlemania memories are inextricably tied to the US version of the albums, this box set of discs -- featuring the American Beatles albums in both mono and stereo mixes -- will be as welcome as Volume One. (The band was unique in that they remixed their masters entirely when making mono records rather than simply mixing stereo down into mono, resulting in two different mixes for nearly every early Beatles song.) 31 of these classics are making their first appearance on a CD in stereo; 21 are bowing for the first time in digital mono.

Actually, this version has a few things to recommend it over the first volume. For one thing, Capitol has apparently listened to the fans, recognizing that the packaging of Vol. 1 wasn't lush enough, they've corrected that with more photos, a full essay, and a more user-friendly package. The mono/stereo differences are more pronounced in later albums, especially Rubber Soul. And speaking of that landmark album, many US fans have long contended that the stateside version actually has a more pleasing flow than its British counterpart; it's folkier and more consistent in tone, they say. You'll have to decide that for yourself, but now, in remixed form, you can. (NOTE: Due to a mastering error, some early copies of this box set contain a new mono mixdown instead of the original mono mixes. If your mono version of Rubber Soul contains a false start guitar intro, it's a bad copy. Capitol will be replacing these.)