Search - Beatles :: Ep Collection

This has THE best mastering

Peter Lavezzoli | Ft. Lauderdale, FL USA | 12/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The EP box set was the most recent collection issued by EMI, in the early 90s, and has the most up-to-date remastering. The CD catalog of 1987 sounds nothing like this, and even the CD Singles box set, which thankfully has the mono singles, but is still not as clear sounding as this EP box. Please Please Me is the litmus test: listen to the Singles box set version, and the actual Please Please Me CD, and then put this on from the EP box set...WOW. It's like a new world. This is by far the cleanest, clearest, most dynamic mastering of ANY of this material. From Me To You, She Loves You, Hold Your Hand, Slow Down, Can't Buy Me Love, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, all of these songs are in their best sonic incarnation on this box set. The EP box was indeed a well-kept secret. Basically, if you want to hear any Beatles song that was issued on EP, you need this. The sound quality is far superior over anything else currently available, and all of the songs here are in their glorious mono mixes, apart from the stereo/mono Magical Mystery Tour EP. And regarding the stereo Mystery Tour, it is NOT redundant to have it issued again in this box set, because as I've said, it has benefited enormously from more recent remastering, so the stereo versions of songs like Walrus, Fool on the Hill, and so on, sound better here than on the stereo CD from 1987. Contrary to the previous review, we HAVE been done a favor by having both versions of Magical Mystery Tour included here. It keeps the EP box set authentic, as MMT was originally issued in both formats, and once again, the stereo version sounds better here than anywhere else. If you're looking for the best sound, this EP box is a must."

Reasons Why I Bought this Set

Thadius Zimmerman | CT, USA | 01/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just purchased this set and I am very pleased with it, so here are my comments:

I will first comment on the MONO versions, I think the other reviews cover this topic well, I wasn't around during the original releases, so the stereo versions were my first experience with these songs. I played the stereo versions back to back with their mono counterparts, and the mono does sound better, so if you really like the beatles (The answer to that should be YES) then you will definetely enjoy the mono versions of these songs.



This set is also appealing because it features all the original artwork for each EP, it makes for a great display, and provides a great nostalgic feel to the set.



How the Set is packaged: All the CD's come in the cardboard sleeve (with original art) and are in a compact box the size off all the discs stacked on each other. In other words, it's the exact same size as all the discs put on top of each other with no room left over. It opens from the top, kind of like a fold-out hinge. It is made of quality cardboard, I say quality because its a very sturdy box. The title "The Beatles Compact Disc EP Collection" is written in gold neatly across the front. I go into so much detail because the pictures do not do it justice. The original artwork was a major factor in my decision to buy this set, and I was not disappointed.



If any of you potential buyers are wondering whether or not this is a truly complete set, I can assure you it is. I checked around online to find a complete list and they all seem to agree that this is complete. The Beatles released 14 EP's (Remember that Magical Mystery Tour is 2 Discs making the total 15 discs to this set)



This is an official release from Parlophone, it was the counterpart to the CD Singles Collection, and comes in the same packaging (except one is labeled EP, the other Singles) I have purchased the Singles Collection as well and I am definetely pleased with both the sets. For those of you wondering what I am talking about with the Singles set, Amazon does sell and you shouldn't have any problem finding it.



So You want a complete beatles CD collection? Here's a list for all you Beatle Nuts (Like myself!): (This is not included in the EP Boxset!!!)

1. Please Please Me

2. With the Beatles

3. A Hard Day's Night

4. Beatles for Sale

5. Help!

6. Rubber Soul

7. Revolver

8. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

9. The Beatles (White Album)

10. Yellow Submarine

11. Abbey Road

12. Let it Be

13. Magical Mystery Tour

14. Past Masters Vol. 1

15. Past Masters Vol. 2

16. Live at the BBC

17. Baby it's You [Single for Live at the BBC]

18. Anthology 1

19. Free as a Bird [Single for Anthology 1]

20. Anthology 2

21. Real Love [Single for Anthology 2]

22. Anthology 3

23. Yellow Submarine (Songtrack)

24. The Beatles 1

25. Let it be...Naked

26. LOVE

27. Capitol Albums Vol. 1

28. Capitol Albums Vol. 2

29. EP Boxset

30. Singles Collection



You can also include the sets 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, but I am not to fond of them personally.

I also did not include their early career with Tony Sheriden, thats a whole other story, and I did not include bootlegs, my thinking is, if the Beatles want me to hear it, they will release it legitimately; so until then, I ignore them.



If you search through Amazon and elsewhere, you will come up with a whole bunch of stuff, but these are all the official releases, and include all their songs so you can't do better than that. (I am still referring to the above list of CD's, not the Boxset)



There you have it, my ratonale for buying this set. It helped complete my collection and is an excellent set.



"

The Best-Sounding Beatles CD's

John | Toronto, ON Canada | 05/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a beautifully-packaged set with all of the original UK EP covers and liner notes. EP's or extended-plays were quite popular in Britain and in Europe, and some even made the singles charts, even though they had more than 2 songs on them and were more expensive than singles. Although this set duplicates songs from the Beatles' albums and compilations on CD, it's well worth getting for the superior mastering. Most of the songs sound significantly better than their other releases on CD and the others sound at least as good. Also this set has many mono mixes which are different and in most cases better than the stereo mixes. The biggest improvements in my opinion are Twist and Shout, Nowhere Man, I Am The Walrus, Flying (the mono mixes)... actually I could go on and on! The sound is very smooth and natural. You can really hear the bass notes distinctly and follow the bassline on the songs. As well, She's A Woman has a count-in edited out of most other releases.
Expensive, but revelatory, sound-wise."