Search - The Beatles :: The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 (Brick)

Mislabeled, but still very cool.

Contrarian | 03/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had all of The Beatles Capitol American releases on vinyl as a kid, and missed them terribly when I converted my music library to CD. I was thrilled to accompany all of my Parlophone discs with Capitol volumes 1 and 2. While audiophiles argue that these discs don't replicate the experience of the old vinyl accurately, they're close enough for me. Critics also noted Capitol's packaging mistakes. My copies are all mis-labeled - each of the 4 discs contains music from one ablum, but is labeled as being another. Again, I don't care, so long as I have all of them. I really missed the old reverb-drenched, re-mastered Capitol mixes and Capitol's occasional selection of the odd song take that was different from Parlophone's. The Parlophone releases are excellent, but weren't available in the States back in the day. The Capitol releases are the ones I grew up listening to and wore out on the turntable. I look forward to Volume 3.

"

Disc mislabeled - frustrating but not end of the world

G. Davis | 04/02/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"First of all I just bought this from Wal-Mart and not Amazon. I contacted Wal-Mart of the packaging error and am awaiting their reply. However, I do realize that it is not Wal-Mart or Amazon's fault for how the CD's were pressed or burned by Capitol/EMI. I only received the CD's today and gave them a quick listen so my rating is a little premature. I may change my rating after I give the discs some serious listening. I aslo believe I have the correct mixing of mono and stereo that other reviewers have complained they do not have. Personally I like the duophonic mixes of some songs like "Ticket to Ride" and "She's a Woman" from Vol I as that is how I first heard them as a teenager.



My problem here is that the CD's are labeled incorrectly. Only the 'Early Beatles' is correct. I threw in "Help!" first thing as I had not heard the song with James Bond into in years. Well, instead of "Help!" I heard "Kansas City" from 'Beatles VI' instead. I then checked the label and it read "Help!" I threw in 'Beatles VI' and "I've Just Seen a Face" from 'Rubber Soul' came out of the speakers. When I threw in 'Rubber Soul', "Help!" with the James Bond intro that I wanted to hear initially started to play.



On one level this is frustrating but on another no big deal as long as I have the music. I will see what Wal-Mart says. However, from the reviews I have read here on Amazon, this mislabeling issue appears to be among the most recent purchasers of this set. Older reviews do not mention it. Perhaps this messed up boxed set will be a collectors item in the future so exchanging it for a correct one - if there are any - may be unwise.



BTW - I have not written a review yet of the Beatles MONO box set but my advice is GET IT! It is AWESOME! I can even listen with enjoyment to "She's Leaving Home" from 'Sgt Pepper' which I always used to skip in the past. Many songs sound just slightly oh-so different but the differences are interesting and fun. On some songs, the guitars sound so raw and crisp and modern. You can even catch pieces of conversation in the back ground. Looking back I never cared for the CD issues that came out in the late 1980's. I was in college then and had my first CD player which went kaput. While getting it repaired, I started listening to the vinyl records and recall thinking how much better they sounded on vinyl despite the cracks, pops and skips of the needle. I now think that the newest boxed sets have greatly improved (or restored?) the Beatles sound bringing back the vitality of the vinyl records but perhaps with even an improved sound. I have not yet purchased the STEREO set but once again regarding the MONO - GET IT! It is AWESOME.

"

Another Great Showcase for The Beatles Mono Tracks!

UncleJesse | 04/21/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although the stereo mixes of many of The Beatles' tracks were done well, many more were not. I especially detest the tracks that completely divided the vocals from the instrumentation, putting the vocals out in right field and the instrumentation on the left. This sounds very unnatural and often muffles the drums and/or lead guitar, or drops the volume on some of the vocals.

The mono versions of their songs, as presented here, are exactly what I remember from my original and long lost LPs. That great Beatles sound comes together in one single sound blast and hits you square in the face.

The albums in this collection sound great and are worth the purchase, especially if you miss the old mono tracks, as I do.

Other reviewers, however, were correct....and packaging is very poor. The breakaway box containing the 4 CDs (and a rather redundant and worthless booklet) allows the CDs to fall out of the box if it is not carefully opened. The box itself is made of very cheap cardboard. A set containing all of these Capitol gems, and The Beatles themselves, deserve better.

I am disappointed that they didn't include REVOLVER, which was the last album to offer different tracks in the US vs British releases. THEY COULD HAVE INCLUDED ONE MORE CD and given us the complete set!!!!!!!

It is, however, still worth buying for a true Beatles fan."