Customer Reviews

The Capitol Albums Vol.1

5 star:		(131)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

For those of you who have been waiting breathlessly for Capitol Records' infamous "Duophonic" (fake stereo) versions of the Beatles' catalog to appear on CD, well has Capitol got a treat for you!

"The Capitol Albums Vol. 1" contains the first four of Capitol Records' Beatles' albums (well, their first four music releases, as the 2-LP documentary "The Beatles' Story" came out on Capitol before "Beatles '65"...)

Yep, these are the reverb-laden Capitol mixes we all grew up with! For good or bad, this is what most of us remember. They're not the Beatles' albums as the Beatles envisioned them, but so what? They are a lot of fun to listen to!

So, what's good? Well, you get both the stereo and mono mixes of each album. When the Beatles' catalog was released on CD in 1987, only mono mixes of the first four albums were made available. This release is therefore the only place where you can get stereo mixes (albeit *reverb-laden* stereo mixes...). What's more, the sound quality is much better than the sound quality of the many "Capitol albums" bootlegs that have been on the market for years. It's great to have discs mastered from the original tapes! (Although, there is a glitch / dropout 18 seconds into the stereo version of "Don't Bother Me"...)

So, what's bad? That's easy! The packaging *really* stinks!

So, how is the packaging lousy? Well, the discs are inside small "reproductions" of the original jackets that aren't 100% faithful to the originals (compare them to your old LP's to see for yourself). The CDs themselves are also put into the jackets without any sort of protective inner sleeves. (There is a reason why records used to have protective inner sleeves! Unprotected records / CDs are easily scratched!) The CDs fall out very easily, so great care must be used when opening the set. The CD jackets are also quite shoddy looking with fuzzy printing and mismatched folds. Capitol should have spent more care in creating true "Mini LP" sleeves for this release. If bootleggers can create 100% accurate sleeve reproductions, then why can't Capitol/Apple?

Most of you will want to stop reading here. But, for you hardcore Beatle collectors out there, there's more!

These really *are* the original Capitol masters! The stereo version of "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" *has* the strange noise in the vocal channel before the singing starts! The mono version of "When I Get Home" *has* the alternate vocal line! The mono version of "Any Time At All" *has* the mixed down piano during the instrumental break! For those of us who need to have all the known mixes, you *will* find the original Capitol mixes here!

And, even though Capitol's "Duophonic" (fake stereo) mixes are infamous, the fact is Capitol only really used them when true stereo mixes weren't available. These are the only songs in Duophonic:

Meet The Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand, This Boy
The Beatles' Second Album - You Can't Do That, I'll Get You, She Loves You
Something New - (all are true stereo)
Beatles `65 - She's A Woman, I Feel Fine

One final note: The Japanese version of this title (on the Toshiba / EMI label) has slightly larger packaging, complete with nicely printed inner jackets and inner sleeves to put the CDs in. But, the Japanese release also contains "Copy Controlled" CDs, so that set isn't perfect either...)

Capitol did a tremendous job with the music here. They did exactly what they were supposed to do: take the original American Capitol stereo and mono mixes, transfer them cleanly and leave them alone. All of the original anomalies are here: Lennon's harmonica overdub on Thank You Girl, which was only in America, guitar overdub in Money, the extra verse in the US mono I'll Cry Instead (but not the stereo), the single-track McCartney vocal in the US mono And I Love Her, the extra reverb on both stereo and mono US versions of She's a Woman/I Feel Fine, the double-track intro vocal on the US stereo If I Fell, and so on. These are all here, exactly as they were on the US albums. And for that, Capitol deserves applause, because frankly I've been disappointed with the Yellow Submarine remaster, and Let It Be Naked. I don't like tampering. This box set is the genuine (American) article.

And it's worth preserving for what it was and is. The Beatles and George Martin both knew exactly why Capitol was releasing different versions of these records in America, and George Martin gave Capitol his stereo mixes for that purpose, after which Capitol added some reverb on certain songs, but the fact of the matter is that both Martin and the Beatles had no problem whatsoever with this practice. And by the way, the butcher cover of Y&T was NOT a protest against these American releases. That photo was a protest against the carnage of the Vietnam War. The band said it, and the photographer also says it. So stop the myth that it was an anti-Capitol photo. It was an ANTI-WAR photo.

I actually like the fake stereo and reverb from these US albums...it was a product of the times and of the era, and in fact the first four mono UK albums as they sound on the current EMI CDs are very flat, dull, and dry. This new Meet the Beatles beats the pants off With the Beatles. It's big and bold. The Beatles 65 material has never sounded better, listen to Baby's in Black. No comparison to the Beatles For Sale CD. For those who really wish to hear a cleaner version of With the Beatles, you can have some fun by taking these new mono mixes in this box set, and reconstructing With the Beatles from the tracks here on MTB and the 2nd Album. You'll make yourself a new version of WTB that sounds way better than the flimsy EMI disc.

With all of this said, I dock one star for the packaging. The album covers look discolored, not their original colors, worst offense. The sleeves force you to pull the disc out by your fingers and possibly smudge the disc, second offense. The cardboard packaging is ridiculously cheap, third offense, and the booklet is irrelevant and useless, fourth offense.

My suggestion? Get the "Beatles On Capitol Records" book, scan the covers from there because they look much better, print out your own front and back covers, and put these discs in jewel cases to keep them safe. That's what I've just spent an hour doing, and the packaging is now in the trash. Terrible job on the packaging, but I have to say, kudos to Capitol, they did a great job musically by cleaning up the American tapes, and then leaving them the hell alone.

I am about as big a fan of the Beatles' music as there is, yet this will constitute the 3rd negative review I have made of a recent Beatles release (see also my excoriating blasts at the HDN DVD and Let It Be Naked fiascos). The big music execs just can't get it right when it comes to the Fab Four. They are getting right for the Stones and the Who, though it took 2 or 3 times around the catalog for the Bowie, Hendrix, Kinks, and Elvis Costello people to get it right. The Beatles need and deserve remastering of the basic albums (AND MOVIES), great packaging, and lots of extras for the digital age. Is that so difficult to grasp? Apparently so, as we continue to get hack jobs done to material that is really culturally and artistically sacred.

Here, the music part is not so bad, really. I have been listening a lot to the stereo versions on a boom box in the bathroom, or in the car, and they sound great to me. I have not scrutinized them sonically, as I am just transported by having the music in the order that I originally heard it, and which my brain is wired for. In the car, I found that Beatles '65 was skipping a lot, which to me indicates an inferior CD pressing. Plus, the packaging is SO bad (see below)that I did not want to risk an accident trying to handle it in the car. So, I am a happy idiot when it comes to the music part: these are the versions I used to play on my little red Mattel "Show n' Tell" record player, and the ones I heard on the Beatles cartoon show. (Now THERE'S an item that should be put on DVD!) I easily accepted the British issues when they came out on CD, as I already had many of the imports on vinyl, and was used to the "official" versions. But, I must admit, I like these Capitol versions a tad better due to the deep neurological factor. If you are about 45 or older you will know what I am talking about.

After reading about 50 or so customer reviews, I think the consensus about the packaging is clear: it is hazardous to the health of your pricey Capitol CD's. The discs slide into cute little paper sleeves and there is nothing to protect the CD, and it very easily slips out unless you are ready to catch it. In fact, the entire guts of this package falls out if you let your guard down for one sec. But when you put the sleeves back in--well, they catch on some inner folds and then it takes quite a lot of effort to put the whole thing back together. And the printing is painfully small, esp. considering the 45+ nostalgia crowd this dingus is aimed at: HELLO!!--we are all suffering from failing vision in this age group. Really, about the crappiest box set design I've ever seen. In the pre-release stage, how could this fundament get past record execs, consumer focus groups, Beatle lawyers/reps/family members etc., not to mention Paul and Ringo? I mean, how many interested parties were asleep at the wheel here even BEFORE the set came out?

It is all part of the ongoing, disturbing way that the Beatles are being "handled" by the industry--and by themselves. It really shows a lack of respect for consumers and for the Beatles' music & legacy. Paul & Ringo (and George Martin for that matter)--where are you guys? This was your gift to the world--why let it be treated so shoddy now, when great (though lesser) artists get the royal red carpet treatment? Wake up, lads, and let's get it right!!!

(And, while you're at it--make sure that the Hollywood Bowl and Rarities albums get put out, and how about the Shea Stadium concert on DVD, or a whole series of live DVD's--and the cartoon show. The bootleggers make 'em and sell 'em, and even though they are of dubious quality, lots of people buy them. And, of course, HELP! and Let It Be need a respectable release on DVD. Or, just continue to let flunkeys put out inferior pablum. I would quit my day job to help out, so just let me know when and where to show up!)

Addendum July 2010: By now, the average Beatle fan will know that there was a rather outstanding set of Beatle remasters that came out in 2009, in separate stereo and mono sets, each following the British catalogue. The consensus seems to be that this release killed any hope of a Capitol Releases Vol. 3, which is too bad, as it would have been nice to have Revolver, Beatles' Story, Sgt. Pepper, and Magical Mystery Tour with that great Capitol sound and those rainbow inner labels.

Though I hammered away on the packaging in this review, I hope it is clear that the music sounds really, really good, especially the stereo versions, and this is true for both sets of Capitol releases. The Capitol versions get a lot negative press because they hacked up the song order, and because they added compression and reverb. Well, what ever they did to the sound, it is very present and alive, and I am not complaining!!

The Beatles' stereo releases prior to Revolver or Pepper generally get a lot of flack for being so drastically panned as far as having the voices on one side and the music on the other--and there is some validity to this criticism, which is true for both British and American versions, by the way. If you are looking for the best mono versions, I would suggest going with the Sept. 2009 mono box set rather than relying on the Capitol mono versions. The deal on the latter is that, rather than being true mono mixes, they are "folded down" which means that the stereo version was recast in a faux mono format, more or less. The mono mixes from the 9/09 are the authentic Abbey Road mono mixes that George Martin, Geoff Emerick, and the Fabs themselves sweated bullets over. They sound superb! The downside is that at present you can ONLY get these as a box set, and the sticker price new is still rather high. Perhaps eventually they will be sold singly, or, as with the Capitol versions, have the mono and stereo versions on one disc. As Beatle albums tend to come in around 30 minutes, it would not be a problem to do this. Time will tell.

I think the main attraction of this set is really for the American listener who wants to recreate the sound and song-order of the Beatles' vinyl albums. You will not be disappointed! The purists will tell you that Capitol monkeyed with the sound, but that is not the point: you get a different kind of purity with these sets--the purity of hearing it just like you heard it the first time around!!!

Superb! Excellent!

Over the years, I've bought well over five hundred items from Amazon; but this is the first time I've felt compelled to write a review.

If you're a Beatles aficionado (especially of the early Beatles ((and especially if you were there to witness the `60s)) )- these CD's are an absolute MUST for your collection!

When I first heard them- I went through a real mind-shift regarding something that had haunted me for years. It was something that pertained to the quality of digital sound:

Back in the late `80's- when I first began my CD collection- I was quite let down by the sound quality of compact discs- the sounds seemed sterile, frozen- almost lifeless. After a while, I came to the conclusion that it was simply due to the newness of digital technology and perhaps a lack of digital expertise by the engineers involved. When I got these albums a few weeks ago- all of my previous opinions changed. Suddenly, I realized that the very first CD's I'd bought for my collection were the newly released British Beatles CD's (which- up until now- had been the only official Beatles CD's on the market)- and I very quickly realized why these first CD's had sounded so frozen and lifeless to me: the simple fact is- the British versions are very different soundwise from the American (or Capitol) versions I'd been used to up until that time. While the British versions are dry and understated; the Capitol versions are tastefully iced over with reverb and a variety of effects that greatly enhance their songs. These Capitol versions were the Beatles that I'd been hardwired with from an early age (and much, much prefer!). It was almost like an epiphany after all these years as I realized that it wasn't the digitizing of the records that had made my first CD's sound sterile- but instead- the dry understated sound of the original British albums themselves.

I'd be very interested to find out what was done to enhance and Americanize the original tapes- and who did it. There's definitely reverb slathered on as well as a fine-tuning of the frequencies (someone really knew how to carve out their frequency niches) and maybe some tweaking of the RPM's. To me, one of the truer tests of a good mix is if you can actually hear the bass guitar as a separate enhancing instrument- and here- every instrument is very much definable (when listening to these CD's in my car- I almost feel like I'm in the middle of the fellows onstage). Anyway, whatever was done- it was done quite well. The American versions not only leave the essence of the Beatles intact, but also add a vibrantly haunting quality that nearly makes these records a living entity.

If you buy these CD's- here's something interesting to do to compare the Brit vs. Yank versions (it's sort of fun). Burn a CD with the following sequence of songs:


First record "Things We Said Today" from the British version of "A Hard Day's Night"-

Followed by "Things We Said Today" from the Capitol "Something New"-

Followed by "I'll Be Back" from the British version of "A Hard Day's Night"-

Followed by the stereo version of "I'll Be Back" from the Capitol "Beatles `65"-

Followed by "If I Fell" from the British version of "A Hard Day's Night"-

Finally following all of this with "If I Fell" from the Capitol "Something New."


I think you'll find that the A/B contrast between the Brit versions and the American versions is mind boggling and inspiring to say the least.

Anyway- after all these years- I'm really glad to hear these sounds again!

When EMI released the Beatles' albums on CD in 1987, American collectors who in their youth wore out copies of albums with titles like "Meet the Beatles," "Something New," "Beatles '65" and "Yesterday and Today" were unable to find those discs.

The 1987 CDs were not the albums American collectors knew, and given the size of the American market that is not an insignificant point. For millions of listeners in the United States, when the first CD's were released, American fans discovered albums that bore only a vague resemblance to those they knew.

Many listeners have been dissatisfied ever since and have filled fan magazines and Beatles-related Web sites with pleas for the release of the albums they knew and loved. With the release today of "The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1", a set that brings together "Meet the Beatles," "The Beatles' Second Album," "Something New" and "Beatles '65," all from 1964, these collectors can begin to rest easy.

As it turns out, even collectors who were never particularly nostalgic about the American albums and who believe that EMI and Apple should be pursuing other priorities have reason to admire this set. The label has gone the extra mile in dealing with fan obsessiveness. It has used the Capitol masters from the 1960's, rather than remixing the tracks or recompiling them from the existing CD's. That was necessary because Capitol's postproduction methods yielded a sound quite unlike that of the British recordings.

Moreover, the set includes both the mono and stereo mixes of each album, a move that not only restores more than 30 stereo tracks to the catalog (never been released on CD in stereo before), but also preserves mixing and editing anomalies that are unavailable elsewhere. An example: the mono version of "I'll Cry Instead" has an extra verse spliced in, something not found in the American stereo or British mono and stereo versions.

I'm finding this set a great pleasure. I grew up with these albums, and I played them to death. Now, at last, they're on CD. Thank you, Capitol for tihs fabulous box set of the year!

Having grown up with American releases of Beatles music, listening to the sterile sound of the Beatles' UK CD masters was always a disappointment. Since the advent of CDs, I've especially longed to hear Beatles 65 in all its glory. Yearning to finally hear the Beatles' music on CD as I actually remembered it, I purchased this set hoping for the best. I popped Beatles 65 in the CD player and forwarded to She's A Woman, as I knew that song would be the true test of the new remastering. It was magnificent, to say the least. The remastering which includes echo and reverb common to the Beatles' American releases is fabulous. These CDs have the warmth of the vinyl recordings I so fondly remember. I actually experienced tears of joy listening to these CDs. They're that good. Hearing Beatles' music as I remembered it was the biggest rush - a flood of wonderful memories surfaced. I can't believe Capitol waited so long. Now I'm looking forward to the next installment of 4 CDs or so. Packaging flaws aside, this set is awesome. Hopefully, the packaging will be improved on Capitol's next installment.

We all know the music. Superb. Historic. Capitol has again done a very poor job in "packaging" (i.e. session notes, historical information, chart information ... and more) the greatest selling band in history. Where is the Marketing team at Capitol? Expectations were high after "1" and "Anthology". I agree, the folks at Capitol need to take a hint from Rhino (or simply hiring their Marketing team).

Unbelievable--I rushed into the local Wal-Mart to pick this up before work this morning--hardly able to contain my excitement. When the clerk found it for me and handed me one--I immediately noticed how small and flimsy the box seemed. And when I opened it, and tried to get the insides out, again, it's difficult and cheapo... The album covers are fantastic--exact copies of the originals--which brings back SO many memories--but trying to stick a CD back into the so-called Box--what a nightmare. I've paid less money for way better construction of a boxed set.
Musically--the CDs are fantastic--just what I'd hoped for. But the cheapness of the box construction is VERY disappointing. Shame on Capitol and whomever else was responsible for that. It's not like The Beatles don't already get enough of my money. The price was fair--but not for the way the box was constructed. Just awful.

Consider the following cornerstones of Beatlemania from 1964:

*Four Beatles albums spent a combined 30 weeks at the top of Billboard's LP charts. [SOMETHING ELSE did not top the chart, but the sound track to A HARD DAY'S NIGHT did.]
*Beatles singles spent 19 weeks atop Billboard's singles charts.
*Nineteen Beatles songs cracked the top 40; eleven made the top 10.
*In April the Beatles held down the top five spots on the singles charts.

The four albums that comprise this box set were a big part of my life. MEET THE BEATLES was the first album I ever purchased. While these American version were not the way the Beatles intended them to be released, it is what we grew up with, and I for one applaud Capitol for making them available. Unfortunately, the box set is a mixed bag.

CHEERS: You get all four Capitol releases from 1964 in CD slip covers replicating the original album covers (with only very minor changes, like eliminating the promos for THE BEATLES SONG BOOK by the Hollyridge Strings). They even include the original rainbow border Capitol LP label on each CD. You get both the mono and stereo versions of each album on the same disc. [Many of my early album purchases were mono because they were a dollar cheaper and I didn't own a stereo!] The 48-page booklet has excellent photos of the period and a terrific essay by Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn.]

JEERS: Most of the negatives deal with packaging. As others have stated, the CDs easily fall out of the jackets if you're not careful. The long box that the set comes in is essentially disposable. It's constructed of cheap cardboard and the graphics are second rate. Once you take out the cardboard jewel case (which was hinged in the middle to fit into the long box), it doesn't stay closed. The construction is flimsy at best. The individual CD sleeves easily fall out. I would have also liked to have seen the booklet contain a lot more information specifically relating to each LP (recording dates, chart positions, singles, etc.). Considering how much money the Beatles have made for Capitol over the past 40 years, they realy shortchanged the fans on the packaging.

Bottom line: If you didn't grow up with these recording, stick with the British configurations of their albums. If the Beatles helped shape your life like they did mine, this is a must-have purchase. I just hope Capitol improves the packaging for volumes two and three. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Let me start off by saying that I grew up listening to the early Beatles music in the late 70's and early 80's via British import box sets. That's how I knew the music. However, as a collector in the late 80's and early 90's I collected Japanese pressings of original stereo Capitol albums, and also combed used record bins, flea markets and garage sales for original Capitol mono and stereo albums from the early years. I found those Capitol mixes a curiosity. They would however, be the way that most North Americans would hear them effective January 1964.

The new CDs faithfully reproduce those original Capitol albums from 1964, and it's a blessing to have both mono and stereo/fake stereo versions as created by Capitol on CD at long last.

While it may be a marketing decision to 'celebrate the Beatles' 40th anniversary of their American invasion', a more realistic reason comes in the form of continually battling the hardcore bootlegger. Pressed CDs (not CD-Rs) of the Capitol albums and stereo British albums flourish on the internet (although inferior in sound quality), and this is Capitol's way of cutting those bootleggers off at the knees.

As for missing content of the year, specifically "A Hard Day's Night", that album was initially a United Artists release, and would eventually be issued on Capitol in 1980 after the label was eventually absorbed by EMI. Capitol records gained control over the 1963 material issued by Vee-Jay (with most of the same content deceptively issued on no less than 4 Vee Jay albums, 2 of which were additionally issued in 2 versions) and issued that material in March 1965.

'Love Me Do' was never a single in the US, but it was released in Canada a year before their first Ed Sullivan appearance, on Feb. 4th 1963.

This is an excellent bit of nostalgia for those who grew up on these versions for 23 years until the British-based CDs put the entire world catalogue up to 1967 out to pasture. Good or bad, that's how they are remembered.


And now, the caveat:

Of course, as has been mentioned many times, the packaging is poorly conceived. A 'long box' flimsier than a DVD digipak, (why not a thicker cardboard box with a flip top like the Parlophone Singles and EP collections), packaged with the booklet on the top half of the inner case (with the opening on the top) and 4 reproduced cardboard sleeves on the bottom half (with the opening on the bottom - a great way for these CD's to fall out and potential spill onto the floor and potentially scratch). The 48-page booklet is short on subtance. The reproductions of the original MONO album artwork (no "Full Dimensional Stereo" logo) looks badly photocopied (the 'Second Album' front cover looks especially yellowed from aging), including badly aged fuzzy-looking back cover art. I'm sure the original Lithograph slicks survived somewhere that better scans could have been reproduced. Bruce Spizer has better looking reproductions in his hardcover book "The Beatles Story On Capitol Records: Vol 2 - The Albums (available from Amazon, or visit Bruce's WWW.BEATLE.NET website). I guess one could scan those covers and make better covers for CD Jewel Cases than the cardboard reproductions Capitol created.

However, it's the music that matters, so if you want to 'wax' nostagic, this is the way to go. Just be prepared to consider devising a better form of packaging for your CD rack.