Beatles - Are the US versions worth buying if we own all the UK versions?

I bought the Beatles Stereo and Mono boxes last year. I have listened to each album at least 10 times, and love them. Awesome stuff!

I have read that some of the US versions of the songs have slightly different mixes. There doesn't seem to be an easy way for me to hear the US mixes, however, since only recently did the Beatles get on Spotify, and right now it's only the UK versions which are up there.

So, my question is this: are the US versions worth pursuing, or are they best left ignored?

This is, of course, a very subjective question, and it's subjective answers that I'm after.

More objectively: is there a page somewhere which lets us hear audio clips comparing the US to UK versions? (text descriptions don't cut it)

 

Oh My.............................................

Not THIS again!

the beave

 

This thread will at least tell you what the mix variations are:

Is My Beatles Capitol Records Playlist Missing Any Unique US Mixes? »

 

If you can rationalize having both the stereo and the mono versions of the UK albums, then surely you can rationalize the US albums. Let me know if you need any tips on how to explain this to your spouse, Im an expert in that area...

 

I think so. But I consider myself one those very interested. I love the "Help!" soundtrack. And "The Beatles' Second album" is a great rock 'n' roll album.

 

Personally, I think the best reason for getting the US versions is if they're the ones you grew up with. Then, the familiarity of the sound and sequencing of the US versions would just sound 'right' (even though they're not, really). Otherwise, spend your money on something else.

 

If those versions are not personal to you I would say the 2009 CDs should suffice...although IMO, every Beatles fan should have the Capitol Versions Boxes Volume 1 & 2 to have the original Capitol mixes worts and all in their collection!...

 

Exactly, get those two box sets to a get a flavor of how US fans heard the Fabs.

 

yea, 1964! babe! and what all the fuss is about with those versions!

 

Exactly. Dexterized, and correct versions is what you want, and we all know the 2014 US set does not have much of it. Get the 2 “correct mixes” Capitol sets, and supplement them with the individual remaining US CDs.

Note: Even if you just bought the US CD box set, it’s still far from complete!

 

I agree... I have no use for the 2014 box!

 

I very much agree with getting the Capitol Albums boxes, they're a lot of fun and offer stereo and mono mixes. I first got into the Beatles in 1973 at age 10 with the Red and Blue greatest hits LP packages so I never had any allegiance to a particular version of the earlier albums. In my teens I got hold of all the individual LPs from Sgt. Pepper on, but never felt compelled to acquire the pre-Pepper records.

I first owned them all with the release of the 1987 CDs and got used to those versions. I bought the remastered Beatles in Mono CD box set when it came out, and later the vinyl version as well. In the case of the stereo remasters I picked up a few of the later albums on CD and Sgt. Pepper on vinyl, but given the negative reviews of many of them as well as pressing issues decided to get a UK Blue Box of original vinyl LPs instead and I'm glad I did.

When I finally got hold of the Capitol Albums box sets a couple of years ago, I discovered that the U.S. versions had IMO a much stronger selection of songs per album overall, and they also included the early hit singles which were not on the UK albums. I even bought the U.S. Albums CD box set when it came out which are made from the 2009 stereo remasters, at $95 I thought, "Why not?". Nowadays you can often find that set for even less. So go ahead and pick up the U.S. versions in one version or the other, I think you'll have fun listening to them.

 

An added bonus with the 2004/2006 U.S. Capitol boxes are the random pieces of folded cardboard and plastic they stuffed in half of each box to keep the booklet from rattling around.

 

Agreed. The packaging is confounding. First time I opened the box all the CDs spilled out from the center. Luckily none were damaged but I had a brief moment of intense panic!

I do enjoy the US versions, but I grew up with them. I may be in the minority, but the added reverb etc gives many of the tracks (like "Money") an extra layer of rock n roll raunch I enjoy, that the UK masters don't have.

 

From the 2014 US releases, Hard Day's Night soundtrack and Yesterday & Today might be worth getting. I say might only because if you don't have any nostalgia for them, it really just depends on how curious you are. There's no need to get Hey Jude.

I don't have the US box (I have both Capitol boxes + the 3 albums above), but I just borrowed it from my library. I listened to The Beatles Story for the first time yesterday. You definitely don't need that!

 

have fun! I have all the US version ever released on CD including boots...
been listening to them since 1963!

 

for nostalgic reasons for me, yes...back then it was a cool album for Beatlemania was crazy...I had to have that album even though now looking back it was a rip!

 

hmm, I don't recall any of that?

EDIT! yup! mine has it too...they care.LOL!

 

LOL! yup, that happened to me as well with that ugly longbox! I prefer the square one.

 

The Capitol albums are definitely worth it. Make sure to get the Capitol Versions 1 and 2 on CD. Stay away from the US Albums box set.

 

Word!

 

If you get the 2004 (vol 1) and 2006 (vol 2) Capitol albums sets...get the Japanese pressings...packaging is of far better quality!

At one point, the JP pressing of the Vol 1 set was well under $20 at a Amazon!!!!

 

I'm mildly annoyed that the pines of the first four have no titles and the four in vol 2 do have spine titles. I realize I have bigger concerns in life, but still. Compared to some of the boxes coming out these days (when, you know, no one buys CDs anymore), the Capitol long boxes were rather thrown-together affairs. I didn't know there was a square one(?).

I bought two copies of Y&T; one has the butcher cover as released and the other has the replacement cover stuck over the butcher (but you can't see the "V" of Ringo's black turtleneck). God, I need a life.

 

Here's the original thread I posted. Hope it helps:
The Beatles US and UK album differences? »

Please heed the Gort's warning in the final post of that thread.

This is an updated post by Slane:
The Beatles U.S. Albums box set - your impressions ... (continued) »

It's a hit-n-miss here at the forum as to whether the recent UMe US box set is worth getting (HUGE arguments ensue, I participated in some of them). It does NOT contain all of the original mixes released on the original Capitol LP's. It contains UK mono replacement mixes for the original US duophonic mixes used by the LP's. And there are other differences listed nicely by Slane.

The Capitol Versions referred to are incomplete but 100% authentic to the original LP's (as they use the same original master tapes as the Capitol LP's).

I like both UK & US mixes. I grew up with the original US mixes and I prefer the US Capitol Version vols 1 & 2. Well worth it if you can find it priced to suit you!

Aesthetically, it's up to you to decide if you want to chase the unique original US mixes. There aren't that many of them.