Pitchfork

A. The set contains the first four American-version Beatles records, all from 1964, in mono and new stereo mixes.

1. Meet the Beatles
   
2. The Beatles' Second Album
   
3. Something New
   
4. Beatles '65
   
B. It also contains a 48-page booklet with notes by Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn (The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions).
C. These albums have never been available on CD until now.
D. These albums have never been available in stereo in any format until now.

1. They were remastered from the original Capitol master tapes.
   
2. The stereo effect was actually produced by using the two original tracks of mono, compressing them and then adding some reverb. (i.e., these aren't actual "stereo" performances, but "duophonic.")
   
E. The albums are presented in miniature replicas of the original LP jackets.

II. Is it worthwhile for Beatle fanatics? Casual fans?

A. Since most fans have owned the British versions of the Beatles' albums for years, this set is most valuable to American fans who lived through Beatlemania, or as a curio to the rest of us.
B. The packaging seems hastily assembled. The CDs don't even come in inner sleeves, so they always fall out when you pick them up.
C. Casual fans would be better off sticking to the British albums (on EMI), as they contain most of this music in superior mixes. They also have the notable characteristic of being the records the Beatles wanted to make, unlike these Capitol-assembled compilations.
D. Nobody really needs to own "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" twice-- owning the Past Masters sets takes care of all the non-album singles, and the British albums have the rest.

III. Do the stereo mixes sound good?

A. Remember, it's "duophonic," not stereo. The Pet Sounds reissue from a few years ago is a much better example of presenting in stereo an album that was originally released in mono.
B. The Capitol mixes are filled with reverb. This gets annoying after a while, because all the vocals sound cavernous.
C. That said, the instrumental tracks are clearer.

IV. Why did they only do this for these albums, and not the rest of the catalog?

A. The existing Beatles' CD catalog hasn't been remastered because there is no need.

1. The sound is good, especially considering when they were remastered (1987).
   
2. They still sell well. There's no need to fix what isn't broken.
   
B. That said, I'd love to hear a 24-bit treatment of the Beatles' records. Few bands deserve to be heard in optimal sound more than them.

V. How do the individual albums hold up?

A. Meet the Beatles

1. There isn't a bad song on this record, with the possible exception of McCartney's "Hold Me Tight", which lacks a good melody, and features some of the least interesting lyrics in the Beatles' canon ("Hold me tight/ Tell me I'm the only one/ And then I might/ Never be the lonely one"? D'oh!).
   
2. Leading off with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" leads to a slightly anti-climactic experience for the remainder of the record.
   
3. I can't imagine ever listening to the mono versions of these songs again. But then, I can't really imagine playing these albums much anyway.
   
B. The Beatles' Second Album

1. Alright, that's not fair. There is some historical value to hearing this stuff. So, go history.
   
2. "She Loves You" is still one of my favorite Beatles singles.
   
3. Cover version war: Lennon singing "Money" and "Please Mr. Postman" towers over McCartney's "Long Tall Sally" and Harrison's "Roll Over Beethoven". However, just like the British edition of Beatles for Sale (1964), this album seems overrun with covers.
   
C. Something New

1. Now we're getting good: "Things We Said Today" and "If I Fell" are two of the best pre-Rubber Soul Beatle songs. "And I Love Her" also nods to the direction the band would take starting in 1965.
   
2. And yet, Capitol thought "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" complimented them well.
   
3. Still, this seems like the most thoughtfully compiled of the Capitol albums.
   
D. Beatles '65

1. And this is the most haphazardly compiled. "I'm a Loser", "No Reply", and "I'll Follow the Sun" stand up to the best early Beatles songs, but seem out of place on a record featuring "Rock and Roll Music", "Mr. Moonlight", and "Honey Don't".
   
2. "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" has more reverb than any song I've ever heard. Okay, maybe not more than that last Acid Mothers Temple album, but close.
   
3. Capitol kept releasing different versions of the Beatles' records until Sgt. Pepper's in 1967. According to some, the Beatles protested in 1966 by delivering the infamous "butchered baby" cover photo for Yesterday... And Today. If Capitol put that in the next box, I'd give an extra point just on principle.
   

VI. Anything else?

Not really. I'm giving this a 6 because while there's a lot of great music here, there's very little incentive for me to play it, and none of these albums compare favorably to their British counterparts. Oh well. Next up: McCartney's ready for some football.