Reissuing Beatles material has never been a recent concept. The repackaging of Beatles material beganĀ almost instantly as soon as the Beatles released their first United Kingdom albums Please Please Me and With The Beatles in 1963. With the release of frequent singles between the U.K. albums, Capitol Records in the United States released their own versions of Beatles albums combining assorted tracks from the UK albums and the non-album U.K. singles. So from the start, the Beatles have easily become the most repackaged band in rock and roll history.
There have been hundreds of Beatles Box sets released over the years round the world. It would be beyond the scope of a single article to be able to list them all. Since the multitude of Beatles box sets released from the 197o’s have become long out of print, this article will focus on the Beatles Box Sets that are still in print and easy to aquire for modest prices, or at least retail prices.
The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)
In 2009, Capitol Records reissued remastered versions of the original UK Beatles albums on CD, It was by far the best sounding issues of the Beatles on CD that Capitol Records ever released. As part of the reissue program, Capitol Records issued a box set containing allĀ all 14 original Beatles albums released during the 1960’s starting with Please Please Me and ending with Let It Be in 1970. The box set also included the two Past Masters CD sets that contained all the non-LP singles. The box set also included a DVD that featured a collection of all the individual documentaries that were released on the individual CD reissues. An important not is that this box set featured STEREO mixes of all the Beatles albums. The Beatles Box Set included a total ofĀ Ā sixteen CDs Ā plus one DVD.
The Beatles in Mono (The Complete Mono Recordings)
Hands down, the Beatles in Mono Box Set is the crown jewel of Beatles Box sets still in print. It is simply jaw dropping to hear the remastered Beatles songs in Mono. Beatles fans have gone nuts over these remastered versions. These songs have never sounded better on CD. Well worth the money.
The U.S. AlbumsĀ
Even though hardcore Beatles fans prefer the original UK Beatles albums, there are millions of Beatles fans that grew up with the U.S releases in the United States. Capitol Records understood that there was a demand by fans for a comprehensive collection of the original U.S. Beatles albums.
Released in 2014,Ā The 13 CD box set THE U.S. ALBUMS spans 1964ās MEET THE BEATLES! to 1970ās HEY JUDE.
The box set includes the following titles:
(Disc 1) MEET THE BEATLES!, (Disc 2) THE BEATLESā SECOND ALBUM, (Disc 3) A HARD DAYāS NIGHT [ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK], (Disc 4) SOMETHING NEW, (Disc 5) THE BEATLESā STORY, (Disc 6) BEATLES ā65, (Disc 7) THE EARLY BEATLES, (Disc 8) BEATLES VI, (Disc 9) HELP! [ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK] , (Disc 10) RUBBER SOUL, (Disc 11) YESTERDAY AND TODAY, (Disc 12) REVOLVER, (Disc 13) HEY JUDE.
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The Beatles Live at The BBC – Box Set
Both Live at the BBC original 2 CD sets reissued in a box set containing all 4 CDs
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour Deluxe Box Set
A great vinyl releases containing a Blu Ray and DVD of the film, a 60 page booklet, and two 7 inch vinyl records.
The Beatles Anthology
A fabulous 4 DVD Set containingĀ all the material that had been originally released on the 8 VHS tape Box set plus a bonus 5th DVD containing rare never seen before footage. The Beatles Anthology Series is a videographyĀ of the Beatles describing their career in their own words.
A Hard Day’s Night (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray + DVD)
Well leave it to the Criterion crowning of A Hard Day’s Night to present Beatles fans with the most spectacular version of A Hard Day’s Night ever released. The audio and video of the Criterion A Hard Day’s Night version is simply stunning. Since this is a two disk release, it qualifys to be included on our Best Beatles Box Sets List.
Anthology 1
The fist release of an eventual three-part issue set featuring all the Beatles music that had been bootlegged numerous times in far less quality on unofficial recordings. The Beatles Anthology series contained numerous outtakes,works in progress, live material, and a wide assortment of collectible material. The first issue was a 2 CD set released onĀ November 20th 1995.
Anthology 2
The second in the series was released onĀ March 18 1996. The two CD set captured material from the middle Beatles years starting with Help and then extends all the way to 1968.
Anthology 3
The final volume in the Anthology series was released onĀ October 28th 1996. Volume three explored the final three years of the Beatles recording career.
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