The year 1964 is a bold one in world history’s timeline. Naming a few key moments, Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into US law, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and The Beatles stepped onto US soil for the first time ever that February. Already taking the European region by storm between 1962 and 1963, with hits like “Love Me Do,” “Please Please Me,” “From Me to You,” leading into “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” by early 1964 ‘Beatlemania’ set to reach an entirely different level.
Amazingly, there was a buzz surrounding them in spite of early issues with their music being released in the USA, and the excitement of the region grew over when the band performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. A monumental moment in Rock-n-Roll history, it is said approximately seventy-three million viewers in over twenty-three million households tuned in for the performance. Ushering in what is famously called The British Invasion, The Beatles’ reign over popular music made them more than a Rock-n-Roll band but cultural icons.
A special time, as mentioned, there were several setbacks for The Beatles when it came to their music reaching US audiences. However, just prior to the boys reaching the USA, Capitol Records had secured exclusive U.S. rights to release their recordings in a deal with EMI. This led to the immediate release of the first-ever US-released Beatles album entitled Meet The Beatles! on January 20, 1964. Opening the floodgates, a slew more Beatles releases (six more to be exact) emerged domestically in the USA into March of 1965.
Giving American listeners a chance to become intimately acquainted with Beatles music, these albums – Meet The Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track), Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65, and The Early Beatles – remain cherished, significant pieces of the puzzle to the band’s grand success. Originally offered in mono, these LPs more than likely were played so often that many record players’ needles were worn out. With this in mind, getting your hands on a pristine or even good condition first press of any of them is extremely expensive, but now, in 2024, Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/Ume are offering the out-of-print titles once again.
As part of The Beatle’s 50th-anniversary celebration of their first visit to the USA, these particular titles have been out of print on vinyl since 1995. Many years ago, these new reissues offers fans the original seven mono albums as part of a new eight-LP box set titled The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono. Released on November 22, 2024 (just a week prior to the premiere of the all-new documentary Beatles ’64 on November 29th), those who wish to can also purchase six of the seven titles (excluding The Beatles’ Story) individually as well.
A great opportunity for Beatles collectors, the box set features a solidly built outer slipcase, with each LP individually packed with stunningly replicated original artwork. Carefully assembled, it also features Four-panel inserts containing essays written by American Beatles Historian and Author Bruce Spizer. Furthermore, each of the albums has been analog cut to a high-quality 180-gram vinyl from their original mono master tapes to ensure the best quality.
Looking into this aspect most, the sound is absolutely stunning, and listening to these albums in mono once again adds new life to the songs themselves, where you can pick apart different intriguing textures you may have forgotten through the years. This means you can hear delicate differences in instruments, significant separation in John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starrs’ voices, plus more.
Truly an experience that is refreshing; if you are someone who may have lost your original US Beatles LPs a part of this location after all these years, you are also in for a treat. Why? Because no matter how astute a Beatles fan you might believe you are, many younger generations have relied upon UK albums that have dominated CD and digital formats for years now. All exceptional and embedded into memories, listening to these US albums from 1964 into 1965 is trippy; because you get songs in different sequences. No doubt, throwing off those who know the original UK albums by heart, somehow listening to the songs shuffled from what our brains expect is different… and a bit exciting.
Overall, it is highly recommended to invest in this stellar seven-LP box set. It has historic significance, is put together with class, and is the best addition to any Beatles collection. That is why Cryptic Rock gives The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono 5 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment