The Beatles – The Beatles

My boxset have a small black sticker "Packaged in USA Records Made in Germany". What version do I have?

I think there is a reasonable chance that people encountering problems have counterfeit copies. There were some pretty convincing fakes sold widely on Amazon and Ebay. The first copies of The Beatles Mono Box set and Pink Floyd Discovery I received were counterfeits, but it took some close examination to tell at first.

The 2012 vinyl reissues are well pressed, quiet and detailed sounding pressings (partially the European pressings. Which didn't have the same pressings issues as the US in 2012). That said, they are NOT a representation of the original 1960's pressings, nor were they meant to be. It's clear that the idea was to represent the 2009 Remasters on vinyl rather than re-create the original UK pressings. They are digitally sourced from the 2009 24bit/44.1kHz masters (which was advertised at the time). This means all the digital edits and mastering found on the streaming/CD versions are all here.

Keep this in mind when you read reviews from Beatlephiles that damn these pressings. If you grew-up hearing the old analogue pressings, the 2012 pressings sound night-and-day different to the previous UK catalogue pressings. They have different EQ choices, are cleaner sounding, more bass than what the original pressings did, Help! and Rubber Soul use the 1987 stereo mixes rather than the original 1965 ones - these pressings highlight all the sonic choices made for the 2009 Remasters. And with that objective in mind, these are good pressings. Plus the hardcover book is pretty nice, too.

The album covers are well printed and contain the inserts and posters of the original LPs. The flipback sleeves are missing (as they were after the first UK issues, but later included on the Mono vinyl box set in 2014) and Let It Be doesn't it's original box or "Get Back" book that the first issue did.

If you want that "original pressing" sound and are willing to invest the time on online, there are ways of compiling a cheaper collection that sounds closer to the original UK stampers. And of course, there is always spending top dollar on original UK pressings (which are near impossible to find in NM condition). But if this box set or any of the 2012 discs are you're staring point, then these pressings are an affordable and easy to find way to enjoy the Beatles on vinyl.

I can't confirm what has been said negatively regarding quality. I bought my copy at time of release and checked it just now. Everything in perfect condition. CD play absolutely perfect. All artwork is beautiful and in perfect shape. This is a 5 star production. Maybe there are some lousy pirate copies around....?

What's with "Baby You're a Rich Man" being credited to George Harrison on this collection?

The records in my European vinyl boxset don't have the (promotional) stickers on them.

The printing is awful, and five of the CDs have data errors on them. Any CD out of the EU is a coin toss.😔

I'm seeing ads all over for this and it's only $50... Is that real or is it some kind of scam?

Does anyone know if the book of the stereo and mono box sets ar ethe same thanks in advance

The disc in this set have just gone bad. They have developed little specs on them almost looking like bits of sand. i bought this set about ten years ago and never had any problems with them before. They have been kept in a nice cool environment in my bed room. All of the disc skip.