In 2014, five years after the initial CD release, mono editions of each of the albums were released individually in vinyl format, though the mono editions for CD were still available only in the box set. I was amazed at the number of differences I could hear; not just mixing differences, but really big differences, like missing backing vocals on the stereo Fixing A Hole and of course a whole lot of missing special effects from the stereo Lucy. A lot of it concerns their time in Hamburg, which got me interested in the "Beatles Live at the Star Club, 1962", which was released in several different forms.

A 44 page booklet which includes an essay on the important role that these mono mixes played in The Beatles recording career plus a track by track rundown of the recordings contained in the Mono Masters 2-CD set.Unsurprisingly, this is because stereo is a really good audio format, and we know how to engineer in stereo really well by now. A Karlson speaker and a monophonic amplifier revealed to me the sonic difference that exists between a wide frequency spectrum and a good acoustic cabinet or two channels with small speakers. Though, of course, taste is a matter of subjective preference, so there's no shame in enjoying the stereo mixes of earlier Beatles records. These are either "a revelation", "interesting", an "aberration" or "historical revisionism" depending on who you ask. The Yellow Submarine album, included in the set, is the only original UK mono Beatles LP without a dedicated mono mix.

When I started my hi-fi journey, I had gone from a mono record changer to a stereo system with two small speakers and was very happy with it. The Beatles in Mono is a boxed set compilation comprising the remastered monaural recordings by the Beatles. Therefore, the last few Beatles LPs— Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be—were mixed only in stereo. Released in 1982, The Beatles Mono Collection is a boxed set of all Beatles' albums which were originally issued on mono LPs in the UK ( Please Please Me to Yellow Submarine). The CD set also includes a 44-page booklet with an essay on the important role that the mono mixes played in the Beatles' recording career, notes on every track featured in Mono Masters, and a track-by-track listing of the recordings.It's a lesson I'm thankful I learned, and hopefully, this article can serve as a reminder to young and old folks alike that, even today, sometimes you're better off listening in mono over the traditional stereo mix. Of course, the bigger version with the records is more desirable but this is pretty good alternative too :).