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Beatles forums => Albums => Remasters => Topic started by: peterbell1 on January 15, 2010, 04:00:42 PM

Title: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: peterbell1 on January 15, 2010, 04:00:42 PM
I saw a story at the Examiner website which gave the sales figures for the remastered CDs from their release on 9th September through to 6th December - a period of just under three months.
The figures come from SoundScan, so I assume they are just for the US (the original article doesn't say).

Here's the list, in order of sales ....

1   Abbey Road                         272,220
2   Sgt Peppers                         211,856
3   The Beatles (White Album)   203,452
4   Rubber Soul                         160,642
5   Revolver                               138,380
6   Past Masters                        111,184
7   Help!                                    106,568
8   Let It Be                               98,599
9   Magical Mystery Tour            96,081
10   A Hard Day's Night             93,245
11   Please Please Me               73,489
12   With The Beatles                 67,405
13   Beatles For Sale                  64,373
14   Yellow Submarine                46,460
      
The Beatles' stereo box set (16 CDs + DVD)        112,564
The Beatles in Mono' mono box set (13 CDs)        38,219


Some interesting figures there, I thought. For example .....

I was surprised to see that Abbey Road outsold Revolver almost two-to-one. I thought Revolver would have been one of the biggest sellers.
And A Hard Days Night only makes it to number 10 on the list.
The White Album is obviously a popular one - it made it to number 3 in the chart even though it is priced higher than the single CDs.
And ignoring YS - which is really only half a Beatles album - the most unpopular of the bunch is BFS.
The Beatles first four LPs are at the bottom of the list (again ignoring YS). The early period is obviously not that popular with record buyers.
I was also surprised at how high up the list Let It Be is (especially given that Let It Be ... Naked was not released all that long ago).
And the pre-release rumours which suggested that the mono box was limited to 10,000 units were obviously wrong, since it sold almost four times that number!!

What are your thoughts on the figures? Are there any that have surprised you?
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: peterbell1 on January 15, 2010, 04:03:33 PM
Here's a link to the Examiner article ...

http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2010m1d7-Just-for-reference-Beatles-CD-sales-through-early-December?cid=examiner-email (http://www.examiner.com/x-2082-Beatles-Examiner~y2010m1d7-Just-for-reference-Beatles-CD-sales-through-early-December?cid=examiner-email)
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Mairi on January 15, 2010, 05:29:50 PM
Thanks for the info.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: AngeloMysterioso on January 15, 2010, 06:19:23 PM
Interesting information. Although, overall, I am not surprised.

Mainly because – provided one had the opportunity to listen before buying, the remastering effect is more easily audible on Abbey Road and the White albums. Probably because – for most of the albums before 1968; the source tapes technology did not allow that much flexibility for remastering purposes (these were basically two track, until the mid-60’s; then four track; and ultimately eight track, beginning with White Album and all over Abbey Road).

Beatles For Sale? Again, I am not surprised. Notwithstanding the fact that it is far from being one of my favourites, this specific album does not contain any big hit(s) whatsoever – perhaps only Eight Days a Week,.

About Yellow Submarine… as you already put it, half of it is not Beatles’ stuff. Plus the fact that it was quite recently remixed (a bit) and marketed as Yellow Submarine Songtrack in 1999. I guess that The Beatles fan archetype was generally much less eager to spend hard earned bucks – in financially difficult times, to have in hand quite another version of that (half) album of sorts.

The big surprise to me is the relative low sale figures of the Mono mixes. Soundwise, I do somewhat think that these should have deserved more interest than these sale figures show.

What would be of interest? To compare these new figures against the former 33 RPM sales for each album issue (obviously excluding the Past Masters consolidation) – before CD’s were made available somewhere in the mid-1980’s.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: dr marvalo on January 27, 2010, 10:53:00 PM
I'm a little surprised that Magical Mystery Tour didn't come in at #3.   Its by far the most improved sound-wise, and the booklet hasn't been published since the early 1970's.   

That being said, if you haven't purchased MMT yet, do it.   It really sounds great.   
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Bobber on January 28, 2010, 08:32:20 AM
More or less, the later albums are on top. Maybe it's because they sound more 'modern' to current standards?
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Joost on January 28, 2010, 09:27:29 AM
I'm a little surprised that Magical Mystery Tour didn't come in at #3.   Its by far the most improved sound-wise, and the booklet hasn't been published since the early 1970's.   

I think most record buyers are casual fans who care more about how many song titles they recognize than how long it's been since a certain booklet has been published.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: AngeloMysterioso on January 28, 2010, 03:41:47 PM
More or less, the later albums are on top. Maybe it's because they sound more 'modern' to current standards?
Good point. And it demonstrates again how much the Beatles’ sound (and pop music at large) evolved tremendously during the 1960’s.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Bobber on November 26, 2010, 07:17:47 AM
And now reduced prices on Amazon, due to the iTunes-competition!
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on March 28, 2011, 12:23:11 AM
I also think its worth mentioning.....

I just found out that my stereo box set (bought new on ebay) is actually fake  2ch, so how many fake sets have been sold to people like me who thought they were buying the real thing ? maybe you could double those figures !

Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 28, 2011, 02:34:43 AM
How did you find that out?
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on March 28, 2011, 02:38:17 AM
How did you find that out?

I always wondered about it for some reason and borrowed Abbey Rd and Help of a buddy, when I compare the standard of printing mine is inferior, also the apple on each disc is too big
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 28, 2011, 02:46:09 AM
I see.  I bought the sets, 1 mono and 2 stereo, at Amazon.com  I gave a stereo set to my sister as a present.  They were delivered in boxes sealed with Apple-inscribed tape.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on March 28, 2011, 03:04:02 AM
I wish Id bought it from Amazon or a shop now but I was saving money and it never occured to me that it might be fake, mine was sealed as well btw

Ive just been on there now looking at a mono set (new) for $85 from China, maybe this is one of the mono (but really stereo sets  >:(

why do ebay allow this to go on, no-one would sell new mono sets for $85........would they ?
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 28, 2011, 03:10:25 AM
I would get the mono set at Amazon.  Their sources and vendors are reputable.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 28, 2011, 03:16:49 AM
I just checked Amazon (United States)...$156.03

http://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Mono-Box-Set/dp/B002BSHXJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301282117&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Mono-Box-Set/dp/B002BSHXJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301282117&sr=8-1)
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on March 28, 2011, 03:20:45 AM
trouble is Im not sure they post to Oz, thats a good price though  :)
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 28, 2011, 03:29:22 AM
It's a great price!  I paid more than double that when I preordered mine.

Check Amazon's website for international shipping.  Also, you can click on 103 used & new from $105.99 in the upper right side and see if any of those vendors ship to Australia.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on March 28, 2011, 04:11:03 AM
Ive been looking at that screen now for 10 minutes but I cant find anywhere it mentions international shipping  :-\
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 28, 2011, 04:37:50 AM
Here it is...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=596184 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=596184)
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on March 28, 2011, 05:29:44 AM
Thanks HG, I shall peruse that  :)
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on March 31, 2011, 10:48:24 PM
my mono remasters just arrived !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/big/big-smiley-006.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/free-big-smiley.php)
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on March 31, 2011, 11:16:42 PM
You'll like that mono set.  I prefer it to my stereo set.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on April 10, 2011, 12:07:42 AM
What do you think of the set?
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on April 10, 2011, 12:49:21 AM
I certainly like the packaging more than the stereo set, each album is like a miniature of the original UK album, I like that very much, yes also the sound is better although I only listened to PPM and WTB up to now, the strereo on these sounds way too fake imo.
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Hello Goodbye on April 10, 2011, 12:57:55 AM
I feel the same way.  Wait till you get to Sgt Pepper!
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Gary910 on April 10, 2011, 05:41:11 AM
I feel the same way.  Wait till you get to Sgt Pepper!

I remember when I heard Sgt Pepper and "The Beatles" for the first time in mono, it was like hearing them for the first time, even though I had heard each of them, who knows how many times before (probably more than a hundred times...).
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on April 10, 2011, 12:33:24 PM
I remember when I heard Sgt Pepper and "The Beatles" for the first time in mono, it was like hearing them for the first time, even though I had heard each of them, who knows how many times before (probably more than a hundred times...).

Im a bit different Gary, in that I grew up with Sgt Pepper in glorious mono  ;D
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: Gary910 on April 13, 2011, 02:47:44 PM
Im a bit different Gary, in that I grew up with Sgt Pepper in glorious mono  ;D

What was it like hearing it in stereo for the first time?
Title: Re: Remastered CDs sales figures
Post by: nimrod on April 14, 2011, 08:01:51 AM
What was it like hearing it in stereo for the first time?

different but not really better I dont think..