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Beatles forums => The Beatles => Topic started by: Brynjar on December 27, 2013, 12:36:06 PM

Title: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Brynjar on December 27, 2013, 12:36:06 PM
I want to ask you, as I was too young at the time (9), when the Beatles catalog was reissued on cd in 1987, what did you think? Did you like the sound? What did you think of the packaging and booklets? Did the whole thing meet your expectations?

Here´s an old article from 2007:
http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2007/04/it-was-twenty-years-ago-todayt.php (http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2007/04/it-was-twenty-years-ago-todayt.php)
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: nimrod on December 27, 2013, 10:29:25 PM
it was nice to hear tracks like Long Long Long without the snap crackle & pop

but on the whole it was quite poorly done, they didn't sound good at all imo and no bonus tracks, the actual packaging also was poor, so on the whole Id say 5/10

Amazing for the worlds biggest group :(
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on December 27, 2013, 11:56:12 PM
The first album out on CD was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on 1 June 1987.  The advertisements read "It was twenty years ago today."

So I bought the CD and a SONY Discman D-5 that day.  The CD only came in STEREO.  I had the MONO LP.  As Kevin said, it was nice to hear the album without the pops but I thought my LP sounded better even when I played the CD through my stereo system.

The jewel box packaging was poor and unimaginative.  They would have done better to just put the CDs in miniature cardboard sleeves similar to the LPs but those boxes were all the rage.  It would be a while before we got box sets.

In those days, CDs were marked:

AAD- Analog recording, analog mastering, digital format i.e. CD
ADD- Analog recording, digitally remastered for CD
DDD- Digital recording, digitally mastered for CD

The 1987 Beatles catalog was AAD and in definite need of remastering.  We waited a long time for that.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: tkitna on December 28, 2013, 12:23:37 AM
I liked that the albums were coming to CD. They didnt sound great, but then again, i'm not a fan of the newest remasters either. As for packaging, its a CD and I see no issues with it. At least they came in jewel cases back then. Getting tough for that to even happen anymore.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: ibanez_ax on December 28, 2013, 01:00:43 AM
They were okay, the packaging was bad.  A lot of stuff got left out.
I think the 2009s are a big improvement sonically especially the monos.  I just wish the stereos were true digipaks with trays so I made my own. 

(http://)
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Brynjar on December 28, 2013, 01:01:17 AM
The first album out on CD was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on 1 June 1987.  The advertisements read "It was twenty years ago today."



Oh, so the cd´s were not released all at once?

I remember when I got into the Beatles.. it was in 1994, I ordered all the cd´s through mail service from the then biggest music retail in Iceland but later regretted it cause I so much wanted the "bread box":

(http://i.imgur.com/msdoucX.jpg?1)

..but of course I was not gonna buy all the albums again to have that box.. but then again.. I wanted that booklet that came with it.  roll:)
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: ibanez_ax on December 28, 2013, 01:02:48 AM
(http://)
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on December 28, 2013, 06:31:49 AM
Here's what I bought on 1 June 1987.  I didn't care much for the earbuds that came with the Discman so I bought the SONY MDR-CD5 headphones which I still use frequently today.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on December 28, 2013, 06:40:13 AM
The booklet that came with the CD was pretty good because it showed The Beatles setting up to take the cover shot.  It also had a directory of who was on the cover.

This was 1987 and there was no internet.  We were seeing this for the first time.  It was pretty exciting to see those pictures and learn who on the cover we had difficulty identifying over the past twenty years.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on December 28, 2013, 06:51:50 AM
Oh, so the cd´s were not released all at once?

I remember when I got into the Beatles.. it was in 1994, I ordered all the cd´s through mail service from the then biggest music retail in Iceland but later regretted it cause I so much wanted the "bread box":

([url]http://i.imgur.com/msdoucX.jpg?1[/url])

..but of course I was not gonna buy all the albums again to have that box.. but then again.. I wanted that booklet that came with it.  roll:)


Sgt. Pepper's was released first, Brynjar.  They made a big fuss over the "twenty years ago today" thing in the ads leading up to the release.  Stores sold out of the CDs quickly that day.

I remember when the "bread box" became available.  By then, I had all the CDs so I didn't bother with it.  But I'm curious about what was in the booklet.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on December 28, 2013, 07:00:09 AM
They were okay, the packaging was bad.  A lot of stuff got left out.
I think the 2009s are a big improvement sonically especially the monos.  I just wish the stereos were true digipaks with trays so I made my own. 

(http://)

That's nice what you did there, George!  Pear used digipaks for their Alternate Beatles CDs.  I've always liked that format.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: ibanez_ax on December 28, 2013, 10:39:44 AM
That's nice what you did there, George!  Pear used digipaks for their Alternate Beatles CDs.  I've always liked that format.


Thanks Barry.  Unfortunately, the spines on The White Album and Past Masters were too narrow to enable the addition of two trays.  And that's really a shame for The White Album since those discs were dang near impossible to get out. 
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Moogmodule on December 28, 2013, 11:07:53 AM
... no bonus tracks...

In hindsight all those potential bonus tracks were being held back for Anthology. Which was also why those Beatles Rarities albums released in the early 80s were so underwhelming.

I suppose we could take the generous view that they were maintaining the historic integrity of the original albums by only including the original tracks.  ;)



Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hombre_de_ningun_lugar on December 29, 2013, 03:36:48 PM
I never had problems with the sound of the 1987 CDs; in fact they are still my Beatles catalog since I never bought the 2009 remastered CDs (though I've listened to parts of them). I admit that the quality of the 1987 digital masters is not the "best", but to my ears they sound warmer and more natural than the 2009 ones. Anyway, I did fall in love with the Beatles' music listening to those 1987 records, so they couldn't be that bad.

In those days, CDs were marked:

AAD- Analog recording, analog mastering, digital format i.e. CD
ADD- Analog recording, digitally remastered for CD
DDD- Digital recording, digitally mastered for CD

The 1987 Beatles catalog was AAD and in definite need of remastering.  We waited a long time for that.

I think that Help! and Rubber Soul were ADD because their original masters were remixed.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on December 30, 2013, 02:35:59 AM
I think that Help! and Rubber Soul were ADD because their original masters were remixed.

Yes, Sir George Martin remixed the original MONO masters to STEREO.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: tkitna on December 30, 2013, 10:26:45 AM
I want to add that i'm not fussy over the packaging. Its a CD and i'm not going to get a magnifying glass out to read the notes. I guess its never been a big deal to me. What did everybody do when cassette tapes were the sh*t?
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Brynjar on January 01, 2014, 12:46:33 PM
I want to add that i'm not fussy over the packaging. Its a CD and i'm not going to get a magnifying glass out to read the notes. I guess its never been a big deal to me. What did everybody do when cassette tapes were the sh*t?

I, on the other hand, always think very much about the packaging. It´s always nice to see when bands are ambitious when it comes to packaging.  :)

Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hombre_de_ningun_lugar on January 01, 2014, 01:14:31 PM
I neither care too much about the packaging. Give me a good album cover and the tracklisting on the back, and I'm happy.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Kagome on March 12, 2014, 10:54:02 PM
I was disappointing that they did not Release the American Beatles until Now They are Ok No much of the fan of UK ones. and the Mixes are different from the American and They have Limited Range You can here the Tape hiss  and You When  high note was hit  You can hear it break up and sound flat. And it  did not sound clear as the vinyl did. EMI was smart to transfer everything Digital. But I like Analog better I think? now  They sound better now then they was first issued on CD
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Mairi on May 07, 2014, 05:48:25 AM
Haha the bread box thing is neat. I was buying up all those 1987  releases individually as a broke teenager then they went and remastered everything on me after I had finally completed my collection :/ thanks a lot Apple.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: oldbrownshoe on May 07, 2014, 06:47:59 AM
The 1987 Beatles' releases were of a higher standard than other CD reissues at the time, and retailed at a whopping £12.99 each if memory serves.
The CD reissue market really started getting its act together in the 1990s, however, and, as of 2014, I think that groups like The Monkees and The Kinks are far better represented on CD (mono/stereo side by side, bonus tracks) than the biggest group in the world.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: KelMar on May 07, 2014, 02:23:40 PM
I was buying up all those 1987  releases individually as a broke teenager then they went and remastered everything on me after I had finally completed my collection :/ thanks a lot Apple.

That was pretty much my experience too, only as a broke 30/40-something. Apple is good at that sort of thing.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Hello Goodbye on May 08, 2014, 03:10:45 AM
as of 2014, I think that groups like The Monkees and The Kinks are far better represented on CD (mono/stereo side by side, bonus tracks) than the biggest group in the world.

We did get the two Capitol Box Sets several years ago.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: oldbrownshoe on May 08, 2014, 06:32:35 AM
I don't really do box sets, so maybe it's a personal thing, I just wish each CD had the mono and stereo versions of the LP and associated B-sides/EP tracks in place.
Whenever you see bootlegs (I'm thinking of The Stones here) that always seems to be the way the bootleggers go, and I think it makes more sense, neatening the back catalogue, and being more likely to be bought by a casual fan than a box set.
Title: Re: What did you think of the reissued Beatles catalog back in 1987?
Post by: Mairi on May 09, 2014, 03:43:07 AM
I think the reason that the Beatles' music is so poorly represented in terms of format release is because they are so popular and the songs are so well-loved, people will buy any format no matter how crap. Fanatics will buy it because we're completists, and casual listeners will buy it because they just want to hear the songs and can't tell the difference in terms of sound quality.