DELIVERY & GIFT DETAILS:
Available for Pre-Order
This item will be available on December 8.
Delivery Time and Shipping Rates
Eligible for gift wrap & gift message.
USB Flash Drive - Special Edition
| More Formats | |
|---|---|
| CD - Remastered / Special Edition / Bonus DVD | $205.39 |
| CD - Japanese Edition / Remastered / Special Edition | $624.99 |
Note: This item does not qualify for coupons or promotional discounts unless expressly stated.
Disc
1 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| View all tracks on this disc | |
Disc
2 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| View all tracks on this disc | |
Disc
3 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| View all tracks on this disc | |
Disc
4 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| View all tracks on this disc | |
| See all tracks | |
This limited-edition, apple-shaped USB drive is loaded with the critically acclaimed re-mastered audio for the Beatles' 14 stereo titles, as well as all of the re-mastered CDs' visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes. A specially designed Flash interface has been installed, and the 16MB USB's audio and visual contents will be provided in FLAC 44.1 Khz 24 bit and MP3 320 Kbps formats, fully compatible with PC and Mac. The aluminum USB is 50mm wide and 48.5mm high, and is packaged in a black lift-top box measuring 3.59" wide by 3.59" deep by 2.87" high. Barnes & Noble
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
November 22, 2009: Amazing quality. There are songs in which I hear instruments I didn't realize were used before I bought this set. It is obvious that a tremendous amount of love and time were put into this project, and I think it is perfect. The songs sound brand new. I love it!
This review was written about the CD Remastered / Special Edition / Bonus DVD edition.
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
November 16, 2009: a must have for real beatles fans
This review was written about the CD Remastered / Special Edition / Bonus DVD edition.
This limited-edition, apple-shaped USB drive is loaded with the critically acclaimed re-mastered audio for the Beatles' 14 stereo titles, as well as all of the re-mastered CDs' visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes. A specially designed Flash interface has been installed, and the 16MB USB's audio and visual contents will be provided in FLAC 44.1 Khz 24 bit and MP3 320 Kbps formats, fully compatible with PC and Mac. The aluminum USB is 50mm wide and 48.5mm high, and is packaged in a black lift-top box measuring 3.59" wide by 3.59" deep by 2.87" high.
The Beatles always stood apart from their peers, a self-evident statement that sadly extended to the treatment of their catalog in the digital age. Where all their peers from the Byrds to the Who have had their catalogs remastered and reissued in deluxe editions, sometimes several times, the Beatles remained stuck in the early days of digital, their 14 albums plus Past Masters singles collection remaining untouched since 1987. Anniversaries came and went, but no remasters arrived until the release of the video game The Beatles Rockband pushed a long-overdue revamping of the band's entire catalog into the stores on 9-9-09. This reissue campaign corrects almost all the problems of the original 1987 CDs: the sound and artwork are improved, and all the original mono and stereo mixes finally see the light of day. Naturally, it's possible to quibble about some details of the presentation, particularly the decision to split the reissue into two separate box sets, one covering the stereo mixes and one the mono mixes, with only the stereo mixes available as individual discs (it's still possible to complain that the albums do not add era-specific singles or outtakes, but such expansions were never really in the cards), but both boxes still constitute the best Beatles by far. Crucially, it's also inarguably the best-sounding Beatles music ever released, robust and rich even on the earliest rock & roll. None of the albums have been remixed -- although Help! and Rubber Soul retain Martin's 1987 mixes, the original stereo mixes are bonuses on the mono set -- so this doesn't shock the way the Yellow Submarine soundtrack did with its reimagined stereo mixes. Nevertheless, these remasters surely do surprise with their clarity and depth, with each album feeling bigger and fuller than the previous CD incarnation, but not artificially so. It's not that these are pumped up on digital steroids; it's that the veil has been lifted, so everything seems full and fresh. Appropriately, there's more to savor from Help! onward, as the Beatles' productions grew ambitious, but Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and A Hard Day's Night all have a strong punch, while Beatles for Sale is warmer than the previous disc.
As a package, the stereo box is slightly unwieldy -- it's a large, vertical set with two stacks of discs in slick cardboard sleeves piled on top of each other. No extra book is included with the set, but each disc has its own booklet with dry, straightforward liner notes detailing the recording process instead of analyzing the music. If anything about the set could be called disappointing, it's the mini-documentaries attached to each disc as Quicktime files and collected on a DVD bonus for the box. "Mini-documentary" may even be stretching what these are: they're three to five infomercials about the albums, not much more informative than the notes themselves. Nevertheless, these do offer annotation, something sorely lacking from the first CDs, and they do replicate the original notes -- in the case of Magical Mystery Tour, including the entire storybook; in the case of Pepper, all the 20th anniversary annotation is added -- finally bringing the Beatles to the same standard for reissues that every other major (and most minor) bands have had for years now. And the story, at least for the stereo box, is not the packaging -- it's the glorious sound that makes this such a treat. There's also no question that those who waited 22 years to hear a better version of the Beatles will not be disappointed (although they may still wonder why it took so long for the Fabs to be treated as they deserve). Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The Beatles always stood apart from their peers, a self-evident statement that sadly extended to the treatment of their catalog in the digital age. Where all their peers from the Byrds to the Who have had their catalogs remastered and reissued in deluxe editions, sometimes several times, the Beatles remained stuck in the early days of digital, their 14 albums plus Past Masters singles collection remaining untouched since 1987. Anniversaries came and went, but no remasters arrived until the release of the video game The Beatles Rockband pushed a long-overdue revamping of the band's entire catalog into the stores on 9-9-09. This reissue campaign corrects almost all the problems of the original 1987 CDs: the sound and artwork are improved, and all the original mono and stereo mixes finally see the light of day. Naturally, it's possible to quibble about some details of the presentation, particularly the decision to split the reissue into two separate box sets, one covering the stereo mixes and one the mono mixes, with only the stereo mixes available as individual discs (it's still possible to complain that the albums do not add era-specific singles or outtakes, but such expansions were never really in the cards), but both boxes still constitute the best Beatles by far. Crucially, it's also inarguably the best-sounding Beatles music ever released, robust and rich even on the earliest rock & roll. None of the albums have been remixed -- although Help! and Rubber Soul retain Martin's 1987 mixes, the original stereo mixes are bonuses on the mono set -- so this doesn't shock the way the Yellow Submarine soundtrack did with its reimagined stereo mixes. Nevertheless, these remasters surely do surprise with their clarity and depth, with each album feeling bigger and fuller than the previous CD incarnation, but not artificially so. It's not that these are pumped up on digital steroids; it's that the veil has been lifted, so everything seems full and fresh. Appropriately, there's more to savor from Help! onward, as the Beatles' productions grew ambitious, but Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and A Hard Day's Night all have a strong punch, while Beatles for Sale is warmer than the previous disc.
As a package, the stereo box is slightly unwieldy -- it's a large, vertical set with two stacks of discs in slick cardboard sleeves piled on top of each other. No extra book is included with the set, but each disc has its own booklet with dry, straightforward liner notes detailing the recording process instead of analyzing the music. If anything about the set could be called disappointing, it's the mini-documentaries attached to each disc as Quicktime files and collected on a DVD bonus for the box. "Mini-documentary" may even be stretching what these are: they're three to five infomercials about the albums, not much more informative than the notes themselves. Nevertheless, these do offer annotation, something sorely lacking from the first CDs, and they do replicate the original notes -- in the case of Magical Mystery Tour, including the entire storybook; in the case of Pepper, all the 20th anniversary annotation is added -- finally bringing the Beatles to the same standard for reissues that every other major (and most minor) bands have had for years now. And the story, at least for the stereo box, is not the packaging -- it's the glorious sound that makes this such a treat. There's also no question that those who waited 22 years to hear a better version of the Beatles will not be disappointed (although they may still wonder why it took so long for the Fabs to be treated as they deserve). Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Album Credits | ||
| Performance Credits | ||
| The Beatles | Primary Artist | |
| John Lennon | Rhythm Guitar, Group Member | |
| Paul McCartney | Bass Guitar, Group Member | |
| Ringo Starr | Drums, Group Member | |
| Anvil Bhagwat | Tabla | |
| Alan Civil | Horn | |
| Technical Credits | ||
| Paul McCartney | Author | |
| Mike Leander | Orchestration | |
| Malcolm Addey | Engineer | |
| Peter Bown | Engineer | |
| Geoff Emerick | Engineer | |
| Robert Freeman | Cover Photo | |
| Glyn Johns | Engineer | |
| Jeff Jarratt | Engineer | |
| Jeff Jones | Executive Producer | |
| Richard Lush | Engineer | |
| Ian MacMillan | Cover Photo | |
| Alan Rouse | Liner Notes | |
| Barry Sheffield | Engineer | |
| Bob Smeaton | Director | |
| Norman Smith | Engineer | |
| Peter Vince | Engineer | |
| Klaus Voormann | Cover Illustration | |
| Martin Benge | Engineer | |
| Kevin Howlett | Liner Notes | |
| Peter Blake | Liner Notes | |
| Tony Barrow | Liner Notes | |
| Mark Lewisohn | Liner Notes | |
| Paul Hicks | Remastering | |
| Steve Rooke | Remastering | |
| Graham Kirkby | Engineer | |
| Angus McBean | Cover Photo | |
| Guy Massey | Remastering | |
| Adrian Ibbetson | Engineer | |
| Sean Magee | Remastering | |
| Sam O'Kell | Remastering | |
| Drew Lorimer | Redesign | |
| Chris E. Thomas | Producer | |
| Jonathan Clyde | Producer | |
| Dan Davis | Liner Notes | |
loading...
loading...
loading...
loading...
loading...
Terms of Use, Copyright, and Privacy Policy
© 1997-2009 Barnesandnoble.com llc