Beatles

Wait six or seven months and the vinyl box set will be priced under $100. Same thing happened with the Let it Be vinyl box set.

I’d like to know if Mr. McCartney, Mr. Starkey, and the Lennon and Harrison states participated in the construction of these newly “reimagined” stereo tracks and approved the new mixes. I’d also like to know once Mr. Martin deconstructed the locked in mono tracks into their component parts, how did he decide how to put it back together again and who said ok to it? Who decided what went where?

Where to BEGIN with this?! I love all the Beatles albums, but the fidelity of "Revolver" always fell short, for me. Especially cuts like "She Said, She Said." This was the first LP after the group switched engineers, from Norman Smith to Geoff Emerick, while at the same time increasing their use of bouncing tracks. So those two factors, combined, seemed to be the reason that this disk just had a bit of a gritty veil over it compared to "Pepper" (which was recorded under very similar conditions, but sounds phenomenal). The remix of "Taxman" tells me that the veil is lifting! The stereo picture is also more cohesive, with less ping-pong. That's what Giles seems to have done with the soundstage on all of his remixes (except Let It Be, which was already fairly cohesive).
As for bouncing tracks, I always thought that the original, unbounced 4-track tapes were in the EMI archive. So it was just a matter of transferring everything into the digital domain and then syncing, as Mark Linett has done for so many Beach Boys projects since the 90s. So I'm not sure what the de-mixing technology did that old-fashioned elbow grease couldn't. When I first read about "de-mixing," I thought it would be more useful on the earlier material that was recorded on two tracks (i.e. everything before "I Want to Hold Your Hand") and really needed the elements to be re-separated. Anyhow, from what I've seen and heard, this is going to be excellent! The EP doesn't seem completely necessary, but it's nice to have... and the track list is packed for the two "Sessions" disks; no extra space there!
Bonus points for including the mono mix. The 2014 reissue has been going for $150! Hopefully future deluxe editions will include the mono versions as well. Or they could just re-press the whole mono box; maybe that's something to ask Giles! Or at least if the version in this box is pressed from the same metal parts as the 2014 issue.

I hate Giles Martin and Paul McCartney's guts! One could write a novel as to why but I'll leave it at just that.

My later generation stereo Revolver sounds great, and my mono version from several years ago is great, so, while the early takes etc might be nice to have, I'd really prefer to put $200.00 into something else. I'll leave this one to the flippers and the "collectors". Let them succumb to the buzz.

is a no brainer: I really enjoyed the remix of Sgt Pepper. The absence of a Blu-Ray in the digital box is mind boggling. The price is eye watering.
There is no prospect of them reissuing the mono box when they can drip feed releases like this (all digitally sourced).

At $200 it seems WAY overpriced for 4 LP's an EP and a book.

Like a lot of Beatles fans I already have the stereo covered (original and Blue Box) and the mono covered (the "In Mono" box).
Like many I'm hoping the price drops significantly, then I'll be in.

Last year I heard a de-mixed (and unofficial) version of this album that was floating around the interweb, and it truly blew my mind. A little blending across the channels truly was like a lifted veil; in fact, "Tomorrow Never Knows" finally made sense like never before.
If this official de-mixed version is as good (and the promo video indicates it is), then the new mix is a must-have.
I'll be opting for the single album version so I've got the important thing, the music in a final form, and leave the ephemera and musical building blocks for others.

Your post is so great, it made me overcome my Beatles ennui.

I was going to wait for the 2027 Revolver re-re-re-re-re-release of this album, but now, thanks to you, I will check this out!

I have purchased all of the previous SDE editions for the multi-channel mixes. Yes, I do enjoy checking out the book and sometimes even listen to the extras. I've also picked up the single vinyl editions to hear the albums with less compression but in most cases the thing that go back to is the Blu-ray. I had actually pre-ordered the SDE before realizing that it didn't include a BR disc and have since canceled my order. I might consider purchasing the single vinyl, CD or even one of the SDE's if I can get it a deal. On the flip side the more recent Lennon box-sets I've purchased have included more material for less money and I thought that All Things Must Pass and the Let It Be SDE's were comparatively over priced. If this it the shape of things to come I may have to pass on the SDE's.

$200 for a pointless remix, 2 LPs I’ll listen to once and what I assume will be the same cut of the mono pressing I bought 8 years ago. Oh, and a 100 page book I’ll probably leaf through once.

Maybe if it comes down to $100 or less…

I'll stick with the 1978 Beatles blue box stereo version from the real original analog masters. Cheers,Chet

I purchased the most improved 2009 stereo CDs from boxset returns at Newbury Comics and enjoyed revisiting the albums. A couple of years later when the sets were climbing in price, Newbury had the mono CD boxsets for $70, a steal. I assumed they were knockoffs but the sales guy insisted they were genuine. I bought a set and checked the documentation, they were genuine. I miss Newbury Comics!

Plenty of people whose taste I respect have endorsed the Giles-ified reissues. I can't stand 'em. Leaving aside the obvious cash-in aspect of the whole business, the mixes just sound weird. If you eat a curry, you don't want the coconut milk and fenugreek to stand out, you just want them to blend together. Similarly, a guitar part which was originally meant to be a discrete component of an organic whole shouldn't leap out at the listener or otherwise call attention to itself. Mr. Martin has, in my view, squeezed the pleasure out of Beatles records in an effort to reveal what should remain hidden. Also, if you need immersive surround sound effects to enjoy Revolver, you are well and truly missing the point of the exercise.

Lastly, imagine my delight at receiving a text message 24 hours after I arrived in England saying the Ascot HiFi show was cancelled. Grr. Record shops and pubs did provide some solace, though.

No thanks.
apparently all this will be done at 96/24 digital. So, No. No way.
The AAA Revolver from the mono box set sounds great. Apparently this mono is digital. Presumably Abbey Road did not want to use the mono box set plates because an A:B comoarison shows up the shortcomings of the digital mastering too blatantly.
And half speed mastering can most charitably be described as a marketing gimmixk. More honestly, it's bullshit.

I wouldn't mind having a clean RM11 of Tomorrow Never Knows. Originals are stupidly expensive. Maybe they could do a 45 for Record Store Day and put an edit of 'Carnival of Light' on the B side. A fella can dream, right?

I'm assuming de-mixing is not an audiophile endeavor. I much prefer my early all-analog pressings to the remasters from several years ago. The digital remasters often present to me as standardizing sound to make it more consumer comfortable. De-mixing certainly plays into that idea.

I just don’t understand why a bunch of stuff retrieved from the cutting room floor makes a package that won’t fit on a regular record shelf worth so freakinfpg much money. If someone I know buys it, I’ll listen to it, but I’d be surprised if I were impressed.