Mono Masters Explained

Mono Masters
Type:compilation
Artist:The Beatles
Cover:Mono_Masters.PNG
Border:yes
Released:9 September 2009 (as part of The Beatles in Mono box set)
9 September 2014 (individual release)
Recorded:1962–1969
Genre:Rock
Length:99:02
Language:English, German ("Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" and "Sie Liebt Dich")
Label:Parlophone, Capitol, Apple
Producer:George Martin

Mono Masters is a compilation album by the Beatles, and is an alternate, all-mono version of the album Past Masters. Mono Masters was originally a two-CD set included as part of The Beatles in Mono box set.[1] The premise of this box set was to compile only Beatles material which was released or prepared for release with a dedicated mono mix (the set excludes later material mixed and released only in stereo, and material whose mono version was simply created as an equal mix of the two channels of the stereo version, e.g. 1969's Yellow Submarine album). As a result, the track listing for Mono Masters differs from Past Masters on the second half of disc two, omitting some later songs that never had a mono mix ("The Ballad of John and Yoko", "Old Brown Shoe" and "Let It Be"), and adding several songs released on stereo-only albums that had unreleased mono mixes. Tracks 9–12 and 15 of disc two were prepared in March 1969 for release as a 7" mono Yellow Submarine EP, two months after the release of the similarly titled soundtrack album, but the project was scrapped, although the EP was mastered. Subsequently, the tracks were only released in stereo (and in an electronically produced mono mixdown, or "fold-down", of the stereo mix), while the true mono mixes remained unreleased. "Get Back" (with B-side "Don't Let Me Down") was the final Beatles single mixed for mono format. It was released in the UK in mono, though the US release was in stereo. Thus, the songs that were originally released on stereo singles in the UK are omitted on this release.

This compilation was released individually as a triple vinyl LP set on 9 September 2014 in Europe and the following day in North America on the same day that The Beatles in Mono box set was released in vinyl LP format. The vinyl format compilation is mastered directly from the original analogue mono master tapes.[2]

Mono Masters track listing

All songs written and composed by Lennon-McCartney, except where noted.

Disc one
Disc two

Mono Masters vinyl LP track listing

All songs written and composed by Lennon-McCartney, except where noted.

Side one[3]

Side two

Side three

Side four

Side fiveSide six

Notes and References

  1. News: Original Beatles Albums to Be Reissued . Allan . Kozinn . 7 April 2009 . The New York Times.
  2. Web site: THE BEATLES GET BACK TO MONO The Beatles . www.thebeatles.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140619015913/http://www.thebeatles.com/news/beatles-get-back-mono . 2014-06-19.
  3. Web site: The Beatles - Vinyl Box MONO (14 LP) - Capitol Audio Analogue Distribution . www.audioanalogdistribution.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085933/http://www.audioanalogdistribution.com/vinyle/the-beatles/vinyl-box-mono-14-lp/capitol . 2014-08-19.