Search - Beatles :: Please Please Me (1990)

1,2,3 FAWWHH!!!!!!!

Gus Perez | OH USA | 06/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You know what I mean....great fun and if you close your eyes you see the genesis for what was to come. After years of gritty clubs and endless hours churning out dance numbers the boys were had sharpened their chops and were ready to jump on the world stage. I love the stereo split because we can hear what they were playing behind the vocals. Taste of Honey is the only mistep here but even it is done with so much conviction that you find yourself joining in."

In Review: Please Please Me [2009 Stereo Remaster]

VineStudios1 | 09/25/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This review is largely based around technical details of the music itself.



First, a word about the different releases. A comparison between the 1987 CD releases with the new 2009 Beatles Remasters is interesting in the context of this album because of the varied nature of the releases. The 87 CDs weren't necessarily bad for their time, however the sound content was still somewhat muffled. Listeners vastly preferred (and in some cases still do) the older vinyl recordings because they had a warmer and more present sound. Thankfully, the clarity of the music has come through in the new remastered releases. Believe me, they are worth every penny.



An oddity, though, is that a comparison between the 87 release, and the 2009 STEREO release of Please Please Me is not entirely fair. The 87 CD was actually the MONO (where the sound is held in one channel) mix of the album vs. this release in STEREO (where the sound is spread between two channels). Now, you might ask, why should this matter?



Please Please Me was originally recorded on a 2-track machine (for non music techies, a track is essentially space where you put the sound). Modern STEREO albums often have as many as 24-tracks to house the sound. The result of limited track space often means a doubling or tripling of different sound effects (vocals, guitars, percussion, etc.) between just one or two tracks, which will ultimately result in a more muffled sound. To add to this problem, STEREO in 1962 was still in its infancy. Instead of being able to spread different sound effects around between the left and right channels to maintain a good balance, music producers were forced to more or less isolated 95% of a song's various parts to just one track or the other. This is true with, among other things, the vocals in Please Please Me, which are entirely pushed to the right channel.



Personally for me, this can be somewhat annoying to listen to. It really sounds like there is too much space between the music heard in the left and right channels and detracts slightly from an otherwise enjoyable experience. If I had to choose between the 87' release and the 2009 STEREO of Please Please Me, I would opt for the 87', primarily because it is in MONO. This is also true for many of the earlier Beatles albums. But again, this is just me. On the sound quality itself, all the STEREO remasters are superb.



The 2009 MONO remaster of the Beatles music is a different story. I have both the 2009 MONO and the STEREO box sets, and for most of the albums, up to Magical Mystery Tour, I usually opt for the MONO remaster. It's a much more balanced sound and doesn't have the persistent problem with hard audio panning in the earlier albums like the STEREO releases.



For that reason, I rate this album 4/5. The musical content is outstanding, but if you're buying the STEREO beware of audio panning."