Since I have not heard of anyone else having this problem I must only conclude it is a 'fluke'. Sometimes I have been almost led to believe what I purchased was a bootleg, but I don't believe that. Still, I have never experienced the disappointment this product gave me with anything else. I am so shocked it came from a product with "The Beatles" name on it.

When my package arrived I was, at first, in awe. It looked so good on the outside. I carefully removed the shrink wrap only around the outside seam. When I started to look into the Pandora's box, however, I saw just how unraveled things were. Up to now I never considered downloading music, I wanted the physical CD. My views are changing.

The packaging was horrible! No one seems to care what they do anymore or how they do it. Whatever factory this came from should shut down and re-evaluate their performance. Ah, but then again, it is clear they don't care anyway. The first thing I noticed was the plastic sleeves covering each album cover were put on so haphazardly some of them had split open along their seams because they were so cheaply made. By now they've all but fallen apart and are useless.

Almost every album cover was itself coming apart at the seams as the glue was giving way. There were no inner sleeves to each CD as promised. When I tried to enjoy the booklet that came with the product I couldn't make heads or tails out of it. After a while I realized it was totally assembled out-of-sequence. I had to take it apart and manually staple it together myself.

Putting on The Beatles Double Album from 1968 I learned to my shock each of the two CDs were labeled in reverse. CD 1 was actually CD #2 and vice-versa.

Then something happened that almost sent me through the roof. If anyone has a suggestion as to what this phenomena is please let me know. When actually playing the CDs I found that intermittently....they wouldn't play! The player might not even recognize that it was a CD. Now I have four players and the problem was duplicated on all four so I'm confident it is the CDs and not my hardware. Sometimes they will not track! When I can get them to track the sound is the most horrendous crackly bunch of garbage you ever heard. It's worse than any snap-crackle-and-pop you ever got from a beat up vinyl long player.

I've finally given up playing these CD completely. I do not bother trying to play them it's too much for my blood pressure. As provided by sheer luck, however, I've been able to copy them all using my Macintosh (for some bit of luck the computer tracks the CDs properly) and I now play the copies I've had to make on my own.

Wow! I've been hit hard and I can now say I have never been so uplifted and also yet so let down by anything coming from "The Beatles". I never imagined I'd see this day that anyone connected with their product would be so care-less. All I can say is I would have been furious had I paid list price for this huge mess.

It is a colossal shame because when playable, the sound was great. The collection itself is the best I can recall hearing this catalog since the days of vinyl. Great job with the actual remastering.

Needless to say I won't be purchasing the Stereo remasters. All anticipation has been completely squashed.

Although the Mono releases of The Beatles (as well as other artists) were phased out by 1969, this is how many people fondly remember these special recordings with great appreciation. This unique box set, "The Beatles In Mono", gathers together every album by The Beatles that were originally released in the original monaural sound. Albums in this set include "Please Please Me", "With The Beatles", "A Hard Day's Night", "Beatles For Sale", "Help!", "Rubber Soul", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Magical Mystery Tour" and "The Beatles" (also known as "The White Album"). In addition to the original mono versions, both "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" also feature their original 1965 Stereo mixes, as well. Plus, there is also an extra CD included in this set, entitled "Mono Masters", which features the many varied recordings by the group that were not originally featured on the original albums. One of the true highlights of the "Mono Masters" CD is the first-time release of the songs that were specifically used for the soundtrack of the 1968 animated film "Yellow Submarine". These 4 recordings ("Only A Northern Song", "All Together Now", "Hey Bulldog", "It's All Too Much") are all presented in their original monaural mixes for the very first time, as they were scheduled to be included as part of a "Yellow Submarine" EP release in 1969. What you have here is The Beatles the way that they first sounded in the 1960's, now brought to the forefront for the 21st century. This limited edition box set is another welcome addition to the legacy of the fab four!

The advances in electronics by the time The Beatles were around were in its infancy. Stereo was barely trying to make a mark in the sound world. John, Paul, George, Ringo, George Martin and the technicians at Abbey Road were more focused on MONO SOUND at this time and this is the sound that you exactly get here. Superb. I personally like the first 5 albums. TWIST AND SHOUT comes in its purest form.....Lennon screaming the song. PLEASE MR POSTMAN's drums from Ringo are perfectly done. Even on some of the songs, you are able to hear the breathing of the boys. If only we could get in a Delorean and go back in time...........Thinking about getting this collection? DO not hasitate. Just do it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will be pleasently surpised...............

i'm 57 and have been avid beatles from day 1.this is the greatest band in the history of music! i've always been into music since i was a small child.sound quality has always been very important to me.i own some extremely high end stereo equipment to enjoy my vast collection.i'm an autophile who trys to find the finest. i got all the stereo remasters, and was extremely with both the sound and packaging.the robust sound and depth has brought these beatle recording to an even greater level.the people who engineered these new cds,are to be highly commended.i bought the mono box set recently,and it is PHONOMINAL!these mono masters have richness,clarity,and dept in a class of their own.i own many mobile fidelty recordings,and much autophile material,and i can tell you this is superb! not just the great sound quality,but the outstanding packaging.making them into minature flip-back covers,the book,right down to the minature emitex sleeves,is creative genious!i could not give you a higher recomendation for this box set,it is a treasure,and it is an absolute must for any beatle collector,or anyone else who enjoys great music and a sensational box set as this one!!! my highest compliments to the engineers,and creators of this box. thank you for giving us something we wil enjoy for many years!!! my best regards, larry white

It's hard to believe anyone would even consider purchasing a music CD these days that wasn't at least recorded in stereo, but the amazing worldwide sales of this Beatles Box Set has proven appreciation of certain artists produced in old-time monaural is still a big thing. If you're a long-time Beatles fan, then owning this release of their original recordings is an absolute must. But if you're just an occasional listener, then consider purchasing your favorite Beatle album individually on mono CD. Once you hear the astounding quality, though, you may find yourself searching out the box set after all. And the quality doesn't stop at the audio... production of the covers, etc., is absolutely beautiful. It's not easy shelling out big bucks for something like this these days, but once you have it in your hands you will never regret the decision to buy it. And listening to The Beatles the way they meant for you to hear them will create a listening pleasure unbeatable by any stereo recording.
Buy the box, listen to the music, and read (in the enclosed booklet) all about the early days of record-making. Everyone can now relive the true sound of those four masterminds from Liverpool. Long live The Beatles!

Forget about the stereo remasters. From their debut "Please Please Me" through the "White Album", the mono remasters are vastly superior for their "mix" alone.
These mono remasters were not "sweetened" like the "stereo remasters", but the fact that the mono mix places the entire band right in front of you makes this collection a winner.

With the stereo mixes, I was getting really tired of hearing the vocals & drums far away in one side of my headphones, while the guitar & bass were far away in the other side. Now with these mono remaster mixes, the whole band is playing together right in front of me..... the way the Beatles & George Martin (producer) intended it to be.

This is not my original review, I am editing this review. I thought I was buying an original copy of this box set, but upon playing the cds, I found them to be stereo, also the booklets are in english and chinese.. the packageing is amazing, hard to tell the difference. the cds fade in and out, especially Please Please Me, cd.. Beatles Mono Masters disk 2 does not have the yellow submarine songs on it, although the track listing on the record sleeve says they are on the cd.. record sleeves had no slips or inner sleeves for the cd, etc. If you pay around $70.00 for this set, chances are almost 100%
you will get a counterfeit; you get what you pay for. I wound up getting a set from Best Buy for $189.99, It is worth every penny!! I Hope this Helps.

It's MIJ, so the packaging is top flight. The recordings, however, are superlative. Pristine instrument separation reinforces appreciation of drumming skills of one, Richard "Ringo" Starkey. Cf. "Rain." Guitars ring out and chime. The vocals pop out at you. The mono singles CD is a bonus. Check out George Harrison's rockabilly solo on "I'm a Loser." And don't get me started on the compositional, lyrical, instrumental genius of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. George Martin never again attained such heights of artistic accomplishment. Geoff Emerick: You too have entered the annals of postwar cultural history. Load this set into your iPod Classic, run a dock out of it (bypassing the headphone circuit) and through a quality headphone amp; use the best quality 'phones you can afford, then be prepared to be transported into Beatle Universe.

It's not possible to explain how good these remasters are compared to the compact discs from the 80's so I'll just say this ... if you love the Beatles' music; throw away your old versions of these cds buy this box set.
Also, you are in for a treat if you remember the original vinyl albums as the original packaging is recreated for the cds right down to the album sleeves .....very groovy.

BEWARE OF COUNTERFEITS!

This box set is normally awesome but beware of counterfeits like a received from my seller. This box set is a collectors piece meant for only hard core Beatles fans and the fact that people would make fakes sickens me to no end.

Without opening it there is a quick way to tell. There is a line written in white at the very bottom of the black slipsheet on the back of new box sets. In real ones the line is crisp and white because it was done on a four color press. On fake Chinese ones the line is blurry because it was done on a Xerox machine and they have trouble with white text.

This is how The Beatles sounded as they recorded their music. I like the rawness of the recording, as I believe it adds to the feeling and spirit of the songs and the era. I decided to buy it because of the quality of the sound as well as the limited pressing of the box set. I feel that, being a limited issue, it will have more value in the years to come. A great set, with great songs and a future of appreciation in the collector market drove me to make the purchase. I am happy that I did.

One of the best box sets ever made, the package is great and the mini lp vinyl replicas are exactly as the originl versions that I also have, so if u are a really beatles fan you´ll really enjoy it, personally I think this box is best than the beatles stereo remastered box set.

I'm sure the real deal is awesome. However, I received a fake set here on ebay. Here's my description of what I received (And this is all without even putting any of the discs in to play):

There are multiple obvious visual signs. First, as soon as I opened the package, there is overwhelming smell of the cut rate printing process. The booklet is out of order. The print, especially in the graphics is very blurry and grainy throughout. The materials used for the gatefolds are low quality as is the gluing of them. The discs are supposed to be in a form fitting plastic sleeve that is then supposed to be within a paper sleeve. The paper sleeves are not there on the fake sets. And the plastic sleeves are very loose and cheaply made. The discs themselves are so obviously pressed by a non-professional. The label is very inconsistent, dull, and grainy when compared to the authentic release. EMI/Apple would never allow anything like this to leave their doors.

These are simply great. I heard guitar psrts,esp. acoustic that I never heard before.The set has a live presence,vocals,etc. are vastly improved over the 1987-88 Beatles CDs.For example,on the backwards guitar part in the middle of "I'm Only Sleeping",I was caught by surprise when I,for the first time,heard the snaky beginning of it.
I was a little hesitant about buying the Mono Beatles Remasters,but now that I've heard them,I am very glad I did.
These are must-haves for any serious Beatle fan. These were worth the wait.

When we received this box set, I noticed no upc code on the outside. Upon opening the box, I noticed general poor workmanship. ie - not all covers were glued square so the cover would not lay flat. One cover was glued closed so the cd was sitting between the front and back. The covers are supposed to be glued with the tabs on the outside like a normal album cover - see last photo here - http://beatlesblogger.wordpres​s.com/2009/10/02/beatles-mono-​box-unboxing-pix/ These had the tabs glued inside the back instead of outside.

The Stereo Box Set is terrific but for completists and people wanting to hear the original vision of the band and George Martin when it comes to the earlier albums then you must buy this set. Casual fans can stik with the Stereo Box.

beautiful packaging and amazing new remastered sound in MONO. In my opinion, the MONO mixes have a warmer and fuller sound. They are as they were originally intended to be heard.

The mono mixes make thetracks sound like brand-new recordings! A M ust-have for die-haed Beatles fans..................

Ordered the Beatles box set in mono for my father as a Christmas present. Although it was not in the shrink wrap, the set is in perfect condition and is greatly enjoyed.

One of the most influential bands of all time. A re-mastered mono version as it was origanilly recorded. A MUST for any Beatles fan!

Guy is selling counterfeit merchandise and will not admit it. I pointed out that it is fraud to represent one thing, and sell another, couldn't figure that out either.

This is all the albums that I wanted to buy and when I found this to be a good buy. I also wanted to have these played in the form I had heard on the radio, that is MONO.

This is a great set, and I own a 1st pressing which I purchased directly from a major retailer. I purchased one other authentic copy on eBay as well, to keep for posterity. When I tried to purchase more for friends, I ended up with Asian knockoffs that were worthless. There's a TON of them on eBay, so buyer beware!

excellent and was exactly what was advertised. Great deal and awesome "albums". Let's hear it for hippies returning in 2009.