Beatles Mono Box Not Pressed at GZ Media Or "Seeing Is Not Believing!"

A visit to Czech Republic-based GZ Media recently published on a website includes an un-captioned photo of a large stack of the upcoming Beatles Mono box sets. This has flooded analogplanet.com's "inbox" with emails from readers, some inquisitive, some hysterical and a few spewing expletives.

To assure pressing quality consistency UMe claims all of the albums were pressed at Optimal in Germany, yet here's a shot in "living color" proving otherwise. So what's the deal?

I contacted UMe publicity and got the poop: GZ Media fabricated the cardboard boxes. The records were all pressed at Optimal in Germany. So please, those of you sending incendiary emails, please calm down! As promised, the records were pressed at Optimal, the cutting was done all-analog from the original master tapes and the packaging is outstanding and authentic to the originals. Identical in every way? No. For that you'll need to buy a $500 a record Electric Recording Company reissue. Back in the real world, I've handled the jackets and they will satisfy all but the marginally insane. For those, there are original pressings, some of which individually cost more than this entire box set.

In other news, the mono box set will arrive here on Friday and I will labor all Labor Day Weekend and report back as soon as possible.

COMMENTS
julio's picture

For a nice unboxing of the mono vinyl box please youtube key words Pete Nash Beatles mono vinyl.
I am so freaking excited. After being so disappointed by the the stereo set, I believe this has been done right. It looks like they even got the Beatles For Sale gatefold right which has thinner flap the most gatefolds. Stop reading this and go watch

Michael Fremer's picture
But Jeez, watching paint peel is more exciting. I may produce a "mockumentary" version when my box arrives.
julio's picture

I have never really watched paint peel but if is more exciting than watching one of the most anticipated vinyl releases being unboxed, I will definitely have to try it. I thought the video was a great way to see the packaging. Please, when you get your set on Friday, I hope you are able to give us some quick feedback on maybe one of the lps. I know life is sad when I get so excited about an unboxing video but I am not unashamed.

julio's picture

I meant to say I am not ashamed.

Superfuzz's picture

Yeah, when I started watching that guy's review, I saw the video time was 30 minutes... really? Well I don't have thirty minutes to kill watching some guy I don't know talking about the new Beatles reissues... I clicked through it though. Don't recall him actually playing anything...

PaulK's picture

Please do so. That would be a hoot!

Martin's picture

Just the reviews would be great.

recordhead's picture

I want this box sooooooo bad but financially its just not meant to be. I've got to get debt paid off 1st. Hopefully these will still be around in a year or two. Sad face.

Goochified1's picture

But you may only get one crack at this while it's affordable. Forego paying your debt off for a bit longer and get this while you can.

audiof001's picture

but the Beatle mono box has me thinking I should get it and buy a real mono cartridge for my second arm…

Devil Doc's picture

This is actually going to be released on time? I'll believe it when I see it.

Michael Fremer's picture
Released on time. You have no idea how committed these folks are to producing the box that everyone will love: well packaged, well pressed, great AAA sound and on time.
StonedBeatles1's picture

But Beautiful..

sharris55's picture

I am limited to a single tonearm and a stereo cartridge unless I want to start swapping arm wands. My Parasound JC-3+ does have a MONO button on the front panel. How are these going to do in this setup?

Michael Fremer's picture
Will get you 90% there IMO. The switch means all vertical modulations will be canceled out. Play any one of the records in "stereo" and press the "mono" button while listening and you'll understand why...
Paul Boudreau's picture

Well, no mono button here but I'm going to listen to them anyway!

I watched the 2008 Classic Albums DVD "John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band" yesterday, which was great (who knew that the crunchy guitar sounds from "I Found Out" were made by a wooden resonator guitar with a pickup through a Fender Vibro Champ?). It also brought back some of the Fabs frenzy of those days which Lennon was trying to escape. Looks like it's not completely gone!

thomoz's picture

Paul, use two Y cables between the turntable and the preamp to sum your turntable feed to mono. Either under the Mono Masters thread or the White album thread I discussed this with someone else and provided a photo.

bill lettang's picture

many are up in arms over at the SH site about whether the first generation tapes were used on the titles listed above. I'm not concerned over PPM but if all those 45's are dupes I might have second thoughts.Please clarify.............

Irreversible's picture

Customers awaiting the Beatles mono boxes can be happy - neither LPs nor cardboxes were made at GZ [GZ produced first batch of cardboxes (see the picture) but the quality was sad (as usual)].

Toptip's picture

No matter how great the Beatles were, and how spectacularly mono these pressings may be, can one really get excited about music heard ad nauseam from dentist chairs to shopping centers, elevators, AM radio, FM, radio... I for one tried for years not to hear any to bring back some freshness to their music, but sorry it is not going to happen.

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