Beatles fans, old and new, can now experience how most listeners first listened to the iconic band in the 1960s. The Beatles In Mono 14 LP Box Set is up for pre-order and will be available for the first time since its original release in 2014,
The set includes the band’s first nine mono-released UK albums, the American version of Magical Mystery Tour, and the Mono Masters collection of non-album tracks.
The mono albums were mastered in 2014 for vinyl at Abbey Road Studios by Grammy-winning engineer Sam Magee and Grammy-winning mastering supervisor Steve Berkowitz. What’s interesting about this mastering is how they followed the same procedures in the 1960s.
Back in the band’s heyday, mono was the go-to audio format. It was up until 1968 that kickstarted the trend of having each Beatles album release with a mono and stereo mix. However, the band has always had a soft spot for mono.
Taken from a 1995 interview from The Beatles Anthology, George Harrison commented on the band’s preference for mono, saying, “When they invented stereo, I remember thinking, ‘Why? What do you want two speakers for?’ because it ruined the sound from our point of view. Now we had to come out of two speakers. It all sounded like…very naked.”
Additionally, the collection includes a hardbound book containing essays and a history of the mastering process, written by author and radio producer Kevin Howlett. Rare photo materials and illustrations capturing the band, along with archive documents and articles from the original 1960s publications will also be included in the box set.
The Beatles In Mono: 14 LP Box Set ships worldwide starting July 18, 2025.