Overpriced. I only own this set because, twelve years ago, a local branch of a major retail chain had this mismarked with the "1" accidentally left off of the then-$150 price tag (then it became a heck of a deal!). You can pretty much get any of these songs on all of the other lower-priced Beatles CDs out there. There are, however, some great carrots for collectors in the form of the mono mixes, especially on the Magical Mystery Tour disc (which is actually presented in stereo AND mono).

While the first seven discs contain widely-available mono mixes, the final eight discs contain mono tracks unavailable anywhere else. Some of these mixes are significantly different from the stereo mixes. This is nowhere more evident on "I Am the Walrus", in which the mono mix contains a couple of extra bars in the middle of the song.

Over all, a ripoff for non-completists but almost worthwhile for obsessive collectors.

The simple fact is, these original British MONO mixes sound much, much better than the "primitive stereo" US releases. Back in 1962-63 Rock and Roll was new and "stereo" was even newer. People didn't have Ipods, satellite radio, or 19-channel home theater systems. We (yes, "we!") had AM radios and portable record players. Even our parents' home "Hi-Fi" was usually mono. And that's something George Martin and the Beatles had to consider when intentionally mixing their music in Mono. Let's face it, commercial "stereo" technology was in its infancy and it would take several years of growth before it sounded even close to realistic. Compared to modern recordings, many of Rock's early stereo and "simulated stereo" recordings sound unnatural with guitar/vocals hard-left in one speaker and bass/drums hard right in the other and pretty much nothing going on in the middle. Played on a modern system, these original mono mixes actually sound like a band playing right in front of you. (Especially if you turn it up! C'mon, it's the Beatles!) Instruments and vocals are bright and clear and and everything is nicely centered. I think you'd be very pleasantly surprised at the overall improvement in sound quality.

Actually, ALL of the Beatles' music was mixed in mono for release in the UK, even the later true stereo releases, but, no, the UK mono versions are not "easily found on other [US] albums." I've managed to find all the UK mono albums through "Let It Be" and have compared them to the US stereo versions and I personally prefer the UK monos. (Frankly, "Abbey Road" and the "White Album" sound just fine in stereo. I guess by '68 they were finally getting the hang of it!) If you're interested, check Google and Yahoo for "Beatles Mono" for more detailed info on the subject and for product sources.

OK, so the early UK monos sound a lot better than the early US stereos. As for the "package," well, yeah, it was definitely marketed to "Collectors." The original 12 4-song British EPs (Extended Play vinyl records) are duplicated here on CDs in cardboard sleeves that mimic the original record jackets. Also included is the original 6-song EP release of "Magical Mystery Tour" on 2 separate mono and stereo CDs in a nice fold-out that looks like the LP jacket. (The US "Magical" had songs added by Capitol to fill out an album length.) The last disc contains "rare" UK stereo versions of 4 B-sides. Then there's the the nice black storage box that looks like one I used to keep my 45s in back in my misspent youth, oh so long ago(!)

If you don't have any audiophile-wannabe tendencies and you're content with the US stereo versions that you've probably grown up with, then no, I don't suppose you need this collection. But, if you'd like at least some of your "golden oldies" to sound more natural and realistic then go for it. And as for the expense, do you really expect to pay full price for something on Amazon?

This box set is just as delightful as it was way back in the 60's when the Beatles hit the airwaves. Even the mono songs sound excellent! Packaging is not as important as what is inside the box. These songs brought back many fond memories and I would highly recommend it.

great songs. but to be got on the original albums for a lot less than this extreme overpriced set