The Beatles Revolver (Special Edition Super Deluxe) Half-Speed Mastered 180g 4LP, 45rpm 7" Vinyl EP & Book Box Set

Analog Planet Rated 10/11 Music, 9/11 Sonics!

Michael Fremer Rated 10/11 Music, 7/11 Sonics!

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This Special Edition of The Beatles' Revolver features a new mix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, the original mono mix, a 4-track EP, 31 session takes and home demos, a 100-page book with a foreword by Paul McCartney, an essay by Questlove, detailed track notes, photos and ephemera including handwritten lyrics, tape boxes, and extracts from Klaus Voormann's graphic novel on the making of the cover art. Half-speed-mastered 180g LPs + 7-inch vinyl EP in a 12.56" x 12.36" slipcase.

It is hard to overstate how amazing it is in the way the producers have been able to isolate these tracks in such a high-fidelity manner. My biggest fear going into hearing this Revolver set was there might be some sort of harsh, crunchy digital edge to the production. Thankfully, there's none of that on this vinyl edition. Fact is, I was very, very pleased — and relieved! — after putting on the new stereo mix to find the whole presentation much, much warmer, and far more inviting as an end-to-end listen... the other big news about this new Revolver box set is the inclusion of two LPs' worth of studio outtakes. To my ear, all of this material is enlightening, exciting, and — at times — even exhilarating!... My only wish to make this fine box set even finer would have been for the Apple corps to have given us even more! Most hardcore Beatles fans like us would have loved another album or two of outtakes and rehearsals, of course. But, hey, the music itself herein is great, and, clearly, a lot of love and care went into its creation — and it all sounds pretty terrific too on vinyl. I'm happy about this new Super Deluxe Revolver 4LP/1EP box set, hands down — and I think you will be too!

How engineer Ken Townsend invented a means by which there could be double tracking vocals without actually recording it twice is but one of the endlessly fascinating stories told in the book, which itself is worth the price of the box. It's truly sensational... Sean Magee's new all analog lacquer cut with equalization guided by Harry Moss's 1966 mastering notes (with some unspecified modifications but I bet with bottom end restored whereas the original attenuated it to avoid the dreaded 'Kangaroo cut') knocks it out of the park as we say here. It's fantastic and sounds more transparent and timbrally balanced than the excellent one found in the 2014 box that for some ridiculous reason or reasons is no longer in print. Listen to the mono mix and you will hear that tambourine sounding more like one and Ringo sounding more like Ringo and Paul's guitar sizzling and searing on 'Taxman' and generally everything having life and body and weight instead of sounding and looking like a hologram... The physical presentation—the book's layout, photography and of course the annotation itself is indispensible for Beatles fans. And the vinyl pressing done at GZ Media is also outstanding: quiet, flat 180g black records... the box is most highly recommended to Beatles fans. If you're one, you'll be reading and experiencing Revolver with a new perspective on every tune, on the album itself and on the Beatles individually and as a group that continues to defy time.

Sonically the results of the demixed and rebuilt Revolver are profound. Any skepticism on my part vanished within a few seconds of the stylus touching the groove. Revolver packs much more rhythmic muscle and imaging cohesiveness compared with the original stereo. The laid-back passiveness is gone and replaced by the assertive one-punch thrust of the mono mix—except in full-bodied stereo. The new mix sits comfortably, even naturally, between the speakers. The center of the soundstage—once almost vacant of music given the hard right/left panning—has been restored... For the fans that have asked if only The Beatles could be heard without the technical roadblocks imposed during that era, this Revolver is for you. Yes, the original mono mixes still hold up well, but the new stereo version of Revolver is an achievement that can't be praised enough. As for the original stereos, they are now respected artifacts and collectibles to be relegated to the LP rack.