The Capitol Albums, Volume 2
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The Capitol Albums, Volume 2 is a box set compilation comprised of The Beatles' 1965 American Capitol Records releases. The set, which features the official stereo versions of a number of tracks on compact disc, was announced on 2006-03-22. The CDs were mastered from submaster tapes taken from the Capitol Records vaults, using the original George Martin mixes, instead of those prepared by Capitol A&R executive Dave Dexter, Jr, who added reverb to several tracks and simulated stereo on mono tracks. Dexter's mixes were made available on the second pressings of these albums, which are not the versions used for this set.
The official release date of 2006-04-11 was the 42nd Anniversary of The Beatles holding a record 14 positions in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was one week after The Beatles monopolised the Top 5 positions in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The box set debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart on April 29, 2006 at number 46, with approximate sales of 27,000 copies. It was awarded a gold record by the RIAA on May 19, 2006.
Incorrect mono mixes
A number of box sets and sampler discs made available prior to the April 11th release date (a result of an earlier UK release date as well as pre-orders shipping early and advance copies) have the incorrect mono mixes on Beatles VI and Rubber Soul. While the original mono mixes were intended, these sets only have mono fold-downs of the stereo versions. It was initially unknown whether this error was restricted to one pressing plant, or all pressings, but now seems to involve all sets prior to the issue of the "corrected" version.
Beatles author Bruce Spizer, who also wrote the set's in-depth liner notes, told The Beatles fan website whatgoeson.com that a "third party mastering facility incorrectly sent stereo-to-mono mixdowns" to be pressed rather than the vintage mono mixes.[1]
The "folded down stereo mixes" are actually the stereo mix consolidated into both speakers. Although the mixes are technically in mono (in the sense that the sound in both the right and left channels is the same), they are not the actual mono mixes released by Capitol in 1965. There are some very noticeable differences, such as the actual mono mix of "I'm Looking Through You" (on Rubber Soul) lacking the false start found on the stereo mix, while the fold-down mono includes the false start. The differences between the stereo and mono mixes are one of the main draws for collectors.
The easiest way to tell if the set has the correct mono mixes is to check the total playing time of the discs on a CD player. The discs with the correct mono mixes have a slightly longer playing time.
Disc 1 = 52:25
Disc 2 = 56:16 (disc with incorrect mono mix is 56:01)
Disc 3 = 59:07
Disc 4 = 59:08 (disc with incorrect mono mix is 59:01)
Disc listing
- Each disc in the collection contains both the stereo and mono versions of each album.
- See below for links to articles pertaining to each individual album.
| Disc 1: The Early Beatles | Disc 2: Beatles VI |
| CDP 0946 3 57498 2 3 | CDP 0946 3 57499 2 2 |
| Disc 3: Help! (American version) | Disc 4: Rubber Soul (American version) |
| CDP 0946 3 57500 2 7 | CDP 0946 3 57501 2 6 |
Notes
- ^ Spizer, Bruce. "The Capitol Albums - Duophonic Delights & Mono Mishaps". What Goes On.
