''The Beatles Box Set'' is a sixteen-disc box set compiling the entire recorded works of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

as issued by the band between 1962 and 1970. It was released on 15 November 1988 in Britain and America, with the same catalogue number (Apple BBX2-91302) in each of those countries. While available also in vinyl LP and cassette formats, the box set was the first complete collection of original Beatles material to be released by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

on compact disc. ''The Beatles Box Set'' included all of the original UK album releases by the band, together with the 1967 US album ''

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...

''. The latter had been issued in the UK in November 1976, at which point the LP version superseded the original British EP of the same name. The box also contained the 1988 compilations ''

Past Masters ''Past Masters'' is a two-disc compilation album set by the English rock band the Beatles. It was originally released as two separate volumes on 7 March 1988, as part of the first issue of the band's catalogue on compact disc. The set compiles ...

: Volume One'' and ''Past Masters: Volume Two'', which grouped together singles, B-sides, EP tracks, and foreign releases not found on the band's UK studio albums. Although all these albums had been previously available in stereo on both LP and cassette, the versions of the first four albums included in ''The Beatles Box Set'' were the digitally remastered mono mixes issued on CD over 1987–88, which caused a considerable furor among Beatles fans and audiophiles. The collection was encased in a black oak roll-top box and included a soft-cover book with commentary on the songs by Beatles recording historian

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

. The set was also issued in a black vinyl covered cardboard box in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Although ''The Beatles Box Set'' failed to chart in either the UK or the US, it was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. A new '' Stereo Box'', containing remastered versions of the Beatles' core albums and ''Past Masters'', was released on 9 September 2009 along with ''

The Beatles in Mono ''The Beatles in Mono'' is a boxed set compilation comprising the remastered monaural recordings by the Beatles. The set was released on compact disc on 9 September 2009, the same day the remastered stereo recordings and companion '' The Beat ...

'' and new stereo reissues of the individual albums, including the first four albums given their stereo debuts on CD.

Album listing

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatles Box Set, The 1988 compilation albums The Beatles compilation albums Apple Records compilation albums Parlophone compilation albums Capitol Records compilation albums Albums produced by George Martin Albums produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Albums produced by Phil Spector Albums recorded at Apple Studios Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios Albums recorded at Trident Studios Albums arranged by George Martin Albums arranged by George Harrison Albums arranged by Mike Leander Albums arranged by John Lennon Albums arranged by Paul McCartney Albums conducted by George Martin Albums conducted by George Harrison Albums conducted by John Lennon Albums conducted by Paul McCartney Compilation albums published posthumously Reissue albums

Album listing

See also

Notes