One of my projects is to attempt to collect original or near-original copies of The Beatles in mono.
I got the idea from a friend of mine, Nate Goyer, who runs The Vinyl Guide, which I highly recommend.
Why?
Most of the Beatles’ catalogue was originally mixed and released in the monophonic format. Stereo recordings were a fairly new concept for pop music in the 1960s and did not become standard until late in that decade. This explains why the Beatles’ initial album releases were mixed for mono. By the late sixties, however, stereo recording for pop music was becoming more popular and, thus, the new standard. Therefore, the last few Beatles albums—Abbey Road, and Let It Be—were mixed and released only in stereo. Many feel that the mono mixes reflect the true intention of the band.
Source: Wikipedia
| Have? | Title | Cat | Specs | Year |
| Y | Please Please Me |
PMCO 1202 | LP, Album, Mono, RP |
1964 |
| Y | With the Beatles | PMCO 1206 | LP, Album, Mono | 1964 |
| Y | A Hard Day’s Night | PMCO 1230 | LP, Album, Mono | 1964 |
| Y | Beatles For Sale | PMCO 1240 | LP, Album, Mono |
1965 |
| Y | Help! | PMCO 1255 | LP, Album, Mono |
1965 |
| Y | Rubber Soul | T 2442 | LP, Album, Mono | 1965 |
| Y | Revolver | PMCO 7009 | LP, Album, Mono |
1966 |
| Y | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band |
PMCO 7027 | LP, Album, Mono |
1967 |
| Magical Mystery Tour | 1967 | |||
| The Beatles | 1968 | |||
| Y | Yellow Submarine |
PMCO 7070 | LP, Album, Mono |
1969 |
I’m attempting to avoid paying crazy prices and to date the most I’ve paid is $40 for any individual LP.
Here’s a great website resource for collectors of Australian and New Zealand Beatles releases.