![1964 U.S. Albums in Mono [Box Set] by The Beatles](https://assets.chorus.reviews/cdn-cgi/image/width=400,quality=85,format=webp,fit=scale-down/images/the-beatles/1964-us-albums-in-mono-box-set/c0c3ba67-8bd0-5bb5-b5c2-49e8bada41ad.jpg)
The Beatles 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono [Box Set]
The Beatles's 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono [Box Set] reframes American Beatlemania with a jolting clarity, restoring Capitol's oddball sequencing and the mono mixes that made early U.S. pressings immediate and punchy. Critics agree the set answers whether the U.S. catalog is worth revisiting: across three professional reviews it earned an 83.33/100 consensus score, with reviewers repeatedly pointing to the visceral charge of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” as emblematic highlights.
The critical consensus emphasizes historical significance, audio fidelity, and collector value. Record Collector and Rolling Stone both praise the muscular mono mixes for bringing back the songs' punch, while Mojo applauds the packaging and the way these releases capture the era's triumphal sound. Reviewers consistently cite the Meet the Beatles! Side One sequencing - opening with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” - as a standout sequence, and Rolling Stone singles out Something New and Beatles '65 as recommended entry points for the best songs on the box. Critics also note the tension between preservation and commercialization, acknowledging Capitol's reconfigured track lists even as the restored mono fidelity redeems those decisions.
Overall the box set reads as both a historical document and a listening pleasure: professional reviews call it a powerful restoration that will satisfy collectors and newcomers curious about the U.S. catalogue differences. For anyone asking if 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono [Box Set] is good, the consensus score and repeated praise for the mono mixes and key tracks make a persuasive case to explore these American snapshots of Beatlemania further.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
I Want To Hold Your Hand
3 mentions
"“I Want To Hold Your Hand” (their most joyful boy noise)"— Rolling Stone
All My Loving
1 mention
"“All My Loving,” where any emotional hesitation collapses the moment Paul sings"— Rolling Stone
mono mixes
1 mention
"the mono mixes have a vitality and punch often lacking from recent remixes"— Record Collector
“I Want To Hold Your Hand” (their most joyful boy noise)
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Back In The U.S.S.R. - Remastered 2009
Dear Prudence - Remastered 2009
Glass Onion - Remastered 2009
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - Remastered 2009
Wild Honey Pie - Remastered 2009
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill - Remastered 2009
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Remastered 2009
Happiness Is A Warm Gun - Remastered 2009
Martha My Dear - Remastered 2009
I'm So Tired - Remastered 2009
Blackbird - Remastered 2009
Piggies - Remastered 2009
Rocky Raccoon - Remastered 2009
Don't Pass Me By - Remastered 2009
Why Don't We Do It In The Road? - Remastered 2009
I Will - Remastered 2009
Julia - Remastered 2009
Birthday - Remastered 2009
Yer Blues - Remastered 2009
Mother Nature's Son - Remastered 2009
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey - Remastered 2009
Sexy Sadie - Remastered 2009
Helter Skelter - Remastered 2009
Long, Long, Long - Remastered 2009
Revolution 1 - Remastered 2009
Honey Pie - Remastered 2009
Savoy Truffle - Remastered 2009
Cry Baby Cry - Remastered 2009
Revolution 9 - Remastered 2009
Good Night - Remastered 2009
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Re
Critic's Take
Fans who remember The Beatles on vinyl will relish The Beatles and the way 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono [Box Set] revels in the oddball US sequencing and muscular mono mixes. The reviewer singles out the "killer opening one-two" of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” as relentless thrills, and praises the mono mixes' vitality and punch. There is also a practical note about collectibility, with the 2009 UK mono box's prices underlining why this set will turn heads. The tone is affectionate and slightly wry, making the case that the mono versions offer a listening experience distinct from recent remixes.
Key Points
-
The mono mixes make “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” feel thrilling and immediate.
-
The set's strengths are its lively mono sound, faithful presentation of the US catalogue oddities, and collector appeal.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Rolling Stone review reads like a fan’s triumphant field guide to the U.S. Beatles catalog, insisting that The Beatles's 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono finally gives these records the home they deserve. Sheffield marvels at how Side One of Meet the Beatles - with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” - still sounds like "one of the great Side Ones" and argues those songs are among the best tracks on 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono. He praises the new mixes for fixing Capitol's echo and pseudo-stereo, which makes classics such as “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” pop again. The piece recommends Something New and Beatles ’65 as starting points for listeners seeking the best songs on the box, calling the whole set a "spectacular redemption" for these oft-forgotten albums.
Key Points
-
The box’s best song moments are the Side One sequence from Meet the Beatles, led by “I Want To Hold Your Hand” for sheer joyous impact.
-
The album’s core strengths are historical restoration and improved audio fidelity, which redeem and clarify the U.S. edits.
Themes
Critic's Take
David Fricke writes that 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono captures the historic, unbeatable sound of conquest, and his attention keeps landing on raucous crowd-pleasers like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You”. He praises the set's mono fidelity and first-class packaging that make truncated, reissued Americana feel new, noting how Meet The Beatles! cleaves to visceral finesse. Fricke is candid about Capitol's mercenary sequencing yet still treats these songs as party-state proclamations of influence and joy. The review centers the best tracks as proof that, despite the compromises, these are the definitive U.S. pop hits that drove Beatlemania.
Key Points
-
The best song moments, like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You”, are definitive because they delivered the visceral, shotgun impact of Beatlemania to America.
-
The album's strengths are its mono fidelity, historic sequencing quirks, and packaging that make these American-era truncations feel new and thrilling.