[Encore Pressing] Revolver [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [SHM-CD] [Limited Release]

First off, this is NOT an audiophile review. I am reviewing this release from a purely aesthetic point of view. This stereo REVOLVER mini LP SHM-CD is quite nice. The laminated mini LP cover is excellent! This pressing is visually identical to the Mono Box version, except of course, the mono vs. stereo identifications in the upper right hand corner of the front cover. What caused me to deduct a star from my review is the one flaw many of the mini LP in this set unfortunately feature. When looking at the album from the back cover, it is apparent that the folded flaps were not glued as flawlessly as the mono counterpart. A slight misalignment causes gaps in the corners and a spine that just isn't as perfect as the mono version. Not a major drawback, but disappointing nonetheless. On a positive note, this encore release features a resealable outer sleeve with a blue sticker (as opposed to the 1st pressing red sticker), a nice OBI, the 2009 booklet identical to the one released with the digipak version, and an additional booklet with song lyrics in English. Also included is a rice paper sleeve and the reproduced paper sleeve to house the disc itself, as it was with the original UK-released album. The actual disc features a reproduced PARLOPHONE lable. Overall, a good collectable.

1. Packaging : Each SHM-CD mini LP is double folded or more card board with the usually plastic / paper inserts. The Beatles and all other double albums are folded 4 or more times so in each case these excellent Japanese SHM-CDS do NOT fall out easily. These Beatles Japanese SHM-CDS are exact reproductions of each ordinal Beatles LP with the ordinal album goodies included inside. REVOLVER , is no exception. 2. The sound is just incredible. Much better than the 2009 remasters. They are louder , clearer and cleaner. It is no wonder why the vast majority of reviewers at CD JAPAN love their sound. It is also no wonder why these Beatles SHM-CDS are selling like hot cakes [encore printing]. Some people don't like any thing that isn't remastered by MFSL. These people have no idea what they are missing. I buy my Japanese SHM-CDS for their excellent SOUND and not just their packaging. I get both in top quality here. For best results listen to these Japanese SHM-CDS using 4 or 5 speaker with an extended stereo option on your receiver. If you don't have that kind of system you can still hear the vastly improved sound. These Beatles SHM-CDS remained me of how great the ordinal 2013 GENESIS SHM-CDS remasters from CD Japan sounded and looked.

Let us admit it: many of us buy mini-LPs not for the music that we often know by heart and love. We pay top dollar for Japan mini-LPs because just looking at the faithfully reproduced replicas of the original LP covers or holding them in our hands is a trip down memory lane. Sure enough we expect Japanese quality from these products and actually rarely get disappointed. Alas, this is not the case at all with seven of these Beatles mini-LPs. I am not reviewing the sound quality here as I fully concur with Mathias Netzker's professional opinion on the RS, SPLHCB, and AR editions: "They used the same bass heavy and compressed digtal 2009 Remasters. The only differences I could find out, is that this SHM-CD is louder than the Standard CD". It is not my intention to review the SHM format, either. If it is the same 2009 remastering, this is what you get. The SHM sound quality improvements are miniscule at best. The real disappointment is the flipback covers for Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Yellow Submarine. All of these sleeves are poorly folded and glued, which results in gaps at the corners and misplaced spines. One can actually read the name of the artist and the album title printed on the spine when looking straight at the front of the cover. Both the original and encore releases have this defect that is hidden behind the obi. Just take the mini-lp out of the plastic sleeve and obi and see for yourself what I am talking about. It is hard to believe that these mini-LPs are made in Japan and I wonder if Universal Music outsourced the manufacturing to another country. In contrast, the Japanese-made cardboard sleeves in The Beatles in Mono box set (2009) are flawless. The non-flipback covers for Abbey Road and Let It Be are fine, and so are the gatefold sleeves of The Beatles for Sale, SPLHCB, Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles (White Album), and Past Masters. In conclusion, the mini-LP covers for Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Yellow Submarine are defective. Sound-wise, all of these CDs are identical with the regular 2009 remasters in digipack that are available from Amazon Marketplace for $4-6 apiece + S&H.