[Encore Pressing] Yellow Submarine [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 YELLOW SUBMARINE mini LP SHM-CD is quite nice. The laminated mini LP cover is well done. As the Mono Box did not include The Beatles final 3 albums, it's great to finally have Mini LPs of all the UK albums released during their active years (sans "A Collection of Beatles Oldies"). 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 flipback flaps were not glued as flawlessly as the Mini LPs featured in the Mono Box. A slight misalignment causes gaps in the corners and a spine that just isn't as perfectly placed as one would expect from a Japanese release such as this. 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 inner black sleeve to house the disc itself, as it was with the original UK-released album. The actual disc features a reproduced APPLE lable. Overall, a good collectable.

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.