Review by Regan Flint

Rubber Soul , like all of the other 2014 BEATLES Japanese SHM-CDS look and sound amazing. There are NO defects on the packaging. Yes , they are made of card board but they are double or more folded with the usual plastic / paper inserts. The CDS do not fall out easily at all. All of the double albums are folded even more. You get all of the ordinal LP goodies in mini LP size. That is a real bonus for mini LPS like The BEATLES [The White Album] and Sargent Peppers. As for the sound , it is nothing short of incredible and they sound much better than the 2009 remasters. Beware of some people who write that they didn't even like the 2009 remasters. These Japanese SHM-CDS are louder , cleaner and clearer than the 2009 remasters which I really liked but these do sound much better. Just try 1 on these BEATLES SHM-CDS and find out for yourself.

ALL of these BEATLES JAPANESE SHM-CDS look and sound amazing. PACKAGING : ALL of these Japanese SHM-CDS are card board but are double [or more for double albums] folded with the usual plastic / paper inserts. The SHM-CDS do not fall out easily. ALL of these Japanese BEATLE SHM-CDS come with their ordinal LP album goodies. YES , THE WHITE ALBUM mini LPs have the ordinal LP poster [actually it folds out to a much bigger size] and the 4 individual pictures of the Beatles in full colour as just 1 example. SOUND : The sound is a dramatic change over the 2009 remasters. They are louder [not too much] cleaner and clearer. This is very well notice listening Sargent Peppers bringing it up to a greater level of sound. I guess that is why most CD JAPAN reviewers love their sound , like I do.? I guess that is why these Beatles SHM-CDS are selling like hot cakes [second pressing].? Try just 1 on these Japanese SHM-CDS and find out for your self. They are worth every YEN.

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.

These remastered Beatles SHM-CDs are the best sounding Beatles CDs ever. No wonder that the vast majority of reviews at CD JAPAN give these BEATLE SHM-CDS / 5 stars. The Beatles , commonly referred to as "the white album" is no exception. 1. Yes , the packaging is card board but it is double folded card board with the usual plastic CD inserts for all of the other mini LPS. . The BEATLES mini LP is folded 4 times. They SHM-CDS are NOT in single card board , so they do not fall out easily. I have no idea what a few other reviewers bought but these SHM-CDs are not what they are describing. As part of the incredibly detailed packaging you get 4 almost 4 x 6 size colour portraits of each Beatle. Smaller versions of the LP size photos but very high quality non the less. You also get a smaller version of the poster that came with the ordinal LP. The poster does fold out. So it is much bigger the the mini LP. 2. As for the sound , again the vast majority of reviewers just love the sound. Like I do. The sound is NOT identical to the 2009 remasters at all. IT is far better. I guess that is why these Beatle SHM-CDS are selling like hot cakes. When people have actually listened to them , they get it. Get these SHM-CDS while you can.

As one of the people who have actually heard these SHM-CDS [NOT a per release comment] and all I can say is WOW!!! These are so much better than the 2009 remasters. i bought and have heard ALL of them now. Yes these are louder but also cleaner and clearer. I started with Sargent Peppers and then I bought ABBEY ROAD , etc...Beware of false reviews from people who visit and believe the Steve Hoffman web site's. These Beatle SHM-CDS are worth every YEN.

I own all not the 2009 Beatles remasters on CD. They all sounded excellent to me except for Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Don't get me wrong , the 2009 remaster are all excellent sounding but this 2014 of version of S.P. takes the sound to another level for this 1 album. I have not heard the rest of them. I will be getting ABBEY ROAD just to see [hear it]. While the 2009 version could have been a little cleaner and clearer the 2014 version is just perfect. It is also just a little louder. The I would compare the vast sound improvement to the difference between the GENESIS 2007 / 08 remasters to the fantastic sounding 2013 [ordinal] GENESIS SHM-CD remasters. So if you want to hear this classic album at it's absolute best get the 2014 Sargent Peppers SHM-CD. It is worth every yen.

After years of record company rip off with just re-packaging and no real improvement in sound Bruce and Bob Ludwig finally get BRUCE'S CDS sounding amazing. The most improved albums are THE RIVER & NEBRASKA. The RIVER has a lot more bass. Is louder clearer and cleaner. NEBRASKA 's hiss is almost gone and you hear not just guitars but guitar strings. In all of these remasters the difference in sound compared to ALL other older CDS is just stunning. Even the recently remastered BTR and DARKNESS sound better in this box set. In every album you will hear every note. Clearer , cleaner bass , drums , keyboards , backing vocals , guitars , horns [the Big Man's Sax really sings here]. The packaging for the CDS is mini album size so some of the booklet is hard to read but I don't buy CDS for their packaging. If you want the incredible GOODIES [extras] then buy the vinyl box set which is more expensive. I understand why some people might not want to buy these. SONY / COLUMBIA went to this well once to often. HOWEVER , if you love BRUCE and don't get these beautifully remastered CDS you will have NO idea about what you are missing.

IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT'S sound , is so perfect now , it will blow your mind. The same thing can be written about the CRIMES OF PASSION album. Wait until you hear PAT'S voice when it is properly remastered. Both albums are not as loud as the 2006 remasters. In this case , that is a great thing. It is loud enough so you don't have to turn it up to ear splitting volumes just to hear more detail like you have too with MFSL Gold discs. The sound on this SHM-CD is so clear and clean that it hurts in a good way. # ALSO : Please see my review of the CRIMES OF PASSION / SHM-CD. WOW!!!

In my opinion this is PAT BENATAR'S classic / best album along with the album , IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. Both of these albums were remastered in 2006 , however they were too harsh sounding [too loud]. These 2014 SHM-CD remasters fix all of that and offer much more. CRIMES OF PASSION , is so clean and clear that it hurts. You will never hear Pat Benatar's voice so clearly and in perfect balance with the other instruments. And what a voice she has. It's even better when it is heard remastered properly. It is not as loud as the 2006 remasters but it is loud enough so you don't have to turn it up to ear splitting volumes just to hear more detail. I can say the exact same things about the , IN THE NIGHT OF THE NIGHT , album. I will never have to buy these CDs again. Buy these while you can.

You get all of the the ordinal LP art work including , a full LP size BILLION DOLLAR bill. SCHOOL'S OUT , has a CD size pair of woman's panties...lol... As usual , besides the incredible art work you also get the amazing sound that you hear on all of the other ALICE COOPER [band & solo] Japanese 2011 , mini albums. If you like GENESIS , check out the 2013 / GENESIS studio mini albums. They look and sound just as great as the ALICE COOPER's , do. ENJOY!!!

Just like the Japanese studio mini albums of 2011 / from ALICE COOPER [band , solo] & all of the 2013 / GENESIS Japanese remastered SHM-CDs the , this ZZ TOP / 2013 remaster doesn't disapoint. Every thing is clear , crish & hopping mad Texas style sound wise...Another winner from , CD JAPAN. In Canada , they are called ZED ZED TOP...lol... THANKS , CD JAPAN !!!

I own all of the the 2007 / 2008 Genesis remasters and they sounded very good but there were some major problems with them. The 2007 / 2008 remasters were excellent for the GENESIS with Peter Gabriel Live , video DVD extras. Those live video DVD extras were worth the price alone. However , I found that Steve Hackett's guitar was too low in the mix on the CDS. On the audio DVDs it seemed like the vocals were too loud , drowning out the rest of the band. These amazing 2013 Japanese GENESIS mini studio albums solve all of these problems and more. Just like the recent fantastic sounding and looking ALICE COOPER [band & solo] Japanese mini studio albums , these Japanese remasters are some of the best remasters that I have ever heard and have seen!!! THE LAMB , is no exception to this. Finally every note is heard by every one. Genesis sounds like a rock band again. ALL of these new Genesis remasters [I own 7 of them] sound and look incredible , finally. The mini album's art work is also outstanding. Get these while you can. They are worth every penny [YEN].

As some of you are already finding out , this is the absolute BEST version of this album , ever!!! Even better than the 2007 / 2008 remasters. WHY??? STEVE H. [his last Genesis album] now has the sound that he and the rest of the band , deserves [after hearing this under rated GENESIS , master piece for the 5th version]. I have found that ALL of the Genesis 2013 remasters that I own sound just incredible. Get these GENESIS [2013 SHM-CDs] before they are gone. So , are CD JAPAN , going to release any , GENESIS Live? I really , really hope so!!!

I have to disagree with a very small group of reviewers who keep propagadting a loudness war myth. Yes some CDs have been remastered too loud but not this CD or any other of THE CARS / CDs which all sound excellent. As do the Genesis [2013] , Alice Cooper , Rod Stewart , RUSH , BAD COMPANY and BTO , which all sound amazing as well. You would have to of actually heard these CDs to know that NOT just guess at what they may sound like? Don't fall for the MFSL sound police. Find out for yourself.

First of all , this is the first BTO / remastered SHM-CD , 2013 that I have heard. I am very glad that I bought this BTO , 2013 / SHM-CD. The amazing sounding GENESIS [2013] , ROD STETART , all of RUSH's catalog , ALICE COOPER , LED ZEPPELIN [box set] , BAD COMPANY and BTO by BTO sounds just as great. However , I can't speak for the other BTO / SHM-CDs because I have not heard them. BTO / BTO , is a winner , period!!!

Genesis' MAMA , sounding right...finally!!! Yes , the 2007 / 2008 Genesis remasters were very good. However , in my opinion , there were some problems. The title song "MAMA" never seemed to have loud enough keyboards at it's very start. The 5.1 versions from 2007 / 2008 sound as if the vocals are too loud and the lead guitar was too low. This CD and the other 2013 japanese SHM-CDs solves those problems with much greater balance. Also , like with ALL the other many Japanese Genesis 2013 remastered SHM-CDs that I now own and have heard , they sound is amazing. I hear new things in everying song. "That's All" , will suprise you. "HOME BY THE SEA". Oh my God!!! Mike R's bass , rumbles a long like he is playing on a fast running horse. "Tonight , Tonight , Tonight" has an incredible sound computerised drum riff that is now clearly heard. I could go on and on. All you need is 2 or 4 or 5 speaker extended stereo systen [like in your car or house] to be completely blown away by all of these Genesis 2013 Japanese SHM-CDs. CHEERS!!!

As with the other Alice Cooper remastered SHM-CDs [2011] the sound and the packaging are excellent are far better than any MFSL versions. I bought this CD , LOVE IT TO DEATH , KILLER , SCHOOLS OUT [I love the pair of woman panties] , BILLION DOLLAR BABIES and Welcome To My Nightmare , during their last release at CD JAPAN. Don't miss your second chance to get these. All are worth every penny. This is the was they should have to done in the first place!!! No ,so called " glitches " on any of my ALICE / SHM-CDs. ENJOY!!!

As I have already stated in my review of SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND. Weither it is the SHM-CD and / or the Japanese pressings these SHM-CDs surpass the 2007 / 2008 remasters. They are slightly louder but not too loud and have a cleaness and clearity that is incredible. The vocals , STEVE H. guitar are both more clear than on their 2007 / 2008 counterparts. I know that these SHM-CDs are more expensive but they are worth every penny. I have bought SELLING ENGLAND , FOXTROT , THE LAMB , TRICK and WIND & WUTHERING and I am so happy that I did. I can't wait to also hear , INVISIBLE TOUCH.

I have this SHM-CD and THE LAMB , FOXTROT , TRICK and WIND & WURTHERING and all I can say is , WOW!!! I wasn't sure if I needed these SHM-CDs because I already had the 2007 / 2008 remasters. Those were very good and these are more expensive? I started with THE LAMB. Then I got SELLING ENGLAND & FOXTROT. When I compared these SHM-CDs with my 2007 / 2008 remasters I noticed a couple of amazing things. Weither it is the SHM-CD disc and / or the Japanese pressing , I was blown away that these SHM-CDs were slightly louder and much , much more cleaner & clearer than their 2007 / 2008 counterparts , which was hard too do. The vocals sound so much better than before as does every thing else. You also hear STEVE H's guitar more clearly and the keyboards are just mind blowing. Incredible bass and drums sounds. If you love GENESIS and want to hear their albums sounding at their peak buy at least 1 of these Japanese SHM-CDs / 2013 and find out for yourself. They are well worth every penny.

The CARS name and album title are on a sticker that is provided with this SHM-CD. You can place the sticker on the album any where you want to. As for the so called "loudness war" that is mostly a MYTH started by MFSL fans [see : Steve Hoffman]. It is interesting that you can also get some of the CARS CDs from MFSL. Those sound just like the ordinal CDs. These CARS / SHM-CDs are vastly superior sounding than the MFSL versions. I hear no problems with these CDs and they sound amazing just like the ALICE COOPER 2011 / SHM-CDs do. However , you have to hear them for yourself. I also highly recommended buying THE CARS and HEARTBEAT CITY , as well!!!