THE BEATLES BOX SET
Parlophone BBX1
Parlophone BBX1
PAGE LAST UPDATED: 20 JANUARY 2025
GENERAL ALBUM INFORMATION
In 1986, EMI UK digitally remastered The Beatles' UK catalogue for release on CD, and subsequently vinyl and cassette. In doing so, the catalogue was standardised worldwide, establishing a canon comprising the twelve original UK studio LPs plus the US album version of Magical Mystery Tour. The remaining Beatles material that had not been issued on the original studio LPs was gathered on a two-volume Past Masters compilation.
When the decision was made to release the catalogue in a new box set, including vinyl and cassette formats, EMI (Australia) dutifully followed instruction and remastered all albums from CD copies that they had in their library. The new masters were cut at EMI's Homebush factory by Paul Bryant (up to and including Rubber Soul, plus Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters) and Allan Parsons (Revolver to Let It Be) over the weekend of 12/13 November 1988 on a Neumann VMS-80/82 disc lathe utilising Direct Metal Mastering technology.
The resulting Beatles Box Set was released on 19 December 1988 (CDBBX 1 @ $329, BBX 1 @ $229 and TCBBX 1 @ $229). The collection was presented in a "Designer Black Ash Connoisseur's Cabinet" imported from the UK, including soft-cover booklet with commentary on the songs by Beatles recording historian Mark Lewisohn. While EMI (Australia) had already released the new 'Digitally Remastered' albums individially on both CD and cassette (the latter in one drop on 11 April 1988), the box set marked the first local release of the albums on LP. See discography and individual album pages for specifics.
The box set spent 4 weeks on the charts, reaching #82.
When the decision was made to release the catalogue in a new box set, including vinyl and cassette formats, EMI (Australia) dutifully followed instruction and remastered all albums from CD copies that they had in their library. The new masters were cut at EMI's Homebush factory by Paul Bryant (up to and including Rubber Soul, plus Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters) and Allan Parsons (Revolver to Let It Be) over the weekend of 12/13 November 1988 on a Neumann VMS-80/82 disc lathe utilising Direct Metal Mastering technology.
The resulting Beatles Box Set was released on 19 December 1988 (CDBBX 1 @ $329, BBX 1 @ $229 and TCBBX 1 @ $229). The collection was presented in a "Designer Black Ash Connoisseur's Cabinet" imported from the UK, including soft-cover booklet with commentary on the songs by Beatles recording historian Mark Lewisohn. While EMI (Australia) had already released the new 'Digitally Remastered' albums individially on both CD and cassette (the latter in one drop on 11 April 1988), the box set marked the first local release of the albums on LP. See discography and individual album pages for specifics.
The box set spent 4 weeks on the charts, reaching #82.