In a day and age when the word "remastered" is spackled all too liberally across the covers of countless classic album releases, it seems the term has all but lost its meaning. News of The Beatles remastered collection, however, was noteworthy for the fact that while the Fab Four's money-making machine has put out a Beatles disc of some kind nearly every year for the last 40 years or so, the original studio LP's have been notoriously stagnant since their debut on CD for the first time in 1987.

Interestingly enough, in addition to the standard-fare stereo editions that most people have been familiar with for years, the first ten albums were also getting a deluxe treatment in a mono box set as well.

For the uninitiated, mono (or monaural) means that the same mix of music comes out of both speakers, whereas a stereo mix might have the guitars on the left channel, vocals on the right and so on. If one of the speakers in your car has ever gone out, you know what I'm talking about. Don't feel bad if you didn't know the difference, though. Mono has largely been obsolete since the late 1960's.

So why would anyone care about a mono recording, when perfectly serviceable stereo versions have been the standard for so many years, and in fact the only versions that many younger Beatles fans have ever heard? Simply put, the mono mixes are a totally different sonic experience from their stereo counterparts.

Since mono was the standard during the height of the Beatles' glory days (as of yet, stereo was exclusive to mostly a handful of audiophiles, mostly jazz and classical music snobs), the band and producer George Martin gave the most attention to the final mono mix of the albums. A stereo mix might not be made for weeks, or even months afterwards, and often it was produced by studio engineers without the band's involvement or approval. Thus, the mono mix would have been the only one with the official Beatles stamp of approval.

While this sort of snobbery may not be best applied to The Beatles' earlier catalogue, which at the time appealed most widely to the screaming teenage girl set, works like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band definitely benefit from being restored to their original mixes.

The only drawback to all of this is that the mono versions of the albums are only available as a box set. While I acknowledge that the early hits are catchy, instantly recognizable and memorable tunes, they have been very nearly destroyed by years of saturation on classic rock and oldies radio airplay that I hardly feel the need to ever hear "I Want To Hold Your Hand" again, let alone own a copy of it. This is the very reason why this review is being written over six months after the debut of the remastered collection; I already had the Beatle albums I would argue are necessary (Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album...I also rounded out the collection with Help! and Abbey Road , but by no means would I consider them essential) and I would by no means consider myself an audiophile. Not, at least, by the standards of those who get excited about being able to hear Ringo's squeaky bass drum pedal, or John's straining vocal chords on "Twist and Shout". Honestly, only Beatles fans are this persnickety. You don't read this kind of shit in customer reviews for Madonna's latest hits package.

And, as evidenced above by a less enthusiastic remark on the holy relic otherwise known as Abbey Road, you may have guessed that I by no means belong to the camp of Beatle-maniacs that worship everything the Fab Four ever put out. Anyone with claims of Beatle infallibility is just being damn dishonest. The Beatles, while stunningly brilliant on the whole, were not above occasional lapses in taste and judgment. (Listen to "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", watch the Magical Mystery Tour movie, and read the story of Magic Alex if you still don't believe it.)

So I held out until someone on Amazon.com made me an offer I couldn't refuse – $99 for a box that retails new for $230. So I took the plunge, knowing at least I wasn't directly lining the pockets of Sir Paul McCartney.

The mono box will appeal to purists on almost all fronts. Not only are all the albums remastered in their original, glorious mono mixes, but each album also comes with it's own miniature LP replica sleeve, identical to the original artwork and inserts of the vinyl releases. This thoughtful repackaging might have been worth the money alone, but how does it sound?

Fucking awesome, as it turns out.

You will be surprised at the amount of space and depth that a mono recording is capable of delivering. The remastered mixes render the music in shocking clarity and separation, and those incredible bass lines sound better than ever. The guitar solo in "Good Morning Good Morning" will tear your face off, and "Day Tripper" and "Paperback Writer" have serious bite in mono. The mono versions of these songs will remind you that above all else, The Beatles were seriously formidable performers, and a damn solid rock band when they were at their best.

But what about the differences between the mono and stereo mixes we've heard so much about?

Sgt. Pepper, the much-acclaimed end-all and be-all of rock records – I still say The Beach Boys Pet Sounds is better, so there – is the most drastically different of the set. And given that this is arguably the most important of The Beatles' releases, to hear it as the group intended is quite an experience. I don't care to document each and every detail here (that's been done exhaustively in other, much more obsessive reviews than this one), but the biggest noticeable difference is that "She's Leaving Home" is considerably faster than it is in stereo. Granted, even at the correct pitch and speed, the song is still a bloated piece of blow-hardery. But if you must listen to the album front-to-back (as you should, at least every now and again), the song mercifully ends a full ten seconds earlier than you're used to.

On the White Album, "Helter Skelter" is almost a full minute shorter, and the pained shout of "I've got blisters on my fingers!!" is not present in the mono mix. I have to say that while the mono mix is very good, the stereo version the White Album is probably still the best. For everything else before it, though, mono is king.

If you're going to reinvest your hard-earned, recession-era dollars in upgrading your Beatles collection – or if you're going to be listening to the music for the first time – let me assure you that The Beatles in Mono is the place to start. And given that only the weaker, final efforts of the group – Abbey Road and Let It Be – are missing, it's not a bad place to stop, either. Fortunately for both purists and completionists, the remastered stereo versions of these albums are available for sale individually, unlike any of the discs in the mono box. And hell, while you're buying the White Album yet again anyway, you may as well go nuts and throw in the remastered stereo version and truly have it all.