Review: The Beatles Collection 1978 UK Singles Box

Plus I compare this 1978 box with the 2019!

[nickelias]

Hi Brian, great video—so, only the 1982 set had the movie medley 45 backed with I’m Happy Just To Dance With You. And I would put the sound quality on that set in 3rd behind the 70s set and the 2019, but the 82 set has beautiful picture sleeves made just for that box. But don’t get me wrong-the 82 set is a fun listen too !

[-dman]

3:40 That would explain why I can't recall it in UK shops when I started buying Beatles records in 1979. I bought 2nd-hand singles along the way & newer pressings, & may have discounted this box set anyway - - but in all the many record shops I visited weekly in Manchester those days (about 20 new & used retailers a week), I don't recall it. Box sets in shops in those days were next-to-nonexistent: I doubt there was much demand for them.
So perhaps your guess that they were mail order only is right.

My bias in those days against box sets was of a square marketing gimmick by the likes of Readers Digest. An attempt to make past releases yield more profits in a box that fossilised & worse still standardised pop happenings - - premature burials in the Seventies when nobody was yet resigned that The Beatles wouldn't reunite & were a thing of the past. Ex-Beatles themselves were fed up with us all not giving up the ghost. Then again I did buy the Red & Blues in 1979, when compiling singles on albums was a sign of a dead band.

I had a bias in my teens/20s, that I didn't remember I had until right now, against mail order only pitches: I remember cheesy TV ads & magazine ads for record editions from the likes of the Ktel label that seemed pitched to squares hyped with words like EXCLUSIVE & ONLY AVAILABLE...what we'd now call Ltd Editions. My association then was they were playing safe with music & by their very concept shifted rock & pop to M/O/R.
Nowadays I'd be interested - - now that rock & pop is in its archive stage & so are my derelict memories - - where box sets (ideally) make an effort to restore moments in time by attention to detail in packaging & mastering.

So that was my young man's bias that I'd forgotten for all these decades until right now in the middle of typing this.
I wonder what my next comment will dust off & remember? where I mislaid my replica Winchester rifle in 1967 hopefully.

7:29 Hey Bob!

[richardleclear]

Brian, great video! I have both the '78 version and the '82 version of this box set. There are many differences between the two, in the'78 version (which you also have) the sleeves for the singles are those somewhat generic versions, with the green border. The '82 version has sleeves which are the same pictures as the pic disc singles and full sized. The '82 version includes the Movie Medley single and the Love Me Do pic disc as bonus singles. The box for the '82 version is also similar to the BC13 LP box set, in that it is blue with gold printing on it, rather than the black box with that unique logo in gold on the '78 version. It is very tough to find these boxes in anything more that vg condition, it seems they don't wear well and the glue on the lid flap dries out, which means that it frequently is either loose or repaired, as your copy was. The '76 version of this set was even more different, as it didn't actually come in an outer box and only included the 22 original singles as issued while the band was still together. Although the singles weren't issued in their own box, they were shipped in a unique carton and it was up to the retailer how they were sold, many sets were broken up and sold individually. If you find a set with the original carton, they are a must grab imo. The individual singles were housed in the same green bordered somewhat generic sleeves. Cheers!

[WheelsWheels.]

I have this set with no movie medley. Mine however does have the additional insert for the Sgt Pepper single.

[JimmyLem]

I guess some people could be bothered by the sleeves and the green and stuff but I think it is cool.

I am also glad that Bob did not take the camera out.

[drums]

Great video, Brian. I ended up getting these all individually, without a box, which I'd love to find one. My only complaint is with the photos: they could have used individual, contemporary photos for each one. Audio wise, I think they sound fine, albeit a bit different as you point out. I have the other blue box set (I forget the year), and I think that one sounds really nice as well. A couple of the sleeve photos are out of date with their respective records in that one. Minor complaint.

[sharonevans]

Very nice set, have never seen this one before. Definitely a must have to complete a collection.

[andrewridge]

I got the set in 1976. They did indeed sound great. Even in 1976 some of the later singles were being pressed from the original cuttings. There was no presentation box at that time, just a corrugated cardboard shipping one, and "Yesterday" wasn't part of the set at that point. I think I bought it separately. The "Back In The USSR" single came out some months after the set, to promote the "Rock'n'Roll Music" double LP. America got "Got To Get You Into My Life"/ "Helter Skelter".
I looked at my "Let It Be" single from the set recently. Definitely a 1970 cutting. To drive the point home, there are two matrix numbers on the dead wax of "You Know My Name", APPLES 1002, which was crossed out, and the standard 7YCE- Parlophone matrix number. This of course demonstrates that "You Know My Name"was prepared for release as a Plastic Ono Band single, which would have come between "Cold Turkey" and "Instant Karma", 1001 and 1003, respectively. In Britain non-Beatle Apple records had their own catalogue numbers, rather than Parlophone ones, including the early Plastic Ono Band releases.
There was one major failing in the set though. "Yellow Submarine" was a newer cutting, for which the mono "Yellow Submarine" LP master was employed, rather than the mono "Revolver" LP master. As a result, the track is a fold-down of the stereo mix, rather than the actual mono mix. We all know the two noticeable differences.
This was corrected for the 1980s British singles set, but a new error was introduced instead on the "Hello Goodbye" single. The stereo stamper of "I Am The Walrus", from the "Magical Mystery Tour" EP, was employed instead of the mono single stamper. The difference between a 7YCE- and a 7XCE- prefix on the matrix number.
Oh, by the way. The Muddly Medley wasn't released until 1982, so it's way after the 1976 retail set or the World Records set, that you have. In fact Parlophone didn't want to release it here at all. The British issue came just over two months after the American one, and only because of the demand for it on import. I have a Capitol copy myself, sadly not the one with the interview segments on the B-side.
It's good to have new and regular output from you again.

[jamesschielein]

Good day Brian. You definitely have a 1978 set, as that's the year sgt Pepper was released as a single and Back in USSR was a single in 1976. The Movie Medley didn't come out til 1982

[markplank]

Was not aware of the 1970’s singles box set. Like that you compared it with the 2019 box set. It is another set to seek down the road.

[neilsteadman]

Hi Brian.Ihave the 1976 version which contains a floppy disc too.The sound quality is amazing.

[matae]

Hey brian great video. I have a friend who has the same box set But Have no pictures on the sleeves, just green. Do you know what year those came out. He would like to sell them to me for $200 I've kept them on the fence for over A year now. Just don't know anything about them. Your video was very informative but I wonder why these have no pictures. Just green sleeves

[Royzblitz]

I have this little gem and it really does make you sit up and listen to these iconic singles due to you having to turn them over. I would love to acquire a dedicated mono stylus for true clarity tho. Just wondering if that was you experience as well ?

[georgeprice]

The Movie Medley was a 1982 single conceived by Capitol Records. It wouldn’t be in the 1978 box.

[darthwarren]

Is the love me do disc the single mix of the song or the album mix

[bobf.]

Not too creative with the covers. There are singles missing.money grab 2 different sets, then a 3rd ? No wonder Paul is a Billionaire

[Recurring]

Hey Mr. You can’t really say they’re so close in terms of sound quality” and then 30 seconds later say “there’s a lot more more life energy and electricity” with the other… this obviously makes it sound that there IS a big difference. I like your videos in general but you have this constant habit of contradicting yourself which makes it hard to know what your real feelings are about certain things. Not trying to be over critical but if you listen to the last part of your video hopefully you know what I mean