Beatlemania, Again

With Tuesday's or 09/09/09's (get it, number 9, number 9 number 9) release of the Beatles entire recorded works in remastered (but not remixed) stereo and separate (argh!!!!) mono box sets and single CD stereo releases, along with The Beatles: Rock Band video game, several media brain trusts are calling this Beatlemania Redux.  They say this is when a whole new generation of Beatle fans will be indoctrinated to Beatle Fandom.

I personally think I'd rather wait to see how it plays out before making such pronouncements.  Yes, the Stereo and Mono Box Sets are all but sold out of their first pressings at online retailers and reports that brick and mortar stores have seen their shipments both box sets number in the 3 - 5 range but I will still wait to see what really happens. 

The initial reports had the mono box set limited to 10,000 sets in the US (!?!?).  That really is undershooting demand as that is not a lot of boxes for the entire country, especially with the hype of it being the way the Beatles themselves preferred their music. 

I do think that the amount of money spent on the Beatles on that day will be huge.  I'm just not so sure it will be anyone other than us old fogies buying Beatles music all over again.

So as I said, we'll see what happens on Tuesday.  I have my Rock Band on pre-order and will pick up Rubber Soul, Revolver, the White Album and Abbey Road after work.

Here's what some well know Chicago Beatlemaniacs have to say about the remasters from the Chicago Tribune.