Beatles’ Box Set in LPs, Tapes, CDs Coming Out in October

Any ultimate Beatles fans out there? With ultimate spending money for compact discs? For those so lucky to have the right combination of fanaticism and cash, Capitol Records is preparing a fab box set of 16 Fab Four CDs.

In October, the record company (along with EMI Records in Britain) will release a boxed CD set containing all of the songs from 13 Beatles albums plus the alternate-version material that appeared on two “Past Masters” CDs released earlier this year.

Sorry, but there’s no indication that further differing mixes or outtakes will be included.

According to Bob Bernstein, a Capitol-EMI spokesman, the box set will bring together “the entire studio works” of the most famous rock group in history. The material from the previously released Beatles CDs will not be condensed to fit fewer discs in the boxed version. There will be one CD per album, except for “The Beatles” (a.k.a. “The White Album”), which was released on two CDs.

No word yet on a title, how much the set will cost (though plenty would be a good guess), or what form the packaging will take. However, Bernstein said there will also be LP and tape versions of the box set.

MORE BEATLES ON CD--SORT OF: The Beatle whose solo projects are least in demand these days? It’s no contest. Ringo’s star has faded--to the degree that Capitol hasn’t digitally remastered any of the drummer/sometime-singer’s several albums for CD.

However, fans of Ringo Starr can partially rejoice in the fact that “the quiet Beatle”--as he was known around the time of “A Hard Day’s Night”-- will be heard on CD to some extent.

Capitol has licensed the Los Angeles independent label Rhino to offer some of Ringo’s material on CD, and the first result should be in the stores by January, says Rhino VP of A&R; Gary Stewart.

Though the 16 tracks on the “Starrdust” CD (12 on the vinyl version) will consist of tracks from several of the artist’s LPs, it’s not so much a “Best of” as a “Second Best of.” None of the songs from Capitol’s previous greatest-Ringo-hits package, “Blast From Your Past,” will be duplicated. (There’s a good chance Capitol may put this out soon itself.)

Among the probable inclusions on the Rhino CD: “In My Car,” “Hey Baby” and--fitting title, those critical of Ringo’s voice might say--”Hopeless.”