Just as I always preferred the Rolling Stones' U.S. releases better than the UK versions, I have also preferred the Beatles' U.S. releases better than the "international" records. Granted, the Beatles had to release extra records ("The Early Beatles" and "Hey Jude") for release in the U.S. to include the songs left off earlier records.I'm not fond of the inclusion of both stereo and mono versions of all the songs on each CD, but it is interesting to note the differences in sound—never mind that by the mid-1960s most people were buying the stereo versions. The only reason to buy a mono versions of those early records was to save fifty cents or a dollar (keep in mind that vinyl LPs then cost three or four dollars). No one I knew preferred mono over stereo. By the way, it was Jimi Hendrix who took greatest advantage of stereo effects and sold everyone on getting headphones and switching to stereo record players.This CD collection is probably most appealing to those who bought these records new as they were released (me, for example). One of the reasons for having fewer songs on vinyl has to do with sound quality. With more tracks on a vinyl record, the quality suffers—hence, the 12" singles intended for DJs. If you didn't already buy the UK/international complete set, this has much to offer.