Good for you! These two sets were my first foray into the classic era on LD, and feature great print sources...except DAF which is a bit beat up around the edges. I doubt mono audio will be any different on later issues. My 1989 discs and Vol. 2 versions of Thunderball and YOLT sound identical. Both Dr. No and Goldfinger have a slight amount of ticks and pops. FRWL has hiss.

Also, as FF stated there is an isolated music and effects track for FRWL on the Connery Collection on analog right IIRC. It's not on the box anywhere, but I suppose it was done to compliment the isolated tracks on the Criterion DN and GF. (Their FRWL doesn't have one oddly.)

No, they've always been that way for the Crab Key insertion, so that it's pretty obvious this wasn't done at night. The BD/UE re-timed these to be "properly dark" but it isn't quite correct either. This really stuck out on the 35mm print of the Lowry work. Not proper color, with a bit too much blue/purple somewhat akin to the re-timed OHMSS opening.