SPOTLIGHT 6 Vocalion Surround SACD Releases - Argent, Blood, Sweat & Tears, BW Stevenson, Guess Who, Buddy Miles & Santana, Don Sebesky (Dec 2019)

[MrSmithers]

Wowzers!!! I had already placed an order for the first 3 that have been shipped! I come back onto QQ and there’s another 3?!?! And these extra 3 are absolute belters! Can’t wait to hear the Argent!

Thank you very much and Merry Christmas Dutton Vocalion!

 

[marpow]

Great news, I ordered the new six plus:

 

[humprof]

could there be even more!!

please Sir Dutton, we want some more!!

I see the DV site is updated now. I wonder if that fills in the gaps in the numbers.

Well, to pick up where I left off (!): Sebesky is 8567 and Argent is 8568. But BS&T is 8572. So not only does that leave 8566 and 8569 unaccounted for, it gets us into a whole new dizaine (as our French friends would say). So...

 

[esimms86]

I was thrilled to see the Argent disk … until I saw that only the first 8 cuts are multichannel. I will pass on this one … reluctantly.

I totally get your point and I would never tell anyone else how to spend their money. Heck, I was one of the few who bought “No Other” and also one of the few who DIDN’T buy “The Band.”

With Argent, however, I’ve taken the view that
(1)it used to be made of unobtainium
(2)it’s only 25 USD or 20 pounds compared to what we pay for even the most fairly priced, non bloated box set
(3)I look at the Gentle Giant box(an admittedly extreme example) in which it costs 317 USD(or more) to snag 4(!) tracks in surround
(4)it’s Dutton Vocalion, the last company standing in high quality quad reissues

 

[sperezmore]

Just ordered these for me,

- B W Stevenson - My Maria & Calabasas [SACD Hybrid Multi-channel]

- Buddy Miles & Carlos Santana - Buddy Miles: Booger Bear & Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles: Live! [SACD Hybrid Multi-channel]

- The Guess Who - Wheatfield Soul & Canned Wheat [SACD Hybrid Multi-channel]

- Argent - In Deep & Nexus & Ring of Hands [SACD Hybrid Multi-channel / Stereo]

- Blood, Sweat & Tears - Mirror Image & New City [SACD Hybrid Multi-channel]

and for Don Sebesky - Giant Box, I just don't care for that kind of music, never had. I guess nobody is perfect, I'm not perfect.

Thanks Michael Dutton and the Vocalion family and Merry Christmas

 

[winopener]

i guess it could be a Quad Reel (pretty scarce if so!) or possibly like the Sextant situation, where some speculated a dub or Q8 replication master may have been used?
either way i'm looking forward to it because i only ever had the SQ LPs, with all their limitations will be no doubt exceeded by the new SACD

Mind you, i'm EXTRA pleased that Giant Box sees a SACD multichannel release even if the original discrete master is gone, i know how hard and costly it has been for me to get the two Q8 of it, so if you had any consideration for any CTI title of any artist, GET THIS NOW, even if it comes from a commercial QR.

 

[fredblue]

I totally get your point and I would never tell anyone else how to spend their money. Heck, I was one of the few who bought “No Other” and also one of the few who DIDN’T buy “The Band.”

With Argent, however, I’ve taken the view that
(1)it used to be made of unobtainium
(2)it’s only 25 USD or 20 pounds compared to what we pay for even the most fairly priced, non bloated box set
(3)I look at the Gentle Giant box(an admittedly extreme example) in which it costs 317 USD(or more) to snag 4(!) tracks in surround
(4)it’s Dutton Vocalion, the last company standing in high quality quad reissues

(5) only one Argent album was released in Quad

 

[MIDIQ]

Ordered 3 last night. Will be ordering 2 more tonight when i get home. Awesome. Woohoo. Go DV.

 

[marpow]

Wow, my 7 new discs just shipped. I guess they want next week off for Christmas and are going to be hell bent in fulfilling orders the rest of this week.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Oh that Sebesky’s got me really excited, I believe it’s a mistake to bypass that one.
My first Sebesky long ago was the LP of Wes M.’s Bumpin’; and take a long gander at the players on Giant Box !

 

[fredblue]

..my bitchin' batch has just dis-patch-ed! ⛴
hoorah!!

 

[fredblue]

Oh that Sebesky’s got me really excited, I believe it’s a mistake to bypass that one.
My first Sebesky long ago was the LP of Wes M.’s Bumpin’; and take a long gander at the players on Giant Box !

its not just giant! its immense!
nay! its colossal!
its Epic!
oh.. no! it was on the CTI label..!!!

its really cool eclectic set of schtuff, cannot wwwwwaaaaaaiiiiittttttt!!!!

 

[fredblue]

now i wonder...

i wah-wah-wah-wah-wonder..

will there be any steelydave liner notes in this here biyatchin' biyatch??

 

[Circular Vibes]

Oh that Sebesky’s got me really excited

But do you know where your towel is?

 

[Which_One_Is_Pink]

A Merry Christmas to us all; QUAD bless us, every one!

 

[Circular Vibes]

A Merry Christmas to us all; QUAD bless us, every one!

Please Sir, may we have some more?

 

[DuncanS]

I saw the post and ordered Argent, Santana/Buddy Miles, Guess Who, Blood Sweat & Tears, and had a listen on line to some B W Stevenson and ordered that as well, I wouldn't call it out-and-out country (which doesn't float my boat!) more American Folk/Country. Sadly only one of the Argent is in Quad (I did try and find out if the live LP Encore had been mixed in Quad via contacts but hit a brick wall so it wasn't), but the Involve surround Master will do a good job on the others.

 

[Quadzilla]

I totally get your point and I would never tell anyone else how to spend their money. Heck, I was one of the few who bought “No Other” and also one of the few who DIDN’T buy “The Band.”

With Argent, however, I’ve taken the view that
(1)it used to be made of unobtainium
(2)it’s only 25 USD or 20 pounds compared to what we pay for even the most fairly priced, non bloated box set
(3)I look at the Gentle Giant box(an admittedly extreme example) in which it costs 317 USD(or more) to snag 4(!) tracks in surround
(4)it’s Dutton Vocalion, the last company standing in high quality quad reissues

I think you are right, and I did change my mind about the Argent title. The problem is that I can't log into their site to order it. It has happened before but this time it won't work, even after I rebooted my laptop. Dutton Vocalion does a fantastic job reissuing classic quad titles, but their web site is strictly amateur. I guess it just wasn't to be, and I should stick with my gut instincts and just listen to my SQ LP.

EDIT: Finally! I have no idea why it is so difficult to buy something on their site, but it shouldn't take 8 or 10 attempts to be able to log in successfully.

EDIT 2: DO NOT check the box that wants to "Remember login on this computer?". THAT is the problem. Not only will it not remember your login, it will log you OUT. D-V ... are you listening?

 

[sjcorne]

from comparing notes with @sjcorne and other Quad enthusiasts, it would seem pretty much all Q8 tapes of In Deep are crappy (poorly replicated back in the day?) and its an unusual mix anyway which SQ doesn't do justice, so it will be wonderful to hear it discrete in decent sound quality at last!!

On my copy of the tape, program 1 sounds fine (like your typical Columbia Q8), but program 2 is completely unlistenable. It sounds muffled, almost like AM radio. I guess there was a 'bad batch'? I later found a conversion where the program 2 tracks sounded fine, so I guess they weren't all like that.

I will admit though, I was pretty bummed the first time I heard the quad mix in discrete form - as you say, it's very much not your typical 'Columbia Q8' mix - but now that a high-resolution version is available, I think it is due a reappraisal. And I guess the rumors about there being an unreleased quad mix of Nexus weren't true

The real excitement for me is the BS&T two-fer. I really like both albums and the quad mixes are incredible - much better than the earlier BS&T quads. Highlights include the 11-minute "Mirror Image Suite" and an epic cover of "Ride Captain Ride".

 

[ArmyOfQuad]

On my copy of the tape, program 1 sounds fine (like your typical Columbia Q8), but program 2 is completely unlistenable. It sounds muffled, almost like AM radio. I guess there was a 'bad batch'? I later found a conversion where the program 2 tracks sounded fine, so I guess they weren't all like that.

I will admit though, I was pretty bummed the first time I heard the quad mix in discrete form - as you say, it's very much not your typical 'Columbia Q8' mix - but now that a high-resolution version is available, I think it is due a reappraisal. And I guess the rumors about there being an unreleased quad mix of Nexus weren't true

The real excitement for me is the BS&T two-fer. I really like both albums and the quad mixes are incredible - much better than the earlier BS&T quads. Highlights include the 11-minute "Mirror Image Suite" and an epic cover of "Ride Captain Ride".

Had the same experience with program 2. 2 sealed copies had that issue, but I think they came from the same person on different ebay purchases. I did eventually find a copy that didn't have that issue.