DVD/DTS Poll Be-Bop Deluxe - AXE VICTIM [DTS DVD]

[skherbeck]

The Best surround mix of all the Be-Bops so far!

 

[The56Kid]

The Best surround mix of all the Be-Bops so far!

Absolutely!

 

[The56Kid]

The Best surround mix of all the Be-Bops so far!

Sean, would love to here a more detailed review from you and your overall vote!

 

[skherbeck]

As I've said elsewhere, I had never heard of this band before the release of these Deluxe re-issues. This is my favorite of the bunch in terms of content, surround mix, and fidelity. The fidelity is the perfect balance of low, mid-range and highs (sounds great LOUD!) I enjoy every song on the album. The album reminds me a lot of Ziggy-Era Bowie, which is just fine by me. "Jets At Dawn" is epic, with killer soloing throughout and excellent use of the surrounds. Really, for the first time in this series, every song makes good use of the surrounds, with either solos, rhythm guitars, background vocals, keys, or all of the above showing up in the rears. I really love this. Other highlights include "Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus", "Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape", and "Night Creatures", but really it's all great! With "Axe Victim", you get two different surround mixes of the song with one emphasizing the guitar solos in the rears, and the other emphasizing the rhythm guitars. I'm going to give this a 10 (rounding up from a 9.5 )

Edit: Messing around in Audacity, it seems the voice at the beginning of "Rocket Cathedrals" says "Automatic destruction will now commence on the mother planet" backwards... cool!

 

[The56Kid]

As I've said elsewhere, I had never heard of this band before the release of these Deluxe re-issues. This is my favorite of the bunch in terms of content, surround mix, and fidelity. The fidelity is the perfect balance of low, mid-range and highs (sounds great LOUD!) I enjoy every song on the album. The album reminds me a lot of Ziggy-Era Bowie, which is just fine by me. "Jets At Dawn" is epic, with killer soloing throughout and excellent use of the surrounds. Really, for the first time in this series, every song makes good use of the surrounds, with either solos, rhythm guitars, background vocals, keys, or all of the above showing up in the rears. I really love this. Other highlights include "Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus", "Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape", and "Night Creatures", but really it's all great! With "Axe Victim", you get two different surround mixes of the song with one emphasizing the guitar solos in the rears, and the other emphasizing the rhythm guitars. I'm going to give this a 10 (rounding up from a 9.5 )

Edit: Messing around in Audacity, it seems the voice at the beginning of "Rocket Cathedrals" says "Automatic destruction will now commence on the mother planet" backwards... cool!

Excellent review! Since buying Axe Victim, I've heard Modern Music which also features a pretty damn good active surround mix by Stephen Tayler. Not as good as Axe's mix, but really quite good. Which really makes Tayler's disappointing efforts on Futurama that much more inexplicable.

 

[sjcorne]

Excellent review! Since buying Axe Victim, I've heard Modern Music which also features a pretty damn good active surround mix by Stephen Tayler. Not as good as Axe's mix, but really quite good. Which really makes Tayler's disappointing efforts on Futurama that much more inexplicable.

How do you rate the mix on Sunburst Finish?

 

[The56Kid]

How do you rate the mix on Sunburst Finish?

Good question, Jonathan. One that I hope to answer soon when I give Sunburst a thorough listen.

 

[skherbeck]

As I've said elsewhere, I had never heard of this band before the release of these Deluxe re-issues. This is my favorite of the bunch in terms of content, surround mix, and fidelity. The fidelity is the perfect balance of low, mid-range and highs (sounds great LOUD!) I enjoy every song on the album. The album reminds me a lot of Ziggy-Era Bowie, which is just fine by me. "Jets At Dawn" is epic, with killer soloing throughout and excellent use of the surrounds. Really, for the first time in this series, every song makes good use of the surrounds, with either solos, rhythm guitars, background vocals, keys, or all of the above showing up in the rears. I really love this. Other highlights include "Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus", "Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape", and "Night Creatures", but really it's all great! With "Axe Victim", you get two different surround mixes of the song with one emphasizing the guitar solos in the rears, and the other emphasizing the rhythm guitars. I'm going to give this a 10 (rounding up from a 9.5 )

Edit: Messing around in Audacity, it seems the voice at the beginning of "Rocket Cathedrals" says "Automatic destruction will now commence on the mother planet" backwards... cool!

Just to clarify my vote a little more, I would rate this 3/3 for fidelity, 2.5/3 for surround mix, 3/3 for content, and a bonus point because I love the content so much

 

[The56Kid]

Just to clarify my vote a little more, I would rate this 3/3 for fidelity, 2.5/3 for surround mix, 3/3 for content, and a bonus point because I love the content so much

It’s addictive as hell, isn’t it?

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

i have to concur with my QQ comrades regarding Stephen Taylor's mix on this one; he gets better with each reissue, and for my ears, this is his best effort so far. A dear friend in high school turned me onto this band in 1977. We spent a LOT of time entranced by his favorite release, Futurama. The cover of Sunburst Finish sucked me in; the contents made it my favorite. Live in the Air Age was a treat for my guitar-solo-loving high school self. Modern Music and Drastic Plastic were basically new and received a fair amount of air play on Chicago's WXRT. Which is my typically long-winded way of saying that Be-Bop Deluxe's first release, Axe Victim, was the last one i discovered! It used to strike me as a Ziggy-light endeavor with superior guitar work and was my least-played release of theirs. This reissue is really turning me around, and it is in no small part to the 5.1 DTS mix i have been soaking in!

@The56Kid does a wonderful job in his assessment of the mix, nailing what makes it so wonderful for me. @elmer gushing over the guitar solos also resonates with me (especially the deliciously extended "Jets at Dawn"); not only could i listen to Nelson's solos all day long--i did! The multichannel mix brings a depth to the production that i did not recall from my high school headphone daze, and Nelson's guitar work really shines--it is, after all, this release's raison d'être!

As far as the complaints about the packaging go, my copy arrived with a disc dislodged--drag. But i will say that i am glad to have the original stereo mix, the new mix, and the revelatory Peel sessions on CD. And the book is a nice visual and intellectual accompaniment to my listening forays. Nelson's lengthy assessment of the release ends with his noting that Axe Victim "is one brief snapshot of a band in the process of becoming something else. . . . a modest beginning, flawed but not without charm." This listener is charmed enough to take this reissue to a 10 because of the way it presents what i recollected as a muddy sounding schizophrenic assemblage and polishes it to a scintillating surprise of a debut, adding some nice ephemera (though the poster may eventually end up framed on my wall!) and bonus tracks in 5.1 as well as those great Peel sessions.

What is your favorite BE Bop Deluxe SDE so far? How do you rate Futureama?

 

[Clement]

What is your favorite BE Bop Deluxe SDE so far? How do you rate Futureama?

As i note in my review, i think Axe Victim is the best sounding mix (Taylor is getting better with each release). Sunburst Finish may be my favorite musically (especially if musically extends to the cover art!), but--again, as i noted in my review--Futurama holds very special memories for me and my ever-expanding head! Even though the earlier mixes are less engaging, i'm glad i own them all--but remember i'm an addict, and my favorite drugs are MORE and AGAIN!

 

[edisonbaggins]

To me, this album has a Ziggy Stardust feel, except it's better done! I concur 3/3 for content!

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

As i note in my review, i think Axe Victim is the best sounding mix (Taylor is getting better with each release). Sunburst Finish may be my favorite musically (especially if musically extends to the cover art!), but--again, as i noted in my review--Futurama holds very special memories for me and my ever-expanding head! Even though the earlier mixes are less engaging, i'm glad i own them all--but remember i'm an addict, and my favorite drugs are MORE and AGAIN!

I'm very similar to you in the fact that FUTUREAMA was my 1st listen to Be Bop Deluxe.....just haven't spent the $$ on any of these releases yet as there are just soooooo MANY other releases I'd rather have. Eventually I'll get around to getting some of them probably Axe Victim and Futureama.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I'm very similar to you in the fact that FUTUREAMA was my 1st listen to Be Bop Deluxe.....just haven't spent the $$ on any of these releases yet as there are just soooooo MANY other releases I'd rather have. Eventually I'll get around to getting some of them probably Axe Victim and Futureama.

I have Axe Victim and Sunburst Finish. Jumped on great deals for both. Love both. No regrets!

 

[jaypfunk]

After all this time I finally got this from Deep Discount. The 1st one came with scratches all over the outside box and the shrink was all f$&ked up so I had to return it. I called their customer service and they sent a new properly packaged this time. Anyway, wowie zowie does this 5.1 sound great. I gave it a 10.
This my 3rd favorite BB Deluxe album. Futurama is 1 and Sunburst is 2.
Even tho I gave it a 10 the 5.1 mix on this one just like the all the others could be a little more aggressive. But no matter what this a killer.
I still think of the ending guitar of Santana Incident At Neshabur every time I hear the ending guitar of Adventures In A Yorkshire Landscape. They are almost identical. The entire ending solo section reminds of Incident too. Very passionate.

 

[WBP]

Just picked this up, giving it a listen later and will vote, loved this band since 1976 (aged 12!) when I bought Sunburst Finish, Bill has a big connection to where I live ( Hull ) and played locally many times before he hit fame, its mentioned in the title track, seen him quite a few times over the years, one of the great british guitar players and musicians. Was very disappointed with the 5.1 mix of both Sunburst and Futurama, but Modern Music was much better so fingers crossed!

 

[The56Kid]

Just picked this up, giving it a listen later and will vote, loved this band since 1976 (aged 12!) when I bought Sunburst Finish, Bill has a big connection to where I live ( Hull ) and played locally many times before he hit fame, its mentioned in the title track, seen him quite a few times over the years, one of the great british guitar players and musicians. Was very disappointed with the 5.1 mix of both Sunburst and Futurama, but Modern Music was much better so fingers crossed!

Believe me, you won’t be disappointed. Of the Thayer Be-Bop mixes, Axe Victim is the best with Modern Music a close second. That bodes well for the upcoming Drastic Plastic.

 

[Moodyman51]

Finally found this back in stock. I've always really liked Be-Bop ... especially Bill Nelson, one of the most under appreciated guitarists ever IMHO. Have all the other 5.1 mixes from them and totally agree with others here that the 5.1 mix on AXE VICTIM is the best of the lot. Overall the packaging is OK .... I feel the packaging on so many of these re-releases is nothing but overkill to help justify the prices ... but like you guys I pay it for the 5.1 Surround mixes ... which is all I REALLY care about. Rated it a solid 9.

 

[JNL]

I only recently discovered Be-Bop Deluxe (thank to QQ of course). I love this album! It all sounds so fresh in terms of the melodic content and so open because of the great surround mix. And of course, truly fantastic guitar playing, such an authentic and original style. I voted 10!

 

[James Jay]

Axe Victim is my favorite of the 4 Be Bop Deluxe Box sets / surround mixes I have ( I don’t have Drastic Plastic) as the 5.1 surround mix is the most discrete. I noticed the 5.1 mix of Axe Victim is also not bright but warm analog sounding IMO. I love it. I vote a high 9. I try to save 10 votes for the very best of the best like Roxy Music Avalon or Bob Marley Legend 5.1 mixes. Great job on the surround mixes.