DVD/DTS Poll Be-Bop Deluxe - FUTURAMA [DTS DVD]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2019 reissue of the 1975 album "Futurama" by the band Be-Bop Deluxe.
This 2019 reissue contains a brand new 5.1 surround and stereo remix of the album from engineer Stephen W Tayler.
The DVD also contains 3 bonus audio tracks and 3 bonus videos.

 

[rusinurbe]

An Enjoyable romp in surround a better album than Sunburst Finnish IMHO

 

[The56Kid]

Only one listen in, but I have to say I’m disappointed in the surround mix of this beloved recording. Seems like the rears are mainly used for keyboards and are mixed at a fairly low level. Bill Nelson’s hellacious guitar work is almost strictly relegated to the front stage, which is a shame. Too conservative of a mix for the Kid, but I’ll give it a few more listens while bumping the rears before casting a vote. I can say that I’m definitely not a fan of Stephen Tayler as a surround mixer.

 

[skherbeck]

The music on this album is outstanding guitar-heavy Glam-Prog(?) rock... I really love it. In terms of mix and fidelity, my initial impressions were that this had a better surround mix and fidelity than that of "Sunburst Finish"; on repeated listening I would say more accurately that this has a comparable mix and fidelity to Sunburst. There are plenty of discrete elements in the rears, but generally they are accessory elements (no leads)... not an over-the-top surround extravaganza, but no "black holes" back there either... in general, many songs benefit from +2dB rear channel boosting. Overall the fidelity is very heavy in the mid-range and has somewhat anemic low end... it definitely benefits from boosting the LFE...I went with +8 to +12dB depending on the song. I like the surround mix (especially after tweaking it) and will continue to invest in these Be-Bop sets. I'll give this a 7 "as-is", 8 after tweaking. Below are my notes on the individual tracks:

Stage Whispers - Good use of rear channels for discrete guitar elements. Also a moment where the drum solo fades from the fronts to rears than back again. (rears +2dB; LFE +8dB)
Love With The Madman - Some minimal discrete keyboards in the rears, but otherwise not much going on here in surround aside from a moment of discrete rear vocals towards the end. (rears +2dB; LFE +12dB)
Maid In Heaven - Discrete acoustic guitars in the rears... no rear boosting needed! (LFE +12dB)
Sister Seagull - Minimal vocal effects and guitar reverb effects in rears (rears +2dB; LFE +12dB)
Sound Track - Discrete keyboard, background vocals, and occasional percussion elements in the rears (rears +2dB; LFE +8dB)
Music In Dreamland - Discrete keys and other minor effects in rears (rears +2dB; LFE +12dB)
Jean Cocteau - Some minimal effects and background vocals in the rears (rears +2dB; LFE +8dB)
Between The Worlds - Keyboards and background vocals in the rears (rears +2dB; LFE +10dB)
Swan Song - Drum intro in rears; keys in rears (rears +2dB; LFE +10dB)
Lights (bonus) - Discrete acoustic guitar in rears... no rear boost needed! (LFE +8dB)

 

[The56Kid]

Great review, Sean. I agree that an LFE boost is required pretty much across the board in addition to the rears needing a bump. I really wanted to hear Bill’s beautiful leads whipping and sailing around the room, but it wasn’t meant to be. My next listen will incorporate the LFE and rear speaker boosts.

 

[jaypfunk]

Wow!! This 5.1 mix is unreal. The entire thing is perfect. As I've said before this is my favorite record by Be-Bop Deluxe. Soundtrack is in my opinion the best song they ever made and the 5.1 it is absolutely insane. The fade out at the end is sick. The use of the acoustic guitars in the rears in Maid In Heaven just made the greatest pop song ever written 1,000 times more killer.

10/10 from me.

 

[jaypfunk]

Also I do think that the 5.1 is better than Sunburst Finish on this one. Not sure what the above poster means by anemic low end, I thought the bass was great and nicely spread. I had to turn my sub down because it was way too loud and rumbling too much at 1st.

 

[WBP]

This is a much better surround mix than Sunburst Finish , I was very disappointed with the SF mix it was far too conservative for me. Futurama is probably my fav Be Bop album just ahead of Modern Music and SF , and Bill's playing on this is just amazing ( check out Sound Track ) and of course it contains 2 of the best known Bill Nelson tracks in Sister Seagull and Maid In Heaven - fantastic release its a 10 here's hoping Modern Music gets the same treatment.

 

[IanProudfoot]

I love the album, but not really impressed by the surround mix. Yes, it has some good moments, but overall it's rather conservative.

 

[The56Kid]

I love the album, but not really impressed by the surround mix. Yes, it has some good moments, but overall it's rather conservative.

Totally agree - conservative, unimpressive mix overall. Could have been so much more.

 

[Fourplay]

Short Take - Enjoyable but missing its' full potential.

I am spinning this one with good focus this morning. I tend to agree with the others who have suggested the mix is too conservative. To start, I have bumped up the surrounds by +6db... that should be unnecessary, but I guess I am grateful to be able to do so. It is not like there are no discrete elements in the rears. It just feels like there are some big missed opportunities here.

As a for instance, my favorite track is Sister Seagull. How cool would it have been to use his main riffs - basically a call and response, with the 1st statement in the fronts and the answering riffs in the rears. THAT would have been a 10 mix. There is some cool stuff here and there, so I am wavering between a 7 and an 8 vote, but I think with all the great production fodder available, the squandering of the opportunity must be noted. 7 for me.

That said, I am glad I bought this, and I am grateful that Be Bop Deluxe is being mixed in surround. I have never explored their catalog so deeply until these mixes came along. So that is new money for them!

 

[Miilda]

Highly sophisticated music with solid sound and mix. There is something to listen to in this recording. Nice space, guitar solos in the front channels harmonize the ear. It\u0027s worth listening to.

 

[groo]

Thanks to Mike aka EdisonBaggins, I was introduced to BBD. I listened to them on youtube, boy was I floored. This to me ranks as the better releases in terms of content from BBD. Content wise I would give this a full grade. On the other hand the mix is a little bit underwhelming, so I decided to dock a point off for that. In any case a solid 9 from me.

 

[artwwweb]

I'm looking at the bonus tracks on this box. I think there is a mistake. There are supposedly three versions of Between The Worlds: LP c. 3.17, Single c. 3.19 and Alternative Single, c. 3.30 but we actually get a fourth version, though it's all a bit mixed up.

CD1 has the LP and single versions and they are clearly different. All good.

CD2 adds an alternative single version which is a bit longer. But what it calls the single version is not the same as on CD1. It's similar to the LP but a little longer (3.39).

The DVD has this rogue Single Version but not the Alternate Single Version. It's a shame because the original single version on CD1 is more significantly different - it's a different recording rather than just being a remix - so that would have been a nicer one to have in 5.1. I imagine they do still have the multi-tracks because it's on the same tape as Lights and Music In Dreamland - all recorded at Phonogram studios, as pictured in the book.

So, we've ended up with two slightly different mixes on CD2, one of them in 5.1, but are missing out on a more significantly different recording, though the 'proper' single version is still fairly similar, so it's not a great loss. I'm happy that we got a B side in 5.1 (Lights).

(The two longer mixes are very similar to each other and to the LP version, I think. The alternate single version has some guitar removed from the intro so that it's more piano-based and is not as 'bright'. Both mixes have a longer intro and the bit around 2:30 to 2:45 is a bit longer.)