Restless night--all these surround titles kept dancing through my dreams. Let me break down my top choices (and work in WAY more than three!). If you don't want to read my ramblings, scroll to the bottom for the list.
1969
Man, what a year for the kid. My favorite memory from the year was positioning myself on the floor in front of the tv, the moon visible through the window, the lunar landing visible on the black and white television set, and my baseball cards spread out before me--earlier that day, the Cubs had swept the Phillies in a double header: Fergie Jenkins pitched a 1-0 complete game shutout in the first game, and Ron Santo knocked his 20th homer of the season as the Cubs took the second game 6-1. Little did I know that by the time the three albums that were given Surround Sound releases this year were originally released, my beloved Cubs would collapse and the (grrr) Mets would be about to complete their miracle by taking on the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series (I'm still not over that ****!). Any hoo,
The Band was released on 22 September 1969,
Abbey Road on 26 September, and
ITCOTCK on 10 October. I was too enamored of baseball to know anything about music beyond what my parents played and what I heard on AM radio, so it would be another six years before I owned all three albums. Each one was has been very important to me over the last forty-something years, and I adore each of the surround releases, but something tells me I should only choose one of these for my list, and I'm going with the King (
Crimson, that is). Why? I don't have an Atmos setup, so I don't know the full potential of Abbey Road, but even without hearing it in all its glory, the value of the King Crimson release (in a year in which I spent WAY too much money), the historical import of the release and its impact on future rock n roll (though a strong case could be made for the other two), and the cover art (and all the time I spent with the original gatefold) make ITCOTCK my sentimental favorite.
Such a Deal!
As I noted above, this was a negative cash flow year for me, so I feel compelled to make my second choice based on the best outcome I feel I received for spending my retirement income.
Dukes of Stratosphear Psurroundabout Ride immediately leaps to mind. I get a BR disc with a mind-blowing mix of two albums that pay homage to a time and music very dear to my drug-addled mind; in fact, for me, the mix is so mind-blowing that it nearly replicates some of my favorite (mythologized?) headphone memories. And it only cost me about $20! But I can't help thinking I need a D-V title here! D-V had one helluva year as far as this listener is concerned. I haven't actually counted, but I am certain I purchased at least 25 of the titles they released this year (I'm listening to
Giant Box as I type--how in the funk did they fit nearly 2 hours of magical music on this mug?!). And many of those discs are 2-fers! Sure, some of them set me back £19.99, but most of the discs I bought for £11.99! Yes, these are SACDs and not BRs, but D-V has brought me so much joy this year (and last year and promises more this coming year) that the power of quad compels me to include one in my list of top 3 Surround Releases of 2019. SO MANY stellar releases; which to choose? To be honest, last night, I decided that the latest
Guess Who 2-fer (
Wheatfield Soul & Canned Wheat) would be the winner, but my first listen through of
Giant Box has me in surround heaven--I mean it's taken me about 5 minutes to finish this single sentence: I keep stopping to get lost in the flow! And so it is--the magic of
Don Sebesky takes the second spot on my top 3.
Please Don't Tell My Wife How Much This Cost!
Okay, I mos' def' need to acknowledge just how foolish my spending has been. It came down to cancelling my just under $300 pre-order of The Later Years. Some of the comments on QQ have helped me to believe I made the right choice, but that hasn't stopped me from checking for a good deal on the box set every day since I cancelled my order in late November! But even if I didn't cancel the preorder, it would not have been the most money I spent per disc this year. I spent £79.97 on Love From Planet Gong. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the one surround disc in the set, but it's one album: 2 quad mixes of side 1 of You and an upmix (albeit phenomenal) of side 2. I've played it often, but, damn--that's a LOT of money for the surround. Last night, I thought In Search of Hades would make this category, but it turns out I scored a decent deal on that release (£52.11) that netted me 3 great surround mixes--maybe I can tell my wife about that one! But I may take the price of one purchase to the grave with me: Gene Clark No Other. And for one album! That is barely over 43 minutes long!! But what a 43 minutes!!! The beauty of this release for me is that I had never heard it before I put the SACD in and cranked my system up. Multichannel Manna! I certainly spent way the funk too much for this one, but the joy it has given me helps me rationalize its purchase. It's my third pick for top surround release of 2019. Here's hoping I spend less in 2020 while reaping even more sonic rewards. Happy New Year, comrades; Stay Surrounded!
Recap for those who didn't want to read through my usual turgidity:
King Crimson In The Court of the Crimson King (An Observation by King Crimson)--50th Anniversary
Don Sebesky Giant Box
Gene Clark No Other
