HiRez Poll Clapton, Eric - 461 OCEAN BLVD [SACD]

[edisonbaggins]

This post was made during that period you had the gas leak in your house that severely compromised your cognitive function, right?

Dayum!

 

[sjcorne]

The Eric Clapton Give Me Strength set that I'm seeing is well out of our price range, so I was wondering if the multichannel mix has ever been released separately like I've seen with other expensive special editions?

It's only available on the Give Me Strength Blu-Ray, but you do get considerable bang-for-your-buck as the '70s quadraphonic mixes of 461 and There's One In Every Crowd are also included.

I'm not as enamored with the Climie/Guzauski 5.1 mix as @fredblue, but the SACD isn't necessarily a bad purchase if you enjoy the album. Though the content of the rear speakers does mirror the fronts much of the time, there are definitely some elements that appear to emanate primarily from behind (organ in "Give Me Strength, backing vocals in "Please Be With Me", conga in "I Shot The Sheriff", etc).

Though Scheiner's mix has far more pronounced channel separation--the opening of "Motherless Children" sounds like there's a different guitar part in each corner--the harder-rocking songs seems to lack some visceral impact in comparison to the SACD (perhaps due to dynamic range compression?). I also found the vocals to be slightly buried in Scheiner's 5.1 at times (particularly in "Let It Grow"), whereas the SACD goes a bit too far in the other direction with Clapton's voice locked and loud in the center speaker.

I guess my ultimate point is that both versions have something to offer, but it's worth holding out for Scheiner's 5.1 if you're one who prefers the "listener in the center of the band" perspective with loud, fully-isolated instruments in the rear speakers. The '70s quad mix also delivers in that regard.

 

[Ranasakawa]

My Bluray version of this album has serious flaws. The menu often freezes and is a nightmare to play

 

[Scottie-boy]

It's good. I think the treatment is good for this music - not overdoing it. It's a classic guitar/vocal album and it sounds good. 8 for me