HiRez Poll Cobham, Billy - SPECTRUM [DVD-A]

[Quadro-Action]

One can listen the part "quadrant" which is one of the titles on the CD4- record "Quadraphonic Experience" from the german WEA. Ok, the dynamic ist not like drums today, but the quadraphonic mix is very well. Both guitars are to listen with big separation from the rear loudspeakers. The new mix is some more indistinct. From an meanwhile unknown source I have also a second part from Spectrum in original quadraphonic mixdown. It is "Stratus". When 2 quadraphonix mixdowns exist, so it seems, that the whole "Spectrum"
production was mixed in quadraphonic mode. Why a new mixdown for the DVD-Audio?!

Dietrich

 

[Quad Linda]

8 BOLIN! COBLY BILHAM! Need I say more. This is the kind of stuff I was most into in the Quad days. A fan of Billy's since Dreams w/Breckers & Abercrombie. Why didn't we ever see a CD-4 of this? Shameful!

Linda
Don't Let Your Mind Post Toastee, Like a Lot of My Friends Did[

When Cobham got togeather with this group, the Guitar player, Tommy Bolin was handed the music they were about to practice. Tommy looked at it (he had never read music before). He told Billy Cobham it might as well have been in Chinese, he couldn't read it. Well, luckily they went ahead and played togeather. Tommy ad libbed thru it as he always did. Billy was amazed. He found out what a great guitar player Tommy was. Tommy went on to a solo career, played with Deep Purple, etc.
Unfortunately, Tommy died from a drug overdose in the 70's. Check out his solo albums; great! What a loss.

 

[leevitalone1]

Phil: I diasagree. To me it's more about Tommy Bolin, the legendary Guitarist. He even blew Billy Cobham away with his ad lib guitar. Nothing wrong with the Drumming. It is excellent, also.

BC is a machine. you need to see him live to really appreciate his ability. having heard before seeing him live, I can tell you there is a huge difference.

 

[Quad Linda]

A whirling dervish! I so wish I would have seen the original Mahavishnu Orchestra live. Even more than that, the original incarnation of the jazz/rock Dreams with Cobham, Doug Lubahn, Jeff Kent, the Breckers, John Abercrombie, the tragically unknown Eddie Vernon on vocals, and the late, great Barry Rogers on trombone and arrangements. Dreams introduced me to Cobham and I've been a fan ever since.

BC is a machine. you need to see him live to really appreciate his ability. having heard before seeing him live, I can tell you there is a huge difference.

 

[LizardKing]

I love how the main riff from "Stratus" is used in "Safe from Harm" by Massive Attack.

These guys have a lot of the 70's jazz as an influence - Massive Attack lists (among others) as being inspired by:

Billy Cobham
The Mahavishnu Orchestra
Herbie Hancock

 

[watsontr]

I bought this a long time ago but it is still sealed. I think that 95% of my collection remains unplayed because I don't want to miss out on the fleeting chance to acquire these gems, but don't have that much time to listen. I think I'd better move this up the list

 

[LizardKing]

I bought this a long time ago but it is still sealed. I think that 95% of my collection remains unplayed because I don't want to miss out on the fleeting chance to acquire these gems, but don't have that much time to listen. I think I'd better move this up the list

Unless I manage to get sealed duplicates of rare OOP titles (this has only happended once) then the plastic wrap comes off in about 5 seconds after I arrive home.....

 

[watsontr]

Unless I manage to get sealed duplicates of rare OOP titles (this has only happended once) then the plastic wrap comes off in about 5 seconds after I arrive home.....

I don't have any duplicates and if it is something that I really love it will be the same for me. In essence, I doubt that I'd be disappointed by any of the discs that I have and not heard. I'm certain that they will sound great to me whatever the surround may be. It leaves a pleasant surprise when I do finally hear it. But as I said, the day that Songs for Beginners arrived, you could hear the wah-wah in Military Madness almost before the packaging hit the floor. Same with Threshold of a Dream and Seventh Sojourn. Lots of others too but there is still lots unopened
Tom

 

[Quad Linda]

I used to do that with LP's. Tight shrink wrap might further warp them. Now, I've got to the point that the shrink wrap stays on until I play it. Then, there's no doubt as to whether on not I did. Sounds crazy, but it's easy to lose track of, expecially when you're on your 10th copy. It also gives me the opportunity to return it for full credit when the expanded edition or Blu-Ray comes out three weeks later, and I haven't played the first copy.

In the old days, I had friends in all the big record stores. So long as it was in print, I could return it for full credit. Those WERE the days.

Unless I manage to get sealed duplicates of rare OOP titles (this has only happended once) then the plastic wrap comes off in about 5 seconds after I arrive home.....

 

[fredblue]

another instance for me where this surround music obsession led me to an artist and genre of music I'd probably never have explored otherwise and what a happy introduction to new music! I love it!

I've since bought more Billy Cobham albums (only sad there's not more of his music in surround..) as for this disc you can really play this one nice and loud!!

slightly strange mix in so much as the centre channel seems to feature a lot of Billy Cobham's drumming which didn't sound so great with my old dinky little Tannoy/Denon setup but now with my Yamaha amp and whopping great Acoustic Energy centre it out and out rocks!

also if being ultra nit-picky it's a bit bass shy unless you turn it right up but that's no real bad thing it's just dynamics doing its thing I guess, dynamics sorely lacking on the compressed Rhino anthology of his I got after buying this.. Ah well..

 

[Quad Linda]

Do you dig this, and what's not to dig? Then, pick up Mind Transplant by another KILLER jazz drummer, Alphonse Mouzon. It also features some meaty guitar work by Tommy Bolin. Mind Transplant has not been released in surround, though it was rumored to be mixed and intended for release on DVD-A. Don't miss it!

 

[fredblue]

sounds awesome Linda! Thanks for the heads up!
Mind Transplant also sounds like (another.. Sigh!) missed opportunity for surround joy!

 

[steelydave]

I think the center channel was actually boosted for some reason in the mastering stage. If you turn it down (I can't remember how many dB off the top of my head, but it's between 5 and 10) until the sound of the snare drum in the center is roughly the same volume as the sound of the snare in the front left and front right speakers the mix sits together so much better.

Having said that I am (and have been since listen 1) disappointed that Jan Hammer's lead synth on the first track didn't rotate around the room - in the stereo version it pans from one side of the stereo spectrum to the other and if there was ever anything begging for a 360 degree surround swirl, it was that!

I also agree with Linda that Alphonse Mouzon's Mind Transplant is an excellent album, althought I would rate Lenny White (from Return To Forever)'s solo stuff a little bit higher. Mouzon is amazing though, love his stuff with Larry Coryell's 11th House and his late 70's/early 80's work with Herbie Hancock!

 

[leevitalone1]

sounds awesome Linda! Thanks for the heads up!
Mind Transplant also sounds like (another.. Sigh!) missed opportunity for surround joy!

and, give a listen to dave weckl on anything he's done, especially with electric band. I love lenny white but dave makes him look amature, BC is a machine. saw him live will never forget his style.

 

[Robert van Diggele]

For those interested, in the latest issue of Prog magazine is a nice 4 page article on Billy Cobham.

 

[Wissing]

This is a great recording, done on a shoestring budget. I give this a 9 largely due to the quality of performance. The mix could have been more creative. This is the best thing Bolin ever did, and he made some impressive recordings

 

[Wissing]

Do you dig this, and what's not to dig? Then, pick up Mind Transplant by another KILLER jazz drummer, Alphonse Mouzon. It also features some meaty guitar work by Tommy Bolin. Mind Transplant has not been released in surround, though it was rumored to be mixed and intended for release on DVD-A. Don't miss it!

Mind Transplant would be incredible in surround!

 

[blue.monk]

I love the music. The sonics are better than previous versions I've heard (although the album will never be demo quality). The surround mix is so-so. The occasional synth line in the rears or panned around all 5 speakers but rears are used primarily for reverb or doubling of front channel instruments. Given the nature of the original recording I think a more discrete mix would have been appropriate. Still, all in all I find it an enjoyable listen and a fun alternative to the original.

8

 

[lenbo]

Just got this. It sounds tremendous on both home and car systems. I suppose it helps that I love this album, and previously had no idea that it was ever released on DVD-A.

 

[jimfisheye]

This is one of the more altered releases I've heard. It sounds like a reworking of the original quad mix. There's a generated center channel that is a mono folddown of the entire mix and boosted well above the 4 main channels. Rears are also reduced. Then some eq decisions that leave everything dull and obscured. However, there were a couple people in the SACD thread for the actual original quad mix reissue that were adamant that this DVDA is a new intentional remix. I still think it's an incredibly misguided (at best) altered reissue of the original quad mix.