HiRez Poll Cooper, Alice - BILLION DOLLAR BABIES [Blu-Ray Audio]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this new reissue of the classic Alice Cooper album "Billion Dollar Babies".
This new Blu-Ray audio release is part of Rhino Records' Quadio series and marks the first time that the original 1970s Quadraphonic mix has been properly remastered and reissued on a high-res disc format.
Also please bear in mind that this Blu-Ray audio disc release has a distinctly different surround mix than the DVDA-V release here: HiRez Poll - Cooper, Alice - BILLION DOLLAR BABIES [DVD-A]

 

[JonUrban]

An interesting aspect of this disc is that if you decide to rip it for your media server, you will not find a stereo track!

That's because the stereo audio track is a continuation of the 2 front channel tracks of the quad mix! It works, but it's a bit shocking when you examine the wav files on your DAW. For those only interested in the quad track for your media server, you will have to edit the file and delete the stereo tracks, or consequently, if you are only looking to get the HiRez stereo, you will have to delete the quad tracks and convert the stereo to a two channel file

 

[key_wiz]

It looks like they misspelled “I Love The Dead” on the label!

I want a replacement disc!

 

[JonUrban]

It looks like they misspelled “I Love The Dead” on the label!

I want a replacement disc!

Rare first pressing!! Sell on eBay for big bucks in 2034

 

[Doug G.]

What's there isn't misspelled. They just omitted the "I".

The bass is a bit thin compared to the original stereo LP. You can tell there is some deep bass there but it should be more prominent.

EDIT: 7/5/2023. I have to revise my post, partly because of faulty memory, on my part, and partly because I had the volume very loud and that, of course, can upset the balance as we all know. After listening to the LP, again, and turning down the volume, just a bit, during the Blu-Ray quad disc, I realized the two are very close and the bass is fine on the Blu-Ray disc.

Also, any criticisms I have of the recent four disc release by Rhino are all relative because I have always respected Rhino's efforts through the years and these discs are a thrill to have.

Doug

 

[Dynamic Editor]

It looks like they misspelled “I Love The Dead” on the label!

I want a replacement disc!

It looks like the album is named after how much of the QQ community treats releases.

 

[atrocity]

It looks like they misspelled “I Love The Dead” on the label!

I want a replacement disc!

"Hello Hurray" appears on the disc label, in the text on the back of the front cover and in the image of the tape box but "Hello! Hurray!" appears on the back cover. I don't think I will ever get over it.

 

[key_wiz]

"Hello Hurray" appears on the disc label, in the text on the back of the front cover and in the image of the tape box but "Hello! Hurray!" appears on the back cover. I don't think I will ever get over it.

The least they could do is offer us a discount on the next set of releases.

 

[Gimme 4]

Maybe that explains why this one has a different play menu than the other thrree.

 

[fetchmybeer]

Best sounding release of the 4 new quadios, IMHO (and they all sound great). Also the most adventurous mix. The drums stand out to me, and bass response is good, as my sub is triggered more than it is on Red Octopus, which to me sounds the most like this album.

I have friends who are a bit older who are really into the old AC stuff, and I've never really understood why, though I've always liked "I'm Eighteen". Well, now I get it. Alice doesn't always sound like he does-- he can actually sing a bit. The songs are fun, whimsical, and theatrical when it is required. That comes out in the mix.

I would be curious as to any fidelity differences between this and the old DVD-A pressing of this, as that one really was not rated very highly. This one to me is a 10.

 

[jefe1]

I used to have the Killer album loved it and remember his singles. I am looking forward to getting this disc.

 

[Doug G.]

I was eighteen when "I'm Eighteen" was released and I didn't know what I wanted. I still don't really, definitively, know what I want. Oh, except to listen to music and run trains and see my kids and grandkids.



Doug

 

[Matt Wilson]

Kicks ***! A 9. One of Alice's best albums in its original quad mix with the vocals up front, just like they should be. An old man is happy!

 

[Klaus Rosenthal]

Easily my favorite album of the four quadios, have listened probably hundreds of times so the small changes are quite jarring. I like the drums at the end of generation landslide, don't care for the guitar part at the start of sick things, and I think no more mr nice guy is a different vocal take (or possibly just the layering of voices being spread apart making it sound slightly off). Other than that the quad is excellent throughout and a better mix than the old DVD-A except for the bass, very weak on the quad. I had to adjust my sub which I almost never do. I find my cd and the 5.1 release to be much more satisfying in that regard. That's my only complaint and at least it's easy to compensate for so I vote a solid 9.

 

[quicksrt]

Some listeners have issues with B$B being so different than the traditional stereo mix, and don't exactly love it. I personally like hearing this album in such a different unique way. Vocals are dryer, and / or different, and guitars jump out at you where they were previously more reserved. It's very spacious and like a microscope is aimed at "some" of the parts. I was listening to it and when the last line of "I Love The Dead" came, I was actually waiting for the next part or the next tune, but album was all finished. I wanted more songs to hear. So that is a sign to me that I was engaged and entertained throughout. So while this quad mix might not be everyone's cut of tea, I found it compelling beginning to end. This mix makes it a weirder listening experience, and that is not a bad thing for an Alice Cooper band original album. Some of the "poppyiess" is reduced here in quad, but the deranged weirdness is fully intact.

I'm not going to listen to it over and over again just yet, as I want it this to remain special and unique. I'll leave my rating after another full listen. Leaning on a 10 for material and audiophile sound quality. Mix is an 8.5 because a sub with some low end help fills in the sound nicely for those needing more bass. The bass is a tad shy but not completely missing.

 

[cbmmm3]

I better listen to this again - and at a higher volume level - as I felt this version was somewhat thin and a wee bit boring. I am absolutely familiar with the album and adore it......at the moment Id give this a 7 but I need to give it another chance before I vote

 

[sjcorne]

...I felt this version was somewhat thin and a wee bit boring.

This was more of a curiosity purchase for me, to support the renewed Quadio initiative and to hear how the four-channel master actually sounded (I have the CD-4 LP and it might be the very worst-sounding one in my collection, along with The Eagles’ On The Border).

More often than not I’m shocked at how much better these digital transfers of the 15 IPS quad masters sound than the old vinyl and tape copies – Dutton Vocalion’s SACD releases of some mid-70s CBS titles, like Burton Cummings' self-titled album or any of the Philadelphia International ones, spring to mind in this regard – but this is one case where at least some of the sonic deficiencies seem to be baked into the quad mix itself. The awful carrier distortion and high-end rolloff are thankfully gone, but – as I think you're saying – there's a real lack of punch to the whole presentation. The rhythm section is mixed woefully low and the vocals are pushed way up, so you can't really crank it without them getting overbearing.

It’s too bad because I like some of the fun mixing decisions they made in this version, like swirling the guitar lines around in “No More Mr. Nice Guy” or Alice's voice panning at the end of "Elected". The 5.1 remix issued on DVD-A in the early-2000s is much more conservative – the rear speakers tend to be reserved more for sound effects, like the dentist’s drill in “Unfinished Sweet” – but having the drums & bass brought out more and the vocals less dominant makes for a far better listening experience in my view.

 

[jaybird100]

Some listeners have issues with B$B being so different than the traditional stereo mix, and don't exactly love it. I personally like hearing this album in such a different unique way. Vocals are dryer, and / or different, and guitars jump out at you where they were previously more reserved. It's very spacious and like a microscope is aimed at "some" of the parts. I was listening to it and when the last line of "I Love The Dead" came, I was actually waiting for the next part or the next tune, but album was all finished. I wanted more songs to hear. So that is a sign to me that I was engaged and entertained throughout. So while this quad mix might not be everyone's cut of tea, I found it compelling beginning to end. This mix makes it a weirder listening experience, and that is not a bad thing for an Alice Cooper band original album. Some of the "poppyiess" is reduced here in quad, but the deranged weirdness is fully intact.

I'm not going to listen to it over and over again just yet, as I want it this to remain special and unique. I'll leave my rating after another full listen. Leaning on a 10 for material and audiophile sound quality. Mix is an 8.5 because a sub with some low end help fills in the sound nicely for those needing more bass. The bass is a tad shy but not completely missing.

Isn't the mix on this one the same as on the CD-4 LP?

 

[sjcorne]

Isn't the mix on this one the same as on the CD-4 LP?

Yes.

 

[The56Kid]

This was more of a curiosity purchase for me, to support the renewed Quadio initiative and to hear how the four-channel master actually sounded (I have the CD-4 LP and it might be the very worst-sounding one in my collection, along with The Eagles’ On The Border).

More often than not I’m shocked at how much better these digital transfers of the 15 IPS quad masters sound than the old vinyl and tape copies – Dutton Vocalion’s SACD releases of some mid-70s CBS titles, like Burton Cummings' self-titled album or any of the Philadelphia International ones, spring to mind in this regard – but this is one case where at least some of the sonic deficiencies seem to be baked into the quad mix itself. The awful carrier distortion and high-end rolloff are thankfully gone, but – as I think you're saying – there's a real lack of punch to the whole presentation. The rhythm section is mixed woefully low and the vocals are pushed way up, so you can't really crank it without them getting overbearing.

It’s too bad because I like some of the fun mixing decisions they made in this version, like swirling the guitar lines around in “No More Mr. Nice Guy” or Alice's voice panning at the end of "Elected". The 5.1 remix issued on DVD-A in the early-2000s is much more conservative – the rear speakers tend to be reserved more for sound effects, like the dentist’s drill in “Unfinished Sweet” – but having the drums & bass brought out more and the vocals less dominant makes for a far better listening experience in my view.

Real bummer to hear this, Jonathan. B$B was never a favorite Cooper album for me, but I was looking forward to hearing this quad mix in hires. Smith and Dunaway were an incredible rhythm section and to have their contributions buried in the mix is a real shame.