HiRez Poll Deodato - PRELUDE & DEODATO 2 [SACD]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2017 Multichannel SACD release from Dutton Vocalion of the Deodato albums "Prelude" and "Deodato 2".
The Prelude Quadraphonic mix is also available to stream in Dolby Audio via Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/prelude-cti-records-40th-anniversary-edition/401710529


Prelude
1: ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) (Richard Strauss arr/adapt Deodato), soloists: John Tropea (electric guitar), Stanley Clarke (bass guitar)
2: SPIRIT OF SUMMER (Deodato), soloist: Jay Berliner (acoustic guitar)
3: CARLY & CAROLE (Deodato)
4: BAUBLES, BANGLES AND BEADS (Wright; Forrest), soloist: John Tropea (electric guitar)
5: PRELUDE TO THE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN (Debussy arr/adapt Deodato), soloists: Marvin Stamm (trumpet), Hubert Laws (flute)
6: SEPTEMBER 13 (Deodato; Cobham), soloist: John Tropea (electric guitar)

Deodato 2
7: NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN (Hayward)
8: PAVANE FOR A DEAD PRINCESS (Ravel arr/adapt Deodato)
9: SKYSCRAPERS (Deodato)
10: SUPER STRUT (Deodato)
11: RHAPSODY IN BLUE (Gershwin arr/adapt Deodato)

All tracks available in stereo and multi-channel

SA-CD
This hybrid CD can be played on any standard CD players

Remastered from the original analogue tapes.
CDSML8532

 

[oxenholme]

Many (too many!) years ago I bought the original (stereo) Prelude LP. It is good, but this release wipes the floor with it. I love the material. I love the quadraphonic mix. I love the overall sound quality. I am more than happy with the simple presentation as a twofer in a standard CD case.

It's a 10.

 

[MIDIQ]

I vote 9. Really good music and mix. Very close to a 10.

 

[Which_One_Is_Pink]

Received mine yesterday, listened to it, already familiar with Deodato stereo from long ago and liked it, familiar with Quad conversions I've had for a while and liked it, after a few listens to the SACD Multi-ch Quad I can conclude...I love it! Very nice sounding mix and very discrete, yep love it @ 9.

 

[rustyandi]

I received my disc,s today
The Deodato 2001 theme I was a little disappointed with the mix
In the rear left channel there were horns and when they stopped
there was a blank channel
The rear right had percussion so for a while there were
just 3 channels I would have liked it if the percussion was in both rear channels
You don,t get that with the SQ decode as it cannot decode that well
But just a little winge
Discrete can be to severe some times
But I liked the album

 

[4-earredwonder]

A VERY Solid 10 from me. I have always wanted to hear these albums the way they should be heard and D~V has satisfied that criteria IN SPADES!

Outstanding is Nights in White Satin with guitarist John Tropea's searing counterpoint to Deodato's keyboards and the brilliant four corner recording nails the Moody Blues masterpiece with renewed vigor.

In fact, the entire 68 minutes of this extraordinary SACD is filled to the brim with masterful sounds coming from all speakers...IMO, a 'textbook' QUAD extravaganza!

And behold the musicians on this 2~fer: John Tropea, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Rick Marotta and flautist Hubert Laws to name a few.

And as always, steelydave's liner notes are incredibly informative.

What's NOT to like about this release? Hopefully, D~V will release ALL of the CTI QUADs including George Benson, Airto, Airto/Deodato and Grover Washington's SOUL BOX, although, disappointingly, according to the Quadraphonic discography, only disc 2 of this LIVE set was ever released in SQ!

 

[stansby40]

This is a definite 9 for me. Originally had prelude and deodato 2 on vinyl and played them to death. It has never sounded better and this is a must for all jazz rock fans.

 

[GOS]

This is such an awesome forum. All these fans, who had these titles back in the day...happy now. I, never had this one...never heard of it - but so happy to have it.

Edit - forgot, I voted a 9. Excellent music and mix.

 

[quicksrt]

A VERY Solid 10 from me. I have always wanted to hear these albums the way they should be heard and D~V has satisfied that criteria IN SPADES!

Outstanding is Nights in White Satin with guitarist John Tropea's searing counterpoint to Deodato's keyboards and the brilliant four corner recording nails the Moody Blues masterpiece with renewed vigor.

In fact, the entire 68 minutes of this extraordinary SACD is filled to the brim with masterful sounds coming from all speakers...IMO, a 'textbook' QUAD extravaganza!

And behold the musicians on this 2~fer: John Tropea, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Rick Marotta and flautist Hubert Laws to name a few.

And as always, steelydave's liner notes are incredibly informative.

What's NOT to like about this release? Hopefully, D~V will release ALL of the CTI QUADs including George Benson, Airto, Airto/Deodato and Grover Washington's SOUL BOX, although, disappointingly, according to the Quadraphonic discography, only disc 2 of this LIVE set was ever released in SQ!

Soul Box is not and never was a live set, you are spreading misinformation in the quad iniverse. Lol

 

[4-earredwonder]

Soul Box is not and never was a live set, you are spreading misinformation in the quad iniverse. Lol

Horrors! Well that part that only disc 2 was SQ encoded at least was true.

Is it LIVE or is it Grover Washington, Jr?

BTW, what's the QUAD INIVERSE? :ugham:

 

[steelydave]

Just got my copy of this in the mail today and having listened to to it this evening, it's an easy 10 for sound quality.

I've heard so many versions of these two albums - in stereo, the original LPs, the 80's CBS remixes, the King Records japanese hi-res downloads, and in quad, the LPs, the Q8's and the quad reels - and this release easily bests them all. Even at its loudest, the blaring brass is never strident, and the bass is really warm and powerful but it always sits behind the other instruments instead of fighting with them for space.

I remember the first time I heard the quad mixes of these albums 15 years ago or so (after having heard the stereo versions first) I was actually really disappointed, entirely based on my own preconceptions about how I wanted the instruments to be panned. I wanted the drums, which are in mono and pushed to one side of the stereo mix to be in stereo spread across the front in the quad mix, and I wanted (not knowing the 'rules' of SQ mixing) the horns and strings to be in stereo across the rear speakers. So when things weren't like this, I felt underwhelmed - but now, (much) older and (somewhat) wiser I love these mixes. Creed Taylor and Rudy Van Gelder had decades of experience by the point these were done, and they didn't change their approach or style for these quad mixes - as a result they're everything that the stereo mixes are, and then some. Sure, there are some things I might do differently if I had the choice, but I love the fact that these quad mixes don't sound like typical CBS quad mixes for example - they have a character all their own. For me, the litmus test for a good mix is that I start involuntarily tapping my foot without realising it, and I was doing that partway through 2001, which is the first track on the disc.

I noticed one of the songs on Prelude (can't remember which one now) that featured a guitar solo in the left-rear speaker seemed to have reverb from the guitar in the front speakers. Theoretically, this breaks the SQ mixing rule that says reverbs have to emanate from the same place as the thing that's making them - ie the guitar solo reverb should have been confined to the rear speakers only. I wonder if that was a conscious decision, ie something that was added during the mixing process, or if it was just instrument leakage picked up on the mics of the instruments that are in the front speakers on that track?



Regarding Grover Washington, Soul Box is a 2LP / 2x Q8 /1 x QR (both discs on one reel) release, and it's all quad. I'm not sure why the surround discography entry notation suggests only LP 2 is SQ encoded - maybe that was for one of the unmarked quad/stereo versions.

CTI entered in to a distribution deal with Motown in 1974 when their financial problems started to mount, but the deal went sour really quickly, and as part of CTI's bankruptcy a few years later they had to surrender the rights to all of Grover Washington's LPs to Motown as part of the settlement that ended their distribution deal. The rights for all of Grover Washington's CTI albums belong to UMG now (as a result of them buying Motown), so licensing Soul Box would be a bit of a different path than Deodato, which belongs to Sony.

 

[blue.monk]

This is a terrific release. I first became aware of Deodato through the film Being There where his version of “2001” is used prominently in one scene. I’ve had both of these LPs for years but this is the first time I’ve heard the quad mixes. For the most part there is hard separation between the channels, with an occasionally 'empty' rear corner. Drums are in mono through the front right but, as steelydave noted, that was also the approach for the stereo. Despite that, I find the mixes very engaging and the sound quality is quite good. And the musicianship and arrangements are top notch. I voted 9.

I noticed one of the songs on Prelude (can't remember which one now) that featured a guitar solo in the left-rear speaker seemed to have reverb from the guitar in the front speakers. Theoretically, this breaks the SQ mixing rule that says reverbs have to emanate from the same place as the thing that's making them - ie the guitar solo reverb should have been confined to the rear speakers only. I wonder if that was a conscious decision, ie something that was added during the mixing process, or if it was just instrument leakage picked up on the mics of the instruments that are in the front speakers on that track?

Yes this happens in other spots, including “2001”. The guitar solo is centered in the fronts with its reverb placed diagonally front left and rear right. Interesting!

steelydave - you penned the liner notes? Excellent job. I’ve appreciated your notes on other Vocalion releases as well.

 

[steelydave]

Yes this happens in other spots, including “2001”. The guitar solo is centered in the fronts with its reverb placed diagonally front left and rear right. Interesting!

steelydave - you penned the liner notes? Excellent job. I’ve appreciated your notes on other Vocalion releases as well.

Ah, the diagonal reverb is interesting indeed! As I posted in the channel reassignment recommendations thread, Arthur Stoppe from Sigma Sound told me that in the case of the Philadelphia Records quads, they did this diagonal panning to approximate a 'quad center' position without breaking the rules for SQ mixing. Interesting that Rudy Van Gelder was doing the same thing of his own accord just one state over in New Jersey.

I'm really glad you've enjoyed my writing as well, it's been fascinating for me to dig up the stories behind these albums and assemble it all in to a narrative. I don't know how other people feel, but for me personally, getting an understanding of the context around an album and its creation really enhances my enjoyment of the music - albums aren't just standalone art objects, they're the byproduct of the people who made them and the places they were recorded in.

 

[quicksrt]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2017 Multichannel SACD release from Dutton Vocalion of the Deodato albums "Prelude" and "Deodato 2".



Prelude
1: ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) (Richard Strauss arr/adapt Deodato), soloists: John Tropea (electric guitar), Stanley Clarke (bass guitar)
2: SPIRIT OF SUMMER (Deodato), soloist: Jay Berliner (acoustic guitar)
3: CARLY & CAROLE (Deodato)
4: BAUBLES, BANGLES AND BEADS (Wright; Forrest), soloist: John Tropea (electric guitar)
5: PRELUDE TO THE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN (Debussy arr/adapt Deodato), soloists: Marvin Stamm (trumpet), Hubert Laws (flute)
6: SEPTEMBER 13 (Deodato; Cobham), soloist: John Tropea (electric guitar)

Deodato 2
7: NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN (Hayward)
8: PAVANE FOR A DEAD PRINCESS (Ravel arr/adapt Deodato)
9: SKYSCRAPERS (Deodato)
10: SUPER STRUT (Deodato)
11: RHAPSODY IN BLUE (Gershwin arr/adapt Deodato)

All tracks available in stereo and multi-channel

SA-CD
This hybrid CD can be played on any standard CD players

Remastered from the original analogue tapes.
CDSML8532

I got my two new D/V SACDs in the mail yesterday. They did not take 5 weeks this time. I won't be able to really listen until this weekend.

One minor thing I have noticed, the color brightness of the artwork is lacking. I noticed it right away with Return to Forever. The booklet cover of Deodato looks nowhere near as vibrant as the original LP jacket, or this example shown in the quote. I hope that they can get this color blandness issue fixed, it would make the product look nicer and more like it originally looked.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I got my two new D/V SACDs in the mail yesterday. They did not take 5 weeks this time. I won't be able to really listen until this weekend.

One minor thing I have noticed, the color brightness of the artwork is lacking. I noticed it right away with Return to Forever. The booklet cover of Deodato looks nowhere near as vibrant as the original LP jacket, or this example shown in the quote. I hope that they can get this color blandness issue fixed, it would make the product look nicer and more like it originally looked.

I fondly remember the almost hyper vividness of ALL those high gloss early CTI gatefold LP jackets.....works of ART, IMO. But let's be real.......we're getting a two~fer QUAD SACD for under $14 and as we all know, they'll never be able to replicate or even remotely compete with those gorgeous early 70's LP covers. And think of it this way: if Audio Fidelity were to do a two~fer QUAD SACD it would be in the ballpark of $60 list!!!!!!!

 

[quicksrt]

I fondly remember the almost hyper vividness of ALL those high gloss early CTI gatefold LP jackets.....works of ART, IMO. But let's be real.......we're getting a two~fer QUAD SACD for under $14 and as we all know, they'll never be able to replicate or even remotely compete with those gorgeous early 70's LP covers. And think of it this way: if Audio Fidelity were to do a two~fer QUAD SACD it would be in the ballpark of $60 list!!!!!!!

I don't think it's a cost issue. It's the printer they are using is likely charging the market rate, but delivers a product a shade dull. Vibrant colors are not more expensive unless you also change the paper grade or add foil, or embossed lettering. So no, it's not s cost savings here, sorry. I worked in this line of work. I was at DGM for a few years in the US.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I don't think it's a cost issue. It's the printer they are using is likely charging the market rate, but delivers a product a shade dull. Vibrant colors are not more expensive unless you also change the paper grade or add foil, or embossed lettering. So no, it's not s cost savings here, sorry. I worked in this line of work. I was at DGM for a few years in the US.

Thanks for sharing your expertise but it would also depend on the art work they're supplied with. If they could work from the original brilliant CTI LP covers, then I'd say they could be more fetching but after all is said and done with just the cost of licensing the titles, replicating the SACDs in Austria and the time rummaging through all those masters to discern what is acceptable leaves very little resources to worry about attempting to replicate those original album covers. And then there's the booklet with original liner notes which additionally adds to the cost.

Think of it this way: If SONY Japan were to produce these QUAD SACD titles with the original vibrant glossy Gatefold covers in 7" packaging, they would charge upwards of $40~50 [or even more] for EACH title.

Sage Advice: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth! :yikes If you do the math .... $7 each for 2 QUAD titles from the early 70's which I never thought would ever make their Hi Res multichannel Debut........Eureka!:banana:

 

[surroundophile]

I have been noticing on the back of all D/V SACDs, below the AAD (Analog/Analog/Digital), it says "MCPS". I've never heard of that. Anybody know what it is?

 

[atrocity]

I have been noticing on the back of all D/V SACDs, below the AAD (Analog/Analog/Digital), it says "MCPS". I've never heard of that. Anybody know what it is?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRS_for_Music

 

[The56Kid]

Thanks for sharing your expertise but it would also depend on the art work they're supplied with. If they could work from the original brilliant CTI LP covers, then I'd say they could be more fetching but after all is said and done with just the cost of licensing the titles, replicating the SACDs in Austria and the time rummaging through all those masters to discern what is acceptable leaves very little resources to worry about attempting to replicate those original album covers. And then there's the booklet with original liner notes which additionally adds to the cost.

Think of it this way: If SONY Japan were to produce these QUAD SACD titles with the original vibrant glossy Gatefold covers in 7" packaging, they would charge upwards of $40~50 [or even more] for EACH title.

Sage Advice: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth! :yikes If you do the math .... $7 each for 2 QUAD titles from the early 70's which I never thought would ever make their Hi Res multichannel Debut........Eureka!:banana:

Where are you seeing this for $14?