HiRez Poll Earth Wind & Fire - Gratitude [SACD]

[JonUrban]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this early 5.1 SACD release from Sony of the Earth Wind & Fire Double Album "Gratitude"



NOTE: Image lifted from discogs!

 

[fredblue]

"wanna thank you, yeah.."

thanks JonUrban for creating the Poll

its an all 'n all "10" from me, the studio tracks on this are some of if not the best new 5.1 mixes Sony put out on SACD back in the early noughties (before i got grey hair and everything started to ache!), the surround on this one is brilliant.

 

[quicksrt]

So is this as good or better (as a surround mix) than the 4.0 titles that just came out as a two-fer on DV?

 

[fredblue]

So is this as good or better (as a surround mix) than the 4.0 titles that just came out as a two-fer on DV?

this is just as good in my book (and i love those two Quads) the use of the Centre channel is pretty solid, the Rear channels are active throughout and used in a similar way at times to some of what Larry Keyes did with his Spirit Quad mix, sound quality errs on the bright side but is still nice and the most pristine i've heard this material.

 

[atlantasteve]

I love this disc! Side 4 (studio tracks) bursts with sound. Thanks for adding this poll, Jon.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Gratitude has always been a fav and an absolute blast sonically. A 10!

 

[dr. simple]

I guess I’m the first person to say how surprised I am that this very worthy disc did not have a poll until now!

The thing with this disc is, for me anyway, that I rarely listen to the live tracks but the studio tracks are MUST HAVES for fans of surround. True demo material. The live tracks make it difficult for me to give it a 10, but the studio tracks can’t be improved, in my opinion. I’ll go with a 9.

 

[quicksrt]

I guess I’m the first person to say how surprised I am that this very worthy disc did not have a poll until now!

Well... Jon has said repeatedly that he's so "over it!" and maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[steelydave]

Everything everyone's said about how good the studio tracks on this album is true, but the performances on the live section are so fantastic that I don't find myself let down at all by the (primarily) ambient surround mix. The two long instrumental tracks (Africano/Power and New World Symphony) still knock my socks off today, and I don't think there's a studio recording that captures the band's virtuoso energy better than those two songs.

This was actually the very first SACD I ever got. I asked for it as a Christmas gift in 2002, before I even had a machine capable of playing SACDs, because of how much I loved the stereo version of the album, and I wasn't disappointed.

For people who enjoy the live half of this disc, be sure to seek out That's the Way of the World: Alive in '75, it's a further hour of live recordings culled from the same run of shows that produced the live tracks on Gratitude that are every bit as good both in performance and mix/sound quality.

 

[humprof]

Everything everyone's said about how good the studio tracks on this album is true, but the performances on the live section are so fantastic that I don't find myself let down at all by the (primarily) ambient surround mix. The two long instrumental tracks (Africano/Power and New World Symphony) still knock my socks off today, and I don't think there's a studio recording that captures the band's virtuoso energy better than those two songs.

Word. Gratitude was the first EWF album I ever had--my brother gave it to me for my birthday in 1976, along with the Crusaders' Southern Comfort (two double albums; how did I rate?)--so even though I'm over the moon about Dutton's new two-fer, for me those crack live versions of "Shining Star," "Yearnin' Learnin'," "Reasons," and "Africano" will always be the definitive ones.

For people who enjoy the live half of this disc, be sure to seek out That's the Way of the World: Alive in '75, it's a further hour of live recordings culled from the same run of shows that produced the live tracks on Gratitude that are every bit as good both in performance and mix/sound quality.

Second that! Totally missed it when it was first released in the early aughts. A happy discovery when I first got into surround a couple of years ago. Man, that band was smokin' in 75!

 

[privateuniverse]

Put this one on today after not having listened for years. The live tracks are mixed like most live albums, with not much in the rears other than audience and ambience. There is the occasional exception. A guitar attack during "Sun Goddess" comes blaring out of the rear right and it'll make you jump. My first inclination after a couple of minutes was to skip the live tracks and just jump ahead to the studio ones, but man, these guys kicked some serious butt in concert. High energy and incredibly tight. Despite the lack of an imaginative surround mix, the performances are amazing. The mixes on the studio tracks however are top notch, demo material. I like them even better than the 70's quad mixes (and I love those!) It's unfortunate that when Sony was mixing titles into 5.1 for their SACD series, they chose live albums for EWF. If All 'n All could have been mixed like the studio tracks here, it could have been one of the best surround discs ever. I live in hope....

Worth seeking out if you can find one at a reasonable price.

I'll shave off a point because of the mix on the live tracks. A very enthusiastic 9.

 

[dorikamu]

Finally managed to get hold of this disc after getting hooked on EWF by Dutton-Vocalion's Quad release. The performance is fantastic. Surround mix on the live part of the album is good and absolutely outstanding on the studio tracks. Voted 9 (10 for studio tracks / 8 for live tracks)

 

[key_wiz]

I have to give this a "10". Not much to say here that hasn't already been said. One of my all-time favorite albums (let alone live albums) since it was first released. The studio tracks are demo quality mixes. The live tracks do have surprising moments of surround-ness. Backing vocals will suddenly be in the rear. Some guitar tracks. Odd that it doesn't seem to be mixed consistently all the way through, but it's all fine. And while it is tempting to knock off a point for the live tracks not having GREAT surround-ness, the quality of the performances makes up for it.

Agree with SteelyDave about "Alive in '75". Great companion disc and worth it just for the 'full' version of "Sing A Message To You".

 

[ScottB]

The Surround Music Poll is one of my favorite parts of this fantastic community. I’ve spent a lot of time reading user reviews of the albums listed here, and most of my purchases are based on general consensus about how albums are rated here.

Having said that, I just found a copy of “Gratitude“ online and grabbed it. Based on all the comments, my expectation was that it was going to sound very good. Within minutes of popping it in, I was completely blown away. This is a snapshot in time of a band at its tightest and best, with all the moving parts working together seamlessly to create pure funk magic.

While the live portion of the album is fantastic and do a great job of capturing their performance, the studio tracks are sublime. After several listening sessions I believe these are some of the best examples of multichannel recordings I have ever heard. The tracks are brilliant yet warm, with their amazing vocals shining out front. The mix is just right - not too tame but not overly aggressive.

I LOVE this album and give it my highest recommendation.

 

[Tres Discrete]

Just bit on a reasonable price on eBay - thanks to your enthusiastic reviews
Can’t wait to hear it…especially “Can’t Hide Love” - one of my fave EW&F tracks