my friend, the time, i would say, is now.
we all know the 70's Classics practically by heart of course and in Atmos they all shine like the jewels they are, with some surprising new elements popping up (no 5.1 rehashes, these are all new mixes) and there's lots of inventive and also some quite unexpected uses of the Surround soundfield.
Greg Penny is not afraid to put some knockout stuff in the Rears and Atmos/Height channels that's for sure (!) -- but the big surprise for me is in some of the 80's/90's and beyond tracks (things like Blue Eyes, Little Jeannie, I'm Still Standing, IGTWTCITB, Nikita, IDWGOWYLT) some of that stuff i could barely bear playing anymore.. now they are so freed of their original production and some of the mixing mire and grunge of the 80's i've always felt plagued them that some of these new mixes of his latter-day tracks are absolutely - and i don't say this lightly - revelatory -- and yet the essence of each track and what made them Hits in the first place is for the most part still there. very clever, very skillful mixing indeed.
are there some things i would have done differently? absolutely.
the lead vocals feel a tad too dry to me on "Sad Songs Say So Much", for example.. but its a relatively minor quibble even within the mix of just that song because everything else about the track is mixed so beautifully in Surround; the rhythm section and backing vocals of Davey, Dee and Nigel all together on a big Hit record for the last time fill the room so so gorgeously, with all new pretty little vocal bits peppering the place, just sublime.
when you can make me sit all the way through "Nikita" (another track i could've happily lived without hearing anymore) with a permanent grin at just how fabulously Surround-y and yet how superbly it all still gels, well that to me is a stunning achievement.
i think this represents a new benchmark in Atmos mixing for Music imho.
still getting over the shock. wow.
) and i too hope its just the tip - because i want more! i can take more than just the tip of this iceberg! oh yeah baby, yeah!! 
