HiRez Poll Fish - VIGIL IN A WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[splinter7]

Ahhh, what a pleasure to read a super detailed review from a real connoisseur. Thanks @splinter7!

I don’t know about that but Thanks

 

[Healthcare29]

Voted a 10 - based on the Atmos fold down, if just the 5..1 it would be a 8.
Packaging is on a par with the Marillion/Tull sets.

 

[Neil Palfreyman]

A very solid 9 from me after several spins of the Atmos mixes, played as a Dolby TrueHD stream on a 5.1 system. Consideably more dynamic than the original CD mixes, which results in the vocals losing a bit of their acerbic edge on some songs. Some may consider this a negative change, but it works for me: Fish's vocals "as recorded" are just beautiful, and they sit perfectly in the extra space provided by the surround field.

A mate of mine described these new mixes of the songs as now sounding much more like the follow on from "Clutching at Straws" that they could have been part of, and I certainly get where he's coming from: It sounds much more like a bridge between the old and new, if that makes sense?

They've not been afraid to change the mixes quite significantly, and they're cleaned up to be crystal clear, sounding like they were recorded yesterday, they're discrete in all the right places and "breath" with the songs that the CDs never did. Top class remixes.

 

[SomethingAnything]

I'm one of those who followed the Marillion pathway. I recall at the time of the split the sentiment was that Fish was where things were at, creatively speaking, and Marillion's Season's End album was canned by the press when it came out (at least in the reviews I assiduously read). People really weren't giving Marillion much of a chance. I remained loyal to them in a way one might follow the underdog. And so, until these purchases, all I owned was one of the Fish bootlegs (not one of those included in this bookset).

Well, I tell you what, this is a wonderful bookset! One of the things I love about surround reissues is when it's an album that I don't know and -- woohoo! -- it also turns about to be a very good album. So thank goodness I bought this (and, hopefully, Exile, which I've yet to hear). Fab Atmos mix, and so much content on the blu-ray and CDs! Almost overwhelming, with most of it new to me.

Minuses (which do not take away from my rating, but I thought you might still be interested in): the blu-ray menu authoring can be twitchy, sending me into 'No signal detected' land especially if I navigate around; there are no titles announcing the songs (most of which I don't know, so I rather would have liked this); and no pop up menu to fall back on for the titles. (Sigh, I do like a good, well-conceived pop up menu, the PF Animals being my all time fave so far.) Finally for the minuses, I've also managed to listen to the Pigpen live album so far. It's well recorded and mixed (stereo), but goodness me, he really can shout and swear between the tracks, can't he? Yes he has a right to shout and swear if he wants, I guess, but, truly, it's a bit harsh on the ears, especially when all you want to do is sit back and enjoy his great songs. But he does seem like quite the personality, Fish, doesn't he?

Back to good stuff ... I feel the bookset is a step up from the Tull & Marillion sets (as wonderful as they are, espesh the Tull ones which also contain brilliant mixes, each and every one). But this Vigil bookset is just so gorgeous to the touch ... you just want to keep caressing the cover and peering at the beautifully laid out pages of photos and what have you. And did anyone luck out and get a Derek Dick autograph on their customs slip? I got his wife, but that still seems pretty cool. I did my best to extract it from the postal packaging and it's now a bookmark in the book.

I'm very much looking forward to checking out the demos and the rest of the live stuff on the CDs and the blu-ray. Hopefully they will be less shouty between songs though.

So all up? Yeah, a ten for sure, even though I've still yet to hear everything. I'm so happy to own this gorgeous release. All the best to you, Mr Fish, on your retirement.

 

[Progfiend]

I had read that the Atmos mix was better than the 5.1, so I listened to that one on my 7.1 system. The mix is fantastic! Great packaging, as usual with the Fish/Marillion releases, lots of bonus content, another well-written essay from Fish. I can’t think of a reason not to give it a 10.