DVD/DTS Poll Folds, Ben - Songs For Silverman [DD DualDisc]

[Bob Romano]

Please post your comments, thoughts and observations.......

 

[dprokopy]

Great album - highly recommended. The surround mix (DD only, of course - thanks, Sony) is nothing spectacular, but well-suited for the rather stripped-down arrangements throughout (based mostly around piano/bass/drums). The rears are mostly confined to backing vocals and string parts, but some of these songs have rather elaborate vocal arrangements, so there's plenty going on back there.

Only downsides to the release (besides the DD-only surround mix): The "making-of" video is a shortended version of the one available on the limited-edition version, which itself does NOT contain the 5.1 mix. So if you want both the full documentary and the 5.1 mix, you need to buy both releases. Secondly, the "strings" version of "Landed" (found as a bonus track on the DVD side) is only available as (PCM) stereo, which is a shame, since that probably would have sounded really sweet in surround.

 

[daved64]

Music is great. Mix is decent, nothing spectacular, but as David said, it suits it. Would have given higher than 7 but you can "hear" the Dolby Digital choking the sound.

 

[Cai Campbell]

Pretty darn adequate. Folksy rock with a slightly cutesy bent, while still managing a serious juxtaposition. Not necessarily something I would normally get excited about but I do enjoy it. Execution is quite good. The surround mix is better than I expected, based on the comments thus far. I would go so far as to call it applicable for the music and actually enjoyable. About the only real bummer is delivery in Dolby Digital.

Considering all factors, about as average as I could hope for. I'll give it five points, but I do admit that this is the kind of thing that could grow on me over time.

 

[analogdemon]

An excellent album for anyone who enjoys piano-driven rock and roll, such as Coldplay, Keane, Elton John, or Billy Joel. Ben Folds once described his music as "punk rock for sissies". Besides fantastic music, there's a lot of lyrical excellence as well, example:

Tears land on a hand on the chest/The old bastard had a paradigm arrest/He got smaller as the world got big/The more he knew he knew he didn't know sh*t/The whiz man never fit him like the whiz kid did

And:

You can't fool me, I saw you when you came out/You've got your mama's taste but you've got my mouth/And you will always have a part of me/Nobody else is ever gonna see/Gracie girl

Other excellent tracks are Jesusland, Landed, Gracie (a song written for his daughter that anyone who's ever had a 6 year old would love), Time (with backing vocals by Weird Al Yankovic) and Prison Food.

The mix is good for the music. There's not a ton going on in the rears, but enough to satisfy most people. I can only dream of how this would sound in DVD-Audio, but alas, I'll take Dolby Digital surround over 2-channel stereo.

One of my best Sony DualDisc purchases.

 

[Guy Robinson]

I can only dream of how this would sound in DVD-Audio, but alas, I'll take Dolby Digital surround over 2-channel stereo.

Personally I would take something like the 96/24 stereo "Prarie Wind" over a 5.1 Dolby with little going on in the rear speakers.

 

[analogdemon]

Not that anyone would probably hear the difference, but that Neil Young DVD is actually DVD-Video, so even though it's a 96/24 LPCM audio track, the data rate is only 6.144 MB/s whereas, if it were DVD-Audio, the data rate would be 9.6 MB/s.

 

[Guy Robinson]

That is correct on both accounts. The maximum bitrates are lower on 96/24 PCM when compared to DVD-A and probably no one will notice. When you compare it to Dolby with 448 kbps there is a huge difference. I agree that surround at a lower bitrate often is perceived as sounding better than stereo at a higher bitrate. However, when the surrounds with Dolby are not used to their full advantage I would take the LPCM 96/24 Stereo over that.

 

[LivingForever]

Does anybody know if a version of this exists in Region 2 or Region-free Dualdisc?

I picked one up recently and discovered it's region 1, which my Marantz UD-5005 will not play.

So this Region 1 disc is looking for a good home if anyone wants to trade for something.

 

[fredblue]

This has been on my to get list for ages but I've never gotten around to getting it so I can get it off my to get list.. get it?!?

 

[LivingForever]

This has been on my to get list for ages but I've never gotten around to getting it so I can get it off my to get list.. get it?!?

Well if you've got anything going spare by way of a swap, you can have it...

 

[fredblue]

Just got it for £4 quid, will give it a listen later.

 

[blue.monk]

As per usual with Ben Folds the songwriting is quite good with some very striking melodies and a variety of moods. The mix is fairly conservative with only a handful of songs feeling truly immersive. It is Dolby but my real complaint is the mastering. I find it very fatiguing with squashed dynamics and harsh EQ. A nice bonus having the strings version of Landed. It's appropriate that Paul Buckmaster did the arrangement as I've always thought of Folds as a sort of Elton John for the 90's. Overall I give it a 7 on the strength of the music.

 

[The Bright Side]

Just got it for £4 quid, will give it a listen later.

Got it yesterday at a thrift store for 4.99 Canadian Dollars. Beat you, Adam!

Just listening to it for the first time. So far, not hearing too much surround activity, but the sound quality is very good, especially for DD. Two songs in, I like it so far!

 

[fredblue]

Got it yesterday at a thrift store for 4.99 Canadian Dollars. Beat you, Adam!

Just listening to it for the first time. So far, not hearing too much surround activity, but the sound quality is very good, especially for DD. Two songs in, I like it so far!

Haha.. nice one!
Sounds like a good'un! (I don't remember anything about it tbh.. will have to refresh the old grey cells )

 

[markshan]

Great tunes, nice mix. I wish they would reissue this one on Blu-Ray with a surround mix of the Buckmaster Landed. His strings really elevate that track. It's like EJ in the 70s.