HiRez Poll Franklin, Aretha - LIVE AT FILLMORE WEST [Blu-Ray Audio]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this new Blu-Ray Audio release of the classic Aretha Franklin album Live at Fillmore West.
Released as part of Rhino's ongoing Quadio series, this new Blu-Ray audio release features the first release of the original Quadraphonic mix in over 50 years!

 

[RustyM]

SURROUND MIX - 2
AUDIO FIDELITY - 2
CONTENT - 3
OVERALL PACKAGE - 1
Rated 8. Surround mix puts you into venue with the performance mostly up front and the audience in the rears. During one of the songs, a buzzing occurs which distracted me from the performance. Aretha is on fire and her voice sounds great. Packaging is consistent with previous QUADIO releases.

 

[marpow]

I voted 9 and it was a hard decision.
This album is historical in the world of music. A large band was brought to the Fillmore West with Ray Charles as a guest.
It is also noted that Aretha and management came to the Fillmore with a rock flavor to crossover and pick up a new audience.
My other of this is stereo from HDTracks 24bit/192Khz, quite good. The DR's are 1 notch higher
This review is of Rhino's Quadio released 1/7/2025.
Ripped Blu Ray-FLAC file-24bit/192Khz-DTS HD MSTR-DR's are 10's, 11's, 12's. The stereo Quadio all the same.

My listen of the 4.0 was quite enjoyable, the 1-point knock, a 1971 live recording in a 4.0 format, just doesn't quite hold up to a 10. There are too many positives however, the 4-speaker sound is nice and even and discrete, not just audience rears, but primarily the audience is in the rears, what is cool about the audience rears is you actually hear words and sentences of the audience. There are also musical instruments in the rears. Aretha and band mostly up front a very good balance.
A bonus for me a SF person is to always hear Bill Graham announce and he does announce Aretha.
The closer with Ray Charles is a lot of fun to listen to.
If you love great sounding older recordings and historical content, this is a must purchase. The micing sounds really close on stage so you also get that feel of being in the band rather than the audience.

Please Keep Polls Pure To Your Listening Experience Only.

 

[SomethingAnything]

I voted 9 and it was a hard decision.
This album is historical in the world of music. A large band was brought to the Fillmore West with Ray Charles as a guest.
It is also noted that Aretha and management came to the Fillmore with a rock flavor to crossover and pick up a new audience.
My other of this is stereo from HDTracks 24bit/192Khz, quite good. The DR's are 1 notch higher
This review is of Rhino's Quadio released 1/7/2025.
Ripped Blu Ray-FLAC file-24bit/192Khz-DTS HD MSTR-DR's are 10's, 11's, 12's. The stereo Quadio all the same.

My listen of the 4.0 was quite enjoyable, the 1-point knock, a 1971 live recording in a 4.0 format, just doesn't quite hold up to a 10. There are too many positives however, the 4-speaker sound is nice and even and discrete, not just audience rears, but primarily the audience is in the rears, what is cool about the audience rears is you actually hear words and sentences of the audience. There are also musical instruments in the rears. Aretha and band mostly up front a very good balance.
A bonus for me a SF person is to always hear Bill Graham announce and he does announce Aretha.
The closer with Ray Charles is a lot of fun to listen to.
If you love great sounding older recordings and historical content, this is a must purchase. The micing sounds really close on stage so you also get that feel of being in the band rather than the audience.

Please Keep Polls Pure To Your Listening Experience Only.
View attachment 113603

Thank you for this helpful review. Both reviews so far have been helpful and yours particularly informative. However would you mind explaining what is meant by 'SF person'. Thanks!

 

[marpow]

Of course, born and raised in San Francisco.
I have been to every music venue in SF.
However my first concert 1968 was Canned Heat in San Jose.
I still work every day in SF.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Who did I just see at Fillmore West?
Aimee Mann? I think so.

It is cool listening to a show recorded a half hour from here, at a place I frequent.

 

[Michael Marshall]

I was looking forward to Aretha's "Live at the Fillmore West" the most out of all of the QUADIO'S in this batch. It's a historic performance recorded in her prime at fabulous venue where I too have seen shows (the first being the Counting Crows in their 1st national tour in 1994). Just like Marpow, I too miss the sound of the legendary promotor, Mr Bill Graham and heard it several times as he introduced bands from the stage at his summertime bay area festival, "Day on the Green" held outside at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum. Ok, enough of the reminiscing, let's get to the business at hand...

Unfortunately for me, I was somewhat disappointed in this QUADIO as the recording/mastering seemed rather bright/harsh, especially after reading about many of our forum's members experience with previous quad releases. The recording seems to be especially close miked and the Fillmore West's acoustic space comes across more like a club date vs the historic, midsize venue that it is. I was expecting a more "active" quad mix but that, IMO, was rather lacking as well. I found myself NOT wanting to turn things "up" too much as the sound became more "glaring/blaring" on my system which is a shame because I do "love it loud".

So, for me, Aretha Franklin "Live at Filmore West" is a seven (7). I really was looking forward to this QUADIO but "you can't always get what you want..."

 

[elinter]

No doubt a historic recording of Aretha Franklin in her prime and with the guest appearance of Ray Charles, you can't complain about the musicianship. Unfortunately, the sound quality is not stellar. I find the audience in the rears somewhat distracting and lessens the enjoyment, although I suppose it's realistic for a live recording. I enjoyed the vinyl recording of the concert more. Just a 7 for me.

 

[key_wiz]

Tough one. This is such a seminal piece of music history that one is tempted to give it a "10" just for that alone. I mean, c'mon -- Aretha, Billy Preston, Cornell Dupree, Bernard Purdie AND a guest appearance by Ray Charles? That ALONE is a "10"

But if that's all this was about, we'd be fine with the stereo version, and this is about the quad reissue.

The fidelity of the recording is far from stellar. And the quad mix is mostly audience and ambience in the rears. There are certainly worse live surround mixes, but also much better.

"8" overall.

 

[Michael Marshall]

Tough one. This is such a seminal piece of music history that one is tempted to give it a "10" just for that alone. I mean, c'mon -- Aretha, Billy Preston, Cornell Dupree, Bernard Purdie AND a guest appearance by Ray Charles? That ALONE is a "10"

But if that's all this was about, we'd be fine with the stereo version, and this is about the quad reissue.

The fidelity of the recording is far from stellar. And the quad mix is mostly audience and ambience in the rears. There are certainly worse live surround mixes, but also much better.

"8" overall.

I approached Aretha's "Live..." release from a very similar point of view. I do recall reading about this release and it's quad mix as one being touted as a "grail" release as it was originally released in quad and one that was clamored for as a QUADIO release. Performance wise, it IS an absolute stellar performance and a 10/10! Unfortunately, sonically speaking, it is an ok sounding release, even for its time and I just can't give it any more than a 7/10.

 

[Matt Wilson]

8
Good show, fairly good sound. I mean it's live, what are you expecting?

 

[quadrifonico]

A must have disc in my opinion. Quad is the best way to hear this. But don't expect wonders: the mix wants to put you in the crowd with the stage in front, but AT THE SAME TIME the interplay is between front-right and rear-right speakers or front-left and rear-left, it's weird like listening to 2 different mixing approaches combined together. Imagine the band in front of you then the sax solo starts from your right and ends in your back.... Weird as I said

 

[Michael Marshall]

A must have disc in my opinion. Quad is the best way to hear this. But don't expect wonders: the mix wants to put you in the crowd with the stage in front, but AT THE SAME TIME the interplay is between front-right and rear-right speakers or front-left and rear-left, it's weird like listening to 2 different mixing approaches combined together. Imagine the band in front of you then the sax solo starts from your right and ends in your back.... Weird as I said

That is as good as an explanation of what I was/am hearing as I could have put it if I had tried! Definitely a "must have disk" IMO as well, I guess I just got a bit carried away with what other members were pontificating about and my expectations ended up a bit unrealistic.

 

[key_wiz]

A must have disc in my opinion. Quad is the best way to hear this. But don't expect wonders: the mix wants to put you in the crowd with the stage in front, but AT THE SAME TIME the interplay is between front-right and rear-right speakers or front-left and rear-left, it's weird like listening to 2 different mixing approaches combined together. Imagine the band in front of you then the sax solo starts from your right and ends in your back.... Weird as I said

It's a "must have" disc, no doubt. The historical nature of the performance alone warrants that.

But is the quad so much better than the stereo that the quad is a "must have"? I'm not hearing that. Do I prefer it to the stereo? Yes. No doubt. It's certainly not worse than the stereo, and does add SOME depth to the listening experience. But significantly so?

I'm not hearing that.

 

[quadrifonico]

It's a "must have" disc, no doubt. The historical nature of the performance alone warrants that.

But is the quad so much better than the stereo that the quad is a "must have"? I'm not hearing that. Do I prefer it to the stereo? Yes. No doubt. It's certainly not worse than the stereo, and does add SOME depth to the listening experience. But significantly so?

I'm not hearing that.

yes in my opinion is way better than plain stereo, just for the higher resolution alone; and apart from those artifacts, you really feel like you were there in the crowd recordind the gig yourself...all this considered it is a vintage mix and also in one song there's an annoying noise from the front right channel, but the performance makes you forgive everything