Gentle Giant "Power & Glory" Blu Ray & DVD mixed by SW coming early Summer '14

[knifeman]

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[knifeman]

I wish he did have the abilities to author DVD-As, then the Jethro Tull releases would be even better...

Ray Shulman did author the Aqualung Blu-ray so I would assume he could handle a DVD-A if that's what the record label wanted.

 

[drphibes]

Folks, I pre-ordered this release based on your recommendation. I do not know the band or the album. Lo and behold, Amazon "autorip" let me download the MP3 tracks for a listen. What a fine album. Thanks for the recommendation.

....I need to revisit the Jethro Tull releases that I passed on for one reason or another..

 

[d0zer]

It is hard to find out how many people don't know Gentle Giant (no offence...). This remminds me when about 20 years ago I mentioned CCR to my younger cousin and he had no clue what I was talking about. Makes me feel so old.

 

[keenly]

It is hard to find out how many people don't know Gentle Giant (no offence...). This remminds me when about 20 years ago I mentioned CCR to my younger cousin and he had no clue what I was talking about. Makes me feel so old.

I had never heard of them prior to this thread. I have now ordered the Blu Ray. SW 5.1 mixes have introduced me to at least 4 bands now; great stuff.

 

[blue.monk]

It's great to see some new folks discovering the music of GG. They never received the mass popularity as did some of their prog peers but, for me, their early 70's output rivals that of Yes, Genesis or King Crimson in terms of originality and musicianship.

Incidentally two ex-members (Gary and Malcolm) continue to play the music of Gentle Giant in the band Three Friends:

http://threefriendsmusic.wordpress.com

(Their name refers to GG's third album and used to be more appropriate when Kerry was also a member!)

 

[timbre4]

Yes indeed Gentle Giant was part of The Big Six progressive rock bands. I received a book about prog legends about 10 years ago when a magazine abruptly folded (book was a consolation prize).

After starting the book, I realized this "definitive" study purposely omitted Gentle Giant from discussion. I can't say what axe the author had to grind with GG but I stopped reading it and tossed it as I felt this was shabby treatment. Even if you don't appreciate the bands material, it was wrong not to give them their due.


From QQ deep space

 

[drphibes]

It is hard to find out how many people don't know Gentle Giant (no offence...). This remminds me when about 20 years ago I mentioned CCR to my younger cousin and he had no clue what I was talking about. Makes me feel so old.

No offense taken. There is a whole world of great music out there that I haven't even had time to get into except in the most superficial way. There's nothing wrong with people, it's just that there's only so many hours in a day.

Around the time my favorite streaming sites like soma.fm and the astreaux world stream were getting intermittently shut down in a fight with the RIAA (2001-2002, I think), I stopped buying any and all new music unless I paid the artist myself. I was really unhappy about all that, and I recall being unhappy about "copy protected CDs", although I don't think I ever saw one. I'm not sure exactly when my self-imposed embargo ended. Probably as late as 2010.

As a result, I lost some time to hear some other great music.

 

[Ranasakawa]

I only discovered Gentle Giant about 5 years ago. I'm a big prog fan but little was mentioned about them in any of the 100s of rock/music magazines I own. Glad there are people still discovering new music as I continue to do. Just played some early Journey for the first time. Like a hybrid Santana with more rock thrown in.

 

[jdmack]

I'll just mention that from the time I first acquired some Gentle Giant albums to the time that they clicked for me was about 10 years. And then they clicked for me HARD! And I was already a die hard Yes, Genesis, King Crimson etc. fan.

So if you like progressive rock at all, and if "The Power and the Glory" doesn't do much for you at first, don't sell it. Put it away and give it some time.

 

[jefe1]

Having now listened to My copy of Octopus on lp, interspersed with Scheherezade by Renaissance I can only say that I am looking forward to this release.
Thanks to Amazon, I now have the mp3s downloaded on my phone. Will be listening to it this week...

 

[rtbluray]

A review of the new mixes from "Lownote30" on that other forum…

Alright. I listened to the 5.1 (with the videos) and the stereo remix, and then A/B'd the original flat transfer included with the new mix and all of it is just stunning! (All from just the Blu-Ray as that's all I have).
5.1 - Wilson's greatest surround mix to date in my opinion. There's separation between instruments that lets you hear every detail, but the cohesiveness of the album is not lost at all. It just sounds REALLY clean and natural sorta like it was meant to be presented in 5.1. I think the drums and all of the little percussion elements benefit the most from this mix. Weathers should be happy with this drum sound. They don't sound nearly as thin as in the original mix. They're nice and beefy sounding (as is Ray's bass). That said, no other instrument is lost in the mix at all! Everything sounds more real and clean. Kerry's delicate vocals sounds amazing. He doesn't sound as weak in his delivery (maybe he's just a bit louder vocally in this mix?). I am also hearing acoustic guitars that are in the original mix, but they are much more clear in surround. This mix just shows how great the musicianship was with this band, and how much went into this album. There are some surprises with the panning as well, but I don't want to give that away. Even the song "The Power And The Glory" sounds great in surround. There's a lot more going on in that song than you get from the original stereo mix.

STEREO REMIX - Also stunning! Wilson must have studied the original mix down to every last detail, because he has even reproduced the placement of the instruments in the soundstage (left, or right). It's louder than the flat transfer of the original mix, and I don't know why really, but it is. The only real difference I hear in the new stereo mix is the snare tone. It's a bit darker than the original mix. I think the remix has more detail and overall clarity, but it's a toss up as to which mix I prefer. They both sound great in hi-rez!

VIDEO CONTENT - Each song has a video that goes with it for the remixes (5.1 and stereo), and each one has a different approach to computer animation that's really creative with a different theme in each one! Each video goes with each song and incorporates elements of the album artwork at times, but also some really trippy effects! I can't really put it into words, but they are very effective. The way the effects change with the different sections of any given song are really cool! The King Crimson releases could have used something like this. It was hard not to watch while listening because it's all so synchronized so well!

In conclusion, this is a must have release for anyone who has a love for this band and/or this album. My jaw hit the floor. This is how it should be done, and this album deserves it! You can tell that Derek and Ray Schulman kept a close eye on this release and had a hand in it. They have always been perfectionists, and it shows with this. You can also tell that Wilson must love this album, because it seems like extra attention paid to the details. My advice? BUY IT when it comes out!

 

[fredblue]

Thanks rt! Sounds like SW has surpassed himself - yet again! I cannot frrrrrreakin wait to hear this!!!

 

[DennisMoore Jr.]

No offense taken. There is a whole world of great music out there that I haven't even had time to get into except in the most superficial way. There's nothing wrong with people, it's just that there's only so many hours in a day.

As a result, I lost some time to hear some other great music.

No worries my good Doctor,

Gentle Giant were even a "sleeper band" back in the day. I dare say they are more famous now than back in their prime. Just my experience, but I only knew one person(back in the 1970s) who had a Gentle Giant record and that was Free Hand. I then bought all the GG I could, but I never met anybody else in High School who knew these guys.

Even when they toured, the played small places or they would be an opening act for a bigger act. I think in 1976 there was a triple bill:

Gary Wright
Gentle Giant
YES

Certainly GG music has aged quite well. I'll say again: Octopus, P&G & Free Hand are as good as any three prog records from any band.

@RT: thanks for the review

@the group: I belive that SW knows best and will do Free Hand & Octopus next(that is if we get more GG...)

 

[fredblue]

Amazon UK pre-order for the Blu-ray set has just gone live.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KKXKQ8S?

Current price = £20.06.
Release date 21st of July.

 

[colsky]

Amazon UK pre-order for the Blu-ray set has just gone live.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KKXKQ8S?

Current price = £20.06.
Release date 21st of July.

Amazon seem to be doing a lot of this recently, having a high price for a pre release. They had Quadrophenia I think for a pre release £20, and its now down to £15. I saw someone on Amazon moaning about this in the comments, that they had effectively been overcharged for this.

Incredibly Amazon UK are again describing the Brain Salad Surgery 3-Disc set as: "Newly remastered + 2nd disc of bonus tracks + DVD-Audio of entire album in SACD stereo & 5.1 surround-sound."!!!! Not surprisingly their page for this also now says " This product is not currently offered by Amazon.co.uk because a customer recently told us that the item he or she received was not as described." :ugham:

 

[Ranasakawa]

Amazon seem to be doing a lot of this recently, having a high price for a pre release. They had Quadrophenia I think for a pre release £20, and its now down to £15. I saw someone on Amazon moaning about this in the comments, that they had effectively been overcharged for this.

Incredibly Amazon UK are again describing the Brain Salad Surgery 3-Disc set as: "Newly remastered + 2nd disc of bonus tracks + DVD-Audio of entire album in SACD stereo & 5.1 surround-sound."!!!! Not surprisingly their page for this also now says " This product is not currently offered by Amazon.co.uk because a customer recently told us that the item he or she received was not as described." :ugham:

Amazon really can be pathetic. I spend a lot with them every year. They sure have no idea how to describe their products.

 

[Werno]

Amazon really can be pathetic. I spend a lot with them every year. They sure have no idea how to describe their products.

You said a mouthful. By way of illustration, here's Amazon's attempt to explain DVDa and Blu-Ray audio to the uninitiated: you could devote a whole thread to correcting the half-assed info herein.

A LOOK AT BLU-RAY AND DVD AUDIO

First, we listened to albums on vinyl, then we had CDs, and now there's Blu-ray and DVD-Audio. What's the difference?

Blu-ray Audio
Blu-ray Audio is recorded in high-resolution, 48K 24-bit PCM stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. It comes on an is an audio-only disc, with basic navigation and song information displayed on screen. The 48K 24-bit audio on these discs has 256 times more resolution than a CD, providing greater detail and reproducing the music's full dynamic range, from the softest to the loudest sounds. To achieve full dynamic range, it's necessary to master with less overall level, so this disc might not sound as 'loud' as a standard CD or film soundtrack. Blu-ray Audio uses the same lossless surround-sound options as Blu-ray video (LPCM, Dolby TrueHD, and/or DTS-HD Master Audio). Thus, it has the same general compatibility as Blu-ray video and will play only in Blu-ray players. It will not play in regular CD or DVD players.

DVD Audio
DVD-A is the latest way to hear multichannel, audiophile-quality albums in your home, using your DVD or DVD-Audio player. A DVD-A can hold up to seven times the data of a normal CD, which results in added features and better sound. Also, with its sampling rate higher than that of average CDs (up to 192 kHz, whereas most CDs get 44.1 kHz), you may hear a lot of details in music on a DVD-A that you'd never discover on an average CD. And, since nearly all DVD-As are engineered for multichannel / surround-sound listening (using five or six speakers), with the right equipment, you'll be able to hear your favorite music in breathtaking surround sound.

Equipment Needed: First off, DVD-Audios will not play on normal CD players. You'll need a DVD-Audio player in order to fully capture the capabilities of these discs. A receiver with 5.1 analog inputs and five speakers (left, center, right, left surround, right surround, and a subwoofer) should also be used to capture the surround-sound capabilities of DVD-As. While pure DVD-As will not play on standard DVD players, most releases (including all the titles produced by Warner, Atlantic, and Elektra) contain a Dolby Digital surround-sound mix, making them playable on any DVD player. Though these discs are primarily audio-only, you'll be best off using them in conjunction with your TV, so you can watch the additional onscreen features (see below) and navigate the menus with ease. It's all a little complicated, but music-loving home theater enthusiasts won't be disappointed!

Improved Sound: Thanks to a higher sampling rate than that of both standard DVDs and CDs, DVD-As have an incredibly detailed sound. And, when played through a proper home-theater setup with five or six channels (speakers), you'll get to hear your favorite music in a whole new light--in surround sound. Depending on the remastering, the effect of surround sound on your favorite album can be subtle or dramatic, but generally speaking, every DVD-Audio sounds better than its standard CD counterpart.

Additional Onscreen Features: The added onscreen features available on DVD-Audios vary from title to title. DVD-As often have extra unreleased tracks, photo slide shows of the artist performing, song lyrics, music videos, and interviews. But don't expect to get footage of a full concert or videos for every track; DVD-As devote the bulk of their space to high-quality audio-only music. Happy listening!

 

[Ranasakawa]

BluRay is 48k !

 

[kap'n krunch]

BluRay is 48k !

That's one of the things that pisses me off from SW...his insistence in 48 K

...hey , I HOPE I'm wrong and that is what he got to begin with...but , REALLY... 48K? Come oooon! Ask for a 96K transfer!!!!!!