Herbie Hancock Headhunters - the next Sony Japan 7" quad SACD (September 9th)

[ctoelle]

"Hang Up Your Hang Ups" is top-shelf Herbie

 

[steelydave]

Agreed - if you haven't heard it, I highly reccomend the live version from the 1977 V.S.O.P. Live album, they really draw out the end section (which is quite short on the studio version) an Herbie takes an amazing piano solo over it.

 

[Mcallister]

Saw a couple people have received this, how does it compare to the quad SACD already available?

 

[PissedOffPeoN]

Alot of the tracks are labled multichannel.. wonder if it is the same? or down converted from 5.1 but sounded good to me.

 

[Colin London]

Can Manchild -1975 become a SACD multi channel

Secrets 1976 would be Bliss as SACD multi Channel.

Both feature the late and great Wah Wah Watson aged 26. Also some Top Drummers James Gadson & Mike Clarke (track 1 Manchild.) On "Doin' It" 1976 Wah Wah Watson is on Bass Guitar.

 

[salsdali]

Great news! The price is ¥3,500 + tax (¥3,850 in Japan) which is pretty reasonable for Japanese product. Here it is at Amazon, though they aren't shipping pre-orders to the USA right now:

Amazon.co.jp: 「ヘッド・ハンターズ」-SA-CDマルチ・ハイブリッド・エディション- (完全生産限定盤): 音楽

here's the US listing

https://www.amazon.com/Head-Hunters-Quadraphonic-SACD-Multi-Channel/dp/B08DBJNVGV

 

[guybrown]

Here one on eBay UK at a really good price!!!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274492349645
(Nothing to do with me just stumbled across it earlier today!)

 

[salsdali]

here's the US listing

https://www.amazon.com/Head-Hunters-Quadraphonic-SACD-Multi-Channel/dp/B08DBJNVGV

says "Temporarily out of stock"

I'm guessing that means it didn't get released today because amazon never sells out that fast (it's 38 minutes past midnight on the day of the release)?

 

[fredblue]

Here one on eBay UK at a really good price!!!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274492349645
(Nothing to do with me just stumbled across it earlier today!)

nabbed it! thanks for the info!

 

[The56Kid]

Just received the Japanese 7” Head Hunters SACD today from ImportCDs. Didn’t have any of the prior quad versions of this release and never heard them either. That said, this SACD sounds great - albeit I’m only 2/3 thru Chameleon. Full, rich sound with a hefty bottom end to boot. Loving it so far!

 

[sjcorne]

That said, this SACD sounds great - albeit I’m only 2/3 thru Chameleon.

My only gripe with the quad mix is that Herbie's extended synth solo from around 4:00-7:30 in "Chameleon" feels a bit more recessed and reverb-y than it does in the original stereo. It kinda sneaks in over your left shoulder when it really should hit you right in the face. Otherwise, it's killer.

 

[humprof]

The bigger tragedy (for me, at least) is that Columbia strangely never released a quad mix of 1975's Man-Child, which came in between Thrust and Secrets. Not only is it some of his best fusion material, it's also really sonically dense, with even more keyboard layering than his previous albums, and it also has a horn section on some tracks. The album also has former Motown session man Wah Wah Watson (he of Papa Was a Rolling Stone fame) all over it, both as a writer and also playing his guitar through a variety of effects incluing (obviously) wah wah, echoplex, and talk box. Oh and Stevie Wonder drops by to blow a crazy harmonica solo on one of the tracks.

Honestly can't figure out why this never got the quad treatment - if Herbie was going to dip into his back catalog for an Atmos remix, this is the one I'd start with.

Sadly, where they started instead was with Speak Like a Child.

An Atmos mix appeared on Tidal last month. An excellent post-bop album, obviously, but Steve Genewick implied that this and a bunch of other classic Blue Note albums got the same treatment that he and Dave Rideau gave to Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain. The end result sounds lovely, but it doesn't make for Atmos fireworks.

 

[britmarc]

Has anybody noticed that the 5.1 version is considerably cheaper than the Quad 4.0? (Y2750 v. Y3850)

 

[4-earredwonder]

Has anybody noticed that the 5.1 version is considerably cheaper than the Quad 4.0? (Y2750 v. Y3850)

But the question arises: Which ONE would YOU rather HAVE?

IMO, technology has improved since the former [QUAD DSD remastered from the original analogue QUAD 15 ips mastertapes] and that special SONY 7" packaging is another BIG PLUS. The 5.1 was 'reconfigured' from the QUAD masters to accomodate a .1 LFE channel and faux center.

 

[fredblue]

Slightly off-topic, but since it seems a lot of people ordered Santana together with the new Headhunters, could anyone comment on their experience listening to the latter? It would interesting to know how different it is from the previous one.
It is a new mastering, so what happens to the poll then? Should there be a new one?

the new HeadHunters 7" is a subtly different master for sure and is a pure 4.0 presentation with no faux Centre & LFE like the old 5.1 SACD.

is it worth picking up the new 7"? for me it was worthwhile, chiefly for the delightful packaging.

in its own right the 7" sounds good, however the Rears seem to have been slightly dialled down on the new disc compared to the old one (and the Fronts boosted by a v.small amount) so far i think i prefer the channel balance on the old one but the sound of the new one

 

[BeoProf]

the new HeadHunters 7" is a subtly different master for sure and is a pure 4.0 presentation with no faux Centre & LFE like the old 5.1 SACD.

is it worth picking up the new 7"? for me it was worthwhile, chiefly for the delightful packaging.

in its own right the 7" sounds good, however the Rears seem to have been slightly dialled down on the new disc compared to the old one (and the Fronts boosted by a v.small amount) so far i think i prefer the channel balance on the old one but the sound of the new one

Thanks for the reply! The old SACD indeed sounds very good already so I am quite curious to know how the new one compares. I admit it is only my curiosity since I have both the new Santana and Herbie 7" on its way to me, but it will take another week or two since I chose shipping via Japan Post. DHL and other courier companies are ruthless here when it comes to VAT and extra fees.

 

[The56Kid]

the new HeadHunters 7" is a subtly different master for sure and is a pure 4.0 presentation with no faux Centre & LFE like the old 5.1 SACD.

is it worth picking up the new 7"? for me it was worthwhile, chiefly for the delightful packaging.

in its own right the 7" sounds good, however the Rears seem to have been slightly dialled down on the new disc compared to the old one (and the Fronts boosted by a v.small amount) so far i think i prefer the channel balance on the old one but the sound of the new one

Couldn’t agree more regarding the rears being slightly dialed down - especially during the last two songs. I was totally blown away by the first two songs mix wise but not so much during the latter half of the album.

 

[JonUrban]

Couldn’t agree more regarding the rears being slightly dialed down - especially during the last two songs. I was totally blown away by the first two songs mix wise but not so much during the latter half of the album.

I don't hear or see that at all. Here are the last two tracks and the rears seem to be the same as the fronts in amplitude:

 

[~dave~~wave~]

I don't hear or see that at all. Here are the last two tracks and the rears seem to be the same as the fronts in amplitude:

Dear Jon-

Another poll thread gone off the rails.
The reference was to HeadHunters.

This place is hopeless.

PS- Appreciate the waveforms

 

[JonUrban]

Dear Jon-

Another poll thread gone off the rails.
The reference was to HeadHunters.

This place is hopeless.

PS- Appreciate the waveforms

Oh. My bad. You guys will just have to live with me losing my resources here until I drop dead.

Here is "Treat", a favorite of me. Love that piano......