DVD/DTS Poll Jethro Tull - War Child (40th Anniversary Theatre Edition) [DTS 96-24/DD DVD]

[Bob Romano]

Please post your thoughts, comments & observations on this release

 

[Valhalla]

Superb. I had heard the quad mix before but I don't remember it being so aggressive! An easy 9 for the package. Wonder what special stuff will be in the next release?

 

[John Svensson]

The package is the best of the Tulls, to date in my opinion. I love the availability of the quad mix along with the 5.1 for comparison, extras well thought out. No down side from my perspective. John

 

[colsky]

Absolutely bloody brilliant! Its never been one of my favourite Tull albums for some reason, always seemed a bit straight for me, perhaps a bit poppy. But this new 5.1 mix is really improving it in my eyes. It may well be SW's best Tull mix to date. And what can you say about the overall package - stacks of extra tracks, many in surround, and the quality of the presentation book is just amazing.

Yes its DTS and not lossless, but the sound to me is top notch. Would it really sound much different if it was lossless anyway? I've read before that even SW doesn't think it does. Part of the vote goes for the extras and the packaging, and this element gets way more than a 10.

ps this is one of these weird polls that turns up every so often (reasons unknown?) where you can't actually see who voted what.

 

[timbre4]

I'd have to agree with the positive assessments above; on the surface it may not seem like their most ambitious work but in a larger sense, it ranks among their finest. After the indisputable success of Aqualung, then the ambitious Thick As A Brick, then the more ambitious Passion Play project, where else could an artist go? Ian Anderson decided that War Child would be a theatrical film and TWO albums; one orchestral and the other most assuredly rock. That the grand scheme was trimmed back to a single great album was a loss on one hand and a winner on the other. The album that appeared in late 1974 included wonderful tracks and one or two that radio could latch onto. My Q8 tape of this album was played frequently in 1974-75 because the songs were great and the quad mix a joy to behold. Seeing them play the album live in February 1975 was one of my favorite concerts ever.

With this special anniversary edition the win-loss becomes a win-win because we get EVERYTHING this time! That includes a sizeable amount of material that I was unaware of. The 5.1 mix (Steven Wilson) of the original album tracks is spot on as it is for bonus tracks. The overall packaging is splendid and the book portion provides fascinating details for this whole period of the band's career. That you can obtain all of this magic for under $35 ($30 in my case) is absolutely amazing and bodes well for future releases. I acquire everything this band (Ian Anderson) decides can and should be issued! Given all of this I have to vote a 10 because there is nothing higher.

 

[ssully]

repeating myself from the earlier thraad:

I always found the mixes of first half (and 'Two Fingers') a bit pointlessly busy, but SW's 5.1 mix vastly improves them by giving everything room to breath...and my favorite track The Third Hoorah sounds absolutely marvelous (as do the two 'hits', Skating Away , with its marvelous flowing bassline from Jeffrey, and Bungle).

Great job on the bonus tracks too (always thought Saturation was a weird hidden gem).

Highly recommended. I'm giving it an 8, only because some of the songwriting isn't among JT's (which is to say, IA's) best. No complaints about the mixing or package or extras.

 

[JonUrban]

What a great package. To have the original quad plus a new SW 5.1 mix, plus the book format and the video extras and extra audio tracks, all for such a reasonable price - this is the way to do a reissue.

So much bang for the buck. The care that went into this release is amazing. Great job to all!

 

[elroy]

A definite 9 from me. I just hope that we don't always have to wait for 40-year anniversaries to get such goodies! If a good new album comes out today in stereo, I'll be...98!!!...before the 5.1 version comes out! Not sure my ears will be up to the task at that point.

 

[blue.monk]

Wow, this is another terrific set. Quality and quantity at a very reasonable price! This album may have been overshadowed by the two ‘epics’ that preceded it but it’s always been one of my favorites. The 5.1 mix is a winner and the denser arrangements really benefit from the larger soundstage (particularly “The Third Hurrah” - glorious!). If I have any quibble it’s that the lead vocal is almost entirely isolated in the center channel. (I’ll have to go back to be sure but I believe this to be a fairly recent practice for SW. I recall his older mixes with lead vocal prominent in center but with greater support in the other channels). This isn’t really an issue for me except in the more aggressive passages such as when the strings are in full force in the rears. At those moments I wish the lead vocal was more fully integrated.

The vintage quad mix is great fun (and quite ‘dry’). There is a bit of active panning but it’s quite well placed and tasteful. I was amused by the guitar delay in “Back Door Angel” being placed diagonally (front left to surround right) as well as when the guitar lead in the same song hops speakers each section. Secondary instrumental lines also seem to pop out more than in the stereo or 5.1. It’s a lot of fun but ultimately the 5.1 mix is more satisfying.

The new stereo mix sounds terrific and I must say I prefer it to the flat transfer of the original which comes across as, well, flat in comparison. The bonus disc is fantastic. There is some great content including the orchestral pieces (some in true discrete surround - such a rare occurrence for orchestral recordings!).

And an 80-page booklet! I’m happy they’ve included such detailed notes on the stage show for this album, just as they did for the earlier TAAB and Passion Play sets. It’s these 3 tours, in particular, when Tull shows seemed to be at their most whimsical and theatrical (Ian has cited Monty Python as an inspiration after all!). I would have loved to have seen those tours but I was too young. My first Tull show was in ’79 for Stormwatch and even then I was envious hearing the ‘old timers’ talk about attending those older shows.

Enough gushing about this set - a definite 10 for me!

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Again, another 10 from me, another spectacular package at a great price. This is a long time JT favorite and for years I had to satisfy myself with a copy of the original Q8 of this album. While the quad release was no slouch in terms of the mix, the SW 5.1 remix is just silly good. The Ian Anderson narrated video of the bands' charity donation is hilarious. The bonus audio releases are nice. The orchestrated segments, while I could have done without are also nice to have. I ask you, is there anything better than seeing Ian Anderson back in a cod piece?

Altogether this is another Steven Wilson/Jethro Tull winner. You guys, please don't stop here. "Minstrel in the Gallery" and "Songs from the Wood" are two additional favorites that deserve this same treatment.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

The QUAD on this album is just so nice.I preferred this quad album mix to Aqualung.

"Back door Angels"is a showcase in quad.Also nice to have bonus quad tracks never before released.

Steven Wilson'5.1 is much appreciated and orchestral in 5.1 asa bonus makes this 4 disc set worthwhile.

In comparison....... I choose the quad mix, it's cleansounding for all these years and the cross-channel mix in back door angels (as bluemonk mentions) always impressed me when I played my cd-4 years ago.


well worth a 10

 

[willothewisp]

This how it should be done and at a price that is affordable to all. Prefer the original mix over the re-mix and it's good to finally have a good quality version.

 

[rusinurbe]

The only thing which would make this better is an uncompressed 5.1 mix.

The DTS on this is excellent

 

[keenly]

The only thing which would make this better is an uncompressed 5.1 mix.

The DTS on this is excellent

Yes, I do wish the Jethro Titles were PCM 24/96.

 

[Quad Linda]

A bit late to the party, I got this today as an anniversary present. So far, I'm most impressed. What absolutely blew me away is that we could reach so far into the future to make this release happen! As I read the back cover, I discovered that both the P & C dates are 2104! It's really the 130th Anniversary Edition. That is time travel at its' best: bring back an artifact from the future! I'll bet Steven transported the master tapes in a DeLorean!

Literal Linda, everybody!

 

[rtbluray]

This overall release is a '9' as it's not a high-resolution DVD-A or Blu-Ray disc.
It is a great package though with a 5.1 surround mix, Quad mix, and FIFTEEN bonus tracks also mixed in 5.1 surround.

A '10' will be reserved for a Blu-Ray edition of this set, if/when it's ever released.

 

[jimfisheye]

This gets a 10.

First it was really nice to finally get to hear a clean copy of the original quad surround mix! I only had a poor copy of the original Q4 release as this was out of print for decades.

Second, the new SW 5.1 remix really blows the original surround mix out of the water!
What more to say...
He's got all the important elements of the mix (the original stereo as well as the quad) where they're supposed to be and none of the flaws. (The segues are the amusing extended versions as on the original surround mix.)

Haven't even gotten into the 2nd disc of extras or even the clean HD copies of the original stereo mixes yet. SO much material in this set!!

The DTS 24/96 format is a con for anyone with a standalone hardware disc player as most of them will only read the 'core dts' and as such you will not be able to correctly hear the content of this disc! Buyer beware (or buy it and demand a refund if you want to 'send a message'). But for those with the setup to read/play the content at full quality, this release is a 10 (even though the poor format choice should warrant a demerit). Or if you prefer - I'll give it an 11 and then -1 for the poor format choice of DTS 24/96.

Comes in a fancy book/box with lots of notes/interviews written in far too small text to be able to read. The reading material is not included as a file on the discs.

 

[himey]

This gets a 10.

First it was really nice to finally get to hear a clean copy of the original quad surround mix! I only had a poor copy of the original Q4 release as this was out of print for decades.

Second, the new SW 5.1 remix really blows the original surround mix out of the water!
What more to say...
He's got all the important elements of the mix (the original stereo as well as the quad) where they're supposed to be and none of the flaws. (The segues are the amusing extended versions as on the original surround mix.)

Haven't even gotten into the 2nd disc of extras or even the clean HD copies of the original stereo mixes yet. SO much material in this set!!

The DTS 24/96 format is a con for anyone with a standalone hardware disc player as most of them will only read the 'core dts' and as such you will not be able to correctly hear the content of this disc! Buyer beware (or buy it and demand a refund if you want to 'send a message'). But for those with the setup to read/play the content at full quality, this release is a 10 (even though the poor format choice should warrant a demerit). Or if you prefer - I'll give it an 11 and then -1 for the poor format choice of DTS 24/96.

Comes in a fancy book/box with lots of notes/interviews written in far too small text to be able to read. The reading material is not included as a file on the discs.

Not understanding your logic but thanks for the review.

 

[Plan9]

Yeah, there is no "core" with DTS 24/96 like you have on DTS-HD... because DTS 24/96 is already lossy. The difference is just on the sample rate: standard DTS players will play it in 24/48kHz (not exactly 24bit resolution as it is lossy although the source certainly is) while those equipped with the special (and pretty uncommon) DTS 24/96 decoder will read it at 96kHz. There's barely any difference really, I have tested both against lossless 24bit/96kHz masters on pro gear.

 

[himey]

Yeah, there is no "core" with DTS 24/96 like you have on DTS-HD... because DTS 24/96 is already lossy. The difference is just on the sample rate: standard DTS players will play it in 24/48kHz (not exactly 24bit resolution as it is lossy although the source certainly is) while those equipped with the special (and pretty uncommon) DTS 24/96 decoder will read it at 96kHz. There's barely any difference really, I have tested both against lossless 24bit/96kHz masters on pro gear.

That is what I was thinking when I posted. ...24/48 dts sounds much better than 16/44 I have learned recently...