HiRez Poll Lightfoot, Gordon - SUNDOWN [Blu-Ray Audio]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this new reissue of the classic album "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot.
Reissued on Blu-Ray Audio disc as part of Rhino Records' Quadio series, this release features the first release of the original Quadraphonic mix since the 1970s!

 

[mandrix]

Very nice. Crystal clear. 10 for me.
It is an old favorite, though.

 

[ar surround]

I had my first listen this afternoon, Side One in pure quad and Side Two upmixed to 5.1.5 Auro 3D. Straight quad was very impressive, but the Auro 3D upmix was excellent. I pushed the Auro 3D to Strength 12, and probably could have gone higher. It was like listening to Atmos.

The music and performance has always been a 10 to me; but kudos to what they accomplished in quadraphonic. This is a room filling yet discrete, top shelf multi-channel mix with excellent fidelity.

I love the entire album, but Seven Island Suite is my favorite track, so I went back and listened to that one upmixed to Auro 3D. I gave this Quadio a 10.

BTW, here is my proposed new description for a 10 rating that I have stolen from @madscot:

 

[key_wiz]

"8" from me. Very close to a "9". The quad mix here is VERY good. Album sounds as if it was recorded yesterday and the quad mix rivals the best modern surround mixes. Very enveloping that suits the material well.

But the album, for me, is just 'meh'. One very-overplayed-at-the-time monster hit, a rather forgettable follow-up single and the rest of it is mostly unremarkable standard 70's singer-songwriter fare. And while I'm a fan of Lightfoot's distinctive baritone, I don't really need it for 10 songs in a row.

But for bigger fans of this album, I'm sure this must be a "10".

 

[ogrequad]

"8" from me. Very close to a "9". The quad mix here is VERY good. Album sounds as if it was recorded yesterday and the quad mix rivals the best modern surround mixes. Very enveloping that suits the material well.

But the album, for me, is just 'meh'. One very-overplayed-at-the-time monster hit, a rather forgettable follow-up single and the rest of it is mostly unremarkable standard 70's singer-songwriter fare. And while I'm a fan of Lightfoot's distinctive baritone, I don't really need it for 10 songs in a row.

But for bigger fans of this album, I'm sure this must be a "10".

This pretty much sums up my reaction. I wouldn't call the album "meh" at all, but I do agree that there is a sameness to the sound/tempo that starts to creep in. Still, given that the surround mix is just gorgeous and the album contains one of my all-time favorite childhood songs (the title track, of course), I'll give this one to a 9 (though I, too, am right on the edge of an 8 and 9).

 

[RandomPiGuy]

One of my favorite quad mixes of all time even when played from a quad 8 track and this release sounds much better than a quad 8 track so it's definitely a 10.

 

[reidc]

This was the first disc of the 4 I listened to. While I am a Lightfoot enthusiast, Sundown was not one of my favorites, and I had not heard it some time.

I gave this one a 9, as I thought the mix was great, and noticed a nice increase in bass. The non-hits were a great and enjoyable listen as well.

Chris

My chain: Denon AVR-X4800H, Sony BDP-S780, B&W DM602 S3's Main, Polk Surrounds, Klipsch Sub, KEF Center.

 

[barfle]

Ohh, this is gorgeous! I listened to this twice last night, and was simply enthralled by Gord’s voice and playing, along with his backup instruments and occasional voices.

This is the third of the four recent releases I’ve listened to (America is still in the pile), and it’s by far my favorite of the lot so far.

 

[Juggsnelson]

Is there a score higher than 10??? Outside of the 2 big hits, I feel like every song is still a winner. Gord's vocals are just fantastic and he sucks you right in to each individual story. The fidelity on this disc is fantastic. I love the MOFI LP from years back and this beats it hands down. Lovely quad mix. The strings in Carefree Highway??? Just wow. Sublime. If you are not already a fan of this album, I can't see how you don't become one after hearing this.

 

[Doug G.]

10

As far as I';m concerned, this is the highlight of the second bundle and maybe even of all the last 8 releases. The CD-4 LP is one of the best, if not THE best, of all CD-4 releases and this is gorgeous. Fantastic album and impeccable production.

"Too Late For Prayin'" is one of the most beautiful and sad songs of all time.

Gordon Lightfoot is NOT the typical '70s singer/songwriter. He is up there with Cat Stevens and Joni.

Doug

 

[dr. simple]

10 all the way. Perfection. How you feel about the content is obviously a matter of taste, but it couldn’t possibly be presented in a better way.

 

[barfle]

This disc is the perfect example of why I buy new releases. It makes the effort worthwhile. Like finding a diamond in a field of haystacks.

 

[jaybird100]

Looks like my previous comment on this disc disappeared... this one was a clear 10 for me. I also have the CD-4 LP, but we all know how finicky that system is. This was the first time I've heard this album as it was meant to be heard: high resolution, and quadraphonic, without the unpredictability of CD-4 playback. Perhaps we'll see more from Gordon Lightfoot in quad. Rumor has it "Gord's Gold" was remixed for quad, but was shelved when quad seemed to be on its way out. Maybe this will be the impetus to get it released as a Quadio disc, if that quad master still exists.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Looks like my previous comment on this disc disappeared... this one was a clear 10 for me. I also have the CD-4 LP, but we all know how finicky that system is. This was the first time I've heard this album as it was meant to be heard: high resolution, and quadraphonic, without the unpredictability of CD-4 playback. Perhaps we'll see more from Gordon Lightfoot in quad. Rumor has it "Gord's Gold" was remixed for quad, but was shelved when quad seemed to be on its way out. Maybe this will be the impetus to get it released as a Quadio disc, if that quad master still exists.

Any never-before-released mixes would be sick.

 

[4_everyman]

Any never-before-released mixes would be sick.

Sick...how? Are the multi-track masters for Gord's Gold damaged or unusable?

 

[himey]

Sick...how? Are the multi-track masters for Gord's Gold damaged or unusable?

Sick means great in the good ole US of A!

 

[jaybird100]

Sick...how? Are the multi-track masters for Gord's Gold damaged or unusable?

I think he meant it in a good way.

 

[rasalas]

10

This is a phenomenal sounding album with Gord at the height of his popularity and creativity. The middle six songs are essential listening, and the last track, "Too Late For Prayin'," rises to the stratosphere with an incredible soundstage that puts the listener in the thick of the mix. Which brings up the most amazing aspect of this release: The quad mix is years ahead of its time. It's directional while completely enveloping the listener in a 360 field. Instrumentation seems to come from "over there" rather than "that speaker." On the reinforced backing vocals in the lyrics "own the place" in "Circle of Steel," it sounds as if a men's choir has suddenly appeared right behind you. This is the crowning achievement of Rhino's recent Quadio releases.

FWIW, for those who didn't like the songs, I recommend starting the album with "Seven Island Suite" and skipping "Somewhere USA," "High and Dry" and "The List."

 

[Sal1950]

It had been many years since I listened to this classic.
I have the MoFi MFSL 1-018 LP needledrop on the HD but I rarely listen
to vinyl sourced music any more, I had long forgotten how much I loved this recording.
Anyway what a beautiful Quad mix we have here, just the right balance and discreetness
in the surround sound. I gave it a 9, only missed being a 10 due to the fact of it being an
old analog recording. With all the new fully digital recordings we've had coming our way
over the last decade I'm finding it increasing difficult to ignore what I hear as the missing
inner detail, snap and focus of music from old analog master tapes. Otherwise a job extremely
well done by Quadio !
YMMV

 

[ar surround]

I gave it a 9, only missed being a 10 due to the fact of it being an
old analog recording. With all the new fully digital recordings we've had coming our way
over the last decade I'm finding it increasing difficult to ignore what I hear as the missing
inner detail, snap and focus of music from old analog master tapes.

One day Sal, there will be AI capable of remedying this problem. And the people who perform such miracles on these old analog master tapes will be vilified and shredded to pieces on Steve Hoffman Music Forums...and other such bastions of integrity.