Listening Now To This Stereo Blu Ray

[The Rang]

David Bowie -
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

The remix sounds great to me in 24/96 stereo. Haven’t played the original in so long I couldn’t tell what the mixing differences might be, though I don’t recall the drums being as full and punchy and his voice seems more prominent and exposed (in a good way).
And I’d forgotten what a great album this is.
it’s a shame they chose cheap cardboard packaging.

 

[The Rang]

Seal - Seal II

Kiss From a Rose is the only song I knew going in, but the whole album is very strong. The sound in 24/48 is fine if a little gritty in places.
The bonus disc with alternate versions and B-Sides is great too including a cool version of Fly Like An Eagle.

 

[The Rang]

Ultravox - Lament

Though not as strong as preceding albums IMO there are some great tracks here. The 24/96 stereo sound is good especially on the bonus tracks and 12” remixes.

A teensy bit of buyers remorse though, this SDE Bluray wasn’t cheap and I have the big box set on the way. This SDE is light on content; I discover now that there are only two unique tracks here vs. the box, and no instrumental version (+ the Atmos option is of no interest to me). No biggie in the long run, my bad for not doing my homework before buying.

 

[The Rang]

Howard Jones - Dream Into Action

No sophomore slump with this album. Better songs and more interesting production vs his debut (which was also excellent).
Very good sound in 24/96 stereo, hope more HJ is in the pipeline.

 

[The Rang]

Thin Lizzy - 1976

The remixes in 24/48 sound great in stereo. Compared a few snippets of Boys to the original mix included here. More open but overall pretty close. Could happily listen to either.
Jailbreak is a great album, my CD copy has seen a fair amount of play so it’s familiar.
Johnny the Fox is a pleasant surprise. Though I have it on vinyl it’s only been played once eons ago. This is an excellent album. At least as good as Jailbreak IMO (maybe better). The remix is a much bigger improvement than on Jailbreak.
Always nice having the instrumental mixes too.

 

[The Rang]

Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs

Love this album and the remix sounds great in stereo 24/48 LPCM. The remaster of the original isn’t good unfortunately. The bonus tracks are good but repetitive. The live material though welcome is kinda rough .
And as always I appreciate the inclusion of the album as an instrumental.

 

[The Rang]

Al Stewart - Past, Present & Future

Was aware of this album and the reputation of some of its songs, but this was my first time hearing it.
Great record !
Sound in 24/96 LPCM on the Bluray is very clear, maybe slightly too detailed.
The live recordings (on CD) are excellent.

PS, this cover may suit the music but prefer the North American version.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Quincy Jones BIG BAND BOSSA NOVA [Mercury Records/Pure Audio BD~A 2.0]

 

[The Rang]

Quincy Jones BIG BAND BOSSA NOVA [Mercury Records/Pure Audio BD~A 2.0]

Wow, didn’t know this existed, have always wanted this album.
What’s the chance of finding a copy

 

[4-earredwonder]

Wow, didn’t know this existed, have always wanted this album.
What’s the chance of finding a copy

DISCOGS has a few listed:

https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/7148611

 

[The Rang]

Marillion - Holidays In Eden

First time I’ve heard a Steve Hogarth led Marillion album. Though Fish was an acquired taste IMO, at least he was distinctive. Hogarth has a strong voice but a bit generic to my ears. The album is OK, a bit glossy/commercial and the compressed sound doesn’t help.
It’s fine…don’t hate the album, don’t love it either. Prefer some of the bonus track versions.
Main album is 24/48 LPCM, the bonus tracks 16/48

 

[The Rang]

Bronski Beat - The Age of Consent

Played in 24/96 stereo. The remix is clear and open, maybe too much so, I found it a bit bright. The original sounds more grounded.
The 2024 remixes are good.
Good value here, didn’t realize it included Hundreds & Thousands making it a 2-fer.
And as always I like the instrumentals, in this case more than the vocal versions,

 

[The Rang]

Tears For Fears - Songs For A Nervous Planet

Played in 24/96 stereo LPCM (will listen in 5.1 at a later date).
The live material starts out ho-hum but picks up later. Neither of the stereo mixes sound that great to me (the Steven Wilson fold down is the better of the two and, oddly, seems to improve as the album progresses). The 4 studio tracks are forgettable.
Is isn’t terrible and generally speaking I love TFF but kinda wish I had passed on this one.

 

[The Rang]

The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

Music:
Many great songs here especially
Drone : Nodrone and Endsong

Sound:
Utterly execrable

That’s in 24/96 PCM stereo, I’ll try the surround downmixed when the headache subsides.

 

[The Rang]

Moby - Reprise

The music is good if a bit somber overall.
The sound is so-so.
In 24/48 LPCM stereo the quiet sections are fine but as soon as it gets sense it’s a muddle. Ends up sounding coarse and compressed, especially the orchestral bits.
One of these days I’ll try a downmix of the 5.1 and see if it breathes better.

 

[The Rang]

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

Playing the Bluray from this set in 24/192 stereo. Quite different from the version on the Apple Years box set. This is much warmer, denser, not super detailed. More like the original Spector LP production?
Like both iterations and so much great music.
Edit: Enjoying the Apple Jams more than ever before, they’re much more than an afterthought.

 

[The Rang]

Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds

This album exceeded my expectations, it’s really good with some excellent tracks. The sound on this Bluray in 24/96 LPCM is also very nice. Quite a surprise.