For anybody interested in Alphaville - Forever Young, I wasn't being fair to this mix on first impression and I should have waited and listened to this properly before judging, as I initially planned. First, the sound quality is awesome, it's clear and punchy and does this album justice. The bass is a real joy, I mean the beginning of Big in Japan has to have strong bass and boy, does it deliver.
After listening carefully on my 5.1 systems, I can say this is a quite uneven experience mix-wise. I know this album very well, I've owned it for easily 25 years and in many parts, I wonder why they didn't move this or that element to another speaker. Like I mentioned before, "To Germany with Love" had to much potential, especially in the last third. Yet, it's only little better than stereo. They left potential on the floor in "Lies", too.
Still, don't let my nagging distract you. There are consistent highlights on this one, so for every low point, you can always look forward to the next joyful moment. Sounds Like a Melody is a massive stand-out, yes. Also, play the opening moments of "In the Mood" for another example of how good this can get.
So, I'd say this is an easy 7 or 8, even though it would probably dip to somewhere around 5 in my book if the music and sound quality were any less sublime.
