Listening to in Dolby Atmos Streaming, via Tidal/Apple/Amazon

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Band on the Run has always been one of my favorite McCartney albums post the Beatles. Sadly I've never heard the quad nor the DTS mix. I truly enjoy the new atmos mix, though. After a first listen and a quick comparison to the 2010 stereo remaster on Tidal I'll say the sonic quality is a good improvement of the original. I like the mixing choices they've made. They probably could have extended the frequency range more in both ends, but have chosen not to. The mid range is very clear and nice but still has left some coloration from the original. Drums and bass sounds nice too. The reverbs and effects are tastefully done and the sound is consistent through the album. If anything some could have wanted a more adventurous immersiveness, but I really like it the way it turned out. :)
 
Not exactly new but Band on the Run got me in an ex-Beatle mood. More so since we have the album in Atmos and the “underdubbed” in stereo.



Several months ago, Apple added the Imagine Raw and Elements mixes as individual albums. They were already available in the Ultimate but this is handy and arguably ripe for re-discovery.

I only have 5.1 so I have no idea about the Atmos-ification. I just know this: the Raw mixes put me in the room like nothing else I know. It’s something about the unvarnished performances and what I can only describe as “sympathetic” mixing that tastefully arranges the vocals, instruments, patter, and control room chatter in a way that delivers peak verisimilitude.

My personal go to test tracks are Crippled Inside, take 2 on the Raw album (track 12) and Oh My Love’s ethereal isolated vocal on the Elements album (track 7) or the lovely instrumental Jealous Guy highlighting Nicky Hopkins piano (track 3). I only wish we had the instrumental How Do You Sleep!

This isn’t a backhanded critique of the “underdubbed” or Giles Martin mixes. For me, these two discs are a sort of pea, having been mixed before the Atmos gold rush. Along with the recent Who’s Next | Life House, it’s the intensely rare release where we get dedicated, thoughtful surround mixes for the work product. It’s a shame the physical release (like the White Album and Sgt. Pepper) doesn’t have Atmos but the 5.1 is excellent — and that box’s visual graphs illustrating the each track’s mix approach is the toppermost of the poppermost.
 
Back
Top