Listening to Now (In Surround) - Volume 2

[humprof]

Tears for Fears, Songs From the Big Chair. I probably wouldn't even have given this album a chance if I hadn't fallen so hard for The Seeds of Love, which is one of my favorite surround releases of the past two years. I really didn't like synth-pop or Tears for Fears in the 80s--to the point of switching the station whenever "Shout" or "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" came on the radio. But Seeds of Love made me reassess. Still don't dig this album nearly as much as that one, but I get the evolution of the band now. I agree with the more detailed poll reviews on the mix: it's uneven & imperfect, but when it's on, it's really on.

 

[user 1679]

The Pineapple Thief - Nothing but the Truth

 

[mandrix]

Toy Matinee, Toy Matinee (DVD-A version). A friend lent me this; I totally missed TM when they had their moment. Fascinating band (basing that on their Wikipedia page) who crafted smart smart pop songs with sophisticated arrangements. Excellent Elliot Scheiner mix. I don't find the sound or the production all that "dated," really, and although I don't have a history or an emotional investment in this album, I can see it growing on me if I made time for repeated listens.

View attachment 73711

I too was late coming to this fabulous work. Every time I put it back in the rack, it's not long before it finds it's way back to the junk pile er I mean crowded "staging" area on top my audio cabinet!
Am absolutely enamored of this disc. I have both DVDA and DTS versions, just because I could. I also found a video of "Last Plane Out".
I was surprised to find that bassist Guy Pratt played on this, pre his (latter day) Pink Floyd concert gigs.
Seems like I'm still finding things in the music I never noticed before. Kevin Gilbert and crew after working for a year on Sheryl Crow's album and not getting much respect from Ms Crow (as the story goes), put out this great effort.
It's allegedly filled with Kevin Gilbert's experiences/observations (the girl that dumped him for an Elvis impersonator, or Queen Of Misery, about Madonna's alleged penchant for picking up young dudes in bars, etc). Also in the lyrics it's the first time I've seen a reference to origins of a 4-letter word, so to speak.
My favorite is the witty Remember My Name.
Gilbert also did a take on some early Genesis but as I'm not a big fan of those albums -with a few exceptions- it wasn't as appealing. If he had stuck around I wonder what we might have seen.

 

[Beistovin]

Jethro Tull Minstrel in the Gallery. 5 1 than the quad later.
Because I can.

Great release!

 

[marpow]

Watching/listening to new Alan Parsons Blu Ray.
Great sound in 5.1 DTS HD-MSTR. Good looking video and great songs.
The vocals could be a little louder, I had to boost center channel.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Inside the Music SURF'S UP [Capitol Records/Silverline/MLP DVD~A 5.1/96kHz/24bit] With the bitter chill of Winter enveloping most of the country, what better way to Warm Up than listening to this fabulous disc. Hearing the Beach Boys Sail On, Sailor in Discrete 5.1 is a rare treat. 5.1 mixes by Ken Caillat and Mark Linette! Video Slide Show throughout all ten tracks so NO blank screen.

 

[4-earredwonder]

THE OFFSPRING GREATEST HITS [Columbia Records/DUALDISC DD 5.1] 14 GREAT Rockers in robust DD sonics with some nice discrete elements! Includes Artist interviews and Acoustic performances on the DVD side.

 

[GOS]

Inside the Music SURF'S UP [Capitol Records/Silverline/MLP DVD~A 5.1/96kHz/24bit] With the bitter chill of Winter enveloping most of the country, what better way to Warm Up than listening to this fabulous disc. Hearing the Beach Boys Sail On, Sailor in Discrete 5.1 is a rare treat. 5.1 mixes by Ken Caillat and Mark Linette! Video Slide Show throughout all ten tracks so NO blank screen.

So, is that one of the better Silverline discs? I don't own it.

 

[4-earredwonder]

So, is that one of the better Silverline discs? I don't own it.

It's a LOT of fun, Gene, and hearing some of those classics even in 96/24 resolution is a TREAT!

 

[GOS]

It's a LOT of fun, Gene, and hearing some of those classics even in 96/24 resolution is a TREAT!

Cool! Just found a brand new copy on ebay for $15 shipped.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Deep Purple STORMBRINGER [EMI/DVD~V DTS 5.1/PCM Stereo 48kHz/16b/includes Blu Spec CD] 35th Anniversary Edition

 

[Tornado Red]

New York Voices - Let It Snow on SACD in 5.1. When a holiday disc sounds this good you put it on early!

 

[Marplot]

Finally got a chance to listen to some new purchases
Elton John SACD from @edisonbaggins. Nothing needs said, everyone knows how wonderful it is.

Steve Stevens DVD-a From @timbre4. This is a particular favorite of mine so I am glad I was able to strike a deal with a QQ'er that we were both happy with. It is lovely.

Blu-ray only version of Nothing But The Truth. Wow! I caught myself looking over my shoulder for someone behind me. Bruce is rapidly becoming a mixing master on top of his musical abilities.

 

[timbre4]

I too was late coming to this fabulous work. Every time I put it back in the rack, it's not long before it finds it's way back to the junk pile er I mean crowded "staging" area on top my audio cabinet!
Am absolutely enamored of this disc. I have both DVDA and DTS versions, just because I could. I also found a video of "Last Plane Out".

When I was selling gear at SILO (Circuit City competitor) in 1990, Toy Matinee was my go to demo CD! It made almost everything sound good in the audio department.

 

[Sal1950]

Toy Matinee was my go to demo CD! It made almost everything sound good in the audio department.

Any particular album you would recommend?
TIA

 

[humprof]

Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. First time for me. (I understand this was--and still is--sort of huge in the UK, but maybe not so much on this side of the pond?) The obvious comparisons are to Rick Wakeman and Alan Parsons, but even though I used to listen to both of them back in the day, my infatuation didn't last. This is no more cheesy or grandiose than Wakeman, though. Plus: Wakeman didn't have Richard Burton and David Essex! And the 5.1 mix is absolutely brilliant. (Wayne is a pretty fascinating figure, too, as is the story of the album's sonic rehab.)

 

[steelydave]

Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. First time for me. (I understand this was--and still is--sort of huge in the UK, but maybe not so much on this side of the pond?) The obvious comparisons are to Rick Wakeman and Alan Parsons, but even though I used to listen to both of them back in the day, my infatuation didn't last. This is no more cheesy or grandiose than Wakeman, though. Plus: Wakeman didn't have Richard Burton and David Essex! And the 5.1 mix is absolutely brilliant. (Wayne is a pretty fascinating figure, too, as is the story of the album's sonic rehab.)

I agree with you, the 5.1 mix on this one is fabulous and I was surprised to find that it was done by Gary Langan, a kind of musical renaissance man who was not only one of the founding members of Art of Noise and the ZTT record label, but also has an extensive resume as a recording engineer dating back as far as Queen's early albums, where he worked as an assistant. He eventually founded Metropolis Studios in the mid-80's, which has done a lot of surround mixing and mastering over the years.

The wild thing (to me anyway) is that I can't find any other surround remixes credited to him - it seems like there's a laundry list of engineers who don't seem to "get" surround mixing at all, yet they stick around for years (or decades) pumping out mediocre 'big stereo' style mixes, and meanwhile this guy does one of the better, more aggressive 5.1 mixes of the '00s and that's it? Totally mystifying.

 

[Sal1950]

Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. First time for me. (I understand this was--and still is--sort of huge in the UK, but maybe not so much on this side of the pond?)

Maybe I read past it but I was amused to find no mention of the original Oct 30 1938 radio broadcast that panicked an unknowing public. Read live by Orson Wells himself, many who tuned in just a bit late thought there was a real invasion afoot and were going a bit wild over it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama)

 

[timbre4]

Any particular album you would recommend?
TIA

Toy Matinee? There is only the self-titled 1990 album as an official release. Patrick Leonard tried to re-capture the magic in 1993 as Third Matinee with Richard Page (Mr. Mister). It’s pretty good in its own right but not quite as good.

 

[Mesozoic Mike]

Watching/listening to new Alan Parsons Blu Ray.
Great sound in 5.1 DTS HD-MSTR. Good looking video and great songs.
The vocals could be a little louder, I had to boost center channel.
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Very disappointed in this disc. I just felt like they were just going through the motions. I really loved the previous live effort with the full orchestra.