Moody Blues in Quad and 5.1

[MrMarty]

I have the Moody Blues in 5.1 from "DOFP" to "SS" and only "On The...Of A Dream" is not made in 5.1. Anyone know if it ever was made? Seems odd to leave this one out.

 

[rtbluray]

I have the Moody Blues in 5.1 from "DOFP" to "SS" and only "On The...Of A Dream" is not made in 5.1. Anyone know if it ever was made? Seems odd to leave this one out.

6 of the 7 classic Moodies albums (from 67-72) were released as Multichannel SACDs from 2006-07
They are labeled as 5.1 surround but they are the (repurposed) Quadraphonic mixes from the 1970s

Same mix of Days of Future Passed came out as a 2CD/DVD edition in 2017
Then a year later there was a new 5.1 mix of In Search of the Lost Chord which is not that great but apparently multitracks were pretty limited
Then in 2023 @Stephen W Tayler remixed To Our Children's Children's Children and it came out as a 4CD/Blu-Ray box that is fantastic!

I think that sums it up

 

[jimfisheye]

There are copies of the original unaltered quad mixes from Q4 reels that share online. Those tweaked 5.1 copies on SACD sound inferior to me, FWIW. So there's something to collect for! You're at least mostly hearing those mixes though. They're not just blown out novelty releases. That "5.1 mix" of ISOTLC sounds for all the world like an upmix attempt. Stick with the original stereo for that one. That remix of TOCCC is hit and miss. Some parts sound a little more detailed. Some parts sound a bit hyped and harsh. In context if I didn't have a copy of the original quad I'd probably be raving about it though.

 

[MrMarty]

The surround sound Moody Blues lack the center speaker channel but still sound better than the albums. Got to mess with the receiver and speakers for the right balance, but Quad is still special from that period.

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

I have the Moody Blues in 5.1 from "DOFP" to "SS" and only "On The...Of A Dream" is not made in 5.1. Anyone know if it ever was made? Seems odd to leave this one out.

"Threshold" was released in 5.1 on SACD in 2006: https://www.discogs.com/release/1067629-The-Moody-Blues-On-The-Threshold-Of-A-Dream

Discussion thread: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/moody-blues-on-the-threshold-of-a-dream-sacd.6430/

 

[MrMarty]

I screwed up. I meant "In Search Of The Lost Chord". Only released on the 5-disc box set that I know of.

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

I screwed up. I meant "In Search Of The Lost Chord". Only released on the 5-disc box set that I know of.

Oh, yeah, the Jakko Jakszyk DVD. Yeah I wouldn't chase that down unless you're a completist. Weakest of the Moody Blues surround releases.

 

[ar surround]

I screwed up. I meant "In Search Of The Lost Chord". Only released on the 5-disc box set that I know of.

Oh, yeah, the Jakko Jakszyk DVD. Yeah I wouldn't chase that down unless you're a completist. Weakest of the Moody Blues surround releases.

Jakko's hi-res 96/24 remixed stereo on that DVD sounds really nice when upmixed with the Surround Master.

 

[stoopid]

For me, Long Distance Voyager is the 'missing' album in the surround catalog. The stereo mix on the ISotLC sacd is an improvement from what I could tell. None of their late 60s/70s albums were good sounding mixes, the SACDs definitely sound better across the board. Their music also translates well to the surround format.

 

[par4ken]

There are copies of the original unaltered quad mixes from Q4 reels that share online. Those tweaked 5.1 copies on SACD sound inferior to me, FWIW.

I thought that they sounded fine, better than the reels which I own. As far as I know the tweaking is just the addition of a derived centre and lfe channel. I just discard those!

For me, Long Distance Voyager is the 'missing' album in the surround catalog.

Yes, it came out after the Quad thing had died. I found the sound quality of that one on CD to really be lacking. A new hi-rez release with a multi-channel mix would be welcome!

 

[H.A.L.]

I'll be a contrarian and give the IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD box a big thumbs up! First of all, the box and
contents are beautiful -- I'd like all my CD/DVD sets like that. Try the 5.1 in Dolby, it's better than the DTS.

Then stare for hours at the menu screen

 

[Jim.olga]

I have the Moody Blues in 5.1 from "DOFP" to "SS" and only "On The...Of A Dream" is not made in 5.1. Anyone know if it ever was made? Seems odd to leave this one out.

I just listened to TOAD a couple days ago on my 5.1 SACD!

 

[jefe1]

I just listened to TOAD a couple days ago on my 5.1 SACD!

Really?

When was Ginger Bakers drum solo mixed into surround?

 

[Jim.olga]

Really?

When was Ginger Bakers drum solo mixed into surround?

Threshold of a Dream

Really?

When was Ginger Bakers drum solo mixed into surround?

Ha! Ha! Give an old man a break. I just realized my abbreviation faux pas! For Christ sake, it's Christmas!

 

[ar surround]

For me, Long Distance Voyager is the 'missing' album in the surround catalog.

Tell me about it. I made my own 5.1 using DeMix Pro and lalal and it came out very well. But I can't for the life of me understand why Long Distance Voyager didn't get a professional 5.1 mix. @Stephen W Tayler help!!!

 

[jefe1]

Merry Christmas @Jim.olga
Just having some fun.....

 

[Jim.olga]

Merry Christmas @Jim.olga
Just having some fun.....

Merry Christmas!

 

[andyp]

I have the Moody Blues in 5.1 from "DOFP" to "SS" and only "On The...Of A Dream" is not made in 5.1. Anyone know if it ever was made? Seems odd to leave this one out.

I have those SACD's also but they are not 5.1. TOCCC was released a few years ago in 5.1 but seemed to have issues in the lfe (vocals in an lfe channel?) and Higher and Higher had other problems.

 

[MrMarty]

Listening again to all the 5.1 Moody Blues, I have to say I missed the Center channel vocals and some of the mixes are better than others. Some muffled bass/midrange.

 

[jhw59]

Quite a bit of denoise on these as well so the treble portions sounds a bit flat to these tired ears.