HiRez Poll Mott the Hoople - THE HOOPLE [SACD]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2021 Multichannel SACD from Dutton Vocalion of the album "The Hoople" by Mott the Hoople.
This Multichannel SACD features the first official release of the original Quadraphonic mix since the 1970s!
The Quadraphonic mix is also available to stream in Dolby Audio on Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-hoople/217274238


(Please note that the SACD also features the albums "All the Young Dudes" and "Mott" in stereo only.)

THE HOOPLE
LP S 69062 (1974) STEREO/PCQ 32871 QUADRAPHONIC
1: THE GOLDEN AGE OF ROCK ’N’ ROLL (Hunter)
2: MARIONETTE (Hunter)
3: ALICE (Hunter)
4: CRASH STREET KIDDS (Hunter)
5: BORN LATE ’58 (Watts)
6: TRUDI’S SONG (Hunter)
7: PEARL ’N’ ROY (ENGLAND) (Hunter)
8: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (Hunter)
9: ROLL AWAY THE STONE (Hunter)

Remastered from the original analogue tapes by Michael J. Dutton

Multi-Channel/Stereo
CD 1 tracks 1-9 available in stereo and multi-channel

CD 1 tracks 10-14 and CD 2 tracks 1-13 available ONLY in stereo

SA-CD
These Hybrid CDs can be played on any standard CD player

2CDSML8578

 

[RustyStatic]

Curious what others are thinking on this one... on the whole this quad mix sounds kinda muffled to me? And the reverb overdone (especially on “Roll Away The Stone” for example)? The drums in particular...

I’m not getting that vibe/feeling with the stereo mix, but I can’t shake how the quad mix is hitting me... I’ve had some snafus with EQ and other settings lately, but I also just A/B tested it with the new Burton Cummings and that sounds gorgeous!

The content is of course fantastic!

 

[perzon57]

I really love this album in quad,sounds crisp and not at all muffled to me. Gave it 9 even if it's a little pricey as I will not play the stereo albums very often.

 

[4-earredwonder]

While I do agree the QUAD remix of 'The Hoople' doesn't sound as crisp as the Burton Cummings' QUAD SACD, it was recorded in London and didn't have the benefit of the crackerjack U.S. Columbia remix team, it does fit the music to a T. And of course the addition of two more excellent MOTT THE HOOPLE albums in prisitine stereo SACD remasterings at D~V's customary low prices [in comparison to domestic reissue companies MoFi and AP] earns this set a well deserved 10!

I purchased all nine January 2021 D~V QUAD/STEREO SACDs and couldn't be more thrilled with Dutton's commitment to excellence and considering those nine SACD sets contain the equivalent of over 20 FULL LPs, an amazing bargain considering I just paid $115 to Elusive Disc for 2 multi~CH SACDs and 2 Stereo SACDs.

 

[WBP]

Listened to this 3/4 times and though I love The Hoople album I'm not so keen on the quad mix, agree with RustyStatic, very muffled at times, Ian's lead vocal on The Golden Age of Rock n Roll especially is very low in the mix (despite trying different set ups etc) I find the whole mix very inconsistent, I bought this at along with the BTO/BTO2 Dutton Vocalion release and enjoying that one far more, still great to see this get a release - overall I'm scoring it a 7

 

[perzon57]

Content is king,I did'nt like the BTO so much,but I loved the MTH. I grew up with MTH,but I did'nt listen to BTO.

 

[The56Kid]

First listen: mix is pretty damn cool but fidelity is a bit muffled. However, given the nature of the material, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Not ready to vote yet, but I think I’m gonna dig this one more than I thought I would after hearing the first strains of The Golden Age Of Rock ‘N’ Roll.

 

[Cyber 1]

Mine hasn't shown up yet so the question is as far a Fidelity only, how does it stack up to the SQ LP?

 

[WBP]

First listen: mix is pretty damn cool but fidelity is a bit muffled. However, given the nature of the material, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Not ready to vote yet, but I think I’m gonna dig this one more than I thought I would after hearing the first strains of The Golden Age Of Rock ‘N’ Roll.

Yeah I was concerned after first track too, but other tracks do sound better, great album, mix is not great for me

 

[fredblue]

Mine hasn't showed up yet so the question is as far a Fidelity only, how does it stack up to the SQ LP?

its an SQ Quad LP i never enjoyed much at all back when i was fiddling on a daily basis with SQ records through the Surround Master, it just felt like it decoded weird somehow. i will try the SQ LP again now and see how it compares to the new SACD.



edit: i totally forgot i fairly substantially improved my turntable rig since i first got the Mott The Hoople SQ LP all those years ago, it appears to decode ok now.. there's all sorts of weird shouting and stuff pops up around the room so it must be decoding right... right?

so onto the new SACD, its totally discrete of course unlike the SQ, which helps focus the weird vocal effects etc more than the SQ.. and the SACD feels a bit less bright and perhaps less fatiguing on the ears?

i think maybe the 1st track is just a duff mix? it sounds odd on the SQ and it's still weird on the SACD! channel balances feel out of whack and initially the lead vocal has that "extremely faraway like it was recorded down a hallway with the microphone a mile away from the singer" quality that 1 or 2 of the Billy Joel Quad tracks have.. things seem to settle down after a bit so i dunno maybe the (still unknown!) Quad engineer screwed up on that track back in the day?

musically.. ahh.. is it fabulously raucous or just a bloody racket? not sure.. about half the tracks are lovely.. some of the more shouty screamy stuff? ah i dunno, i would've loved jumping around the room to it aged 33 & 1/3, sloshing a JD and Coke all over the floor while they wail away.. but i think i'm a bit of a middle aged fart for that kind of caper now, maybe..

no final vote until i've played the SACD a few more times at least, for now a placeholder "8" for the overall package; 3 albums, 1 in Quad, great liner notes and sound quality that's probably as good as this stuff's ever gonna sound now.

was this on my most wanted list?
No, far from it.
am i happy it got a new release?
Yes, its giving me a chance to reappraise a Quad i'd not really given much time over the years, which i appreciate.

now where's that Groper Washingmachine Senior SACD? my ears need some soothing respite from all these golden olden days of racket and roll..!!

 

[jefe1]

Ok I'm playing this and yea its a weird quad mix...but it's the poor sound quality that really bothers me. Muffled is right like two blankets worth.
So I then play the sacd stereo layer...and I dont like the sound still.
Next I play my Sony legacy edition of this album...and the CD sounds better than this sacd stereo layer
I listen to the next album in Stereo on the DV Sacd and it just doesn't sound good. I then play my legacy cd of the All The Young Dudes album...and it sounds better than this
Is it just me?
I played the second disc in this set and listened to All The Way From Memphis. Just glorious. A few more songs confirmed good sound on the second disc

So is it me or is there a production error on disc one?
As far as the quad mix of The Hoople I prefer the stereo synthesized in surround.

For comparison I'm listening to the DV Bachman Turner and it sounds fine.

 

[fredblue]

Ok I'm playing this and yea its a weird quad mix...but it's the poor sound quality that really bothers me. Muffled is right like two blankets worth.
So I then play the sacd stereo layer...and I dont like the sound still.
Next I play my Sony legacy edition of this album...and the CD sounds better than this sacd stereo layer
I listen to the next album in Stereo on the DV Sacd and it just doesn't sound good. I then play my legacy cd of the All The Young Dudes album...and it sounds better than this
Is it just me?
I played the second disc in this set and listened to All The Way From Memphis. Just glorious. A few more songs confirmed good sound on the second disc

So is it me or is there a production error on disc one?
As far as the quad mix of The Hoople I prefer the stereo synthesized in surround.

For comparison I'm listening to the DV Bachman Turner and it sounds fine.

i noticed the mastering on this set was more restrained than the Legacy's which felt a bit hyped by comparison.. and the SACD Quad's not as bright as the SQ LP.. i suspect DV's got closer to the sound of the original tapes but we don't know that and of course we all prefer different types of sound presentation with some enjoying a treble boost.

 

[fredblue]

its quite something, the trajectory of DV's SACD releases.. just a few short years ago some folks were less than enthralled by some of the "elevator music" choices the label were making, we were crying out for Rock, dammit! we wanted Rock and we wanted it now!

"now that we've got Rock, what are we gonna do with it.."

hand on heart i'm faintly aghast at the shift part of the latest batch represents! Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Mott The Hoople's undeniably a million miles away from Helen Reddy and Percy Faith! (not picking on Percy, or Helen, they're great but you know what i mean!) i really never thought Sony or Universal would allow these kinds of Rock albums from their clutches!! it may even be the first time the BTO and Mott The Hoople albums have been licenced in this way?

ultimately i hope people get behind these Rock releases and show DV there is real interest in more of the same!
maybe the major labels in future might permit some Edgar Winter, REO Speedwagon.. maybe Santana, who knows even Aerosmith..!? the latter two still feel unlikely.. but maybe these Mott, BTO etc type titles are a test of the market? interesting times afoot for music lovers(and not a 12-incher in sight!)

 

[gvl_guy]

its quite something, the trajectory of DV's SACD releases.. just a few short years ago some folks were less than enthralled by some of the "elevator music" choices the label were making, we were crying out for Rock, dammit! we wanted Rock and we wanted it now!

"now that we've got Rock, what are we gonna do with it.."

hand on heart i'm faintly aghast at the shift part of the latest batch represents! Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Mott The Hoople's undeniably a million miles away from Helen Reddy and Percy Faith! (not picking on Percy, or Helen, they're great but you know what i mean!) i really never thought Sony or Universal would allow these kinds of Rock albums from their clutches!! it may even be the first time the BTO and Mott The Hoople albums have been licenced in this way?

ultimately i hope people get behind these Rock releases and show DV there is real interest in more of the same!
maybe the major labels in future might permit some Edgar Winter, REO Speedwagon.. maybe Santana, who knows even Aerosmith..!? the latter two still feel unlikely.. but maybe these Mott, BTO etc type titles are a test of the market? interesting times afoot for music lovers(and not a 12-incher in sight!)

I suspect that BTO and Mott the Hoople are limited in their appeal and that's why DV got the licenses. REO and Aerosmith probably have more fans, so the label might feel they could make more $$ off them.

 

[marpow]

I voted 8. The two stereo SACD's save the three album set for me. My order of listening preference is:
1. MOTT stereo
2. All The Young Dudes stereo
3. The Hoople 4.0 (I just realized I have not listened to the 2.0, maybe I will prefer the 2.0 over the 4.0?)

Everytime I hear Mott The Hoople I think they are to David Bowie what Badfinger is to The Beatles. A little bit of a fringe sound, you either love them or don't, I like there radio hits of course. I prefer The Faces over the Hoople for instance.
I have a file of the ripped SQ LP and that one will now be deleted from my library and the 4.0 SACD from DV will stay.
The new SACD is far superior than what I had before, that said, as others point out (muddy) no shining star on the re released Quad rack.
Had I not had the file of the old Quad I might have given this set a 7, but the new SACD Quad really is better.
As always I thank DV for there stellar effort and the actual quality of the recordings I would give a 9, but the music and the not the greatest 4.0 brings it all down to a 8 for me.
I will definately be going back to these stereo discs, the 4.0, umm-not so much.

Keep Poll Threads Pure, no shipping, off topic chatter, etc.

 

[perzon57]

I really like this quad,music mix and everything.Gave it 9.The two stereo albums in this set I will never play.I never play less than 4.0 in my music room,stereo is for the living room from Spotify.

 

[tlake6659]

Ok I'm playing this and yea its a weird quad mix...but it's the poor sound quality that really bothers me. Muffled is right like two blankets worth.
So I then play the sacd stereo layer...and I dont like the sound still.
Next I play my Sony legacy edition of this album...and the CD sounds better than this sacd stereo layer
I listen to the next album in Stereo on the DV Sacd and it just doesn't sound good. I then play my legacy cd of the All The Young Dudes album...and it sounds better than this
Is it just me?
I played the second disc in this set and listened to All The Way From Memphis. Just glorious. A few more songs confirmed good sound on the second disc

So is it me or is there a production error on disc one?
As far as the quad mix of The Hoople I prefer the stereo synthesized in surround.

For comparison I'm listening to the DV Bachman Turner and it sounds fine.

The legacy CD is treble boosted and digitally compressed. The DV SACD sounds way more natural to me.

 

[The56Kid]

Ok I'm playing this and yea its a weird quad mix...but it's the poor sound quality that really bothers me. Muffled is right like two blankets worth.
So I then play the sacd stereo layer...and I dont like the sound still.
Next I play my Sony legacy edition of this album...and the CD sounds better than this sacd stereo layer
I listen to the next album in Stereo on the DV Sacd and it just doesn't sound good. I then play my legacy cd of the All The Young Dudes album...and it sounds better than this
Is it just me?
I played the second disc in this set and listened to All The Way From Memphis. Just glorious. A few more songs confirmed good sound on the second disc

So is it me or is there a production error on disc one?
As far as the quad mix of The Hoople I prefer the stereo synthesized in surround.

For comparison I'm listening to the DV Bachman Turner and it sounds fine.

Interesting observation. I have yet to listen to a Disc 2, but I’ll keep your post in mind when I do. I did listen to the five All The Young Dudes stereo tracks on Disc 1 and recall not being overly impressed with the overall sound. It seemed a bit compressed and slightly piercing to my ear.

 

[jefe1]

Yea I hate to put myself put there and be judgemental and I realize there are multiple mastering differences. But I go with what my ears like. I like those legacy cds with bonus tracks they are worth getting if you're a fan. And they sound fine to me.
This is the first DV release I have got where the sound quality really bothers me and I have bought many of them.
I would like to be wrong about this.

Essentially I bought this only for the 4.0 mix of the Hoople. But I was hoping for a good stereo sacd layer I have the SQ vinyl somewhere I should dig it out and see how its sound quality compares. Never had an issue with the stereo record.
The first track Golden Age in 4.0 kills the buzz when it starts and there is nothing in the rear speakers for a while.
Could we ask Michael to remix the whole album?

 

[fredblue]

Could we ask Michael to remix the whole album?

hand on heart i'm amazed we're getting New Multichannel SACD releases of Rock and Pop Quads from anyone at all right now, let alone remasters of DV's usual calibre, it must be a challenging time for any record label