DennisMoore Jr.
1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
It costs big money to do 5.1 mixes? Does SW charge that much :} DTS DVDs would do me if DVD As and Blu Rays cost too much. Maybe just press LTD edition 2500 copies or something like that? I have emailed Cleopatra to inquire.
A 5.1 remix doesn't cost millions but it is expensive. Professional music tracks are almost always recorded "dry"(no effects) so a "re-mixer" must add(recreate in digital) all the sound effects that the original recording had.(The original tape machine was patched into a sound board that had all the effects in parallel which were then added during the 2.0 mix down. So yes, a 5.1 remix from the original multi-tracks is a big job and can be a large expense. Like timbre4 said, SW works very cheaply, that is why his services are in such demand(obviously his work being this side of genius helps as well. )
And the original tracks often didn't survive in hifi so some master knowledge is required to restore the sound without changing it.
For me, some Gentle Giant records have what I consider dissonant or at least annoying vocal melodies that I can't dig no matter how many times I force myself. I find this mostly on their first three records. Interestingly enough, their fine keyboardist Kerry Minnear, took over all musical arranging duties for their 4th album onwards and the vocal issues were solved for me. Kerry began to arrange the songs on Octopus and later. But in general, Gentle Giant is not easy listening. For me, Octopus, FH & P&G are bliss. But ya gotta be in the mood for that kind of on the edge music.
About Roye Albrighton's voice: On RTF he has a power voice from the heavens. He belts out so much volume, emotion & passion. His vocals on side two of RTF especially, are pure power, feeling & magnificence. And he can play lead guitar like the dickens! What a fabulous talent that gentleman is!