AudiophileStyle
Well-known Member
That’s the opposite of what I’ve found with the 300+ TrueHD Atmos albums in my library and the albums I stream from Apple Music.
New Dolby Atmos BluRay discs from Rhino
- Thread starter ForagingRhino
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bamamusicfan
Active Member
I have sides as surrounds and most of the ones I own have good content.
Since 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, is there any chance of RHINO celebrating with a new Dolby Atmos mix of the album on Blu-ray, packed in a commemorative box set with new remastered versions of the the Beautiful Dreamer documentary and Brian Wilson Plays SMilE also in Dolby Atmos? Hell, if you have to include the vinyl to satisfy the powers that be to make the box a reality, I'll happily pay the extra $$ for it, too...although I doubt I'd ever play it.
As someone who absolutely LOVES the Smile Sessions album, I'm not really compelled by the idea of that (or the Brian Wilson version) in surround sound. The wall of sound production doesn't really suit itself well for splitting elements up, in my opinion.
Fair enough, but RHINO already released both Beautiful Dreamer and Brian Wilson Plays SMiLE in DD5.1 Surround on DVD twenty years ago. As someone who recently revisited these versions, they both sound pretty darn good to my aging ears and that's what got me thinking about the possibility of an anniversary Atmos release. IMO, Brian's version is an incredibly important release. After waiting over 40 years for the original Beach Boys version, I think it is safe to say that there would be no SMiLE Sessions without Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE. Plus, much of the heavy lifting has already been done since we know a good sounding (albeit lossy) surround mix does exist which can be used for reference.
I was sitting in a high school cafeteria study hall the first time I read, "Goodbye Surfing, Hello God," in Cheetah magazine and learned of the imminent release of Brian and the boys eagerly anticipated and long awaited followup to their breathtaking, "Good Vibrations." What we ended up getting over the next 40 years were random bits and pieces of what could have been in SMiLE, but SMiLE remained an incomplete puzzle that could not be solved. Even SMiLE Sessions does not contain a fully realized, start to finish, version of the original SMiLE album. That, unfortunately, is simply lost to time. Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE is, in fact, a complete version of SMiLE, but it is not the Beach Boys. I get it. However, after revisiting it for the first time in nearly 20 years, it is hard to ignore its importance and the redemptive impact it had on Brian. Myself, I think it is worth celebrating and is deserving of an Atmos upgrade. I eagerly support that idea. As always, YMMV.
On the other hand, if they can do Pet Sounds in 5.1 and it came out quite well, I think the "Smile" material would work out just fine.
But I'm talking the Beach Boys material here, not solo Brian.
Well, that's just it. Pet Sounds in 5.1 didn't come out that well. It's one of the lowest rated surround discs here. I haven't heard the streaming Atmos version.
For my money the streaming Atmos mix is the best thing Giles Martin has done. I wouldn’t mind it being a Rhino disc (throw in the old 5.1 for good measure)
Alright. I'm open to being wrong! Hope that Atmos mix is as good as people keep raving about!
Precisely. Thank you. I'm talking about an Atmos mix of Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE to commemorate its 20th anniversary. It is a modern recording that has already been released in DD 5.1 Surround sound and was issued by RHINO (Nonesuch) in 2004. I am assuming they still hold the licensing.
My original post was not meant to be a "which is better?" comparison between Brian solo and the Beach Boys. The are completely different animals. There is no completed Beach Boys SMiLE album to compare to Brian's release. Brian's album came about specifically because he wanted to be able to play his SMiLE material in a live performance setting. Judged on its own merits, I think he extraordinarily succeeded in that regard. It's not the Beach Boys and it never can be. Now, whether Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE warrants celebrating with a 20th anniversary Dolby Atmos Blu-ray edition is purely a matter of personal choice. Myself, I think in retrospect, it is an important album that is deserving of such a treatment. As always, YMMV.
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