HiRez Poll Pink Floyd - 1970 DEVI/ATION (ATOM HEART MOTHER) [Blu-Ray Audio]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2017 release from Pink Floyd.
This set includes the original 4.0 Quadraphonic mix of "Atom Heart Mother".

 

[rusinurbe]

Whats not to like about this disc AHM the original Quad of my favorite Floyd Album.
three other very good versions live with Video and more CD Audio
KQED show with nice sound and picture quality
Zabriskie Point outtakes on CD (shame the film never made the box in blu ray)
one of the better Pink floyd in concert concerts

Without a doubt set my favorite from the box (and now idividual).

 

[John Svensson]

I'll hold off on my vote for a few more listens, but since I just received this yesterday.....it is without a doubt the best and most discrete version of it that I've ever laid my ears on. Nice quaddy panning when Gilmour's guitar kicks in, I'm not familiar enough but it seems that the swirling outro is extended on this also compared to my old conversion copy? Might need to employ a stop watch to check that.....@: As above, what's not to like? AHM has risen in my Floyd pantheon of songs. Love all the video extras also, and the print extras for some context.

 

[Lute]

Just a short review. I'm thrilled to have the Quad mix of this album in Hirez. Personally, I like the music, and really dig the orchestral & chorus aspects. The Quad mix uses the surrounds effectively to separate the orchestra/chorus from the band in the opening track. I also like how Gilmour's guitar solo comes in the rears and moves around. There is active panning going on through much the album. Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast's quirkiness is wonderfully done. The Quad mix has an organic, hands-on feel to it, which I really like. The fidelity is very good, warm and full with plenty of bass. A 10 from me.

I've been going through the videos in the box set and having a ball with this psychedelic period of their output. It's great to see all the members looking so cheerful and having such a great time together. On the first volume, the quality of the Scarecrow video in vivid color is amazing! I only wish there was more of Syd. Anyway, this box set is an improvement on the previous Immersion sets and I'm really getting a lot of enjoyment from it.

Supposedly, Stanley Kubrick wanted to use ATM in A Clockwork Orange, but the band refused. Here's a video of what it might have looked like...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bg12Tvv06uE

And an interesting article about it...

http://www.2001italia.it/2014/12/investigating-myths-around-2oo1-pink.html

 

[ssully]

The best quad version hands down, out of the three or so I've heard over the years.

 

[drphibes]

Of the standalone sets this seems to be the best bang for the buck. The 1971 and 1972 sets suffer badly for having 5.1 mixes yanked at the 11th hour.

The video is the best I've seen for this material, the audio is very pleasing to my untrained ears, and in my view this is the most important stuff from 1970 to cram into two CDs and two DVDs. It gets a 9 from me, because I rarely vote 10.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Thank you ALL for your invaluable input.. I just ordered Devi/ation from Amazon. Cannot wait to hear AHM in QUAD....a dream come true. Well, one of them, at least!

 

[4-earredwonder]

Just a short review. I'm thrilled to have the Quad mix of this album in Hirez. Personally, I like the music, and really dig the orchestral & chorus aspects. The Quad mix uses the surrounds effectively to separate the orchestra/chorus from the band in the opening track. I also like how Gilmour's guitar solo comes in the rears and moves around. There is active panning going on through much the album. Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast's quirkiness is wonderfully done. The Quad mix has an organic, hands-on feel to it, which I really like. The fidelity is very good, warm and full with plenty of bass. A 10 from me.

I've been going through the videos in the box set and having a ball with this psychedelic period of their output. It's great to see all the members looking so cheerful and having such a great time together. On the first volume, the quality of the Scarecrow video in vivid color is amazing! I only wish there was more of Syd. Anyway, this box set is an improvement on the previous Immersion sets and I'm really getting a lot of enjoyment from it.

Supposedly, Stanley Kubrick wanted to use ATM in A Clockwork Orange, but the band refused. Here's a video of what it might have looked like...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bg12Tvv06uE

And an interesting article about it...

http://www.2001italia.it/2014/12/investigating-myths-around-2oo1-pink.html

Thanks for your very enthusiastic review, Brett and for those Kubrick Links. Who Knew? I should have my copy of Devi/ation by Friday.

Not to devi/ate, but in the end, I think Kubrick's finalized choice of music for Clockwork Orange was superb!

BTW, have you ever seen Zabriskie Point? An acquired taste, for sure! Certainly not one of Michelangelo Antonioni's best....and a critical disaster.

 

[rusinurbe]

Thanks for your very enthusiastic review, Brett and for those Kubrick Links. Who Knew? I should have my copy of Devi/ation by Friday.

Not to devi/ate, but in the end, I think Kubrick's finalized choice of music for Clockwork Orange was superb!

BTW, have you ever seen Zabriskie Point? An acquired taste, for sure! Certainly not one of Michelangelo Antonioni's best....and a critical disaster.

I have 'Zabriskie Point' on DVD note sure how official it is but its not a bad copy for sure.

An Acquired taste and one I have acquired

I can only imagine how good it would look in full, hi definition

 

[4-earredwonder]

I have 'Zabriskie Point' on DVD note sure how official it is but its not a bad copy for sure.

An Acquired taste and one I have acquired

I can only imagine how good it would look in full, hi definition

A guilty pleasure for sure. Wonder why Criterion hasn't released it on BD~V?

This is the version I have: https://www.amazon.com/Zabriskie-Point-Mark-Frechette/dp/B001TK80CA

 

[Lute]

Thanks for your very enthusiastic review, Brett and for those Kubrick Links. Who Knew? I should have my copy of Devi/ation by Friday.

Not to devi/ate, but in the end, I think Kubrick's finalized choice of music for Clockwork Orange was superb!

BTW, have you ever seen Zabriskie Point? An acquired taste, for sure! Certainly not one of Michelangelo Antonioni's best....and a critical disaster.

I hope you enjoy this Hirez Bluray of AHM in Quad as much as I am. Apart from a few moments where the 1970 recording shows its age a little, this new Hirez remastering sounds amazingly good.

My only question is what the heck took so long!!?? @: @: @: LOL!!!

Agreed... A Clockwork Orange sounds good as is. In fact, I can't imagine it any other way. Even Roger Waters said it was good that AHM wasn't used. But, I can certainly understand what Kubrick had in mind.

Zabriskie Point? Yep, that is one is a bit out there, isn't it!

 

[steelydave]

I'm really glad to have the AHM quad mix in digital format from the master tapes...

HOWEVER..

I'm disappointed that they've compressed the dynamic range on this one, which is something they didn't do to the quad mixes of Dark Side or WYWH on their respective BluRays.

The dynamic range of the Q8 tape is somewhere around DR12, but the dynamic range of this new release is DR9 which is about the same as what the most recent stereo CD reissue is. Even the hidden 5.1 mix of Meddle on the Early Years set doesn't seem to have been compressed, it has a dynamic range of something like DR15.

For me, it's only really egregiously noticable in the loudest parts, like when Nick Mason gets going on the cymbals in the title track and they fizz and shimmer. It makes me wonder if they just brickwall limited the loudest parts rather than compress the overall dynamic range of the entire album. Don't get me wrong, it sounds pretty good, but for me it could have sounded better.

I also noticed something else curious when I was ripping the music to FLAC off the BluRay in AudioMuxer. If you've done this before, you know how it works, you go in to the PLAYLIST folder and find the .mpls file that has the audio you want to rip. These files are always named the same: 0000.mpls, 0001.mpls and so on. On every BluRay I've ever ripped audio from, and that probably numbers near enough to 100 at this point, the .mpls files are always numbered sequentially. On this disc they go:

0000.mpls
0001.mpls
0002.mpls
0004.mpls

So the question is, what was on 0003.mpls and where did it go? I know it was never announced or anything, but iven that they did 5.1 mixes of several other albums on this set it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility to me that there was a 5.1 mix of AHM done and then pulled from this disc, hence the missing playlist file.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I'm really glad to have the AHM quad mix in digital format from the master tapes...

HOWEVER..

I'm disappointed that they've compressed the dynamic range on this one, which is something they didn't do to the quad mixes of Dark Side or WYWH on their respective BluRays.

The dynamic range of the Q8 tape is somewhere around DR12, but the dynamic range of this new release is DR9 which is about the same as what the most recent stereo CD reissue is. Even the hidden 5.1 mix of Meddle on the Early Years set doesn't seem to have been compressed, it has a dynamic range of something like DR15.

For me, it's only really egregiously noticable in the loudest parts, like when Nick Mason gets going on the cymbals in the title track and they fizz and shimmer. It makes me wonder if they just brickwall limited the loudest parts rather than compress the overall dynamic range of the entire album. Don't get me wrong, it sounds pretty good, but for me it could have sounded better.

I also noticed something else curious when I was ripping the music to FLAC off the BluRay in AudioMuxer. If you've done this before, you know how it works, you go in to the PLAYLIST folder and find the .mpls file that has the audio you want to rip. These files are always named the same: 0000.mpls, 0001.mpls and so on. On every BluRay I've ever ripped audio from, and that probably numbers near enough to 100 at this point, the .mpls files are always numbered sequentially. On this disc they go:

0000.mpls
0001.mpls
0002.mpls
0004.mpls

So the question is, what was on 0003.mpls and where did it go? I know it was never announced or anything, but iven that they did 5.1 mixes of several other albums on this set it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility to me that there was a 5.1 mix of AHM done and then pulled from this disc, hence the missing playlist file.

Very disturbing news, Dave, and even more disturbing that an early 70's Q8 tape has a higher DR value than a 2016 digital BD~A remaster. Interesting and astute sleuthing that you discovered the missing file (the AHM 5.1?) but seriously, I'd rather hear the original QUAD....unless the 5.1 was less compressed and had a higher DR value [we'll never know].

Why bother complaining. The 5 disc set (2 RBCDs, 2 DVD~Vs and 1 BD~A/V) was under $50 with the elaborate booklet and I should be getting mine tomorrow so I will excitedly play ATM on my main system with that nagging perception intact... it could've been better!

And of course, since I never invested in the mega Early Years PF boxset, I'll probably never hear the superior at least [DR~wise] Meddle 5.1 mix.

Please, someone, somewhere, RELEASE the 5.1 REMIX of MEDDLE as a stand alone BD~A. You owe it to your fans!

 

[Lute]

Ouch! That's a bitter pill to swallow. LOL!

Thanks for that info, Dave! Overall I still think this Bluray sounds good. I can crank up the volume and not feel any ear bleeding...except for the very loud sections, which I agree could sound better. I put it down to the age of the recording. However, your thorough research shows something else is going on. Anyway, this Quad mix is a lot of fun IMHO.

To be honest, I have to agree with Ralph. Although I dislike compression, at this stage in the game I also have to say... What's the use of complaining? People on these music forums (such as QQ) always complain of compression. Yet, here is a Hirez remastering from Pink Floyd. A band who even has affiliations with this site. And still we get compression on this once in a lifetime release. It makes one want to pull their hair out. But... in the end, artists, producers and engineers just do whatever they want.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I'm really glad to have the AHM quad mix in digital format from the master tapes...

HOWEVER..

I'm disappointed that they've compressed the dynamic range on this one, which is something they didn't do to the quad mixes of Dark Side or WYWH on their respective BluRays.

The dynamic range of the Q8 tape is somewhere around DR12, but the dynamic range of this new release is DR9 which is about the same as what the most recent stereo CD reissue is. Even the hidden 5.1 mix of Meddle on the Early Years set doesn't seem to have been compressed, it has a dynamic range of something like DR15.

Wouldn't the same logic you expressed here also apply to the blueray? I don't have the set so I don't know if the 4.0 of AHM includes an empty center and/or LFE channel. I guess i'm not sure why the ideas expressed in the link would only apply to SACD.

 

[steelydave]

Wouldn't the same logic you expressed here also apply to the blueray? I don't have the set so I don't know if the 4.0 of AHM includes an empty center and/or LFE channel. I guess i'm not sure why the ideas expressed in the link would only apply to SACD.

It doesn't apply, because there are no silent channels on the AHM BluRay.

Like I said on the other thread, I don't know if the SACD format doesn't support 4.0 channel configuration, but judging by the way all quad SACDs are authored, it seems that it doesn't. They're all either 5.0 or 5.1, and as such they have to include silence on the center and/or subwoofer tracks when the material on the disc is quad.

BluRay on the other hand uses PCM, DTS(MA) or Dolby (TrueHD), and all these formats seem to be much more flexible in terms of what channel configurations they'll support - anything from 1.0 to 7.1 and seemingly anything in between.

The quad mix of AHM on the 'DEVIATION' BluRay is encoded as 4.0 on the disc, and there are 4 channels in a quad mix so when you analyse it you don't have any silent channels skewing the dynamic range readings.


Lute: I agree with what you said, what's done is done and it's frustrating when something is so close to perfect but has one little thing holding it back. I think there's only so much crying over spilt milk you can do, but I think the value in bringing these things to light (without histrionics) is that it provides some feedback to bands that do want to listen as to what their intended target audience wants. Plenty of people will ignore feedback but it's worth doing for the few that it does get through to - look at Steven Wilson, up until somewhere in the 00's all his releases were mastered really loud, and then either someone or something opened his eyes to the benefits of increased dynamic range.

I'm not saying this release is botched, or a travesty or anything like that - it's very good but could have been a bit better. Who knows, maybe in a year they'll do standalone BluRay sets for each studio album with stereo, quad and the shelved 5.1's, so it's always worth flagging this stuff up in the hope that they can improve things if they ever take another kick at the can.

 

[Lute]

Hearts & Minds...

Your faith in the good intentions of the music industry is honorable, Dave.

It doesn't hurt to try, though.

And your efforts are certainly appreciated by us here at QQ. :upthumb

 

[Which_One_Is_Pink]

I give this a 10 it sounds absolutely fantastic for a 1970 recording, fidelity is excellent and the mix is very Quady. While not my favorite Floyd, Pink approves.

 

[ssully]

For me, it's only really egregiously noticable in the loudest parts, like when Nick Mason gets going on the cymbals in the title track and they fizz and shimmer. It makes me wonder if they just brickwall limited the loudest parts rather than compress the overall dynamic range of the entire album. Don't get me wrong, it sounds pretty good, but for me it could have sounded better.

If you can, post a clip of the same loud section from the Q8 and the BluRay.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Despite the fact that the Q8 of ATM has a higher DR value, I cannot imagine it sounding better than the remastered BD~A. I had 8 tracks (NOT QUAD) for years and the electronics of those units [unless they were extensively modified] with the tape traveling @ 3/34 ips was hardly anything approaching audiophile and that maddening audible switching between tracks (sometimes in the middle of a song) was intolerable.:yikes

When I had the 8 track deck in my car stolen way back when I breathed a sigh of relief......GOOD RIDDANCE....only to be replaced with a cassette player [travelling @ 1 7/8]!