Water's vocal in Sheep gently morphs into the synths played on the rears. Are you sure your system is properly calibrated?
HiRez Poll Pink Floyd - ANIMALS [Blu-Ray Audio/SACD]
- Thread starter rtbluray
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After one spin, not sure what I'll rate this BD in the end. For now, I'll post 9. Though it may change to 10. Showed up Friday evening and had little time to listen since then.
I'm a completist for this band, since '68. Bought this on LP, US CD and Shine On box.
This is a very good album. Still, my tastes run to several other discs as their best albums. Hence, a 9. Likely a somewhat unpopular viewpoint.
The surround mix is good, so 10 for that. I liked Guthrie's Dark Side mix, but prefer Parsons. Could surround Animals have been better? Perhaps, but love it for the great mix that it is. We've waited since '77 for a surround mix.
I'm a completist for this band, since '68. Bought this on LP, US CD and Shine On box.
This is a very good album. Still, my tastes run to several other discs as their best albums. Hence, a 9. Likely a somewhat unpopular viewpoint.
The surround mix is good, so 10 for that. I liked Guthrie's Dark Side mix, but prefer Parsons. Could surround Animals have been better? Perhaps, but love it for the great mix that it is. We've waited since '77 for a surround mix.
IMHO, I can't reasonably take Packaging into consideration.
In the big picture it in no way matters to me. The day I get it and burn it into my hard drive is likely the last time I'll ever see it.I disliked this one simply for the fact it made me dirty and fingerprint the disk. Then I had to clean it before playing. I thought those days were over when I sold off all my vinyl.
YMMV
The blu-ray packaging is indeed sparse. Using my Moose points, the whole thing cost me $13.98 including shipping. If the sparse packaging contributed to lowering my cost down to that amount, I‘ll give two points for the packaging. Please…give us more content at these prices and packaging be damned.
Nobody should be worrying about being unpopular for saying something that they justify, as you have. I disagree with your overall evaluation (though you make some valid points) but welcome your input.
Not hearing any weirdness in the effects timing, anywhere on the album.
RW's vocal blends with the synth appropriately.
Also, from the moment PotW pt 1 ends, to the beginning of PotW pt 2, my surrounds are nicely engaged. I.e. Dogs begins with my 5.1 system springing to life.
I think mixing the opening and closing tracks in pure stereo was an artistic choice. Think of The Wizard of Oz, how it begins in b/w, then springs in to glorious color, when Dorothy wakes up in Oz.
RW's vocal blends with the synth appropriately.
Also, from the moment PotW pt 1 ends, to the beginning of PotW pt 2, my surrounds are nicely engaged. I.e. Dogs begins with my 5.1 system springing to life.
I think mixing the opening and closing tracks in pure stereo was an artistic choice. Think of The Wizard of Oz, how it begins in b/w, then springs in to glorious color, when Dorothy wakes up in Oz.
Same here, Roger's voice in the front shifting into the synth in the rear during "Sheep" is one of my favorite parts of the 5.1 mix.
I believe that was the effect they were going for when the album was originally made. It just works much better in surround when you can really isolate the bookends from the rest of the album.
I agree, and it works very well, the opening chords to Dogs sound wonderful
Wizard Of Oz, you mean it syncs with Animals as well?! That really is spooky
That's a good analogy, though I must admit I would have liked a bit of reverb in the back, too.
ogrequad
Senior Member
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- Apr 11, 2013
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I voted a 10. As I've mentioned elsewhere, the mix takes an album that I thought I knew in and out, and it brings an entirely new perspective and listening experience. This is the first surround mix in a long time that has given me goosebumps (not to mention some grins and fist pumps...). While I would have loved some sort of bonus material, I still would argue that this streamlined release has "immersed" me in the album the same way that the fancier (and more expensive) Immersion boxes did for WYWH and DSoTM. For example, after listening to the 5.1 mix for the first time, I immediately followed it up by listening to both stereo mixes in a row, and those both sounded even more wonderful now that my ears had been opened up, so to speak, by the surround mix. Unlike some people who hear a great surround mix and say "I'll never go back to stereo again", I would argue that the very best surround mixes should enhance, rather than replace, any future stereo listens. This Animals mix does that for me and more.
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Not quite ready to vote - need a few more listens - but a couple of things stand out on my system, especially in reading some of the comments.
Regardless of how much or little Guthrie utilized the center channel, I hear a very strong and well defined center image - I think it's pretty well established that one doesn't need a center channel to achieve this.
In terms of bass, this mix exhibits some of the strongest and deepest bass I've heard on a Pink Floyd album - somewhat surprising and very welcome.
The first time I listened to this I was occasionally underwhelmed by the use of surrounds, but in subsequent listens, paying much closer attention to surround activity, I quickly revised that impression. Surround channels are always actively engaged (excepting the Pigs On The Wing bookends - deliberate choice) and provide a very immersive experience. I think Guthrie has successfully achieved a good balance between directional and more ambient use of the surrounds, including panning front to back and side to side. It's easily Guthrie's best surround mix of a PF album.
This will definitely be in the 8-10 range for me, tilting to a higher score if only in comparison to previous PF mixes.
Regardless of how much or little Guthrie utilized the center channel, I hear a very strong and well defined center image - I think it's pretty well established that one doesn't need a center channel to achieve this.
In terms of bass, this mix exhibits some of the strongest and deepest bass I've heard on a Pink Floyd album - somewhat surprising and very welcome.
The first time I listened to this I was occasionally underwhelmed by the use of surrounds, but in subsequent listens, paying much closer attention to surround activity, I quickly revised that impression. Surround channels are always actively engaged (excepting the Pigs On The Wing bookends - deliberate choice) and provide a very immersive experience. I think Guthrie has successfully achieved a good balance between directional and more ambient use of the surrounds, including panning front to back and side to side. It's easily Guthrie's best surround mix of a PF album.
This will definitely be in the 8-10 range for me, tilting to a higher score if only in comparison to previous PF mixes.
I'm not sure that I've *ever* voted before because I'm never quite sure exactly how to distill my impressions into an plain old integer. But I just gave this one a 10.
Apparently I'm part of a tiny minority in that I've never had any real issues with the 1977 mix. Maybe it's related to the fact that when it was first released I was absolutely obsessed with the prior two albums and this one was just...different. Took me months to even buy it--I'd recorded it off the radio when the local underground station played the whole thing (remember when that was allowed?) and just didn't feel all that motivated. But eventually I warmed up to it and bought a U.S. Columbia LP that I thought sounded fine and a UK Harvest LP that was weirdly heavy but incredibly noisy.
Part of me wonders how much of its sonic reputation is based on the first American CD, which to my ears sounds a lot like what people complain about. The Shine On box version was always my go-to after it was released, just sounded much better to me.
Anyway, like most of us I was worried that this one would be too tame in the surround department, but I think it's exactly right. For the most part, stuff isn't wildly flying around the room, but the four corners remain pretty active for all but the POTW bookends. No complaints there at all. One thing that stands out to me is the way the different processing on the Psalm 23 parody makes it sound like it's probably Nick Mason, which I never realized before.
As for the center speaker, I got up a few times and put my ear up to it because I thought it was busy, but it was just the left and right creating a very convincing phantom center image. I did get the impression that what little is in the center isn't just the left and right at a lower level, but don't hold me to that.
Literally my only complaint--and it's got nothing to do with the sound or the mix--is the lack of the 8-track version of PotW. To be fair, it was never promised and I really wasn't expecting it, but it's very weird to me that there remains an officially-released Pink Floyd song that you simply can't buy in a modern format for any amount of money. The only other one I can think of is the "obscured version" of "Not Now John" that was rushed out after radio stations started making their own badly-censored versions.
I'm not going to jump straight to "contempt for their fans!" but it does seem like a major oversight. Maybe they simply forgot. Or the master is damaged. Or Snowy White wanted a fortune. Or...whatever. In the end it doesn't affect the simple fact that this is a great surround mix.
In fact, I just got my new COVID booster yesterday and am suffering from intense brain fog, so maybe I should just log off and go listen to it again rather than try to think!
Apparently I'm part of a tiny minority in that I've never had any real issues with the 1977 mix. Maybe it's related to the fact that when it was first released I was absolutely obsessed with the prior two albums and this one was just...different. Took me months to even buy it--I'd recorded it off the radio when the local underground station played the whole thing (remember when that was allowed?) and just didn't feel all that motivated. But eventually I warmed up to it and bought a U.S. Columbia LP that I thought sounded fine and a UK Harvest LP that was weirdly heavy but incredibly noisy.
Part of me wonders how much of its sonic reputation is based on the first American CD, which to my ears sounds a lot like what people complain about. The Shine On box version was always my go-to after it was released, just sounded much better to me.
Anyway, like most of us I was worried that this one would be too tame in the surround department, but I think it's exactly right. For the most part, stuff isn't wildly flying around the room, but the four corners remain pretty active for all but the POTW bookends. No complaints there at all. One thing that stands out to me is the way the different processing on the Psalm 23 parody makes it sound like it's probably Nick Mason, which I never realized before.
As for the center speaker, I got up a few times and put my ear up to it because I thought it was busy, but it was just the left and right creating a very convincing phantom center image. I did get the impression that what little is in the center isn't just the left and right at a lower level, but don't hold me to that.
Literally my only complaint--and it's got nothing to do with the sound or the mix--is the lack of the 8-track version of PotW. To be fair, it was never promised and I really wasn't expecting it, but it's very weird to me that there remains an officially-released Pink Floyd song that you simply can't buy in a modern format for any amount of money. The only other one I can think of is the "obscured version" of "Not Now John" that was rushed out after radio stations started making their own badly-censored versions.
I'm not going to jump straight to "contempt for their fans!" but it does seem like a major oversight. Maybe they simply forgot. Or the master is damaged. Or Snowy White wanted a fortune. Or...whatever. In the end it doesn't affect the simple fact that this is a great surround mix.
In fact, I just got my new COVID booster yesterday and am suffering from intense brain fog, so maybe I should just log off and go listen to it again rather than try to think!
Do you have the Blu-Ray or SACD?
I did not know that.... don't want add anything further that might inflame the Gilmour v. Waters saga
Amen, something must be wrong with his gear of ears?
I'm sorry, your just plain wrong.
No one should ever be allowed to dis-respect Pink Floyd with a review like that here.
Somebody get me a rope and give me a hand with the lynching.
NAW, JUST KIDDING BRO.
Got to have a little fun here.
Great analogy!
Godman
Well-known Member
Amazingly well done. The rears are beautifully used. I played it 3 times straight. Classic!!
I have the bluray and I've only fully played it through once. It'll need more play before a vote. But I have to say, start to finish this release put a huge smile on my face. I agree with most of the superlative comments already written. Pigs (3 different ones) is the highlight for me here, closely followed by Sheep. Dogs is good, but more tame in comparison with the others. Maybe additional listening will change this.
I was never a fan of the original psalm part of Sheep. It's corny, and the vocoder processing made it pretty unintelligible. But here, with the effects coming from the rears and the voice up front, its much more understandable. Still corny though.
I love the menu sound collage.
Whatever they did with the bass processing is most welcome.
Guthrie always had an ability to make the sonics shine, and this album does that in spades. He has accomplished that with every PF related release he has been involved with. But the big news here is he finally put out a winning mix. Very impressive.
I was never a fan of the original psalm part of Sheep. It's corny, and the vocoder processing made it pretty unintelligible. But here, with the effects coming from the rears and the voice up front, its much more understandable. Still corny though.
I love the menu sound collage.
Whatever they did with the bass processing is most welcome.
Guthrie always had an ability to make the sonics shine, and this album does that in spades. He has accomplished that with every PF related release he has been involved with. But the big news here is he finally put out a winning mix. Very impressive.
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