HiRez Poll Poco - CANTAMOS & SEVEN [SACD]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2018 Multichannel SACD from Dutton Vocalion of the classic Poco albums "Cantamos" and "Seven".
This Multichannel SACD release contains the original 1970s Quadraphonic mixes for both albums, available commercially for the first time since their original release over 40 years ago!


Cantamos
LP PE 33192 (1974) STEREO/PEQ 33192 QUADRAPHONIC
1: SAGEBRUSH SERENADE (Young)
2: SUSANNAH (Cotton)
3: HIGH AND DRY (Young)
4: WESTERN WATERLOO (Cotton)
5: ONE HORSE BLUE (Cotton)
6: BITTER BLUE (T Schmit)
7: ANOTHER TIME AROUND (Cotton)
8: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO YOUR SMILE (T Schmit)
9: ALL THE WAYS (Young)

Seven
LP KE 32895 (1974) STEREO/EQ 32895 QUADRAPHONIC
10: DRIVIN’ WHEEL (Cotton)
11: ROCKY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN (Young)
12: JUST CALL MY NAME (T & N Schmit)
13: SKATIN’ (T Schmit)
14: FAITH IN THE FAMILIES (Cotton)
15: KRIKKIT’S SONG (PASSING THROUGH) (T Schmit)
16: ANGEL (Cotton)
17: YOU’VE GOT YOUR REASONS (Cotton)

Multi-ch Stereo
All tracks available in stereo and multi-channel

SA-CD
This hybrid CD can be played on any standard CD players

CDSML8543

 

[MIDIQ]

Fantastic, 10 for each album which equals 20, but since i can't vote 20, a super fantastic 10 will have to do. Woo hoo !!!!!! Superb music and superior quad mix. What great harmonies, great songs, and great guitars, drums and bass. These also sound crystal clear. Thanks DV.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I'm in here G Man

 

[GOS]

For the genre, this is a spectacular release from Dutton Vocalion. They continue to impress me...

The fidelity and fun Quad mix on this is just superb. I don't know what else to say....wonderful. I can't imagine voting less than a 10. I knew Poco was country rock.......so.....

 

[timothyemerson]

This is my first DV release and Poco are new to me too but here's my 2 cents in case anyone's on the fence:

Good bits:
1. Music - very enjoyable. Fidelity and surround mix are magic. Hard to beat a great quad mix.
2. Value: Superb. 2 albums on one disc - excellent use of the space available.
3. Packaging: Standard CD case so if it gets damaged in the post (mine didn't), it's easy to replace. No money wasted on stupid, perishable, disc-scratching cardboard junk.
3. Liner notes: An interesting read. Apparently there were another 2 quad mixes of Poco albums done so hopefully we get them.

Not so good bits:
4. ... nothing. 10 out of 10 from me!

 

[TVB]

Both albums are excellent and sound great. Nines here

 

[steelydave]

Normally, I hold off for a while on commenting on discs that I've written liner notes for (because I feel like I've already had my chance to have my say and I don't want to dominate the discussion) but I have to make an exception for this disc.

If you like music from the early 70s, unless you have a pathological aversion to a little bit of country twang, there's almost no way you won't like these two albums.
I'm a big fan of the Eagles One of These Nights, and I've always wanted to find more albums in a similar style, but it seems like a very small niche - I don't even like the Eagles other albums that much, On The Border is too country, and Hotel California is an AOR shmaltzfest. Having got reacquainted with the two albums that make up this disc, I feel like I've finally found the Goldilocks zone for perfect country rock - it wouldn't surprise me at all if the Eagles used these two albums (especially the harder-rocking Seven) as the blueprint for One of These Nights. I'm not saying that these two albums are quite as good as that, but you can see why Poco wanted to leave Epic after turning in good material like this and barely scraping in to the Top 100 of the album charts while the Eagles and Pure Prairie League and others (who'd basically copied the Poco formula) were near or at the top of the same charts.

When D-V first asked me to write the notes for this disc, I wasn't overly excited, because the last Poco quad I'd listened to was Deliverin', and (as is the case with most live quads) it wasn't a particularly enjoyable listen, and it put me off reacquainting myself with their other quad output. Listening to Seven and Cantamos again in preparation for writing the liner notes, it was a pleasant surprise how good they were, but even then they honestly couldn't prepare me for how great this disc sounds. The Kleiner/Young quad mixes have taken two good albums, and elevated them to borderline spectacular.

I don't want to spoil all the surprises because I think that's half the fun of discovering a "new" quad mix, but these are absolute showcases for the format, and I struggle to see how you could ever better them. For me, the quad mixes of both of these albums are easily the definitive versions, and as fredblue has said many times, they sound like they were recorded for the format.

If you need any evidence for how good Mike Dutton's remasters are, look no further than this disc. If you read reviews for some of the previous CD reissues of these albums you'll hear words like "muddy", "sludgy" and "tape damage" used. Compared to that, this disc is a revelation - this is a band that was known for their vocal harmonies, and they absolutely shine on this disc. One of my "signs of a good remaster" for stereo and quad albums is when the phantom center image is so strong that I have to get up and verify that there's nothing coming out of the center channel, and I did that a couple of times, and had to resist the urge to do so again several other times.

I never thought I'd be saying this about a country-rock disc from a band that wasn't on my radar until relatively recently, but this may be the best disc that's come out of the Vocalion quad reissue series so far. If you haven't bought it yet, put it on your list immediately, hell, put two copies in there and put one in your safety deposit box, this thing is gold.

 

[MIDIQ]

I agree with everything steelydave just said. These albums are not as country as the Pure prairie league, especially the second one, Seven. It really rocks. And i would also compare these to some of the early Eagles. These are going to be at the top of my all time favorite surround or quad mixes. Keep up the great work DV.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I couldn't resist voting a solid 10. Exceptional Dutton Vocalion remaster. Everything that's wonderful about the format is encapsulated in this marvelous two~fer.

I hope this road goes on forever. Dutton Vocalion deserves KUDOS for embracing that golden age of QUAD when mixers took extreme liberties with placing sounds in all four corners and somehow making it supremely work!

 

[The Rang]

Are there other Poco (quad) albums that DV could conceivably release?

 

[fredblue]

Are there other Poco (quad) albums that DV could conceivably release?

there are but these two are the real Quad treasures imho. there's also "Deliverin'" (Live) and "Crazy Eyes" (which Brad Miller did the Quad of already on DTS CD, albeit approx 20 years ago now!).

tbh I'd rather DV turned their attention to other CBS Quad 'hidden gems' first (an REO Speedwagon 2-fer of "Lost In A Dream" & "This Time We Mean It", for example.. equally stunning Quad mixes of those two, mixed by the same people who did these two fabulous Poco Quads) but who knows what's coming next! could be interesting.. should be good!

 

[fredblue]

Normally, I hold off for a while on commenting on discs that I've written liner notes for (because I feel like I've already had my chance to have my say and I don't want to dominate the discussion) but I have to make an exception for this disc.

If you like music from the early 70s, unless you have a pathological aversion to a little bit of country twang, there's almost no way you won't like these two albums.
I'm a big fan of the Eagles One of These Nights, and I've always wanted to find more albums in a similar style, but it seems like a very small niche - I don't even like the Eagles other albums that much, On The Border is too country, and Hotel California is an AOR shmaltzfest. Having got reacquainted with the two albums that make up this disc, I feel like I've finally found the Goldilocks zone for perfect country rock - it wouldn't surprise me at all if the Eagles used these two albums (especially the harder-rocking Seven) as the blueprint for One of These Nights. I'm not saying that these two albums are quite as good as that, but you can see why Poco wanted to leave Epic after turning in good material like this and barely scraping in to the Top 100 of the album charts while the Eagles and Pure Prairie League and others (who'd basically copied the Poco formula) were near or at the top of the same charts.

When D-V first asked me to write the notes for this disc, I wasn't overly excited, because the last Poco quad I'd listened to was Deliverin', and (as is the case with most live quads) it wasn't a particularly enjoyable listen, and it put me off reacquainting myself with their other quad output. Listening to Seven and Cantamos again in preparation for writing the liner notes, it was a pleasant surprise how good they were, but even then they honestly couldn't prepare me for how great this disc sounds. The Kleiner/Young quad mixes have taken two good albums, and elevated them to borderline spectacular.

I don't want to spoil all the surprises because I think that's half the fun of discovering a "new" quad mix, but these are absolute showcases for the format, and I struggle to see how you could ever better them. For me, the quad mixes of both of these albums are easily the definitive versions, and as fredblue has said many times, they sound like they were recorded for the format.

If you need any evidence for how good Mike Dutton's remasters are, look no further than this disc. If you read reviews for some of the previous CD reissues of these albums you'll hear words like "muddy", "sludgy" and "tape damage" used. Compared to that, this disc is a revelation - this is a band that was known for their vocal harmonies, and they absolutely shine on this disc. One of my "signs of a good remaster" for stereo and quad albums is when the phantom center image is so strong that I have to get up and verify that there's nothing coming out of the center channel, and I did that a couple of times, and had to resist the urge to do so again several other times.

I never thought I'd be saying this about a country-rock disc from a band that wasn't on my radar until relatively recently, but this may be the best disc that's come out of the Vocalion quad reissue series so far. If you haven't bought it yet, put it on your list immediately, hell, put two copies in there and put one in your safety deposit box, this thing is gold.

yeah, yeah, this is all well and good but you 'forgot' to vote that cock-a-doodie "10"..!

ps. now you know why i kept blathering on about the SQs of these two and how great they were! in a nutshell, the first half of "Seven" flat out rocks and "Cantamos" is demo Quad material - and now on one SACD we have these treasures in the finest quality for next to no money! amazing...

no disrespect to "Deliverin'" lovers and i know some like the Poco Live album in Quad but these two are pretty far removed from "Deliverin'" in terms of mix, fidelity, presentation and production.. streets ahead imho, like they were recorded with Quad in mind from the outset..

 

[sjcorne]

I'll keep it short...

Seven: one of my all-time favorite quad LPs resurrected on SACD and sounding better than ever. I couldn't be happier! I always thought the slower acoustic tracks like "Faith In The Families" and "Angel" would sound amazing in high resolution, and they do! Since D-V started reissuing lesser-known titles from the CBS quad catalog, this is THE album I've wanted to them to get ahold of. So, thank you Mr. Dutton (and steelydave for the great liner notes)!

Cantamos: Never heard this one until now. As much as I love Seven, this might be even better. This may be one of the all-time great quad albums, it's simply astounding.

The biggest "10" I can possibly give!

 

[Mesozoic Mike]

Wow! How did I miss this band all those years ago. I always heard about the band, but in those days I didn't have the cash to really check out their albums.
I hear Buffalo Springfield, Pure Prairie League, and Eagles in their songs, instrumentation and harmonies.
Great fidelity and the surround mix is spot on. A few songs are a little too Country for me, so I gave it a 9.
Not a perfect 10 for me but pretty darn close.

 

[quicksrt]

So these are two of the better vintage Poco albums. And yet Ritchie Furry (known for writing a few of their best known tunes) is not in the band here.

 

[Larry Geller]

yeah, yeah, this is all well and good but you 'forgot' to vote that cock-a-doodie "10"..!

ps. now you know why i kept blathering on about the SQs of these two and how great they were! in a nutshell, the first half of "Seven" flat out rocks and "Cantamos" is demo Quad material - and now on one SACD we have these treasures in the finest quality for next to no money! amazing...

no disrespect to "Deliverin'" lovers and i know some like the Poco Live album in Quad but these two are pretty far removed from "Deliverin'" in terms of mix, fidelity, presentation and production.. streets ahead imho, like they were recorded with Quad in mind from the outset..

They were recorded specifically for quad, as was most every album Columbia recorded from 1974 thru 1977. CBS was sure quad was the future. Deliverin' is my favorite (along with Court And Spark) quad of them all. DV had better pair it up with Crazy Eyes if they know what's good for them.

 

[Simon A]

...if they know what's good for them.

Not only do they know what's good for them but they've also proven they know what's good for us.

 

[The56Kid]

Voted a 9 - incredible release from DV yet again. Mix and instrument location is fantastic. This puppy really sings once you get it to a proper 'crank' level!

 

[par4ken]

I recently received my DV order but have only gotten to listen to this one so far. Seven has always been my favorite Poco album. I originally purchased Seven and Crazy Eyes (the SQ LP's) at the same time because they were both Quad. I was blown away by both, for content and surround. I would of paired those two albums together, however Crazy Eyes was already released on dts CD, so am very happy with this pairing. The fidelity and surround of Cantamos is fantastic. The brightness of Cantamos due to the multitude of stringed instruments makes Seven seem a bit dull by comparison. Seven is more of a rock album, lighter on the strings and heavier' on the bass. Back in the day I would of used Drivin' Wheel to demonstrate Quadraphonic; crank it up on the drum sequences. No wimpy surround speakers allowed, the drums are in the rear!! Skatin' is my favorite track, also an excellent Quad demo. No way not to vote 10 on this! Keep em cumin' Vocalion!!!!

 

[H.A.L.]

They were recorded specifically for quad, as was most every album Columbia recorded from 1974 thru 1977. CBS was sure quad was the future. Deliverin' is my favorite (along with Court And Spark) quad of them all. DV had better pair it up with Crazy Eyes if they know what's good for them.

COURT AND SPARK was a quad??? SACD time, people! Oh, need to vote on Poco. . . . these two have wonderful pedal steel guitar, and bridge the span between country, pop, and rock quite well. Reminds me how I would love to have Jerry Garcia's first solo in surround (as it is, HDCD is fantastic).