HiRez Poll Police, The - EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE (THE CLASSICS) [SACD]

[JonUrban]

Please post your comments, thoughts and observations.......

 

[KevinD9052]

I liked the Police and their hits. Bought the DTS disk and hated it! I felt the sonics were dull & flat and the surround mix muddied. I reluctantly bought the SACD. Wow! What a difference and as far as I can tell it is the same MC mix. The sonics are full and warm without losing the clarity in the high end. The surround channels are clear and easy to locate now with the SACD. As far as the surround mix is concerned, it could be better. The mix seems more suited for jazz than rock. Meaning it could be more aggressive in the rears. At times it is. But it is still not bad with an instrument or two in the surrounds most of the time. After all, this was a rock band with a lot of influences- jazz included. But primarily, it was rock and an aggressive rock mix would have served it better IMHO.
Can't wait for Sting's 10 Summoners Tales to be released in SACD.

 

[JonUrban]

Great write up, Kevin!

 

[Cai Campbell]

As much as I love the Police, the surround mix for this title is a downer. A lackluster effort all-around. I'd rather listen to the individual stereo SACD discs. It takes more than great music to make a great surround title. I give this one a 4.

 

[daved64]

I really like the mix! Especially Walking on The Moon the way the reverb goes from front to back on the guitars!. Lotta complaints about this one....it's a love/hate disc. I love it. 8

 

[dprokopy]

I love it, as well. One of my most-repeated listens. One of those few discs that (as I'm sure you're all getting sick of hearing me say) captures the overall feel of the original stereo mixes, while still providing an interesting and pleasing surround listen. (At least to me, anyway.) Makes me really wish they had waited awhile and remixed the entire catalog for surround (especially Synchronicity).

Only gripes - the alternate version of "De Doo Doo Doo," and the fake-surround mixes of the bonus tracks. Oh well. I usually skip those.

 

[EMB]

A '6'.....for late '70, early '80s recordings, expect some real playfulness and creativity here...for the most part, neither is in evidence. Mayhap I was expecting too much? Possibly, but also debits for not including the original versions of a few cuts and using the alts--which are good in their fashion--as bonus cuts. This one shoulda been better!

ED

 

[ferret-e]

eh... i dont like this disk, music seems to be annoying...do do do da da da)))
mch mix isn't interesting too.

 

[Foxman]

This is the only multichannel disk I own that I can think of that I prefer the 2 channel on. I love the music, it's the mix that doesnt do it for me. I do listen to it some, but mostly in 2 channel. 6 overall

 

[BARKSTAR]

Not all the songs on this disc fully benefit from the MultiChannel mix but I thought a lot of them sounded excellent.

'Roxanne', 'Every little thing she does is magic' and 'Every breath you take' I thought all sounded great and came more alive in the MultiChannel mix. It's not the most involving surround mix but I thought it brought some greater depth to these songs.

It's certainly not the greatest sounding mix on the format, but if you are a fan of the music on this disc I don't think you can go wrong with this.

8/10

 

[ferret-e]

See comment from "24-96 Mastering" : http://sa-cd.net/showtitle/702

 

[stereoptic]

I actually borrowed this one from my public library. I liked some of the mixes (Walking on the Moon, Invisible Sun) and the mastering gives this more dynamic soun than I remember the records having. Some mixes were lukewarm, and as it is with libray copies, there were several skips!

 

[Spencer1812]

I bought the DTS version, MISTAKE.

 

[filper]

I found a used M- copy at The Beat Goes On a few weeks back.

Compared to the dts track on the 'Every Breath You Take' DVD-V (which I assume is the same track as the DTS audio disc), it is sonically superior. Warmer with more detail.

I like the SA-CD version of 'de do do do, de da da da'. I think Sting requested it as a lure for his surround releases...

 

[Spencer1812]

I just found a used copy over the weekend $9.98, but it had too many scratches/marks on it.

 

[SoonerCaniac]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this SACD considering the diverse reviews, but I just finished my first listen and I was actually very impressed with the surround mix. I went in with low expectations and found the mix a lot of fun. It was immersive, discrete, and easily demo quality on some tracks. The fidelity was very good, but some tracks were over-compressed and I found myself playing with the volume far too often from track-to-track; it was a strange disc in that regard since usually I like to find my ideal volume quickly and leave it alone. I couldn't do that here.

I admit, I'm a Sting fan listening to The Police, not the other way around. I prefer the pop-rock nature of the music on this collection, so I'd rate the music very highly. Negative marks though for the disappointing "redo" of De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da. Not impressed. The hits, however, have never sounded better thanks to surround sound.

I did read the technical review on SA-CD.net and in a way I'm glad I'm ignorant on the matter because these issues were not apparent to me, at least consciously, upon first listen. I'm not sure if I want to try to understand the reviewer's points, however, as it may ruin the experience. I'll just claim blissful ignorance.

Anyway, the lesson for me is to give a "controversial" mix a chance because you may agree with the yay-sayers! I'll spin it a few more times before I vote, but overall it feels like an easy 8. A must-have in my collection, without question.

Best,
Josh

 

[atlantasteve]

After years of wavering, I finally got a used copy. Now I know why I waited so long. This disc is inconsistent. Some songs receive a hearty surround experience, others not so much. Cymbals crash on some songs, while others pump up the bass. I could never get comfortable and just let the songs take me away. Instead, I spent too much time thinking about the "making of".

I did enjoy the new versions of the songs, though. One reason I like hi-res is because I have heard these songs at least 1000 times. A new version of a song is like surround: getting to know an old friend again.

I won't trade in my Police Complete Recordings box set, but this disc is a nice alternative.

 

[konoyaro]

Some great tracks but some of the surround mixing choices are questionable...

 

[Blrac]

I thought this was better than a lot of the reviews I read about it. I got a great deal on it too.

 

[Quad Linda]