Silverline DVD-A Winners & Losers

[fizzywiggs41]

I have been looking at this. Why does the listing say Tom Waits? Is he on the disc?

Ya, I see that to.Don't have that disc and now I'm curious about a Tom Waits connection.Anyone know ?

 

[salsdali]

I can give two thumbs up for Rambient and one thumb up for Album.

if you like Rambient you'll probably like Venice Underground.

The disc is very discrete and Peter DiStefano is underrated IMO but I'm coming from a ****o for Pyros background so I'm very biased.

 

[edisonbaggins]

if you like Rambient you'll probably like Venice Underground.

The disc is very discrete and Peter DiStefano is underrated IMO but I'm coming from a ****o for Pyros background so I'm very biased.

View attachment 26331

Thanks man. Couple more new under $5 on the Zon folks.

 

[0tto]

what amazes me is their (5.1 Entertainment/Silverline) chief mixing engineer Chris Haynes did some outstanding mixes, (Britney Spears,
reggae tribute to Bob Dylan, Foo Fighter first comes to mind) and yet overall level of surround releases from label was so low.
i remember an article, i saw perhaps 10 or so years ago about Silverline suing i believe Castle Communication, but not sure, maybe another
label but anyway big one at that time. there was something about not honoring contract in regards of providing sources.
could be this played in downfall as well.

 

[steelydave]

what amazes me is their (5.1 Entertainment/Silverline) chief mixing engineer Chris Haynes did some outstanding mixes, (Britney Spears,
reggae tribute to Bob Dylan, Foo Fighter first comes to mind) and yet overall level of surround releases from label was so low.
i remember an article, i saw perhaps 10 or so years ago about Silverline suing i believe Castle Communication, but not sure, maybe another
label but anyway big one at that time. there was something about not honoring contract in regards of providing sources.
could be this played in downfall as well.

Silverline sued Sanctuary (story here) for $50m for fraud - here's the pertinent bit:

"The agreement, as amended, contained a guarantee by 5.1 to Sanctuary of a minimum of $6,150,000 and required that Sanctuary make available to 5.1 all titles in Sanctuary’s catalog as of September 29, 2003, the effective date of the amendment, and all titles added to Sanctuary’s catalog thereafter, at the rate of five per month. A spokesperson for 5.1 asserted that as of August of 2004, nine months after the execution of the amendment, when 5.1 was preparing to announce its imminent release of a large number of DualDiscs as part of the industry rollout of that new format, which embodies a DVD on one side and a CD on the other, Sanctuary had not made available to 5.1 a single album for release in DualDisc format."

So basically Sanctuary was supposed to provide the (presumably multitrack) masters to everything in their catalog to 5.1 Entertainment (Silverline) so they could put them out as DualDiscs and provided them none. I've always suspected that that was partially why the Silverlines were hit-and-miss - they had to release a certain number of discs per year in order to stay in business, and this had to happen regardless of whether or not they had the multitracks to work with. In the cases that they didn't, they just faked the 5.1 mix, which was probably fine initially (sales-wise) but once word spread and people heard for themselves I don't think Silverline enjoyed too much repeat business.

 

[0tto]

thanks Dave, that's one.
i didn't remember all details but article stuck in my memory because mentioned Black Sabbath and at that time i was very upset that it doesn't come to fruition due to screw up.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I've heard Richard Thompson - The Old Kit Bag a couple of times now.
The album sounds very good.
I don't think this is an upmix, but it is faaaar from aggressive.
The center does seem to be discrete. When I up and checked, it was some drums and guitar that did not seem to be coming from the fronts.
Then, when the main vocal kicked in, it was absent from the center, which instead carried some rhythm/melodic guitar.
The rears lack the main and harmony vocals, carrying mostly guitar and drums. When checked it was discrete from the center.
The surroundiness of the whole thing is just very tame. Very mild.
Songs are on par for Richard Thompson. Fidelity sounds great. Musical balance is good.
I'd rate this one:
Mix - 1/3 - well-balanced, but unadventurous
Fidelity - 3/3
Content - 2.5/3
Package - 1/1 (good extras)

I found this for peanuts. If you do too pick it up!

 

[Simon A]

I happened upon this, so just in case anybody is interested (I saw no comments about classical recordings), for those that are fans of the Abravanel/Utah Symphony series of Quad recordings for Vanguard, HURRY to Amazon. Silverline may have, or will be going, out-of-business. Amazon is selling these DVD-A and Dual-Discs for regular retail, but the associated sellers on there are selling them for MUCH less. I picked-up a fine account of Mahler's Third for $3.96 and that was including $2.98 for shipping. That's right, the seller was selling it for $.98!!! I got all of the Mahlers (various prices) except for 7, 8, and 9 (were they ever done by Silverline), a Sibelius symphony cycle (3 discs), a collection of Leroy Anderson works, and the Berlioz' Requiem (long prized by many classical Quadraphiles). 11 discs and I paid less than $45.00 (including shipping). Basically, I bought all they had from that series except for the Brahms works (with my Karajan and Szell recordings, I really need to hear them before buying).

I was concerned because the technicians placed them in 5.1 rather than keeping them in 4.0. But, they did a good job. It sounds like they may have folded the left and right into the center. The surrounds provide the ambiance of which there is plenty since they were recorded in the Tabernacle. The sub adds nothing but extra bass. So, if you use full-range speakers, the sub is completely un-necessary. So, my 5.0 configuration sounds right a proper.

Oh, it is my understanding that Silverline went to Dual-Discs because they found themselves too limited. By using the Dual-Discs, they get the CD market as well. The DVD side is the original DVD-A disc that included some video documentaries and Dolby Digital for those players that cannot play DVD-A discs.

I wonder what else is out there?

As it is often the case, I'm always a little more than fashionably late to the party. I've read through the entire thread and others which discuss some of Silverline's Home Runs and the many trainwrecks it's left behind in its very short existence.

After reading this post from a little less than four years ago, I've decided to investigate further these Vanguard Quad reissues released on DVD-A and DualDisc by Silverline. I'll be receiving eight discs from that series in a few weeks and will be able to post my thoughts then. I have a good feeling about these and I think they probably will sound pretty good. Fingers crossed. These are still available for a few dollars so it's still possible to add these to your collection if you like Classical Music.

In the meantime, allow me to share the link to a 2004 review of these discs. I'd never heard of that online magazine or the reviewer, but I have the impression that he actually took the time to listen to some of these discs.

I've also read reviews from Amazon customers and many seem to have enjoyed the sound and mixes on these.

 

[4-earredwonder]

As it is often the case, I'm always a little more than fashionably late to the party. I've read through the entire thread and others which discuss some of Silverline's Home Runs and the many trainwrecks it's left behind in its very short existence.

After reading this post from a little less than four years ago, I've decided to investigate further these Vanguard Quad reissues released on DVD-A and DualDisc by Silverline. I'll be receiving eight discs from that series in a few weeks and will be able to post my thoughts then. I have the impression that Silverline was handed the mixes already prepared which left them with the disc authoring. I have a good feeling about these and I think they probably will sound pretty good. Fingers crossed. These are still available for a few dollars so it's still possible to add these to your collection if you like Classical Music.

In the meantime, allow me to share the link to a 2004 review of these discs. I'd never heard of that online magazine or the reviewer, but I have the impression that he actually took the time to listen to some of these discs.

I've also read reviews from Amazon customers and many seem to have enjoyed the sound and mixes on these.

IMO, Simon, The Silverline Vanguard Series of classical recordings was one of the highlights of the Silverline series. They were mastered from the ORIGINAL analogue tape masters and sound superb. And some of them remain incredible bargains.

At the end of the discs, there is a promo video highlighting the mastering of these tapes. They were done with care.

All in all, I own a LOT of silverline DVD~As and like ALL labels, there are always hits and misses. The ones that WERE good were sometimes extraordinary and I, for one, am glad to have them in my collection.

BTW, Simon, received Music Direct's latest flyer and they have THREE of their 4.0 VOX SACD releases on sale for US$15 each: Prokofiev: Ivan The Terrible, Smetana: Ma Vlast (highly recommended) and Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije.

 

[Simon A]

IMO, Simon, The Silverline Vanguard Series of classical recordings was one of the highlights of the Silverline series. They were mastered from the ORIGINAL analogue tape masters and sound superb. And some of them remain incredible bargains.

At the end of the discs, there is a promo video highlighting the mastering of these tapes. They were done with care.

All in all, I own a LOT of Silverline DVD~As and like ALL labels, there are always hits and misses. The ones that WERE good were sometimes extraordinary and I, for one, am glad to have them in my collection.

That's great to hear. Now I'm really looking forward to hearing them.

BTW, Simon, received Music Direct's latest flyer and they have THREE of their 4.0 VOX SACD releases on sale for US$15 each: Prokofiev: Ivan The Terrible, Smetana: Ma Vlast (highly recommended) and Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije.

Thanks for the info! I had seen that on their web site. I already own two of these and I love them to bits. Such a shame that MFSL decide to drop their Quad series.

 

[Simon A]

Here's another article about the Abravanel/Utah Symphony Orchestra Silverline DVD-As. I want to hear them even more now.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Here's another article about the Abravanel/Utah Symphony Orchestra Silverline DVD-As. I want to hear them even more now.

Marvelous article, Simon. Thanks for sharing. It's ashame that Silverline abruptly halted DVD~A production, especially with Artemis/Vanguard, as I'm sure they might've released some popular fare from the label in QUAD, as well (Buffy Ste. Marie, Joan Baez, Country Joe and the Fish, etc).

I think you will enjoy them. And yes, I agree, MoFi's few mch SACDs were excellent but apparently, did not sell well. And to master these SACDs, MoFi had to engage outside mastering services unlike their in house Stereo SACD mastering operation.

 

[von kulper]

Here's another article about the Abravanel/Utah Symphony Orchestra Silverline DVD-As. I want to hear them even more now.

Interesting read, Simon. I'm not exactly a classical enthusiast, but I have been to Abravanel Hall numerous times in my life.

I've gotta say though, it's almost surreal seeing a local newspaper, Deseret News, report about DVD-audio (albeit, 12 years ago)... Ah, those were different times, full of hope and promise for the format, but ended in so much unmet potential...

 

[ubertrout]

The Abravanel recordings were amongst the cream of the Silverline Classics releases. However, be warned that not all of them are actual quad recordings. His Mahler cycle was recorded over many years, with some being recorded in quad, and some not (The 2nd and 4th are certainly pre-quad). Also, it's stereo-only (as was the recording I believe, in 1963), but you can get the 24/192 Classic Records HDAD disc of the Utah recording of the Mahler 8, which is glorious. Silverline re-released most of their titles as Dualdiscs, with almost complete overlap (the dualdiscs are the same as the DVD-Audios in terms of contents), except the Mahler 5th and 6th were only released on Dualdisc.

The Brahms and Sibelius sets are both recommended, sonically and musically. I don't know if Silverline used a true quad source for them, but they're good. The Berlioz Requiem is of course one of the original quadraphonic works, calling for brass choirs at each corner of the hall back in the 1830s, and the Abravanel recording in quad is a masterpiece, released on Vanguard SACD as well as Silverline DVD-Audio AND Classic Records HDAD (their only Quad title).

Get the Vaughan Williams and Rachmaninoff discs too. And the Fiddle Faddle disc for something lighter if so inclined.

Other titles are...variable. Avoid the Adrian Boult and Pierre Monteux recordings - they were of course a magnificent conductors, but the recordings are from the early 60s and have been upmixed.

The best place to get these discs is from the Berkshire Record Exchange. They have a lot of the Naxos DVD-Audios (recorded digitally at 24/48 but well mixed in surround) there too.

 

[Simon A]

I'm glad to see that we've revived this thread with some positive aspects about what Silverline was offering over ten years ago. It seems that for some of their releases they actually took great care in bringing out the best from the master tapes.

 

[Spock]

Great Simon - looking forward to your comments on these

 

[fredblue]

not sure if they've been mentioned already (sorry if repeating myself ) but a couple of good Silverline DualDiscs with decent surround worth checking out imho..

Narrow Path by Josh One
&
We Love Everybody... You're Next!!!! by Yellow Note

 

[John Svensson]

"....received Music Direct's latest flyer and they have THREE of their 4.0 VOX SACD releases on sale for US$15 each: Prokofiev: Ivan The Terrible, Smetana: Ma Vlast (highly recommended) and Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije."
Thanks for the tip, I have been eyeing the first two of those for awhile but shied away at $30 a pop, order placed now. John

 

[Simon A]

"....received Music Direct's latest flyer and they have THREE of their 4.0 VOX SACD releases on sale for US$15 each: Prokofiev: Ivan The Terrible, Smetana: Ma Vlast (highly recommended) and Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kije."
Thanks for the tip, I have been eyeing the first two of those for awhile but shied away at $30 a pop, order placed now. John

The Smetana is absolutely wonderful! Enjoy!

 

[Simon A]

Did they do a lot of Vanguard quads? I was not aware of that. And I thought Silverline were a DVD-A company, not knowing they tried out DualDisc for some releases. You are so far ahead of me.

They've concentrated on Vanguard's Classical Quad output. Most of these came out on DVD-A but at some point Silverline switched to DualDiscs for the rest of their releases.

Here's what I've found on Amazon so far:

All of these are by Maurice Abravanel & Utah Symphony Orchestra

Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 14 / Chanson Georgienne (DualDisc)

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake - Grand Ballet in Four Acts, Op 20 (DVD-Audio)

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (DualDisc)

Mahler: Symphony No. 1, Titan (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G Major (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 (DualDisc)

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 (DualDisc)

Hector Berlioz: Requiem (DVD Audio) also available as DualDisc

Brahms: Orchestral Works (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Brahms: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3 (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Brahms: Symphony No 4 / Tragic Overture / Academic Festival Overture (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos 1 & 4 (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos 2 & 3 (DVD-Audio)

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, 7 (DVD-Audio)

Fiddle Faddle: 15 Favorites by Leroy Anderson (DVD-Audio) also available as DualDisc

Vaughan William Symphony, No. 6 / Dives & Lazarus / Dona Nobis Pacem (DualDisc)

I hope this helps.