Silverline DVD-A Winners & Losers

[timbre4]

Which Silverline DVD-A releases are worthwhile purchases and which should you avoid?

As a public service, here's what QQ members consider the real deal and what are annoying fake 5.1 titles.

Opinions may vary and I'll adjust the standings as we go. Msg text will be incorporated into list and then deleted...

Silverline DVD-A Titles That Shine
Atomic Rooster - Best of
Awaken
David Becker Tribute - Germerica
Gus Black - Uncivilized Love
Blue Oyster Cult - A Long Day’s Night
Corrosion of Conformity - America's Volume Dealer
David Diggs - E-Klek-Trik
Dishwalla -
The Fixx - 1011 Woodland
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - Swingin' For the Fences
Inside The Music - New Age (other titles spotty)
Ministry - Animositisomina
Gary Moore (not discrete but still ok)
Motorhead - Ace Of Spades
Aaron Neville - Believe
Aaron Neville - Devotion
Gary Numan - Anthology
Glen Phillips - Abulum
Rambient - So Many Worlds
Shankar & Gingger - One In A Million
Van Zant - Brother To Brother
Van Zant - Van Zant II
Ziroq


Silverline DVD-A Titles To Avoid
Jack Bruce - Shadows In The Air (ctr/rr sounds like megaphone)
Corrosion of Conformity - Live Volume (sped up recording!)
Greg Kihn (fake surround)
REO Speedwagon (fade ins & fade outs = incomplete songs)
Uriah Heep - Best Of
Rick Wakeman - Live From the Front Row (more like the parking lot)

 

[GaryW]

I would add to those already mentioned:

David Diggs - E-Klek-Trik
Rambient - So Many Worlds
Awaken
The Fixx - 1011 Woodland (never much liked them in their day, but I like them now and this is a true discrete surround mix)

Inside The Music - New Age (the other Inside the Musics are a little spotty, some songs good, some not so much, however, this one in comparison really shines, more smooth jazz than new age, but great sonics and surround usage)

Also to reiterate what Guy posted, the Aaron Neville's can go toe to toe with the best out there in any format.

 

[R8der]

You can throw two more Silverline titles that blow to your list.....REO Speedwagon and Greg Kihn.

They both have the fake surround, and the REO one fades into songs that have already started, and fades out of songs before they finish. A particularly terrible recording.

R8der

 

[kaa1954]

David Becker Tribute - Germerica
David Diggs - E-Klek-Trik
Dishwalla -
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - Swingin' For the Fences
Inside The Music - New Age (other titles spotty)
Aaron Neville - Believe
Aaron Neville - Devotion
Glen Phillips - Abulum
Rambient - So Many Worlds
Shankar & Gingger - One In A Million
Ziroq

I have all these & can attest to their authenticity.
All above are winners....check out "Ziroq" for something different.

 

[Nik]

Gary Numan Anthology is a treat.

 

[VACamper]

I was starting to compile a list of good Silverline titles myself when I ran across this thread from 2003. Timbre4, would you mind updating your post with some of the newer Silverline releases? Additions to the "Discs that Shine" list (all of these are recommended in two or more posts from respected forum members):

Styx - Cyclorama
Todd Rundgren - Liars
Widespread Panic - Don't Tell The Band
Geoff Tate - Goeff Tate
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - XXL
Inside the Music - Women on Top (not a new disc, but several posters said the mix is as good as the New Age disc)

I also suggest removing Gary Numan - Anthology from the "Shine" list based on Cai Campbell's recent review.

I wouldn't bother updating the "Titles to Avoid" list -- it would become large and unmanagable very quickly.

 

[timbre4]

I dunno; this thread is 2 years old and titles are going out-of-print. barely keeping up with current items...

 

[mattB2]

Maybe this is more suitable for the Dual Disc section as Silverline seem to be releasing most of their former DVD-As as Dual Discs. I'm not sure who would be able to check whether the same specs apply to both versions though as those who have bought the DVD-As are unlikely re-purchase them.

 

[Quadwreck]

Probably the worst DVD-A ever made is Silverline's Desmond Dekker disc. Many of the tracks are mono in origin and sound muddy. The 5.1 job is atrocious.

 

[Martin]

Tipper "Surrounded" is a MUST HAVE!

 

[neil wilkes]

Robert Cray's "Time Will Tell" is a fine disc.
Not great surround, but a very good recording & sound quality.

 

[Martin]

Hi Neil,

I do like that one too!

 

[Chris Gerhard]

It's been 4 months since the last post here. I have about 20 Silverline/Immergent/Myutopia discs and can add a few to the recommended titles assuming you already like the music:

Dishwalla - "Opaline"
Widespread Panic - "Ball"
Jimmy Witherspoon - "The Blues, the Whole Blues and Nothing but the Blues"
Mineral - "The Power of Failing"

Three that have less than DVD-A quality fidelity and poor surround mixes but include music I like and find them worth having based on the music and extremely slim chances another release will improve things:

Sham 69 -"Best of - Cockney Kids are Innocent"
Gerry Rafferty - "Can I Have My Money Back?"
Dennis Brown - "Money in My Pocket"

I also have several of the previously recommended titles and titles to avoid and agree with those findings. My opinion of course is slanted towards my tastes and I prefer music I like with lesser surround mixes to good surround mixes of music I don't care for. Many Sliverline titles are being liquidated at cutout prices since good or bad, they didn't sell.

Chris

 

[neil wilkes]

I can add another 2 to the "Shine" list:
1 - BJ Cole "Trouble in Paradise" (Immergent)
2 - Jackie Leven "Shining Brother Shining Sister" (Immergent)

The BJ Cole album really is a treat - it's a collaborative effort, with guests on every track, but don't be fooled into thinking it's one of those collaborations that exist to hide the fact the material is weak - it ain't.

 

[mattB2]

Brimstone Butterfly: Normality Killed The Cat

What an extremely pleasant surprise. I ordered this album on the off-chance after checking out some of the tracks on Amazon but I wasn't expecting it to be this good. Guitar based rock with a very good DVD-A surround mix and the entire album's worth of videos in DD 5.1. It wasn't until I watched the "making of" that I realised the band was from Denmark. Well worth checking out.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

Brimstone Butterfly: Normality Killed The Cat

What an extremely pleasant surprise. I ordered this album on the off-chance after checking out some of the tracks on Amazon but I wasn't expecting it to be this good. Guitar based rock with a very good DVD-A surround mix and the entire album's worth of videos in DD 5.1. It wasn't until I watched the "making of" that I realised the band was from Denmark. Well worth checking out.

I have seen this one which caught my attention because of the album cover not because I knew anything about Brimstone Butterfly. All I have seen is a DualDisc and the Silverline site made no mention of stunning 5.1 surround and I had assumed it was only Dolby Digital 5.1 as a result. Do you have a DualDisc or standard DVD-Audio disc?

Chris

 

[mattB2]

It's the Dual Disc version although you would never know there were any advanced resolution options from the packaging.

 

[sf49erjohn]

I wish I had seen this before I purchased the Greg Kihn disc, I concur it make a nice coaster and thats about it. !

 

[oxenholme]

X-ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents.

The Oh Bondage single was on Virgin, and the LP was on EMI. Both were pretty well monaural. Heaven alone knows why Sanctuary have gotten hold of it.

Why on earth has it got that mega bass? This is bad even by Silverline standards. Utter rubbish.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

X-ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents.

The Oh Bondage single was on Virgin, and the LP was on EMI. Both were pretty well monaural. Heaven alone knows why Sanctuary have gotten hold of it.

Why on earth has it got that mega bass? This is bad even by Silverline standards. Utter rubbish.

I decided I wanted this album recently and purchased the recent CD passing up the Silverline/Sanctuary release. The CD is good, so I am glad I did. Poly Styrene's wailing monotone screeching and that off key saxophone player wouldn't benefit from great fidelity and great surround mix in any event.

Recent Silverline and Immergent winners I have picked up:

Queensryche - "Tribe", a rare Sanctuary/Silverline winner

Gus Black- "Uncivilized Love" as usual for me, a quality Immergent release

Brimstone Butterfly - "Normality Killed the Cat" Silverline DualDisc with DVD-A side

Chris