DVD/DTS Poll Sting - Nothing Like The Sun [DTS CD]

[Bob Romano]

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

 

[quadrofis]

Mega-Stingo - the music is like a ventilator. In surround even more so, because all the cold synths and computer-percussions are mostly from behind. Sting is supposed to have a really good band, but to me it all sounds like midi. The surround mix won't improve the sterility. But honestl, what more could one expect from such music...

 

[bobou2]

Finally got a copy of this disc. I like 80% of the songs on this disc(which is high for a Sting disc). Nice mix,good bass... I give it a 9

 

[EMB]

The mix is fine, but the music for me, so-so...but then I bought the first Police 45, "So Lonely," back in '78, and thought...WOW! It didn't get a US release, but the next one, "Roxanne" did, and you know the rest. Sting solo doesn't move me the way that band did, but gotta admit, the mixes here are very good, fidelity excellent. a '7' for me, but for any Sting fan who digs it, criminal not to have this one in their collection.

ED

 

[JonUrban]

I like the tune "Fields of Gold", so this disc is a winner for me.

When I think back on the whole DTS CD thing, it's kind of amazing that we actually got "new" (non-quad sourced) titles from DTS back at the turn of the century, while right now, we get nothing.

Discs like this one along with "Hell Freezes Over", "End of Innocence", "Gaucho", "Imagination", "Road Tested", "On Air" and others are proof that a small label can get stuff out in surround if they put their mind to it.

 

[EMB]

I like the tune "Fields of Gold", so this disc is a winner for me.

I wish one song coulda made me happy here...

When I think back on the whole DTS CD thing, it's kind of amazing that we actually got "new" (non-quad sourced) titles from DTS back at the turn of the century, while right now, we get nothing.

Yeah, exactly...I was really surprised, early on, at the 'new' titles, even if, now, I prefer the stuff sourced from the old quad's a lot more. I'm very thankful for what we did get but, of course, the collector is always greedy for more...

ED

 

[kap'n krunch]

a 9.
-1 for being lossy.
Of all of his DTS-CD mixes, this is the best one.
Not my favorite Sting disc, but still a great effort.

 

[amokZamboni]

I still don't know why raters are compelled to base their ratings on how much they like the songs. So awfully subjective.

Stairway To Heaven can range from one person’s classic fave to another person’s overplayed shite sandwich. In other words, there’s no accounting for taste, so why rate based on it?

That being said, I love the clarity/fidelity and the surround is fairly high quality enough for a solid 9 - in that the separation is discrete and thoughtful and with sometimes playful use of the rears.

 

[GOS]

I think songs are rated because "content" is part of criteria.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I still don't know why raters are compelled to base their ratings on how much they like the songs. So awfully subjective.

Stairway To Heaven can range from one person’s classic fave to another person’s overplayed shite sandwich. In other words, there’s no accounting for taste, so why rate based on it?

That being said, I love the clarity/fidelity and the surround is fairly high quality enough for a solid 9 - in that the separation is discrete and thoughtful and with sometimes playful use of the rears.

I kinda think its very helpful to rate content if you are unfamiliar with the artist. So when one looks at the ratings for something unknown like Songbird in Morning and sees 9's and 10's its a pretty good bet that the content is above average for that type of music. It also helps a lot when voters add to the thread and spell out what it is they like and dislike. That way the reader can understand why the voter voted as he did.

And to a certain extent, the mix and fidelity is a matter of taste as well. It all washes out in the average though, or at least we assume it does.

I like this disk. Decent sonics, decent mix. OK content. I gave it an 8.

 

[key_wiz]

An “8”. One of my favorite Sting albums, and the 5.1 is good. Nice separation if a bit “safe” overall. 9s
For both. But the sonics on these DTS discs are often weak. The compression needed to get 5.1 tracks on a CD, I suppose?

The MFSL CD of this one is still the best.

 

[kap'n krunch]

An “8”. One of my favorite Sting albums, and the 5.1 is good. Nice separation if a bit “safe” overall. 9s
For both. But the sonics on these DTS discs are often weak. The compression needed to get 5.1 tracks on a CD, I suppose?

The MFSL CD of this one is still the best.

Yeah, the sonics on all of these Sting DTS-CDs sound flat as a pancake....even the DVD-A from BND is 48/24...they couldn't even be bothered to UPSAMPLE it! (I HATE to think that it was originally 96 and they released it in 48...THAT would be the lowest he could go...and I would believe it...he may be rich but he treats his fans as a CHEAPSKATE!!)

 

[HomerJAU]

Listened to this last night for the first time in years. Some of the songs on this album are simply superb with an interesting mix of music styles. Brought back memories of dating my would be wife as she had the vinyl on rotation at the time (1987) along with Dream of the Blue Turtles (why was Turtles never released in surround!)

Sitting in the sweet spot and thought the mix was one of the better I’ve heard recently. So good I had to find the name of the engineer that mixed this to see what else he’d done (not much). Fairly conservative mix but quite discrete sounds in rears and nice dynamics too.

Definitely worth picking this up if you like post Police Sting music.

My Outstanding tracks:
An Englishman in New York (successful single)


They Dance Alone


History will teach us Nothing (reggae)

Fragile

 

[quicksrt]

I don't get the urge to hear anything from Sting in general. But ever time I do play this album for the hell of it, I'm impressed with the sound and the DTS encoding, and many of the songs sound good too.

Because it is almost DTS demo quality, and the music is sterile, tunes are good but not great, I give it an 8. Just will never get the 9 rating from me because the material is the classic example of Dad-Rock, like the big hit album by Stevie Winwood Back In the High Life. But it's not a 7 because it's of the amazing production and it really sounds just fine on this DTS disc.

 

[privateuniverse]

After playing Ten Summoner's Tales this morning, I decided to stay in the same mood and pull this one out. I noticed I had rated it a 9 some time ago, but never wrote a review. (Shame on me! )

This is mixed by David Tickle who was also responsible for the mix on the DTS CD of Ten Summoner's Tales. (This title was released a year after Tales.) The first thing I notice here is that Tickle is being a bit more aggressive in his use of the rear speakers that he was on his mix of Tales. "Be Still My Beating Heart" is a highlight. Very discrete mix. "Englishman in New York" has a mix that's as playful as the song is. When the fourth track ("History Will Teach Us Nothing") kicks in, you get a bit of a jolt as the volume is increased significantly. But the mix is very cool. It really fills up the room. "We'll Be Together" is the one song that feels substantially different from the original 2.0 mix, with even some alternate vocal takes used. However the mix is very active and fits the funky nature of the song. For most of the disc, the surround field is filled up nicely. Often discrete elements are panned to the rears, but at other times there's more of an immersive feel. Overall I find the mix to be more satisfying than Ten Summoner's Tales. The only song where I felt a little let down by the mix was on his cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing".

The performances here are exceptional. With a band that includes Manu Katché, Kenny Kirkland and Branford Marsalis, how could they not be? As for content, well this is a hotly debated album among fans. A lot of Police fans were put off by this one, feeling it was the height of Sting's pompousness. Despite being a huge Police fan myself, I never really felt that way. His mother had passed away while he was writing this album and that weighs heavy here, but I feel that he is good at channeling those emotions into effective songwriting. (He did the same on the following album The Soul Cages which was heavily influenced by the passing of his father.) The album has a reputation for being too somber, but 25% of the album ("We'll Be Together", "Rock Steady" and "Englishman in New York") is pretty playful (well, by Sting standards anyway, LOL.) The album reaches it darkest points midway through with "They Dance Alone" (a song about the mothers of Chilean children who had been forcibly disappeared by their government) and "Fragile" (a tribute to an American civil engineer who was killed by the Contras in 1987 while working in Nicaragua.) I've always found them both to be pretty on point. "Fragile" in particular is really beautiful. Despite never having been a hit, it has become a bit of a standard and a favorite among fans. Other highlights are the Tom Waits-ish "Sister Moon" and a really nice cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" as arranged and performed by Gil Evans. Gotta say it's my favorite solo Sting album. Not a weak cut here. You can feel he's really engaged in these songs, which I don't feel as much with most of what came after The Soul Cages. And the band really shines, with Marsalis in particular doing some really beautiful playing.

Full points for the music and the mix is overall very good. However I can't give it the highest marks. The album is such an exceptional piece of work and it really deserves an exceptional surround mixer. And since we know what Sting's music can sound like in the hands of a master (see Elliot Schiener's mix of Brand New Day) I have to shave off a point. I'm sticking with my original rating of 9.

 

[Simon A]

After playing Ten Summoner's Tales this morning, I decided to stay in the same mood and pull this one out. I noticed I had rated it a 9 some time ago, but never wrote a review. (Shame on me! )

This is mixed by David Tickle who was also responsible for the mix on the DTS CD of Ten Summoner's Tales. (This title was released a year after Tales.) The first thing I notice here is that Tickle is being a bit more aggressive in his use of the rear speakers that he was on his mix of Tales. "Be Still My Beating Heart" is a highlight. Very discrete mix. "Englishman in New York" has a mix that's as playful as the song is. When the fourth track ("History Will Teach Us Nothing") kicks in, you get a bit of a jolt as the volume is increased significantly. But the mix is very cool. It really fills up the room. "We'll Be Together" is the one song that feels substantially different from the original 2.0 mix, with even some alternate vocal takes used. However the mix is very active and fits the funky nature of the song. For most of the disc, the surround field is filled up nicely. Often discrete elements are panned to the rears, but at other times there's more of an immersive feel. Overall I find the mix to be more satisfying than Ten Summoner's Tales. The only song where I felt a little let down by the mix was on his cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing".

The performances here are exceptional. With a band that includes Manu Katché, Kenny Kirkland and Branford Marsalis, how could they not be? As for content, well this is a hotly debated album among fans. A lot of Police fans were put off by this one, feeling it was the height of Sting's pompousness. Despite being a huge Police fan myself, I never really felt that way. His mother had passed away while he was writing this album and that weighs heavy here, but I feel that he is good at channeling those emotions into effective songwriting. (He did the same on the following album The Soul Cages which was heavily influenced by the passing of his father.) The album has a reputation for being too somber, but 25% of the album ("We'll Be Together", "Rock Steady" and "Englishman in New York") is pretty playful (well, by Sting standards anyway, LOL.) The album reaches it darkest points midway through with "They Dance Alone" (a song about the mothers of Chilean children who had been forcibly disappeared by their government) and "Fragile" (a tribute to an American civil engineer who was killed by the Contras in 1987 while working in Nicaragua.) I've always found them both to be pretty on point. "Fragile" in particular is really beautiful. Despite never having been a hit, it has become a bit of a standard and a favorite among fans. Other highlights are the Tom Waits-ish "Sister Moon" and a really nice cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" as arranged and performed by Gil Evans. Gotta say it's my favorite solo Sting album. Not a weak cut here. You can feel he's really engaged in these songs, which I don't feel as much with most of what came after The Soul Cages. And the band really shines, with Marsalis in particular doing some really beautiful playing.

Full points for the music and the mix is overall very good. However I can't give it the highest marks. The album is such an exceptional piece of work and it really deserves an exceptional surround mixer. And since we know what Sting's music can sound like in the hands of a master (see Elliot Schiener's mix of Brand New Day) I have to shave off a point. I'm sticking with my original rating of 9.

Another spot on review Rob!

I think Tickle was also responsible for the 5.1 mixes on Every Breath You Take (The Classics) by Gordon's former band.