What's the Latest MATRIX LP/CD Added to Your Pile? SQ, QS, RM, EV
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Cool insert with your Neil Diamond, never seen one of those.
And one of the final SQ pop/jazz, other than classical discs from Columbia Records.Notice how the quad indication is smaller than normal, almost shy about further promoting the quad disc format.
RETURN TO FOREVER, great album art and a pretty good quad mix.
1977 release in 78.
Just a quick couple of things to say about Side One of this record, which is as far as I've got..
I can't remember where I heard it said that the Quad of this one was just like Stereo run thru a decoder or something but I'd be surprised if that was the case.. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say I can already detect elements that point to a genuine remix at the very least. Why?
Well, straight off the bat this strikes me as a superlative presentation where everything gels so much more than the stereo.. it sounds like it's more than mastering magic going on.. the drums on the title track leap out with an immediacy and lifelike quality I've never heard before.. I have several different versions of the title track alone, at least half a dozen unique masterings & edits (1st Japanese SRCS CD, U.S. remaster, UK BGO mastering from the two-fer CD, Rhino T-Neck Years compilation and a few assorted Epic/Sony compilations from the last 20-ish years) and the drums have never sounded quite like this, they've always had a slightly recessed quality even though they're a big propulsive part of the track. Also the lead guitar, the blistering centrepiece of most of this album but on this track in particular has more reverb and presence than in the stereo and I could swear there are some extra little noodle-y bits of guitar gymnastics overdubbed in there too. How much of the guitar work ping pongs about here like the 3+3 Quad mix I can't say of course and properly decoded (or in its discrete Q8 form it may not) which may have led to impressions of it not being a true remix. It may be more subtle a mix with regards to channel placement than 3+3, it's too early to tell.
Even thru PLII Music (I know it's not SQ by any means) the backing vocals in the title track and "Brown Eyed Girl" pan straight to the rear on cue, as do the bongos on the latter.. totally gorgeous.. I can only imagine these elements also panning to the rear more cleanly and clearly when properly decoded in SQ or on the Q8.. oh and I suspect the lead vocal is an alternate take in "Need A Little Taste Of Love", just check out the line "if you wanna be loved" which is replaced here with "if you wanna make love" (!) and there are other lines that seem to have different phrasing and intonation from the stereo.. I will check this more thoroughly when I have more time, I may be mistaken but I don't think so.
I can't say, of course, if this pans out discretely until I start properly SQ decoding these LPs but from just this cursory listen to the first side flicking back and forth from Stereo to PLII Music on the fly, I'm greatly encouraged so far that this is "the real deal" (not to be confused with the Isleys' 1980's album of the same name!) from a Quad point of view.. Four fingers crossed! To be continued..!
Please do! I'd love to see it! :upthumb
I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate it, although as an observation I am surprised how few members stop by this bit of QQ, relative to some other site areas.. I'm personally finding the SQ experience much more interesting and exciting than I've found the dregs of my SACD (etc) buying lately, so I'll be hanging around this section more now
Very nice!
Those two seem hard to find..
No, sadly I have not found any of the Isley discs yet. At the very minimum 3+3 is a must. Still don't have.
I would like to go in the opposite direction and start an SACD collection, but starting is daunting unless you luck into somewhere to start. None of the thrift stores or flea markets or music stores seem to have them. I hate to go nuts online cause its a slippery slope of spending.
Oh man..
Thats why I made the comment about R&B quads, I want them all, but find very few. Same with Earth Wind & Fire. Want them all, only have one.
Any used record stores in Brixton, Adam? That might be a good place to start.
Oh man..
I've been very lucky over the years and found lots of SACD bargains but in the last few years spent a ton on the harder to find things and it's getting harder and pricier all the time, people are more clued up than ever about this stuff and know what to charge (and fair play to them, there's a market for this stuff).. I hate to say it but personally the returns are diminishing with this ultra rare SACD stuff, to say the least.. the last few weeks I've spent a fraction on these old SQ records of what I would ordinarily spend on SACD etc and for records I can't even hear in proper Quad yet I'm enjoying them more than almost anything I've got on digital for a wee while now, just sayin'..
Haha.. Funnily enough there used to be a good one in Camberwell.. can't remember the name of it now. I'll nip up there one day and have a shufty if they're still in business.
I used to go to a new & used record store on 95th st in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago. It was run by a nice old guy named George. The last couple times I was in there, George was being wheeled in with a wheelchair, from a guy in a van. Soon after that, the store was gone. Many predominantly African American neighborhoods are nearby. I found some great used Quads there. It's where I got my Staple Singers, which is a pretty rare SQ. Fortunately, I bought the vast majority of soul/r&b/jazz Quads when they were new, so I wasn't hunting for too many.
Lovely story Linda, thank you for sharing. Poor George, I imagine he's up in the great used record store in the sky now!
Do you have the Isley's "Heat Is On" and "Go For Your Guns" Quads?
If so, how are the mixes? TIA!
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