I'm not impressed with the surround mix. I am listening in 5.1 and it is very front centric. I like my surround discs a bit more discrete. The rears here are subtle in the mixing. Don't know if it's got to do with it being Atmos. My Oppo is reading Dolby TrueHD 7.1 48k on the display. Oh well.
I only had a quick listen to a couple of tracks as my copy has to go back but it sounds promising and better than a UK 33rpm original.
Arrived today: only one listening fast ,surely a good edition. I have only the CD,and this record play much better.
I picked up the black 2 LP 45 rpm version while on vacation in London last week. It sounds great--versus the original CD, the treble is clearer and it is a bit less sibilant overall, though I think there is a slight inherent graininess to the recording which can be heard on both versions. Though this was an early digital recording, either the quality of the remaster or the effects of my analog chain really make the new LP release shine. The pressing quality on this UK release is wonderful as well--silent surfaces and no pressing defects. The discs are the thickness of a typical 80s recording rather than 180 gram, which is fine by me since I've found that 180 gram discs seem to be more likely to have a variety of defects (but maybe that is just my bad luck).
Sadly, I agree. I don't have an Atmos setup either, just 5.1 so like you said, that may have something to do with it. Although, the recent Kraftwerk Atmos release sounded phenomenal so I'm not so sure. There are some fun moments but I was spoiled by the XTC Black Sea 5.1 earlier in the week. The album has always sounded a bit anemic to me and I was hoping this remix might help that. It also didn't help that I played a vinyl rip of the 12" version of Original Sin using Dolby Logic II immediately afterwards since I didn't get my fill of INXS. I thought the pseudo surround was more interesting than Kick in real surround. Like others have said in this thread, I really hope they do some deluxe editions of other albums instead of beating this poor dead horse anymore. The Swing and Shabooh Shoobah could be amazing in surround and have a lot of great extras that aren't available on CD still.
Would love to get a review of the Dolby Atmos mix - from someone who has a receiver with Dolby Atmos (and more speakers than just 5).
I hope that is true as well, and hopefully might be according to the wording of the add for Kick (30th Deluxe Edition) on it's release date... "INXS are celebrating major milestones, including the 40th anniversary of the band, with a suite of CD and vinyl releases. Leading off is the 30th anniversary edition of the much-lauded KICK, available today." ...I'd take that to mean there are more releases on the way.
My .02 cents on the Atmos mix: I just have a lowly 5.1 setup (boohoo) but I didn't think the Atmos mix of Kick was all *that bad*. It was somewhat conservatively done, but there are just enough nice touches of things that hit the rear surrounds to make it interesting. Not unlike most surround mixes I've heard, the level for the audio in the rear channels is still too low (I leave my rears cranked all the way up) and criminally underutilized. I really had to position my rears more toward me while I was sitting in the "sweet spot". So, while it does have several shining moments, I had to keep reminding myself that a) Giles Martin - 'nuff said and b) it was originally a 2 channel affair. Still, I figured I'd count my lucky stars that I was listening to a somewhat spacious and roomy album I've loved for 30 something years now in a way I've never heard it before. A different..but not quite satisfying...way. Having listened to REM's Automatic for the People Atmos mix a couple weeks earlier (which is superb IMO), Kick 30 could have been better. It's still pretty good to my ears regardless of my high expectations.
I should clarify that I don't think the mix is bad but like you, I feel it could have been better. I've only played it the one time though so repeated listens may sway my opinion. I was very disappointed with the Rush Moving Pictures surround mix initially but some of the tracks have grown on me. I think I'm in the minority group who defended Giles Martin's surround mix of Sgt. Pepper. I don't think it was an astounding mix either but he was in an unwinnable position with that one. If he went too experimental, some purists would have cried sacrilege. He hinted that the mix would be on the conservative side and I think it turned out well as an alternate way to hear the album. With Pepper, I compared the mono, stereo and surround mixes on a couple of the tracks and I thought the surround mix was a fuller, more interesting experience, at least on my modest system. She's Leaving Home has always been one of my favorites and I think that sounds amazing in surround. I thought Kick could have been mixed more aggressively though. It starts out interesting with Hutchence's vocals on Guns in the Sky but I thought a lot of the tracks sounded no better than an upmix. However, I'm not at all unhappy with my purchase... $30 for a "definitive edition" with a surround mix is pretty reasonable these days!
That’s exactly why he should have been more experimental in the first place, since purists would consider any remix “sacrilege”. Rather than an “unwinnable position”, he actually had nothing to lose.
I thought the low end of the Atmos mix was kind of lacking to the point I almost had to wonder if my subwoofer was switched on or not. However the PCM mix was absolutely booming in comparison, so I knew that wasn't the case. I, too, thought that Giles could have gone a little further pushing the boundaries. It's a little too discrete in places for my tastes, I suppose. The one track that really stood out was "Need You Tonight", but there were some guitar parts in "Devil Inside" that I found lacking, as they ended up being kind of buried in the rear channels of the Atmos mix. There were other spots where it seemed like they could have really done something to let you know you were listening to a surround mix, that just didn't pop as much as they could have. I'll also agree that for the price, and all that came with it, this set is still a great bargain.
This release is Number One for me, number one as in being the worst 5.1 Blu-Ray I've ever purchased.. The surround is bad and the compression is even worse. At least it was only $32. My original 87 release dr numbers are almost double, I guess that's why the on-screen background color is red..... oh well.......
I finally got this release and the differences between the “Devil Inside” LP and 7” versions are EQ, slight speed and fractional fade time.
I don’t think it sounds compressed at all compared to the cd, just clearer. Aside from the inconvenience of flipping sides, the 2 lp version is pretty much flawless in my opinion. I think a lot of that clarity comes from having been cut at 45rpm. Unfortunately I don’t have the original vinyl to compare it to. I think the treble is better defined than on the msfl reissue of x which is cut at standard speed (which also sounds terrific btw).
I ordered Kick (x2 red) and Best of (2x silver) kick sounds great but I’m hearing pretty bad IGD/sibilance on best of, New Sensation is a disaster! ‘New ssssssssssen ssssssssasssssion’ geez! Anyone else had this issue? Both pressings are clean and quiet apart from this.
It had me checking my stylus which doesn’t look worn and is only about 6 months old. It’s mounted using rega’s 3 point mount so it’s pretty fool proof too.
Will try this thread...can any member tell me if there is a difference in the standard black EURO 45RPM of Kick, vs. the US one coming out this Friday, are they the same master? It sure looks like it...Want to order this today from my local shop...separate UPC codes though...
