Return to Forever - Musicmagic Hybrid Multichannel SACD by Dutton Vocalion

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Simon A, Jul 28, 2017.

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  1. Simon A

    Simon A Arrr! Thread Starter

    Dutton/Vocalion does it again! :righton:

    This underrated 70's classic is now available as a Quad/Stereo hybrid SACD.

    You can order directly from the label.

    I'm looking forward to hearing the Quad mix in pristine sound.


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2017
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  2. Say It Right

    Say It Right Not for the Hearing Impaired

    Location:
    Niagara Falls
    Didn't AF do this a year or so ago? If so, was there a quad mix?
     
  3. Digital-G

    Digital-G Senior Member

    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    AF did do it. SACD but no quad/surround mix.
     
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  4. Simon A

    Simon A Arrr! Thread Starter

    For many, that's the one they've been waiting for. I was disappointed not to have the Quad on the AF so I'm very happy this one is being released.
     
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  5. tribby2001

    tribby2001 Forum Resident

  6. bodhisattva

    bodhisattva Senior Member

    I was one of the people who was disappointed when AF chose not to include the quad mix of this album on their SACD release last year, so I was absolutely thrilled when Mike Dutton asked me to write liner notes for this new version. Mike is personally a fan of this quad mix and that's why he went to great lengths to secure it.

    Musicmagic was Columbia's last-ever dual-inventory quad release, so it was only in print from mid-77 until 1979 when it was deleted. To say it's tough to find in quad is an understatement - the LP shows up occasionally, but the quad 8-track is so rare it's tough to find a picture of it online, let alone an actual copy of the tape. So suffice it to say I'm overjoyed this is coming out on SACD - £10.99 for a master-quality copy vs. paying triple digits on eBay for a used copy of the Q8 (if one ever surfaced) - I know which option I prefer!

    This is indeed a limited-edition issue - I don't think the other titles that Vocalion have done are huge print runs either, so if they're saying this is a short-run issue it must really be a small batch.

    There's a bit more information on this album, along with the other three that make up Vocalion's August SACD issue in a blog entry I wrote here: Vocalion August SACD Release - duttonvocalion.co.uk
     
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  7. fredblue

    fredblue Surrounded by Music

    Location:
    London, England
    incredible desert-island MCh disc for me.. the resultant Quad effect from decoded SQ LP's impressive enough.. fresh from the 4-ch mastertapes I'm expecting this Surround SACD to be.. spectacular.
     
  8. Digital-G

    Digital-G Senior Member

    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    I'll look up their music when I have a chance (can't do it now). But can someone tell me what the music is like? Maybe give me some band names that are similar?

    Thanks,
     
  9. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Easy listening Jazz
     
  10. bodhisattva

    bodhisattva Senior Member

    Ignorant and uninformed comment.

    Just because RTF decided to add vocals doesn't make the music 'easy listening'. It might not be the pyrotechnic shredfest of the Di Meola years, but the last thing some of the songs on this album are is 'easy listening', especially the two 10-minute long tracks.

    The music is hard to boil down to 'sounds just like' but it bears similarities to both Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke's solo efforts from that era. It's still broadly fusion, lots of solos and group improvisation, but the big horn section also give it a somewhat symphonic soul.

    Yes, it's not RTF's best album ever, but even with some of the questionable lyrics it's still a really interesting listen. How many of the other fusion stalwarts were still carrying the torch by 1977? Weather report was, but the majority of the rest were done - Miles was in heroin paradise, Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin had taken up acoustic guitar, Billy Cobham and Herbie Hancock were more interested in funk and R&B, and the list goes on. There are actually moments on Musicmagic that remind me of some of the crazy rhythmic stop-start stuff and weird riffs of prog-rock bands like Yes and ELP - it's a shame that RTF didn't do another album after this and push more in that direction.
     
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  11. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Just ordered Return To Forever - Musicmagic, Alice Coltrane & Carlos Santana - Illuminations and Pure Prairie League -Two Lane Highway & If the Shoe Fits SACDs.
     
  12. eelkiller

    eelkiller One of the great unwashed

    Location:
    Northern Ontario
    I assume their previous SACD releases get high marks here? Mastering is decent?
     
  13. Simon A

    Simon A Arrr! Thread Starter

    Very tasteful. Dynamics Galore.
     
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  14. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I grabbed two copies myself, help someone later who missed out on it. :winkgrin:
     
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  15. fredblue

    fredblue Surrounded by Music

    Location:
    London, England
    ..and spectacular it is! another top notch job by this label, the mastering is sympathetic to the sound of the old SQ LP (which sounded great to me anyway, Columbia definitely went out on a high with their last dual inventory Quad release in 77) it needs a fair cranking of the master volume to let it really sing but not only has it got the fidelity it brings with it the 4-channel separation of the Q8 and none of the drawbacks of either of those old Quad formats.. if DV keep this up who knows where they might go next, this latest batch of titles for August is really quite diverse, ranging from Country to Soul with a bit of Fusion along the way.. nice!
     
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  16. formu_la

    formu_la I'm not a robot

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Nice. Ordered from Amazon.ca.
    Similar release of Romantic Warrior would be a home run.
     
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  17. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Not sure there was ever a quad mix done of that album?
     
  18. formu_la

    formu_la I'm not a robot

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    No idea, just dreaming.
     
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  19. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    My copy should arrive from Dutton Vocalion any day now :goodie:
     
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  20. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    No quad of ROMANTIC WARRIOR, sad to say. Imagine a 5.1 remix--it would take your head off!
     
  21. quicksrt

    quicksrt Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Yes indeed it would. I have the other Weather Report Columbia album on SACD with the quad layer - I forget title at this moment, but any top fusion title in quad or 5.1 is worth the price of whatever it costs.
     
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  22. fredblue

    fredblue Surrounded by Music

    Location:
    London, England
    That's the SACD of 'Mysterious Traveller', excellent album and great Quad mix, though i think the other Weather Report Quad ('Tale Spinnin') is even better surround sound.. and would be a perfect fit for Dutton Vocalion.
     
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  23. Pickering33

    Pickering33 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Thanks for the heads up. Just ordered my copy.
     
  24. ~dave~~wave~

    ~dave~~wave~ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lincoln, NE
    Musicmagic is unique as the only guitar-free RTF record.
    Stanley rocks the piccolo bass, and Chick the synths for all the guitar-ish lead lines.

    The quad mix (which decodes as 5.1 with muted center and LFE) has the most rear speaker bass I've ever heard.

    After three spins of Musicmagic (received today) I went directly to the only 5.1 remake of Romantic Warrior.
    The 2008 Live at Montreux reunion concert with the original four members.
    Face melting, fairly immersive mix, though not as discrete as a studio album remix would be.
     
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  25. Lucidae

    Lucidae AAD

    Location:
    Australia
    Apart from their first two records...
     
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