Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

I think the sacd is the one to get

Edit: I just looked up the dvd-audio ... I'm not sure I even knew there was a dvd-audio.
The dvd audio doesn't appear to have added visual content, so it doesn't give you value there.
Some people aren't fond of the dual-discs ie cd one side, dvd the other ... I haven't had any problem with them though,
At $33 on discogs, that is a pretty good price.
@lahtbp

Edit again
sacd only about $12 on discogs Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms

 

For anyone who wants to keep playing, in spite of me apparently not having a clue, here are some for next week

Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will

 

Best Of Bread (quad)

 

Bob Marley - Legend

 

Another Side Of Bob Dylan

 

REM - Automatic For The People

 

Toto IV

 

James Taylor - JT

 

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Nocturama

 

Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell

 

John Meyer - Room For Squares

 

I've the sacd vertigo it's great imho...never heard a DVD one?

 

Go w import CD make sure u order multi channel one

 

really enjoying this thread and you've introduced me to many titles I didn't know existed. Appreciate all your work sharing your thoughts with us Mark!

 

Islands

Studio album by
King Crimson
Released 3 December 1971
Recorded October 1971
Studio Command Studios, Piccadilly, London, England
Genre Progressive rock[1] jazz fusion[2][3]
Length 43:49
Label Island Atlantic (US)
Producer King Crimson

Islands is the fourth studio album by English band King Crimson, released in December 1971 on the record label Island. Islands would be the last King Crimson studio album before the group's trilogy of Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Starless and Bible Black and Red. It is also the last album to feature the lyrics of founding member Peter Sinfield.

The album received a mixed response from critics.

• Robert Fripp – guitar, mellotron, harmonium (6), sundry implements, production
• Peter Sinfield – lyrics, sounds and visions, cover design and painting, production
• Mel Collins – saxophones, flute, bass flute (6), backing vocals, production
• Ian Wallace – drums, percussion, backing vocals, production
• Boz – bass, lead vocals, choreography, production

Additional personnel

• Paulina Lucas – soprano vocals (1)
• Keith Tippett – piano
• Robin Miller – oboe
• Mark Charig – cornet
• Harry Miller – double bass (1, 6)
• Uncredited musicians – strings (5, 6)
• Andy Hendrikson – recording, engineering
• Tony Arnold – mastering
• Vick & Mike – equipment
• Robert Ellis – photography

2009 40th Anniversary Series re-issue personnel

• Steven Wilson – mixing, production, compilation and coordination input and suggestions
• Simon Heyworth (Super Audio Mastering) – stereo file preparation, 5.1 mastering
• Claire Bidwell (Opus Productions) – DVD design and layout
• Neil Wilkes (Opus Productions) – DVD authoring and assembly
• Jon Urban, Bob Romano, Bob Squires, Patrick Cleasby, Tim McDonnell & Chris Gerhard – DVD QC testing
• Kevin Vanbergen (FX Copyroom) – multitrack tape restoration and transfers
• Alex R. Mundy – DGM tape archiving
• Hugh O'Donnell – package art and design
• Declan Colgan (DGM) – compilation, coordination
• Sid Smith – liner notes, compilation and coordination input and suggestions
• John Kimber – US vinyl record sleeve scan

1. "Formentera Lady" 10:18
2. "Sailor's Tale" (instrumental) 7:29
3. "The Letters" 4:28
4. "Ladies of the Road" 5:31
5. "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" (instrumental) 4:14
6. "Islands" 9:15
7. Untitled (hidden track, begins one minute after Islands ends) 1:36
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So far we have been through In The Court... 40th and 50th, Red, Beat, Thrak and The Power To Believe

It didn't quite make the cut in today's results from the voting last week, but Islands was my first Crimson album. So I may have a sentimental attachment to it, but I like it anyway, in spite of the panning it often gets.

Amazon has apparently 4 copies left in stock at about $25 https://www.amazon.com/Islands-40th-Anniversary-King-Crimson/dp/B003XTUZIM
Burning Shed has it still in stock for about 12 pounds Islands - 40th Anniversary Edition
discogs has it from about $13 King Crimson - Islands

5.1 mix Steven Wilson
Mastering Simon Heyworth

Formentera Lady
We open with a bowed upright bass, and a series of instruments come in, sounding somewhat freeform, but completely in sync with each other.
Flute is left side.
Piano across the front.
Boz is the vocalist on this album.
A beat comes in and we get some chime-like percussion through the rears.
The is some subtle movement on some instruments.
A nice acoustic comes in.
We get cymbals and percussion all round.
This is a really cool song, and the mix is good.
The mastering is really excellent. This is not loud in the slightest degree.
Mel Collins plays some cool sax up front.
The sound here is absolutely primo.
The mix relies mainly on the percussion instruments for surround interest, but it is immersive and balanced.
This mix has width and depth.
Strings come in and are spread through the sides and front.

Sailer's Tale
This followsxstraight in, led by the ride cymbal.
We have a unison melody played by the instruments, and they blend perfectly. The sax steps out to play embellishments, but otherwise there is this perfect wall of surround. Stunning, particularly when the change comes in.
Mel Collins rips free with a fairly freeform sax lead, that is challenging and wonderful at the same time.
Wallace was pumping on the drums.
Then we get a complete change of feel.
Fripp is playing some staccato guitar with a delay, in the front but feeding the rears.
Mellotron or strings in the sides.
Fripp's counterpoint rhythms assault the drums.
Mellotron sweeps in with a power chord through the sides.
The guitar tears itself to pieces up the front, and we are left with an ambient drone all around us.
Quite amazing really

The Letters
We move back to beauty. With this mellow tale, we have guitar up front, and either side also.
Then we are hit by the horns playing a sort of rock and roll varient on the sides, and the lead guitar up front.
We mellow back out Mel plays a lead in the rears, and Fripp plays some guitar up front.
This is expressive music that is relying on dynamic impact rather than melodic hooks.
Vocal return.
Guitar left side. Flute right rear.
Cymbal clicks either side, to leave a solo vocal.
Intense piece of music.
Amazing mix

Ladies Of The Road
Fripp's fantastic guitar in the rears.
Boz sings the apparently questionable lyrics up front. The kicks comes in with the bass up front, with nice sub support.
Collins wrenches the life out of his sax on the rears.
This is Crimson blues.
Then we get the thing that sold me on Crimson, and it sounds even better in 5.1.
This bizarre and beautiful guitar hook that is perfect and terrible all at the same time, and it surrounds us.
Then we get dome reverse guitar and a Beatles interlude with the chorus, guitars and vocals all around us.
Sure the lyrics are a bit ... idk.... but I am listening to the music, which is like the ultimate in Crimson plays the twisted blues and visits Strawberry Field.
Then we get this great but bizarre lead break from Fripp that sounds like he might have a seizure.
Then we get a sax break, that I'm sure the Waitresses stole the melody for I know what boys like.
This is an incredible piece of music in spite of the lyrics, and this 5.1 mix is absolutely awesome.

Prelude:Song Of The Gulls
Back to something beautiful.
Strings and winds all round.
This is like a refreshing shower after being beaten senseless in a mixed martial arts fight.
This is really stunningly beautiful.
The dynamics of this disc are stunning.
Crimson playing a beautiful waltz in brilliant 5.1, it doesn't get much better.

Islands
Piano and vocal up front, again we are met by beauty rather than the beast.
The mix spreads to all channels with the flute coming in.
The piano is essentially across the middle of the room.
A wind instrument, cornet? plays a really nice lead.
We get a mournful organ, and the mellotron comes in from the sides. Another wind instrument comes in through the rears.
Drums come in gently front left. Guitar front right.
I am not good at identifying wind instruments, but another comes in the rears.
Just enough beauty and harshness to equal wonderful.
The mellotron swell in the side, as we move slowly into a crescendo.
We wind down to just a held chord on harmonium?
A wonderful piece of music, beautiful and stirring.

We have a minutes silence

An unnamed extra piece comes in. Some talking and movement all around us.
Orchestral tuning all around us.
Some digital beeps come through.
More talking and shuffling.
Then a count in.... and it was all a big tease the disc ends.

This is not an easy album. This is a very challenging album for the listener. There are some frequent trips into dissonance land, but contextually it works for me. It really doesn't surprise me that it got some bad reviews, and that it is considered a lesser album by many. This isn't my favourite Crimson album, in fact it probably is one of the lesser albums in some ways, but it is an incredible journey, when you're in the mood to take it.
Personally I much prefer this album to the much loved In The Court ... I think it has more substance, and more dynamics, and more beauty .... and more ugliness ....
The mix is fantastic. It is organic and surprising and is more than just immersion in many ways for me it is like some form of aural 3d movie for the mind.
If dissonance isn't your enemy, and you enjoy a caress of beauty ofter the attack, this is a fantastic album. If you like Crimson's seventies albums, this is absolutely essential in my book.
One of the main contentions I have heard about this album are the lyrics to Ladies of The Road .... ignore the damn lyrics and listen to that music, it's incredible....
Anyway. if it interests you at all, get it before it is ridiculously expensive second hand

 

Isn't it the case that some of the multis for this are still missing, the release booklet itself is cagey on this point, only stating "5.1 mixes and manipulations by Jakko Jakszyk" and so most if not all of the surround mix is extrapolated from the stereo master, i.e. an upmix. There's a thread on this release here...DVD/DTS Poll - Moody Blues, The - IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD [DTS DVD] and it's not complimentary.

 

I honestly never read the book. But I did think the Jakko credit was unusual.
It wasn't great, but i didn't hate it

 

He did not have real 8 or 16 tracks tapes to work with I think I recall. Didn't he have to make do with 4 track?

No, on this one, tapes available were not ideal.

 

Hold out for a lower price. I think I've seen the DD offered up at a lower cost.

 

We're still here anticipating and checking out your reviews Mark. Just a strange year up to this point and priorities have changed to put it mildly. I'm in the process of selling off most of my collection, keeping only the surround sound ones from my teen years when Quadrphonic was the next great thing.

 

What years were your teen years? And what happened when you reached your 20s, 30s and beyond? Teens were simply the best years of your life musically?

 

Yes was 13 in "69" and saw many concerts in Detroit arenas up until "76" when I moved to the sticks and started raising a family. Many of the titles of Marks reviews I saw bands supporting their best releases. For Example Queen's A Night at The Opera tour, Deep Purples Machine Head tour, ELP Brain Salad Surgery tour etc. Great music for great times. So I'm sentimental to those years and will keep those as my reduced Collection from 200 to roughly 30 or so.

 

My blue ray of Aqualung stopped working. Initially the entire disc played but after about a year and 1/2 only some songs would play. Then it just gave up the ghost. It did not play on my Oppo 105 or my brother's 103. At least one other member of SHF reported the same thing happening to his copy.

 

Oh MY GOD!!!!

This is horrible news. I did not hear about this, and I own a couple of those sets with BR and LPs included. Do you have a link to this other poster with exact same problem? I do have my BlyRay ripped to files. but I adore the big 12" x 12" box set with a hardbound book.

 

FWIW..........the man who mixed it prefers the DVD/A..........as do I.
Brothers in Arms 20th Anniversary Edition High-Resolution Mixing in 5.1 — the Chuck Ainlay Way - HighFidelityReview - Hi-Fi systems, DVD-Audio and SACD reviews

See here for further discussion.......
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms - SACD vs. DVD-A