Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

Yes.

 

Reference to the albums

Jackson Browne - Running On Empty - Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Ray Charles - Ray Sings, Basie Swings - Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland - Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Sly And The Family Stone Greatest Hits - Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
The Allman Brothers Band - Live At Fillmore East - Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Gentle Giant - The Power and The Glory - Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Yes - Close To The Edge Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Queen - A Night At The Opera Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
Emerson Lake And Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries
The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

We have been through these surround albums so far. Please feel free to have your input regarding the mixing of these albums, and if you feel so inclined the album itself

 

In the link above you will be taken to the seven pairs of albums up for consideration this Sunday, please like the pair you most prefer us to go through.

This way we can roll through albums folks are most interested in.
Though will will probably get to them all depending on how long we run this thread

 

Ah yes, I was mistaken in thinking that I own BSS on surround ... I only own it on stereo thanks to the BS(S) that they pulled with the boxed set on that one.

I do have Yoshimi and I've traditionally regarded as one of the very best surround mixes, although I must confess that I don't listen to it very frequently; indeed, it could be five years since I last heard it. Of course, no description is needed of the mix (because a full explanation is given of the extravagant channeling effects is given in the booklet) but what is great about them is that absolutely no priority was given to instrumental fidelity! This mix is all about blowing the listener's socks off and I wish that this was more often the idea in the heads of the band and the mix engineer.

Some highlights: the ambient noises in the rears at the end of “One More Robot”; the way that the big scream in “Yoshimi Pt. 2” dissolves from a scream in the room to reverb trails in a different space; the gorgeous bass “In The Morning Of The Magicians” that was already superb in the stereo release; the tympani on “All We Have Is Now”, which reveals itself to be an unexpectedly subtle piece of production.

This is an album that should be remixed in Atmos because claims are made for “overhead” sounds that, being honest, I don't hear. I'm also reminded what a great album this is: a neo-psychedelic masterpiece.

 

Based on what some of you are saying, I managed to find a reasonably priced (under $20) version of Yoshimi on Discogs. It’s the one with both the CD and DVD, so I’m looking forward to it arriving.

To add to that, I’ve actually never heard the whole thing, despite its great rep. I have some other Lips music, so I have an idea of what I’m in for.

.....or maybe I don’t. Either way, I’m looking forward to the experience.

P.S. - thanks, Mark, for the Discogs link. I might not have spotted the ‘deluxe’ version otherwise.

 

You're welcome.
I just figure if someone likes the sound of something, or didn't even know it was available, it makes it easier to scope out the options.
I was very pleasantly surprised by Yoshimi.

 

Listened to Yoshimi for the first time in years again last night. Have owned it since release (the standalone DVDA version). It's one of the most immersive mixes out there and as was already stated by Mark, it's an album of surprising gentleness and melancholy. Thanks for reminding me :>)

 

At this stage Bowie and Elo are nudging out Marillion and The Beach Boys ... there are five other pairs also, so if the outcome matters to you, click the link above and vote

 

Not a combination the former would ever put forward.

 

I also listened to Yoshimi for the first time in years yesterday. Wow, this is a wild mix & I agree with what others have said about it, although when I got to "It's Summertime" I kinda lost interest. I first became interested in the Lips when "At War With The Mystics" came out. That one, Yoshimi, and Soft Bulletin are really the only 3 I've ever gotten into. Didn't like "Embryonic" and I just lost interest in them after that.

Going back a little bit, watching this thread prompted my to spin "Close To The Edge". Well, I managed to listen to the title track at least. It's a good 5.1 mix, although the drums do seem a little thin sounding. This is one of those albums that I listened to so much when I was a kid, it's really hard for me to get into nowadays. When I was 9 or 10 years old, ELP & Yes were my favorite bands and I listened to their albums incessantly. I tend to think of albums like this as my childhood music. Getting back to Close To The Edge, I still think, as I did then, That the "I get up, I get down" section goes on for too long and that church organ is just out of place and annoying. I've always though that maybe Wakeman did this as a response to Emerson's "The Three Fates".

I also have the 5.1 mix of Brain Salad Surgery, well I don't have the actual product, just the DTS mix burned onto a DVD-R. I think I listened to it once, this is another one that I can't seem to get into that much anymore, although it was my favorite album when I was 10-11 years old.

 

I know what you mean. I also thought ELP and Yes were the end-all to be-all in the mid 70's.

Then I learned what the word 'indulgent' meant, as applied to music. Both Emerson and Wakeman were exceptionally talented....and they wanted everyone to know that! A listener has to be in the mood to appreciate those albums.

But I will also say that both 'Close' and 'Brain Salad' are among my favorite 5.1 titles.

As far as the Flaming Lips goes, besides the albums mentioned here, they did a nice version of PF's 'Dark Side,' with some collaboration. Some loved it, some hated it. I'm in the 'love it' camp, as I heard somewhere that they were doing the album with a 'what if Syd Barrett was still in Pink Floyd' approach. And with that in mind, I thought they did a very good job with it.

That's another one of those albums that I wish would get the 5.1 treatment, but I'm not holding my breath for that one to happen.

 

Loving this thread and learning a lot. I recently got into surroundsound. It’s the only way I want to listen to Jethro Tull now for instance.
I am not sure how to tell if an SACD is around or not or are all of them surround?
Is there another thread that describes surroundsound particulars?
For example, do I need to have special equipment and an SACD specific player to experience surround sound for this title:
Bob Dylan - "Love And Theft"
I have a Marantz combined Blu-ray, DVD, CD player that is quite old. It plays the Jethro Tull Steven Wilson DVDs just fine, but I can’t seem to toggle with the remote in trying to choose the surround sound option for the deluxe Allman Brothers Idlewild south Blu-ray.
Perhaps I need to buy a new piece of equipment that will play my CDs DVDs in surround and Blu-ray’s in surround. Could one piece of equipment also play SACDs in surround?
Any suggestions on that?

Thanks.

 

If you have a Bluray player, that should play all surround blurays.
To play sacd in surround (and if it is not hybrid, stereo also) the player needs to be able to decode sacd.
To play dvd audios in surround, it is preferable to have a player that decodes dvd audio. Most dvd audios do have a soundtrack that will play a more compressed soundtrack on them, and will play in surround on a regular dvd player.
Info about players that will decode them is available here DVD Player that plays SACD & DVD-A

I hope that's helpful

 

Very, thanks.

 

I really enjoy The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi 5.1 mixes a lot (I admit never getting into their latter albums) but for me, the Multichannel album of theirs I play regularly is Zaireeka from 1997. It's actually more of a Quadraphonic mix than a 5.1 one. Here are the Wikipedia link and Discogs link.

In short, the album's 8 songs are split into 4 Stereo groups which need to be played back in sync using four CD players or turntables. It's a beautifully crazy idea, but it actually works. Nowadays, this can be done with software like Audacity. For anyone with a wee bit of patience, it's more than worth the effort.

 

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars



Original UK LP cover
Studio album by
David Bowie
Released 16 June 1972
Recorded 8 November 1971 – 4 February 1972
Studio Trident Studios, London
Genre Glam rock, rock opera, proto-punk
Length 38:29
Label RCA
Producer David Bowie, Ken Scott

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (often shortened to Ziggy Stardust) is the fifth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 16 June 1972 in the United Kingdom. It was produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and features contributions from the Spiders from Mars, Bowie's backing band — composed of Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. The album was recorded in Trident Studios, London, like his previous album, Hunky Dory. Most of the album was recorded in November 1971 with further sessions in January and early February 1972.

Described as a loose concept album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is about Bowie's titular alter ego Ziggy Stardust, a fictional androgynous bisexual rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. The character was retained for the subsequent Ziggy Stardust Tour through the United Kingdom, Japan and North America. The album, and the character of Ziggy Stardust, were influenced by glam rock and explored themes of sexual exploration and social taboos. A concert film of the same name, directed by D. A. Pennebaker, was recorded in 1973 and released a decade later.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and number 75 in the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. As of January 2016 it had sold 7.5 million copies worldwide. The album received widespread critical acclaim. In 2017, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or artistically significant" by the Library of Congress.

• David Bowie – vocals, acoustic guitar, saxophone, arrangements
• Mick Ronson – electric guitar, piano, backing vocals, organ, synthesizer, string arrangements
• Trevor Bolder – bass guitar, trumpet
• Mick Woodmansey – drums
• Uncredited personnel: Rick Wakeman – harpsichord (It Ain't Easy)[155] and Dana Gillespie – backing vocals (It Ain't Easy)[156] *these artists were credited on the sacd

• David Bowie – production
• Ken Scott – production, audio engineering, mixing engineering
• Ray Staff – audio engineering[145]

1. "Five Years" 4:42
2. "Soul Love" 3:34
3. "Moonage Daydream" 4:40
4. "Starman" 4:10
5. "It Ain't Easy" (Ron Davies) 2:58
6. "Lady Stardust" 3:22
7. "Star" 2:47
8. "Hang On to Yourself" 2:40
9. "Ziggy Stardust" 3:13
10. "Suffragette City" 3:25
11. "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" 2:58
-----------------------------------------
I came to this album early on in my musical life. A lot of Bowie's albums got cd release in 84/85, and for me it was a priority to get some. Hunky Dory, Ziggy, Aladdinsane and Diamond Dogs. I had had a lot of Bowie on vinyl, but those four albums were my favourites back in my youth.
This album was always held aloft as the Bowie flagship, the masterwork that must be heard. In fact some folks jumped off the Bowie train after the Ziggy character was put to rest. I never really understood that, as Bowie's wandering muse was always pretty entertaining.
With The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy, Bowie found a sweet spot. He honed his writing to encapsulate the Glam Rock era and write a somewhat conceptual piece that fit with the times. Although the album isn't a concept album in the strictest sense of the word, it does have a theme, that is loosely story-like.
The songs on here were a-class Glam, and Rock with smatterings of Bowie's pre-Ziggy stylings. I think the band certainly helped with getting the sound to be exactly what it needed to be to carry this off, and if you're a fan, I highly recommend the Ziggy Stardust dvd if you haven't seen it. The soundtrack is good, but really this is a concert that needs to be watched, to really be effective. Pennebaker did a good job of capturing the show.
When this was released on sacd in 2003, it was pretty much an instant purchase for me ... a)because it is a classic album b)because there were still so few multichannel mixes available c) because although not a rabid Bowie fan, I am certainly a fan ... I must say I am enjoying the four box sets that have come out in recent years too.

As with most of these older multichannel releases, this is currently out of print, but still available, at slightly inflated prices, but available.
The original sacd from about $56 David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
from $82 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Ziggy-Stardust-Spiders/dp/B0000AZAUM
about $60 on ebay David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars SACD 724352190027 | eBay
I was unaware that there had been a release of a vinyl album with a dvd video in dts 48/24, with bonus tracks in 2012, which is available from about $51 on discogs David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

5.1 mix by Ken Scott and Paul Hicks
5.1 mastering by Peter Mew

Five Years
This macabre piece of space poetry begins with a simple drum groove, and over the course of the song, builds and builds. It is a beautifully constructed track, that is strangely compelling.
The piano spreads across us really nicely.
As the song builds the strings/mellotron? are spread nicely. Ronson has some little guitar effects that come in on the left.
The initial impression is that we are going to get a solid soundstage, rather than wild mixing experiments, and for this album, that is a sensible decision.

Soul Love
Nice drum mix here, with the hats just left, and the rim shot right with the kick dead centre. The rim shot is mixed slightly high .
A nice sax lead break come in on the left.
The acoustic rhythm guitar chugs along nicely on the left side.
A solid mix, with my only question being the volume if the rim shots.

Moonage Daydream
Again, we have a nice drum mix here, that is given some space, as if you're in the drum stool. This is how I was mixing my drums, when i was mixing surround.
We have another nice use of space with this song, especially when the strings and horns come in, and also the nice use of delay on the vocals.
They have managed to retain a solid stereo soundstage and embellish it with the surrounds, which gives the album a really nice natural feel.
It's a while since I listened to this, and I am very much enjoying this mix

Starman
Acoustics either side.
The news bulletin effect before the chorus, is across the centre of the room nicely.
Again the strings fill the space nicely.
This album has a nice full sound.

It Ain't Easy
Again the acoustics are left and right.
In the chorus we get a really nice filling of the space.
This song always seems to be ignored, but it's one of my favourites on here.

Lady Stardust
The drums are slightly left, piano right.
It actually seems like there are two piano tracks on this.

Star
The piano is right side. The backing vocals are left and right. The guitar is left.

Hang On To Yourself
Electric guitar left side, acoustic right. The lead guitar is right through the middle your head.

Ziggy Stardust
The Queen style guitar in the first verse in in the left.
Nice full mix of the layered vocal in the bridge (so where were the spiders....)

Suffragette City
Main guitar comes in left balanced by horns just left. Acoustic guitar left.
Lead guitar right.
Again, this is a nice full mix, concentrating on a solid soundstage, and succeeding nicely.

Rock And Roll Suicide
Acoustic guitar, just left. The tremelo guitar comes in just right. As the dynamic of the song builds, so does the mix.
Wonderful gets a nice left and right b vox mix.

This album isn't a freaky space aliens landing on Mars mix, but it is a very solid surround mix. They could have been a little less conservative, but as I say, this is a solid soundstage and it really does enhance the listening experience without moving into the freaky surround mix zone. It is a contrast to last weeks albums, in that the surround space is used thoughtfully but not excessively.
Personally I have room for both these styles of surround mixing, because it is a case of trying to present the songs and the album in the most appropriate fashion... and for this album, this is probably the most appropriate fashion.
Very enjoyable mix, and I think any Bowie fan that isn't offended by the idea of surround should probably have this.
Now I just need them to mix Lodger, Low, Hunky Dory, Lets Dance, Scary Monsters, Aladdinsane and Diamond Dogs in 5.1.
Young Americans, Stage and David Live are also available and excellent. Station to Station is available also in the Box set, but I would really like someone to redo that, as I think they failed to capture the beauty of that album in surround, and it was a little disappointing.

 

The Electric Light Orchestra



Studio album by
The Electric Light Orchestra
Released 1 December 1971
Recorded July 1970 – June 1971 at Philips Studios, London
Genre Progressive rock, symphonic rock
Length 41:30
Label Harvest, United Artists
Producer Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne

The Electric Light Orchestra is the eponymous debut studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in December 1971 in the United Kingdom by Harvest Records. In the United States, the album was released in early 1972 as No Answer, after a misunderstood telephone message made by a United Artists Records executive asking about the album name;[1] the caller, having failed to reach the ELO contact, wrote down "no answer" in his notes, and this was misconstrued to be the name of the album.

The album is focused on the core trio of Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan, who were the remaining members of rock group The Move. The Move were still releasing singles in the UK at the same time as this project was undertaken, but interest was soon to be abandoned in Wood's former band. The sound is unique on this recording in comparison to the more slickly produced ELO albums of the subsequent Lynne years, incorporating many wind instruments and replacing guitar parts with heavy, "sawing" cello riffs, giving this recording an experimental "Baroque-and-roll" feel; indeed, "The Battle of Marston Moor" is the most baroque-influenced track on the album. On this track, Roy Wood, in addition to playing virtually all the instruments, had to provide the percussion as well because Bev Bevan, normally the group's percussionist and drummer, refused to play on the track because of his low opinion of it.

• Jeff Lynne – vocals, piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, bass, Moog synthesizer
• Roy Wood – vocals, cello, classical acoustic guitar, bass, double bass, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, recorder, slide guitar, percussion, bass clarinet, krumhorn, drums (on The Battle of Marston Moor)
• Bev Bevan – drums, timpani, percussion
• Bill Hunt – French horn, hunting horn, piccolo trumpet
• Steve Woolam – violin

1. "10538 Overture" Lynne 5:32
2. "Look at Me Now" Wood 3:17
3. "Nellie Takers Her Bow" Lynne 5:59
4. "The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)" Wood 6:03
5. "First Movement (Jumping Biz)" Wood 3:00
6. "Mr. Radio" Lynne 5:04
7. "Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre)" Lynne 4:22
8. "Queen of the Hours" Lynne 3:22
9. "Whisper in the Night" Wood 4:50

The original LP was mixed in Quadraphonic sound but was only released in this format in South America. Many of these "quad" tracks appeared with the SQ encoding intact on the "First Light" series edition of the album and on a later double-CD release entitled Early ELO, 1971–1974 (available only as an import in the US). The entire "quad" version with SQ encoding intact has since been released on disc 3 of the Harvest Years compilation.
--------------------------------------------------
I became aware of this release on this forum. On another thread where surround came up, I bemoaned the fact that ELO should have some surround releases, due to the fact that their music is perfectly suited to the format. I was told about this album being available and I purchased it. I was not really familiar with Roy Wood, except knowing the name, and I am not very familiar with the Move. I really came into the ELO world via the song Rockaria, and subsequent releases that I always enjoyed very much. I am one of those folks that thinks Discovery is a fantastic album, don't hate me for that lol, I was about 11 when that came out and I still think it is a marvellous album, with great songs and production.
I am not an ELO super fan or anything, I just really like the way they went about their work, and think the songwriting is great.
So this album was an unknown entity for me, as they weren't a band that I delved super deeply into. As I say though, when told this was available in the Quad, I jumped on it, because I love surround sound, I love 10538 Overture, and I was interested in what I had been missing from their early years.
I get the impression that it was always going to be hard for Wood and Lynne to stay together for too long, as two highly driven and individual artists like that, rarely manage to stay together for too long.

This disc came out in a cd/dvd combo pack with the cd containing 6 bonus tracks, of single mixes, alternate takes and such. It is a dvd video but has been encoded with a dts 96/24 soundtrack for the transfer of the Quad mix. It also comes with a video for 10538 Overture.
This was released in 2012 and there are still new copies available from about $11.
https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Light-Orchestra/dp/B006ZEZ4HE/ref=sr_1_18?keywords=ELO+cd/dvd&qid=1563717064&s=gateway&sr=8-18
Electric Light Orchestra - The Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra [40th Anniversary Edition Remastered CD & DVD]. 5099995588322 | eBay
It has a slightly different cover

• Engineer [Original Quad Mix], Engineer [Quad To 4.1 Rework] – Peter Mew (tracks: DVD.1-1 TO DVD.1-9)
• I assume Peter Mew did the original Quad Mix, but there is very little information that I can find regarding this
• It was remastered by Peter Mew

Interestingly enough it the dvd authoring was done by Ray Shulman (Gentle Giant) and he pops up on these kind of releases quite frequently.

10538 Overture
The opening guitar is just left. The drums are on the right side. The vocals somewhat in the middle of the room. Percussion in left rear.
This is another album to sit slightly forward for.
The strings are spaced around the space well.
Obviously for some the drums being right will be a little off putting, but the drums aren't super loud, as was generally the case in the early seventies, and so the mix works well anyhow. A nice start.

Look At Me Now
We start with strings either side of us. Vocals up front.
This mix works really nicely, and has almost a chamber quartet feel about it, embellished with some horns up front.

Nellie Takes Her Bow
We get a nice string swell to start, and it fills the space nicely.
The strings again nicely on either side.
The song takes a turn when the drums come in, in the centre and there is some cool violin on the right. As the song settles down again, a lead violin comes in centre front, and a nice percussion addition in the right rear.
The recording sounds old.... not in a bad sense, somewhat like it was a slightly budget recording for the day, but it still sounds good, and the mix is enjoyable.

Battle Of Marston Moor (July 2 1644)
We get strings and percussion spread around us nicely. While a narrator/character hives us a monologue in the centre.
This track has a somewhat soundtrack/chamber quartet feel about it.
It certainly an interesting piece of writing and the mix really does increase the enjoyment of it.
There is also an acoustic guitar balanced nicely slightly left.
The strings and percussion work excellently in this mix.
I'm not sure why Bevan didn't like this, it is certainly different, but it it sounds well constructed, and written.

1st Movement (jumping biz)
We start with an acoustic guitar front left.
We have the drums in front again.
We have the strings spread nicely again, and the crash cymbals getting some nice space also.
This a really nice guitar driven piece, that has somewhat of a classical gas feel about it.

Mr Radio
We get an old style radio tuning sound to our left, with some strings up front.
Then the song kicks in with the piano just left.
The strings again work as a surround field balance, which is generally my favourite way to mix them.
The reverse effects at the end of the song are very effective.

Manhattan Rumble (49th street massacre)
Again the strings are extremely effective in the surround field here. I think we have two piano's here, one up front, and a percussive chordal figure on the bass end on the right.
This again has a some what soundtrack feel about it, and works very well.

Queen Of The Hours
We get a dramatic start, again with nice string mix. Acoustic guitar just left.
This track has an almost Kinks feel about it, circa Arthur... somewhat at least.

Whisper In The Night
Again the acoustic is just left. Church bell strikes once left side.
Then, again the strings fill the soundfield out well.

This is a nice little album. The guys were obviously full of ambition to create something new, and I think they succeeded. You can certainly hear the roots of ELO here, and they went on to embellish this sound in a more mainstream way later on, and to me that is my favourite time for ELO. From On The Third Day the band had their style focussed and for me they had a lot of super high quality releases from that album, up until the Secret Messages album, I lose touch with them after that.
This is a very good album, and it sounds a little like their ambition was bigger than their budget.
I think this is an essential album for any ELO fan, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the early incarnation of the band. Just be aware that it doesn't sound like Out Of The Blue, or the more familiar albums. It sounds of its time and budget. That isn't a put down at all, it is very good.
Another nice Quad release that will give pleasure to anybody that likes the format of surround. At eleven or twelve dollars to get a copy, I think it is definitely worth getting a copy.

 

I will put these up now, so as to give optimal time for voting and hopefully give everyone a chance to choose what they would like to go through next week.
Just like the selections that most suit what you would like to run through.
There will be seven choices.

*we will get around to most, if not all of it, barring the thread stopping for some reason. So if your choices don't get voted for, don't despair, they will come around again.

 

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Be Bop Deluxe - Sunburst Finish

 

Eric Clapton - Give me Strength The 74-75 recordings

as this is a lot of material, we'll sit it on it's own, for now... something else may get thrown in, given time

 

Beatles - White album

again as this is a lot of material, we'll sit it on it's own, for now... something else may get thrown in, given time

 

Fleetwood Mac - Mirage
Velvet Underground - Loaded

 

Crowded house
REM - Green

 

Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The gallery
Hawkwind - Warrior On the edge Of time