Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

It really opened the album up for me.
I had always been a little ... idk, ho hum about it, but I enjoy it now.

 

I concur with this assessment.

 

Volta


Studio album by
Björk
Released May 1, 2007
Recorded 2005–2007
Studio
Various[show]
Genre Electronic pop experimental world avant-garde pop
Length 51:03
Label One Little Indian (UK) Polydor (Europe) Elektra Atlantic (NA)
Producer Björk Timbaland Danja Mark Bell Damian Taylor

Volta is the sixth studio album by Icelandic singer Björk,[nb 1] released on 1 May 2007 by One Little Indian Records. A wide array of artists collaborated with Björk on material for the album, including longtime collaborator Mark Bell, along with new producers Timbaland and Danja.[2]

The album received positive reviews upon its initial release, and is Björk's first and only album to crack the top ten on America's Billboard 200, peaking at number nine. Volta spent nine weeks at number one on the US Top Electronic Albums chart and in the first three months of release sold over half a million copies worldwide. In the United Kingdom it was certified Silver. The lead single, "Earth Intruders", reached number 67 on the UK Official Download Chart, and number 78 on the main UK Singles Chart, while the remix EP later charted on its own at number 150. In the United States, the song became her second entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 84. Volta was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

The album was re-released in June 2009 in expanded versions, under the name Voltaïc. There were five separate versions of related material from Volta. The full version included a CD of 11 songs performed live at the Olympic Studios, a DVD of live performances in Paris and Reykjavík during the Volta tour, a second DVD of the Volta music videos, videos of the top ten runners-up from the "Innocence" video contest, and a second CD of remixes from Volta's singles.[3] The official worldwide release date of all editions was June 23, 2009.[4] The artwork was nominated for an award at the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards.[5] It was a collaboration between the German fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm and British fashion photographer Nick Knight.[6] Björk went on an 18-month tour in support of the album, which was her first tour in four years.

In an interview for daily Internet publication Pitchfork Media, Björk talked for the first time about the theme of the album.[7]

"But with this one, it was different because I knew more emotionally what I wanted. And because I'd done two or three projects in a row that were quite serious, maybe I just needed to get that out of my system or something. So all I wanted to do for this album was just to have fun and do something that was full-bodied and really up."

• Björk – arrangement, bass (sine bass), brass arrangement, clavichord, editing, producer, programming, synthesizer (bass), vocals
• Timbaland – drum programming (beats) on tracks 1, 4, keyboards on tracks 1, 4, loops (triggering pre-recorded percussion loop) on track 8, producer on tracks 1, 4 and 8
• Danja – co-producer on tracks 1 and 4, drum programming (bass drums) on track 8, drum programming (beats) on tracks 1 and 4, keyboards on tracks 1 and 4
• Mark Bell – drum programming (beats, electronic beats) on tracks 1, 2, 6 and 9, keyboards on track 5, producer on track 9, programming on track 9, synthesizer on track 9
• Damian Taylor – drum programming (additional beats), drum programming (orchestral beats), editing, effects (clavichord treatments), effects (vocal processing), effects (vocal treatments), engineering, noises (morse code), producer on track 6, programming, tracking (drops)
• Michael Pärt – editing, engineering
• Chris Corsano – drums on track 1, percussion on track 5
• Brian Chippendale – drums on track 3
• Konono N°1 – kalimba (electrified likembés) on track 1
• Pete Davis – programming on tracks 1 and 4
• Jimmy Douglas – engineer (Timbaland Sessions) on tracks 1 and 4, mixing on tracks 1 and 4
• Paul 'P-Dub' Walton – engineer (Chris Corsano Sessions) on track 1
• Christophe Tonglet – engineer (assistant Konono N°1 Sessions) on track 1
• Vincent Kenis – engineer (Konono N°1 Sessions)
• Aron Arnarsson – engineer (assistant) on tracks 2, 3, 5 and 10
• Antony – vocals on track 3, vocals (starring as "the Conscience") on track 10
• Jónas Sen – clavichord on track 10
• Mark Robertson – transcription by (midi transcription and part preparation for brass) on tracks 2, 3, 5 and 7
• Hector Castillo – engineer on tracks 3 and 5
• Ishiho Nishiki – engineer (assistant) on tracks 3 and 5
• Min Xiao-Fen – pipa on track 5
• Nico Muhly – adaptation (brass arrangement) on track 7, conductor on track 7
• Christian Rutledge – contractor on track 7
• Jason Agel – engineer (assistant) on track 7
• Andy Manganello – engineer (staff engineer) on track 7
• Neil Dorfsman – engingeering and mixing on track 7
• Toumani Diabaté – kora on track 8
• Yves Werner – engineer (Toumani Diabaté sessions) on track 8
• Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing on tracks 2, 3, 5 to 10
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Dave Paterson – technician (sound Fx design)
• Alex Dromgoole – engineer (assistant)
• Daniel Morrison – engineer (assistant)
• David Emery – engineer (assistant)
• Jonathan Tams – engineer (assistant)
• Nellee Hooper – music consultant (paternal musical advice)
• M/M Paris – art direction, design
• Bernhard Willhelm – design (sculpture)
• The Icelandic Love Corporation – crochet costume
• Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin – photography (inside images)
• Nick Knight – photography (sculpture)

Brass sections

• Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir
• Björk Níelsdóttir
• Brynja Guðmundsdóttir
• Dröfn Helgadóttir
• Erla Axelsdóttir
• Harpa Jóhannsdóttir
• Karen J. Sturlausson
• Lilja Valdimarsdóttir
• Sigrún Jónsdóttir
• Sylvia Hlynsdóttir
• Særún Pálmadóttir
• Valdis Þorkelsdóttir
• Vilborg Jónsdóttir
• Ása Berglind Hjálmarsdóttir
• Einar Jónsson
• Eiríkur Örn Pálsson
• Emil Friðfinnson
• Joseph Ognibene
• Oddur Björnsson
• Roine Hultgren
• Sigurður Þorbergsson
• Ásgeir H. Steingrímsson

Horns

• Amber Chisholm-Lane
• Chas Yarborough
• Christopher Costanzi
• Robert Jost
• Sharon Moe
• Susan Panny
• Theo Primis

1. "Earth Intruders" writer Timothy Mosley Nathaniel Hills Björk producer Timbaland Björk Danja [a]
6:13
2. "Wanderlust" writer Björk Sjón
producer Björk 5:51
3. "The Dull Flame of Desire" writer Björk Fyodor Tyutchev
producer Björk 7:30
4. "Innocence" writer Mosley Hills Björk producer Timbaland Björk Danja[a]
4:27
5. "I See Who You Are" writer Björk Mark Bell
producer Björk 4:22
6. "Vertebræ by Vertebræ" writer Björk producer Björk Damian Taylor
5:08
7. "Pneumonia" writer Björk producer Björk 5:14
8. "Hope" writer Björk Mosley
producer Björk 4:02
9. "Declare Independence" writer Björk Bell producer Björk Bell
4:13
10. "My Juvenile" writer Björk producer Björk 4:13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So far we have looked at Bjork's - Vespertine - Medulla
It's odd that I haven't gotten around to the first three Bjork albums, as they are probably my favourites, but anyway, we'll get there.

Volta is completely new to me, and I have no idea what to expect .... well ... because it's Bjork.

Amazon has a secondhand copy for about $8 https://www.amazon.com/Volta-Bjork/dp/B000PDZISG
Discogs has it for about $14 Björk – Volta (2007, CD)

5.1 mix Paul (P-dub) Walton
Mastering Ted Jensen

So I guess we'll just jump in

Dts 24/48

Earth Invaders
We open with marching, and it turns into percussion.
A low sub assisted bass comes in.
We also get various synth layers.
This is a moderate to uptempo track, and aside from the slightly unusual arrangement, it has a somewhat commercial sound to it.
It kind of reminds me of.... idk, Devo meets Homogenic.
The percussion tracks sort of spread across the front, just wide.
The synth sounds are mainly front... middle, but we get bits and pieces popping in the rears.
Bjork's vocals may be layered, or have effects sends, that work in an interesting way with the rears.
It's a pretty cool, fun song, and the mix is fairly interesting.
Ahhh. I thought the next bit, was the next track,but we end this with hornscarranged to sound like a shipyard.
There are other sounds also, and this is extremely effective in surround.

Wanderlust
The vocal starts over a horn.
The vocal interestingly, seems to move between the front and rears, but in a subtle, sort of, gentle sliding way. Like subtle volume shifts...
We get the percussive layering that Bjork loves either side rears, and another track with sub assist up front.
We end up getting layered vocal tracks coming at us from the front and either side rears, and it is very effective.
There are horns set up in different spots around us.
All in all, this is a very interesting mix, certainly immersive.
Generally when I'm listening to Bjork, it is the vocal that anchors the song for me, but I really like her voice, so that helps.
We end with layers of sound effects, then we get a morse code sounding the left side.

The Dull Flame Of Desire
This opens up with a bed of horns layered around us.
It ends up being a duet. Someone called Antony is the other vocalist, and after recalibrating my head, he sounds pretty decent.
A pulsing drum comes in, and it seems to slowly wander between the left side and the front... but then it seems to be either side.
We get some Bjork vocal layering, again using the front and rears.
Interesting track, and it does work in surround. Not totally sold on Antony, but it does work pretty well.
We break down to a percussion track.

Each song appears to have a different picture of Bjork in a strange costume, with multi-colored face paint.

Innocence
We get stabs of electronic sounds around us.
A scratch kind of sound whips across the right side, as a rhythmic device.
A DJ type sound front right.
Bjork's vocal us kind of in the middle of the room.
A swelling sound left rear.
The layered voices around the place comes in.
Hats either side rears.
We get a burst of reverb drenched percussion.
It is hard to describe some of this as it is a lot if interesting noises.
We end with immersive sfx, and what sounds like a koto.

I See Who You Are
We move into this track with keyboard sounds that have a sort of disjointed rhythm like rain drops after a storm.
The koto sound is a fen/pipa?
Anyway, the new to me sounds, get various locations in the soundfield, and we have a sort of horn and keys drone around the soundfield.
We break into a horn arrangement that has different sections front and either side, towards the rears.
A percussive instrument up front, and we're surrounded by the sound of water.
Again interesting and immersive.

Vertebrae
We have another blended mix from track to track.
Front left has a six beat stab.
We have swells of sound in different spots around us, and also, sort of synthetic wave sounds.
We get more vocal layering, with nice use of the sound.
It is very hard to describe this.... I am enjoying it, and it is immersive, but hard to just say... there is a sound I don't know what to call here, and another there etc....

Pneumonia
We open with a four tone horn theme in front.
The way this guy has done Bjork's vocals is interesting. We either have doubled/tripled vocals mixed with a certain balance in that tripod of speakers, or he has used effects sends in a rather interesting way.
This is a very gentle track, and we end up with gentle layered horns around us, and Bjork singing.
Effective, and immersive, but subtle.
Ocean sounds all around.

Hope
We open with the vocal.
Percussion tracks come in front left and right.
If kora is a string instrument, then it seems to be layered with little arpeggios front, left rear, and right rear, working to create an interesting musical shimmer across the soundfield.
Again we end with horns around us, somewhat emulating a shipyard.

Declare Independence
Then we get this sort of square synth sound, in an EQ'd bass sound front left.
A treble sample effect in the rears.
Bjork is doing a sort of disjointed Bjork rap.
We get a swell around us.
The song gathers intensity with more sounds that turn into a drone, while Bjork does some bvox in the rears.
This is probably the strangest track..... I'm still trying to decide if Bjork's manic sort of rap, is working for me.
This is certainly immersive.... this is kind of like, electronic/punk/rap.... weirdly interesting.

My Juvenile
Clavichord front left and right.
Bjork's vocal again is sort of a middle of the room effect.
Antony returns with his unusual vibrato styled vocal.
Cymbal swells in the rear.
More clavichord either side rears.
More layered Bjork vocals around us.

This is another interesting and unusual journey from Bjork. Her post Vespertine albums seem generally to be aimed at being less accessible than the first four.... but I am not convinced that this is intentional at all, I think she is just a quirky person with interesting ideas.
The majority of this album is pretty accessible if you enjoy Bjork's singing, which really is the draw for me, because I do.
Her songs are slightly unusual, but they are generally interesting.
The mix here is good. We get immersed, for the majority of the time, and there are some subtleties that make the more full on sections more impactful.
I guess I would have to say that this certainly isn't for everyone, but if you tend to like Bjork, then you are probably going to like this... Like a few of her albums, the longer it goes the more unusual (from some perspectives) it becomes.
I probably wouldn't listen to this frequently, but it certainly is an album that will be listened to again. Probably the only track that made me think it was borderline, was the sort of Bjork rap thing, but in the end it was interesting enough to be cool. I am just not sure I bought the (kind of) rap delivery.

 

Chicago VI


Studio album by
Chicago
Released June 25, 1973
Recorded February 1973
Studio Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado
Genre Jazz rock
Length 38:21
Label Columbia
Producer James William Guercio

Chicago VI is the fifth studio album by American rock band Chicago and was released on June 25, 1973. It was the band's second in a string of five consecutive albums to make it to No. 1 in the US,[4] was certified gold less than a month after its release, and has been certified two-times platinum since.[5] It is the first album to feature percussionist Laudir de Oliveira,[6] who would become a full-fledged member of the band for Chicago VIII.[7][8]

• Peter Cetera – bass, lead and backing vocals, harmonica on "In Terms of Two"
• Terry Kath – electric and acoustic guitars, slide guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Robert Lamm – acoustic piano, Hammond organ, clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano, Fender Rhodes, ARP synthesizer, Hohner Pianet, lead and backing vocals
• Lee Loughnane – trumpet, backing vocals, percussion, co-vocals on “Something In This City Changes People”
• James Pankow – trombone, brass arrangements
• Walter Parazaider – saxophones, flute
• Danny Seraphine – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Laudir de Oliveira – congas
• Joe Lala – congas
• J. G. O'Rafferty – pedal steel

Production

• Produced by James William Guercio
• Engineered by Wayne Tarnowski
• Assistant Engineer – Jeff Guercio
• Mixed by Phil Ramone
• Mix Assistant – Richard Blakin
• Cover Design – John Berg and Nick Fasciano
• Photography by Barry Feinstein

1. "Critics' Choice" writer Robert Lamm vocal Robert Lamm 2:49
2. "Just You 'n' Me" writer James Pankow vocal Peter Cetera 3:42
3. "Darlin' Dear" writer Lamm vocal Lamm 2:56
4. "Jenny" writer Terry Kath vocal Terry Kath 3:31
5. "What's This World Coming To" writer Pankow vocal Lamm, Cetera, Kath 4:58
6. "Something in This City Changes People" writer Lamm vocal Kath, Lamm, Loughnane 3:42
7. "Hollywood" writer Lamm vocal Lamm 3:52
8. "In Terms of Two" writer Peter Cetera vocal Cetera 3:29
9. "Rediscovery" writer Lamm vocal Lamm 4:47
10. "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" writer Cetera/Pankow vocal Cetera 4:15

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] 12
United States (Billboard 200)[15] 1
---------------------------------------------------------
So far we have done Chicago - III

This is of course from the Quadio box set, and aside from the Dvd-audio's for II and V, that is where all the Chicago surround mixes come from.

I do like Chicago a lot, but one may have thought I don't due to the abortive attempt to run through II much earlier in the thread ... nah, it was just one of those days, and just not what I felt like listening to.

Ok, wow, this is now rare as hens teeth ...
2 copies of the European pressing on discogs from about $211 Chicago – Quadio (2016, Box Set)

It seems that is all I can find. All other sites state, backordered, deleted ect.
Warner have a "subscribe to back in stock notification" here Chicago Quadio Box (9 Disc Blu-Ray Audio) .

but somehow it seems unlikely.... anyway, if you love Chicago and surround, I reckon you may need to get one of those 2 still available .... I am going off memory, but the mixes did seem to be pretty decent.

Quadrophonic remix engineer - Wayne Tarnowski - on the original release, so I assume it is still his mix.
Mastering Craig Anderson

These are bluray audio's for those unaware.

Critics Choice
This is an interesting start.
Piano up front.
The vocal kind of sounds like it's in the middle of the room... but what we are looking at is a solid vocal channel front left. Virtually no vocal front right.
Then we have effects sends (I believe) in both rears, with somewhat sibilant reverb delays on them.
If sibelance doesn't bother you at all, it is actually quite effective.
A very minimal track, that manages to have a fairly interesting immersion.

Just You n Me
I think this was a bit of a hit.
Wah guitar left side.
Horns rears.
Drums left front.
Vocals front.
Bass front.
Bvox rears.
Keys front to right side.
Percussion right side
Cymbals rear
This has a nice immersive sound and feel.
It works well.

Darlin' Dear
Pounding piano in the rears.
Horns in the rears.
Slide guitar across the front.
Drums front.
Percussion right rear
Bass and vocal front.
Nice immersive mix.

Jenny
Guitar front right.
Percussion left, and right rear.
Drums front and right side.
Harmonised guitars either side.
Bass and vocals up front.
Again really nice immersion. Percussion may be slightly loud.

What's This World Coming to
Gtr right rear
Keys left rear
Horns right rear and left rear.
Keys and bass up front.
This is again a really nice immersive mix.
This track has a great funk rock groove.
The playout is an organ lead and it sorted bounces around a little.

Something In This City Changes People
Wide piano (or two pianos across front.
Vocals front, left rear, and right rear.
Guitar left side and right side
Percussion all around, and it works nicely.
The vocals are mainly harmonised, or unison. The few lines of solo vocal are on the left towards the rear.

Hollywood
Keys left of front left.
Guitar right rear
Drums right front.
Horns all round.
Again really nice immersion.

In Terms Of Two
Bouncy, folky start.
Acoustic left rear.
Drums front left.
Acoustic front.
Harmonica, middle of room
Pedal steel between front and right side.
Piano right rear.
Percussion.
We end with Oh Susanna on the harmonica, kind of up front.

Rediscovery
Really nice groove.
Organ right rear
Guitar left rear.
Drums front.
Horns across middle and rears.
Another guitar comes in up front.
Drums and bass and vocal up front.
A very cool track with really nice immersion

Feelin' Stronger Every Day
Keys right rear
Guitar left rear.
Across middle towards rears
Drums, bass and vocals, front.
Keys up front too.
Another nice immersive mix.

Ok... prior to the Quadio box, the only Chicago I had were the Dvd-audios of II and V, and so the rest of the albums are fairly new to me. I have heard them all, but almost certainly only once.
This is a very good album, and I would think it would appeal a lot to folks that find the somewhat thematic double albums a little too much to digest. the focus here is on songs, and we have a somewhat concise album, with 10 solid tracks, that cover the Chicago zone of balladry, rock, funked up rock. I think it actually represents a lot of the aspects of seventies Chicago very well.
The mix is nice and immersive, and there isn't that seventies quad thing of feeling that things are coming from weird places. I am not familiar with the original album, and I have never heard the stereo mix, but there are a few instances where the mix could be a little better, to even up levels between instruments and vocals, or between percussion and music and what have you, but I don't think that any of them are extreme at all, just a little differently than I would have mixed it ... but then again, it may be exactly how you mixed it ... if you know what I mean.
Anyway .... even if I never reviewed any of the albums on here, I still think Quadio is an essential release for a Chicago fan that likes surround.

 

Reference to the albums

Adams, Bryan - Reckless (disc would not play, template)

Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic

Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies - Welcome To My Nightmare

Alan Parsons Project - Tales Of Mystery and Imagination - Eye In The Sky - Ammonia Avenue

Alison Krauss and Union Station - New Favourite

Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild South - Live At Fillmore East - Eat a Peach

Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here - Weather Systems - Distant Satellites - The Optimist

Anderson, Ian - Homo Erraticus - TAAB 2

Anonymous - Wolcum Yule

Argent - In Deep

Ayreon - The Source - Transitus


Band - Music From Big Pink ... I did this twice

Banks, Tony - A Curious Feeling

Barclay James Harvest - GoneTo Earth

Bass Communion - Loss - Temporal

Beach Boys - Sunflower - Surf's Up

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album) - Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band - Abbey Road - Love

Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama - Sunburst Finish

Beck, Jeff (group) - Rough and Ready - Orange - Blow By Blow - Wired

Beethoven - 3rd Symphony Eroica - 5th Concerto (Emporer) Barenboim/Rubenstein

Birdsong At Morning - A Slight Departure - Signs And Wonders

Bjork - Vespertine - Medulla - Volta

Blackfield - IV - V

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Blood Sweat and Tears - Blood Sweat And Tears - Mirror Image/New City

Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties - Agents Of Fortune

Bowie, David - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - Young Americans - Station To Station - Stage - Heathen

Jackson Browne - Running On Empty

Bruce, Jack - Shadows In The Air

Bruford - Feels Good To Me - One Of A Kind

Buddy Miles Express - Booger Bear


Capella Romana - Lost Voices Of Hagia Sophia

Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink

Charles, Ray - Ray Sings, Basie Swings

Chicago - III - VI

Church - Forget Yourself

Clapton, Eric - Give Me Strength The 74/75 Recordings - Slowhand - Reptile - Back Home

Cobham, Billy - Spectrum - Spectrum (Quad) thanks @-dave--wave-

Coltrane, Alice/Santana, Carlos - Illuminations

Crosby, David - If Only I Could Remember My Name

Crowded House - Crowded House


Davis, Miles - Sketches Of Spain - In A Silent Way - Bitches Brew - Live Evil - Tutu

Deep Purple - Concerto for Group And Orchestra - Machine Head - Stormbringer

Dekker, Desmond - Anthology

Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward - Black Celebration - Violator - Delta Machine

Derek and the Dominos - Layla and other assorted love songs

Derringer, Rick - All American Boy and Spring Fever

Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms

Djabe - The Magic Stag

Donovan - Fairytale

Doobie Brothers - Toulouse Street - The Captain And Me - 5.1 to Quad compare - What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits

Doors - Strange Days - Waiting For The Sun - The Soft Parade - Morrison Hotel - LA Woman - Best Of

Drake, Nick - A Treasury

Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos - Distance Over Time

Dubliners - Definitive Transatlantic Collection

Dukes Of Stratosphear - Psurroundabout Ride

Dylan, Bob - Another Side Of - Blonde On Blonde - Slow Train Coming


Eagles - Hotel California

Earth Wind And Fire - Way Of The World/Spirit

ELO - debut album

Emerson Lake And Palmer - Tarkus - Brain Salad Surgery


Fagen, Donald - The Nightfly

Fahl, Mary - From The Dark Side Of The Moon

Ferry, Bryan - Boys and Girls

Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (1975) - Rumours - Tusk - Mirage - Say You Will

Foreigner - Foreigner

Foundations - Very Best Of

Franklin, Aretha - best of


Gabriel, Peter - Up

Gallagher, Rory - Big Guns (Best Of)

Garfunkel, Art - Breakaway

Gaye, Marvin - Lets Get It On

Genesis - Overview of all - Nursery Cryme - Foxtrot - Selling England By The Pound - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - And Then There Were Three - Duke - Abacab

Gentle Giant - Three Piece Suite - Octopus - The Power and The Glory - Free Hand - Interview

Gilmour, Dave - On An Island

Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead

Guns And Roses - Appetite For Destruction


Hackett, Steve - Voyage Of The Acolyte - Broken Skies, Outspread Wings - At The Edge Of Light

Herbie Hancock - Headhunters - Sextant

Hendrix, Jimi - Electric Ladyland


Inxs - Kick

Iron Maiden - Dance Of Death


Jakszyk, Jakko - Secrets and Lies

Jarre, Jean Michel - Oxygene

Jethro Tull - Benefit - Aqualung - Thick As A Brick - A Passion Play/ Chateau d'Herouville - War Child - Minstrel In The Gallery - Too Old To Rock and Roll ... - Heavy Horses - Stormwatch - TAAB 2

Joel, Billy - Streetlife Serenade - The Stranger - 52nd Street

John, Elton - Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection - Madman Across The Water - Honky Chateau - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Johnson, Eric - Ah Via Musicom


Kansas - The Absence Of Presence

Katatonia - Dethroned and Uncrowned

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - The Traveller

King, Carole - Tapestry

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King 40th and 50th - Islands - Lark's Tongues In Aspic - Red - Beat - Thrak - (re)Construkction Of Light - The Power To Believe

Knopfler, Mark - Sailing To Philadelphia - Shangri La

Kooper, Al (with Bloomfield and Stills) - Super Sessions

Kraftwork - 3d catalog - Autobahn - Man Machine


Led Zeppelin - Song Remains The Same

Lennon, John - Imagine, Ultimate Edition

Living Colour - Collideoscope

Love And Rockets - Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Southern Surroundings


Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire

Manheim Steamroller - Fresh Aire 8 - Christmas Celebration

Marillion - Script For A Jester's Tear - Misplaced Childhood - Brave - Afraid Of Sunlight

Marley, Bob - Legend

McCartney, Paul - The McCartney Years

Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell

Mike Keneally and Beer For Dolphins - Sluggo!

Monk, Thelonius - Supreme Jazz

Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed - In Search Of The Lost Chord - A Question Of Balance - Seventh Sojourn

Morrison, Van - Moondance

Mussorgsky, Modeste - Carlo Ponti - Pictures At An Exhibition+

Motorhead - Ace Of Spades

Mott The Hoople - Mott The Hoople

Mozart - 40th Symphony - Rene Jacobs Le Nozze Di Figaro (The Marriage Of Figaro)

 

Nektar - Journey To The Centre of The Eye

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity - The First Born Is Dead - The Good Son - Henry's Dream - No More Shall We Part - Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus - Dig Lazarus Dig

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

No Man - Schoolyard Ghosts - Together We're Stranger

Numan, Gary - Anthology


Oldfield, Mike - Tubular Bells - Ommadawn - Five Miles Out - Crises - overview - Return To Ommadawn

Opeth - Ghost Reveries - Deliverance / Damnation - Pale Communion - Sorcerous - In Cauda Venenum


Pat Metheny Group - Imaginary Day

Pineapple Thief - Dissolution - Your Wilderness and 8 Years Later - Versions Of The Truth

Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother - Meddle - Dark Side Of The Moon - Wish You Were Here - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - The Division Bell - Endless River

Pixies - Doolittle

Poco - Seven/Cantamos

The Police - Every Breath You Take the dvd

Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream - Lightbulb Sun - In Absentia (deluxe version 1) - Update on fixed copy - Deadwing - Fear Of A Blank Planet

Presley, Elvis - 30 #1 hits

Pure Prairie League - Two Lane Highway/If The Shoe Fits


Queen - A Night At The Opera - The Game

Queensryche - Tribe


REM - Document - Green - Out Of Time - Automatic For The People - Monster - Around The Sun

Renaissance - Turn Of The Cards

Return to Forever - Musicmagic

Rich, Charlie - Behind Closed Doors

Riverside - Love, Fear And The Time Machine - Wasteland

Rolling Stones - Goat's Head Soup

Roxy Music - Roxy Music - Avalon

Rundgren, Todd - Liars

Rush - Fly By Night - 2112 - A Farewell To Kings (Wilson version) - Hemispheres - Moving Pictures - Signals - Snakes And Arrows

Sakamoto, Ryuichi - Async

Santana - Santana - Abraxas dts - Abraxas cdjapan - Live with Buddy Miles - Lotus

Shankar & Gingger - One In A Million

Simple Minds - Sparkle In The Rain

Sly And The Family Stone - Greatest Hits

Soord, Bruce - All This Will Be Yours

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger - Superunknown

Squackett - A Life In A Day

Squire, Chris - Fish Out Of Water

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle

Sting - Nothing Like The Sun

Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion (Wilson and Åkerfeldt)
Sylvian , David - Manafon


Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food - Fear Of Music - Remain In Light - Speaking in Tongues - Little Creatures -True Stories - Naked

Tangerine Dream - Phaedra - Ricochet

Taylor, James - JT

Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker Neeme Jarvi

Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair - Seeds Of Love

Temple Of The Dog - Temple Of The Dog

Tesseract - Polaris

Thomas, Michael Tilson - Orff, Beethoven, Gershwin - Carmina Burana, An American In Paris, Rhapsody In Blue + more

Thompson, Richard - Rumour And Sigh

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes

Tomita - Firebird

Toto - IV

Townsend, Devin - Empath

Townshend, Pete/Lane, Ronnie - Rough Mix

Transatlantic - The Absolute Universe

Travis And Fripp - Follow

T Rex - Electric Warrior


Uk - Night After Night

Ultravox - Vienna

Uriah Heep - Gold From The Byron Era - Best Of vol II


Velvet Underground - Re-Loaded


Wakeman, Rick - Six Wives Of Henry The Eighth

Waters, Roger - Amused to Death

Wayne, Jeff - War Of The Worlds

Weather Report - Tale Spinnin'

Who - Tommy - Quadrophenia

Wilson, Steven - Insurgentes - Grace For Drowning - The Raven That Refused To Sing - Hand. Cannot. Erase. - 4 1/2 - To The Bone - The Future Bites

Wings - Band On The Run - Venus And Mars

Wishbone Ash - Bare Bones


XTC - Drums And Wires - The Black Sea - Oranges and Lemons - Nonsuch


Yes - The Yes Album - Fragile - Close To The Edge - Tale Of Topographic Oceans - Relayer

Young, Neil - Harvest - Greendale


Zappa - Quaudiophiliac - Halloween

 

Hey wait - isn't today Saturday?

 

Despite the success documented in your post, this one doesn't seem to get much favorable response, at least on this forum. And that's too bad, imo, as Volta stands as tall as anything else in the catalog.

If nothing else, the surround version should encourage further listening and enjoyment. Though it's safe to say that Björk's surround releases are among the best in the business.

I caught the tour, and it was fantastic. The 10-piece brass / chorale was amazing. Even more amazing was how Björk retooled the "oldies" to fit the current configuration.

I'd recommend this to anyone, esp insofar as it can be easily found on the cheap.

 

Don't let him muscle in on your territory!

 

Yes indeed... but I have been off all week ... I had to do something lol

 

lol

 

It was the fact that you did a new index already that made me think you were going to get up and go to work tomorrow.

 

lol
Nah, I just don't like it to get away from me. Particularly when there are two damn lists to sort out

 

Still catching up due to trying to survive through the great frozen Texas Blackout of 2021, but can only saw after a review like this, I was as excited to get power back not just for heat and survival but to get online and order this !

 

Glad you're ok mate, sounded like a fiasco.
Arkansas got a lot of snow, which is rare, but we didn't get the issues you guys had

 

Lady in Satin


Studio album by
Billie Holiday
Released June 1958[1][2]
Recorded 19–21 February 1958
Studio Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City, New York
Genre Vocal jazz
Length 44:36
Label Columbia
Producer Irving Townsend

Lady in Satin is an album by jazz singer Billie Holiday released in 1958 on Columbia Records, catalogue CL 1157 in mono and CS 8048 in stereo. It is the penultimate album completed by the singer and last released in her lifetime (her final album, Last Recording, being recorded in March 1959 and released just after her death). The original album was produced by Irving Townsend, and engineered by Fred Plaut.

Performers and musicians

• Billie Holiday – lead vocals
• Ray Ellis – conductor
• Claus Ogerman – arranger
• George Ockner – violin and concertmaster
• Emmanual Green - violin
• Harry Hoffman - violin
• Harry Katzmann - violin
• Leo Kruczek - violin
• Milton Lomask - violin
• Harry Meinikoff - violin
• David Newman - violin
• Samuel Rand - violin
• David Sarcer - violin
• Sid Brecher - viola
• Richard Dichler - viola
• David Soyer - cello
• Maurice Brown - cello
• Janet Putman - harp
• Danny Bank - flute
• Phil Bodner - flute
• Romeo Penque - flute
• Tom Parshley - flute
• Mel Davis - trumpet (solos on "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "But Beautiful")
• Billy Butterfield - trumpet
• Jimmy Ochner - trumpet
• Bernie Glow - trumpet
• J.J. Johnson - trombone (solo on "Glad to be Unhappy and "I Get Along Without you (Except Sometimes)")
• Urbie Green - trombone (solos on "I'm a Fool to Want You" and "It's Easy to Remember")
• Jack Green - trombone
• Tommy Mitchell - bass trombone
• Mal Waldron - piano
• Barry Galbraith - guitar
• Milt Hinton - bass
• Osie Johnson - drums
• Elise Bretton - backing vocals
• Miriam Workman - backing vocals

1 I'm A Fool To Want You 3:23
2 For Heaven's Sake 3:26
3 You Don't Know What Love Is 3:48
4 I Get Along Without You Very Well 2:59
5 For All We Know 2:53
6 Violets For Your Furs 3:24
7 You've Changed 3:17
8 It's Easy To Remember 4:01
9 But Beautiful 4:29
10 Glad To Be Unhappy 4:07
11 I'll Be Around 3:23
----------------------------------------------
I guess in this day and age, and artist like Billie Holiday is somewhat of an outlier. Obviously a legend, but not generally what the general public want to here. She had, I guess, a somewhat unusual voice, but, and it is all merely subjective opinion, she had a way of channelling emotion through that voice that was quite wonderful.
She was born April 7th, 1915, Eleanora Fagan, and had a turbulent childhood, that resulted in a somewhat rebellious streak. Essentially seeming to be thrown from house to house... There is debate about who her father actually is.
Around the age of 12 she heard Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith, and was very influenced by both. She stated West End Blues had been an "intriguing influence".
When she was 14 she moved back in with her mother who started working in a local brothel and then Holiday was essentially thrown into some kind of bizarre sex trafficking thing ... and eventually her mother's house was raided, and both were thrown in jail. Billie was released not too long afterwards, in October 1929.

Soon after this she started singing in nightclubs around Harlem.
In 1932, at the age of seventeen she replaced Monette Moore, singing at Covan's, a club on West 132nd street. John Hammond, who had been a fan of Moore, ended up hearing Holiday in 1933. Hammond arranged for her to record a couple of songs, and so she made her debut at the age of 18, in November of 1933. Riffin' The Scotch was one of the songs and is considered a bit of a hit, selling 5000 copies.
In 1935 Hammond got her signed to Brunswick to record pop tunes with pianist Teddy Wilson.
She went on to work with Count Basie and Artie Shaw in 37/38. She has a long a storied career in the music industry that was somewhat documented in Lady Sings The Blues.

Holiday had long, and in the end fatal battles with drugs and alcohol, and passed away July 17 1959, I believe of cirrhosis.
Billie Holiday's legacy, is a wealth of distinctive music, with a story behind it of deep sadness.
This was her second last album, recorded not long before she died. Released in 1958, I am not sure what kind of tape machines and such they were using, but when I saw this release in surround, I had to get it, just to see what we had.

Amazon has a couple of copies of this from about $32 https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Satin-B...y+in+satin+sacd&qid=1613912983&s=music&sr=1-1
Discogs has 6 copies from about $39.99 Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin (2002, SACD)

Mixed and Mastered by Richard King

So lets see what they were able to do.

Ok. What we seem to have is not so much, multi track mixing.
I am guessing we may have had two or three tracks to work with, and a surround environment has been created from that.

The music is essentially based on orchestral arrangements, and we do have sound in all the speakers.
Billie's voice is virtually solo in the centre channel. We do have a little bit of vocal in the front stereo speakers, and the right rear.
Being sacd the sound is very good obviously.
What we have here, certainly isn't mono in the middle of the room.
It is also not stereo, pushed out to the rears.
It doesn't really qualify as a true 5.1, probably, because of the technology used to record it.

So what is it?

Essentially we have a very nice sounding mix that is .... I suppose a kind of an augmented 3.0.
I say augmented, because obviously we have a feel of immersion, predominantly due to there being sound in all 5 speakers. The vocal in the centre helps to kind of break up the sort of broad, bigger than stereo mix that we have here.

Musically, we have a kind of torch song album, that works in a soothing way. There isn't really anything on here that comes across as harsh. It is all melodic, and mellow.
This is a woman who has lived a life, and knows how to channel her heart through her voice, and in spite of that voice not being in its prime anymore, it still communicates, due to its heart.

So, kind of summarizing it all.
If you want some Billie Holiday in surround, this is a good sounding disc, and you will have a pleasant, mildly immersive experience.

The nature of orchestral style music has a natural ability to sound surroundish with very little messing, because it covers such a broad band of sound, frequencies and textures.

If you enjoy Billie Holiday, I think I can recommend the album.
As for the surround side of things, I suppose to some degree using a program on your receiver would give a similar effect, but i think it may be slightly better than that.
So it's a hard call as to whether this version is worth you getting or not.
If someone else has this, please give us your thoughts on it.

 

Bachman-Turner Overdrive I and II


Studio albums by Bachman–Turner Overdrive
Released May 17, 1973 and December, 1973
Recorded 1972-1973
Studio RCA Studios, Toronto (I) and Kaye-Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington (II)
Genre Hard rock
Length 34:57, 39:07
Label Mercury
Producer Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Randy Bachman

Bachman–Turner Overdrive is the self-titled debut album by Canadian rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive, released in 1973. It was originally to be titled Brave Belt III, as Brave Belt was the name of the group before they became Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Although this album did not produce a true hit single ("Blue Collar" only managed to reach #68 on the U.S. Billboard charts), it was certified "Gold" by the RIAA in 1974, largely pulled up by strong sales of BTO's two subsequent albums (Bachman–Turner Overdrive II and Not Fragile).

Bachman–Turner Overdrive II is the second album by Canadian rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive, released in 1973. The album features the well-known single "Takin' Care of Business." Though it never cracked the Top 10 on the U.S. singles charts (reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974), it became one of the band's most enduring hits and stayed on the Billboard chart for 20 weeks. The album also produced another hit single, "Let It Ride", which peaked at #23 on the Billboard chart. Both singles would reach #3 on the Canadian RPM charts.

Personnel
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Randy Bachman - lead guitar, backing and co-lead vocals
Tim Bachman - rhythm guitar, backing, lead and co-lead vocals
C.F. Turner - bass, lead and backing vocals
Robbie Bachman - drums, percussion

Additional Musicians
BTO I
Barry Keane - congas
Will MacCalder - piano
Garry Peterson - percussion, drums, background vocals

BTO II
Norman Durkee - piano

Track listing
BTO I
No. Title Writer(s) Lead Vocals Length
1. "Gimme Your Money Please" C.F. Turner Turner 4:41
2. "Hold Back the Water" Randy Bachman, Rob Bachman, Kirk Kelly Turner 5:06
3. "Blue Collar" C.F. Turner Turner 6:10
4. "Little Gandy Dancer" Randy Bachman Turner 4:22
5. "Stayed Awake All Night" Randy Bachman Randy and Tim Bachman 4:07
6. "Down and Out Man" Tim Bachman, Randy Bachman Tim Bachman 3:12
7. "Don't Get Yourself in Trouble" Randy Bachman Turner and Randy 4:54
8. "Thank You for the Feelin'" C.F. Turner Turner 4:07

BTO II
No. Title Writer(s) Lead Vocals Length
1. "Blown" R. Bachman, T. Bachman T. Bachman 4:18
2. "Welcome Home" R. Bachman R. Bachman 5:29
3. "Stonegates" Turner Turner 5:35
4. "Let It Ride" R. Bachman, Turner Turner 4:27
5. "Give It Time" Turner Turner 5:44
6. "Tramp" R. Bachman, Robbie Bachman R. Bachman 4:02
7. "I Don't Have to Hide" T. Bachman T. Bachman 4:22
8. "Takin' Care of Business" R. Bachman R. Bachman 4:50
_______

The quad mixes were originally CD-4 releases that were only on 8-tracks tapes in the US, but there were also LPS released in Japan. However, they are also on a new Dutton Vocalion SACD release that contains both. The cover looks like this:



Quad mixes by ?

BTO I
"Gimme Your Money Please"
Guitar in rear, bass and drums in front, and lead vocals in surround -which I don’t like. Shaker in the rear. There are backing vocals that I think are also in surround, but it’s hard to tell because the lead vocals dominate. Same problem I had with a Sting concert.

"Hold Back the Water"
Front and back guitar, with lead guitar in front. Lead vocals in front, backing vocals in the rear. Drums and bass in front, plus some percussion (clapping perhaps) in the rear.

"Blue Collar"
Front and back guitar, with lead guitar in back. Lead vocals in front, drums and bass and piano in front, some additional percussion in the rear. Blues song – doesn’t sound like classic BTO, but really nice. Lead guitar solo jumps all four speakers. Drums show up in rear at the end.

"Little Gandy Dancer"
Front and back guitar, with lead guitar in back. Bass and lead vocals in front, drums in surround. Backing vocals in rear.

"Stayed Awake All Night"
Front and back guitar, with lead guitar in front. Bass and lead vocals in front, drums in surround. Backing vocals in rear, but chorus is in surround.

"Down and Out Man"
I think this one has left and right guitar, wouldn’t call either one the lead. Lead, drums, bass in front, additional percussion in the rear. Backing vocals left and right too.

"Don't Get Yourself in Trouble"
Front and back guitar, with lead guitar in rear. Lead vocals in front, backing vocals in the rear. Drums and bass in front, plus additional percussion in the rear. Dueling guitars with one front left, the other in the rear. Backing vocals in rear at the end.

"Thank You for the Feelin'"
Acoustic guitar in surround, electric guitar in rear. Bass, drums in front, lead vocals in surround again. I think the backing vocals are in front. Very similar to the mix on the first track.

BTO II
"Blown"
Drums, and bass in front, lead vocals in surround again, there are two guitar that don’t seem to stay put. One of the guitars swirls in surround on the big guitar hook, which is very cool. Backing vocals in front. More guitar in the back than the front, often left and right.

"Welcome Home"
Bass and drums in front, lead vocals and just one guitar in surround. Lead guitar come in mostly on right, but it jumps around and swirls a bit.

"Stonegates"
Same sort of mix, but this has backing vocals that are just in the rear, ryhtym guiar in surround, non-stationary lead guitar. Settles down to left and right guitar down the stretch.

"Let It Ride"
Starts with front and back guitar, bass and drums in front. Backing vocals in the rear and left front, then lead vocals in surround (bummer). Lead guitar solo and the mix starts traveling.

"Give It Time"
Starts of with drums in front, additional percussion in the rear. Rhythm guitar and lead vocals in surround. Nonstationary lead guitar.

"Tramp"
Front and back guitars to start, with lead in front along with bass and droms. Lead vocals in surround. Lead guitar stays put in front.

"I Don't Have to Hide"
Same mix with front and back guitars, but there are occasional backing vocals that drown out the lead in the rear, which is good. Lead guitar solo starts wandering.

"Takin' Care of Business"
Lead guitar in front, piano and rhythm guitar in rear. Lead vocals in surround, backing vocals in rear. Nice surround track, but too bad about the lead vocals
______

I’ve been getting by with just a CD compilation for BTO. I may have had the second album as an LP. These are both very good albums, but I wouldn’t quite call either one a classic. As for the surround, I’m not a big fan of having lead vocals coming from all four speakers. Only two of the tracks had that problem on the first album, but it’s like that the whole way through on the second one. The lead guitar is pretty wonky on the second one too, but that’s at least a little bit interesting. On the whole, I think I’ll stick to listening to the second one in stereo.

BTO I: 2/3
BTO II: 2/2

 

Overkill


Studio album by
Motörhead
Released 24 March 1979
Recorded December 1978–January 1979[1]
Studio Roundhouse Studios and Sound Development Studios, London[1]
Genre Heavy metal hard rock speed metal
Length 35:15
Label Bronze
Producer Jimmy Miller, Neil Richmond[1]

Overkill is the second studio album by the band Motörhead, released 24 March 1979. It was the band's first album with Bronze Records. Kerrang! magazine listed the album at #46 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".[2]

Gerry Bron of Bronze Records admits:

"..The first time I heard Motörhead was when I listened to a single that I put out without hearing, which is "Louie Louie," and when I heard it I was absolutely horrified. I thought it was the worst record I've ever heard, so it was a bit of a shock. The bigger shock was, having put out a record I thought was terrible, it went straight into the charts at #72. But I actually put the record out as a favour.."

In the 2011 book Overkill: The Untold Story of Motörhead, biographer Joel McIver quotes guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke:

"..We had so many false starts and disappointments by the time Overkill came around in 1978 we had stored up a lot of energy and ideas – and we were just waiting for the opportunity to show what we could do. Also we had a great following, and we always felt we owed the fans who had been with us from the beginning.."

Speaking to James McNair of Mojo in 2011, vocalist and bassist Lemmy concurred:

"..by the time of Overkill we were getting our sound together.."

• Lemmy – bass, vocals, first solo on “Stay Clean”, second guitar solo on "Limb From Limb"
• "Fast" Eddie Clarke – guitars
• Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – drums

Production

• Jimmy Miller – producer, remixer
• Neil Richmond – producer ("Louie Louie", "Tear Ya Down")
• Ashley Howe – engineer
• Trevor Hallesy – engineer
• Giovanni Scatola – mastering (2005 remaster)
• Joe Petagno – cover design
• Curt Evans – cover design (2005 remaster)

2005 deluxe edition remaster

• Steve Hammonds – release coordination
• Jon Richards – release coordination
• Malcolm Dome – sleeve notes
• Mick Stevenson – project consultant, photos and archive memorabilia

1 Overkill 5:14
2 Stay Clean 2:41
3 (I Won´t) Pay Your Price 2:56
4 I´ll Be Your Sister 2:54
5 Capricorn 4:09
6 No Class 2:40
7 Damage Case 3:03
8 Tear Ya Down 2:41
9 Metropolis 3:36
10 Limb From Limb 5:00
11 Too Late, Too Late (B-side of Overkill) 3:25
12 Like A Nightmare (B-side of No Class) 4:27
13 Louie, Louie 2:44
14 Tear Ya Down (Instrumental Version) 2:36
15 Louie, Louie (Alternative Version) 2:55
-----------------------------------------------------------
So we went through the Motorhead - Ace Of Spades album, on ....the Silverline Weekend and it sounded pretty decent, but it is certainly possible that is was typical of a lot of the Silverline DVD-a's.

Here we have Overkill.... Now Overkill is actually the second Motorhead album, and the debut was Motorhead .... For some reason I always used to think Ace Of Spades was the debut, so if you were under the same misunderstanding as me -
On Parole was actually the first album recorded by the band, and should have been released in 1976, but was released in December 1979, after the success of Overkill and Bomber
Motorhead is generally considered to be the debut album, even by the band, and was released in 1977 ... half the album is the same songs as On Parole, but re-recorded
Overkill was released in March 1979
Bomber was released in October 1979
Ace Of Spades was released in November 1980
No Sleep Til Hammersmith was released in June 1981..... and it worked as a full stop at the end of a sentence, and many consider it one of the great live albums.

I have listened to this before, but it has been a long while ... I mean we have been doing this thread for nearly two years or something lol

Anyway ....

dvd-a released in 2001
Discogs has three copies starting at about $54 Motörhead – Overkill (2001, Dolby Digital 5.1 , DVD)
Amazon has two copies from about $79 https://www.amazon.com/Overkill-Motorhead/dp/B00009UVYL

Dual disc released in 2005
Discogs has 4 copies from about $36 Motörhead – Overkill (2005, Hybrid)

5.1 mix James Stone
Mastering Adrian Van Velsen

So looking at the basic layout and info, it seems like this may be a legit remix, so lets see what this has in store for us.

Overkill
The kicks gave sub assist on them
The centre speaker here is a sort of ambient speaker, it has sound but nothing defined.
The vocals are in the front stereo speakers.
The first three minutes are essentially a front mix, withe sound in the rears, but nothing distinct.
At that point there is a fake finish.
Then at four minutes there is another fake finish, and we get cymbals and a snare in the rear.... at five minutes we get that again for the songs finish

Stay Clean
The bass gets some sub assist here.
The drums seem too quiet.
There's a guitar in the centre channel.
The bass is on the front stereo speakers.
We have drums in the rears also

Pay Your Price
Same kind of sound here.

I'll Be Your Sister
Cymbals in the rears.... a bit of guitar on the right side

Capricorn
Cymbals in the back
We get a lead guitar (single effected note) that floats off into the middle of the room

No Class
Essentially a sort of metal/punk re-write of Tush.
The rhythm guitars kind of in the middle of the room.

and so it goes .....

If this was about ten bucks and you love Motorhead, I'd say it isn't going to hurt you to get it....
It isn't anything particularly special, and it isn't worth forty bucks or more.

 

Spiral


Studio album by
Hiromi
Released January 16, 2006
Recorded May 28–31, 2005
Studio Blackbird Studios, Studio D, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre Jazz, jazz fusion
Length 65:38 / 73:09 (incl. bonus track)
Label Telarc
Producer Hiromi Uehara, Michael Bishop

Spiral is a studio album by Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara with bassist Tony Grey and drummer Martin Valihora. NPR called the album "part classical, part jazz and part simply unclassifiable."[4]

• Hiromi Uehara – piano
• Tony Grey – bass
• Martin Valihora – drums

1 Spiral 10:04

Music For Three-Piece Orchestra
2 Open Door - Tuning - Prologue 10:15
3 Déjà Vu 7:45
4 Reverse 5:09
5 Edge 5:19

6 Old Castle, By The River, In The Middle Of A Forest 8:20
7 Love And Laughter 9:02
8 Return Of Kung-Fu World Champion 9:39
-----------------------------------------------------------

** Recorded live in the studio direct to DSD (Direct Stream Digital) at Blackbird Studios, Studio D, Nashville, Tennessee, May 28 - 31, 2005. **
** Mixed at Blackbird Studios, Studio A, June 15 - 17, 2005. **

-----------------------------------------------------------

I know very little about Hiromi, but I was recommended to have a listen on this thread (thanks @gd0 ) , and she is a wonderful piano player.

Discogs 2 copies from about $22 Hiromi – Spiral (2006, 5.1 Surround, SACD)
another pressing Discogs 1 copy at bout $30 Hiromi – Spiral (2006, 5.1 Surround, SACD)

Music stack has a cd/dvd (with dts audio track) for $28.44 + shipping, new. Hiromi - Spiral 2-CD (CD) For Sale
ebay has this cd/dvd for $24.99 Hiromi - "Spiral" - ( 2 CD SET - Telarc Digital / DTS Digital Surround ) 89408363122 | eBay

If you end up liking this Hiromi has several albums available on sacd- multichannel - Another Mind - Brain - Beyond Standard ... you may have to hunt around if they interest you though.

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Michael Bishop

For the record, my copy of this is the dts disc... dts 96/24

Spiral
With Telarc, and this being essentially a live in the studio, direct to dsd recording, I'm not completely sure what to expect here, but good mic'ing and mixing should still give us good surround, and I expect great sound.
We start with a gentle intro, feeling our way in.
It builds nicely, and we get the piano swarm every corner of the room, as if there is more than one, beautifully recorded.
The bass has excellent sub assist.
Hats left rear, snare front, nice sub assist on kick.
This breaks down into a bass lead, and Hiromi obviously has a synth around as well, as she has a synth chord backup .
The bass line from her piano to my right, and the synth seems to be from the left side to the right rear.
We break back into the main theme, a beautiful dynamic drop comes in.
The bass warm and round melodically rolls along up front.
The drums continue occupying that left rear, and front zone.
The piano has a gentle improvisation.
There are crash cymbals in various spots.
We move back into a variation on the theme and the drummer plays a nice accented type of lead.
The we move into another variation on the theme.
Really nice sound, and excellent dynamics.
Good sounding mix, it is full sounding, and we have immersion that works well.

Open Door
We have a gentle chord pattern growing in intensity and a wandering melodic piano.
We get cymbal strikes left and right, and those hats are still left rear.
The wandering melody breaks, and the feel changes.
The bass breaks into a melancholy type melodic theme, and the piano plays counter melody.
The drums still playing cymbal accents, then breaks into the kit.
Then everything snaps together, and the drummer moves into a jazz groove, and we get a fluttering chord pattern with moving bass end chords.
Then we move into a melodic theme.
I would think anyone that enjoys three piece jazz styling, with piano, is going to enjoy this.
We enter a reflective passage, and the dynamic raise and lower, and we get parts that feel semi-classical, parts that almost feel like a kind of mellow funk.
Some really nice modulations also add to the whole track.

Deja Vu
We open with a bouncy staccato feel.
The bass guitar and piano play a really nice unison section, and then we move into a rolling melodic section.
We mellow out, and the piano plays some nice chord passages, while the bass plays a nice melodic lead, with some delay, that has sends, causing a kind of fall into the rears sound, feeling.
The piano moves through some alternate phrasings while the bass is doing its thing.
Then we move into another section with a sort of cocktail lounge feel. The bass and drums holding the bed together, while the piano explores the melodic possibilities.
We get some really cool musical landscapes.

Reverse
We open with a kind of intense walking bass thing on the piano and it has layers of chords.
Then we move into a sort of fast shuffle, that breaks into some almost classic piano bar styling.
Then the dynamic drops, and we get a cool bass line, and the drums holding to a nice accent based rhythm, and the piano again explores the melodic possibilities.
It is very cool how I can hear so many various musical styles within this album, and it's really interesting movements.

We are certainly getting a nice full sound field, but it isn't like a multi-track recording.
I have never recorded a real piano, so my knowledge of the mic'ing techniques required here, are non existent... but it sound full and excellent.

Edge
This starts off immediately reflecting the title, with a nice odd time signature groove, that is certainly edgy, but very listenable.
The piano bass and bass guitar again lock into a wonderful unison groove, while the piano's right hand has a lot of musical fun.
The drummer breaks into an excellent, vicious drum lead. While the bass and piano maintain that awesome punchy groove.
Then we break into this beautiful rolling melodic phrasing, that is interspersed with the punchy groove a couple of times, then has some free rain.
Then we move into a variation on the punchy groove theme again.
This is a marvelous piece of music.... and even some of the rock guys that aren't so much into jazz may like this.

Old Castle, By the river, In a forest
The piano opens us up with a scene setting intro.
The we move into this almost dancing melodic phrase.

In many spots, some quite surprising surround moments occur, and it is mainly to do with the mic'ing of the piano, it's excellent. So often it sounds like more than three instrumentalists.

This is a really breezy track, and taking the title into account, it starts like a brisk walk through a forest, on a really nice day.
Then we break into the slow beautifully melodic section that feels like lazing by the river, and just soaking up the atmosphere.
This track has a wonderful smoothness to it that is very accessible and enjoyable.
Shaker in the left rear.
Then we move back to the bouncing brisk walk through the forest.

Love And Laughter
We open with this stab of piano that fills the rears... we sort of move into a jazz blues. It has a staggered kind of phrasing that is super effective.
Then we burst into an almost boogie type scenario.
The feel here is superb.
If course this classifies as jazz, but here we just get this breezy kind of blue-jazz ... that I really love. It was this kind of stuff via Miles Davis, that opened up the jazz door for me.
Really great track, for me.

Return Of The Kung Fu World Champion
We get a wash of synths around the room.
A swell of another synth comes in up front.
We break into this awesome rhythmically excellent, almost techno tune.
Then it all melts to the centre, and we get different tones and this baby just slides into another series of extremely immersive synth stuff.
Then we break to a piano bass camp and a lead bass with a squlech of synth in the right. Drums on the right.
Then we break into this unison and harmonised run that is crazy but quite brilliant.
This track is crazy, but it is excellent, and it is certainly entertaining.
Towards the end it moves into this light melodic rolling thing and the surprises just don't stop.
The last two minutes almost sound like something Steve Vai might do.
Then for the closing minute we move back into the wild unison sort of riffing.

There is also a video of Kung Fu World Champion live at Yokohama blitz Nov. 26 2004.

Ok, I really loved that, I ordered Another Mind also... Hopefully Brain will have an affordable copy available at some point ... I'm not going to bust out a hundred for it at this stage.

I think that fans of jazz piano will really like this. Hiromi is an excellent player, but more importantly she has some excellent musical ideas, and between all the tracks we have here, we have a really nice stylistic spread too.
Then we get a pretty cool surprise at the end there also.
I think the surround sounds very good, but up until the last track, it obviously isn't a layered multitrack recording with everything, everywhere. It is a really well mic'd piano, and drum kit, that cover the soundfield well based on what is being played.
With the piano it seems like the intensity of the key strike effects where the sound travels to, and also where on the keyboard she is playing.
With the drums it is about what he is hitting, and they seem to get good separation between the kit pieces.
Aside from the little delay section I spoke of, the bass stays solid up the front.
The last track is, I suppose, the surround delight here, as it has all sorts of stuff going on, and is very entertaining in a completely different way to the rest of the album.

Everybody has their own thing, but for me this is an excellent addition to the collection, and I reckon if you like this style of music, as best as I have tried to describe it, the 25-30 bucks gives this a high probability of pleasing the buyer. It is certainly worth trying out at that price., in my opinion.

This is not off the album, I couldn't find anything of the album specifically. This is a concert version of
Old Castle, By The River, In A Forest

 

ok I'm in for Asynch...
Not a lot of options for purchasing, can't even get through CD Japan, I used Ark Square based on your recommendation.
Not sure exactly what I just bought but based on your review I'm in for a treat

....Oh and I just ordered Empath finally as well....

 

Lol. Async is really interesting.
To me Empath is just sensational, but I am a big Devin Townsend fan

 

it's hard to find stereo in 1958 much less surround, so a great joy even if it's a 3 track recording. An all time fave of mine. I've loved this album for 50 years now....

 

More Pineapple Thief from me: this time my first audition of 8 Years Later/Your Wilderness ... in that order for no apparent reason.

1. “Strung Out”. Nice secure drums in the sub-channel with good volume all around, making it rewarding to move my head left & right.
2. “Dawn Again”. The drum kit is quite clearly situated off to the front left, vocals all around me (maybe a bit gimmicky but now such a common device that you almost don't notice it any more). It feels like an idealised headphone mix. Solo breaks are rather listless. Birds ambience again.
3. “Ritual”. Again, a lot of depth and presence in the drums. Instrumental. The simple guitar figure split across the channel makes a texture. Guitar tone on the solos again rather disappointing. Very sporadic use of the centre channel so far on his album. Piano tone very muddy ... deliberately so I'm sure but I don't care for it. Birds again.
4. “The Toil”. Fairly simple acoustic guitar arpeggio with Mellotron and almost apologetic vocals mixed quite low. Guitar again disappointing. Bland song.
5. “Hallucinations and Delusions”. Industrial noise, slowburn opening. Drum loops don't sound quite right. Rabdom electronic squonks. Cathedral reverb on wordless vocals: sounds quite saturated. Electric guitar better this time, centre stage. Panning delay. Train ambience.
6. “The Confined Escape”. Synth arpeggio over train ambience. Beatbox rhythm track. Sounds like Travelogue-era Human League. I don't mind this sort of thing and I like the way that they stick with it for a long time before bringing in the “main theme” on electric guitar & synth. Tannoy ambience.
7. “Our Shelter”. Cool synth effect drifts off to the rear left, shouting “wake up! wake up!”. Very Porcupine Tree-esque guitar. Pad sounds drift left and right, then we're in it with some proper drums and acoustic guitars. The vocals are veiled but the channeling is very full. Choral pad.

The songwriting on 21 Days is really quite vestigial and it sounds as though Bruce Soord had a new set of plug-ins to mess with so wrote the entire album as a studio exercise. The weak lead guitar throughout makes me think that Soord played all of that himself. Overall, decent surround, variable sonics, okay music.

Back with more soonish.

 

[Continued] The Bonus Acoustic Album. I liked the acoustic album quite a lot on Di§olution so we'll see:

1. “Fend For Yourself”. Too much reverb on the vocals again on this short song ... that's a Soord mannerism that he needs to check a bit.
2. “Tear You Up”. Nice acoustic guitar tone with the sense (probably illusory) of a real acoustic. Oh, the big heavy riffs on acoustic sound grrreatt ... lovely sonics.
3. “No Man's Land.” Classic acoustic arpeggio with typical but subtle chorus. Nice pure backing vocals: I like it when Soord does this. Wordless vocalisation over likeable driving chords ending on ringing note. Nice.
4. “That Shore.” Not so acoustic ... electric guitar & synth although there's a piano there doing most of the work. Too much reverb again. Nice use of synth. Good.
5. “The Final Thing On My Mind.” The opening reminds me of the start of Dave Matthews' “Two Step”. Obnoxious modulated delay on vocals but the song is quite enjoyable and stretches out effectively in the middle section with good variation in the arrangement. That acoustic guitar is really quite well recorded. Drum thumps are on the guitar body I think ... yes, good, looking forward to hearing the studio album version of this. Spanish guitar solo is the first lead work on this bonus album.
6. “Fend For Yourself [featuring The Anchoress]”. I've heard of The Anchoress but not listened to her. She has that breathy thing going and her vocal hangs quite well with Soord's. Nice touch of Acker Bilk in that clarinet. Massed vocals. Ending felt abrupt.

When is a bonus album not a bonus album? When it's a Bruce Soord bonus album. This set of acoustic songs is enough to stand as an album in its own right ... not a great album maybe but one well worth owning and it’s nice to hear surround used largely to create an acoustic environment rather than (principally) for sound effects. (In fact the effects are rather heavy-handed and largely unwelcome compared with the guitars.)

So, now the main event: Your Wilderness:

1. “In Exile”. Merely pleasant up until the lead guitar takes over against a lively drum accompaniment, when it shifts up a gear. The ringing synth effects at the end are nice.
2. “No Man's Land”. Similar start to the acoustic version. Nice drumming here with lovely little splashes on the crotales. Quite full now with multiple electric guitars before a disappointingly sudden end.
3. “Tear It Up”. The full band version feels very conventional in a band arrangement with the riffs on electric sounding less exciting than they should.
4. “That Shore”. Again, close to the acoustic version though I think that I preferred the soundstage on that. Bass synth. Interesting delayed electronic percussion effect ... probably overused.
5. “Take Your Shot”. Nice riff on acoustic guitar gives the start of the song a fresh feeling. Nice work from Gavin Harrison. Not loving the refrain ... maybe it’ll grow on me. Guitar solo is a relief. Okay.
6. “Fend For Yourself”. Can't say that this song is making great headway with me ... this version is very similar to the acoustic bonus version though now with chamber strings (I mainly hear one violin) in the rear and no Anchoress. Don't love it.
7. “The Final Thing On My Mind”. The band arrangements are a little bit disappointingly conventional throughout the studio album but here we have some nice strings to cheer things up at the end of the first section. The vocals in the second section have a nice immediacy. This will probably become my favourite song on this disc, which is lucky because it must be the longest. Thunderous drumming on the toms. Those strings could be mixed a little higher. The electric guitar break brings some pro forma heroics. Shame that the climax didn't land a better punch.
8. “Where We Stood”. Nice ballad opening with some strings again. (I notice that there is a credited string arrangement but no actual string players.)

I think that my quibble with the reverb in the acoustic album is probably that the reverb & delay were baked into the vocal tracks for the main album version and then re-used for the acoustic version where they stick out more. (I could be wrong, but it would give Soord some wiggle room to be forgiven!)

I'm glad that I listened to Di§olution and Versions Of The Truth before I got to this disc because they are better albums and better surround mixes. Although Your Wilderness and the two bonus albums are in theory an “add-on” to the live album Where We Stood we have to evaluate them as a standalone and I'd put it this way: I gave The Future Bites a pretty charitable review a few days ago and this album is certainly no worse. SW has the Atmos; Soord has the longer running time. But with SW I feel: yes, buy it and may he choke on the money. And with the Soord I think: this isn't a bad third purchase if you're already on board with The Pineapple Thief. So, good overall but not something every surround purchaser will need in their lives.

 

I would disagree a bit with your final statement regarding The Pineapple Thief's Where We Stood bluray. Considering the disc has a concert film, concert only, and basically three full albums, all in surround, it's a disc that every surround purchaser should have in their lives.

Plus I get the feeling that I would rate both the surround mix and music higher than your review. Not that I'm looking to diminish or argue your review as we all have different tastes.