Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

Ahh, retired here, and nobody cares.

 

When u have a buzz check out flaming lips yoshimi battles the pink robots...wow...itll give ya a buzz....reminds me of days of youth shrooms or chemicals applies

 

We were getting buzzed to that record back on 8 Track.

 

I had the album for a while, but never cared for hearing it in stereo, compared to the 4.0. Btw, I'm 60, and had 8 tracks also.

 

My last buzz listen was Gentle Giant, Free Hand quad ... very nice

 

Just what I needed. Another thread on SHF that’s going to cost me a lot of money!

 

Oh man, it gets like that doesn't it.
- Go to thread
- Realise you don't have something
- Wrestle with rationalisations
- Purchase the damn thing anyway

 

Just remembered the 5.1 of the track Who Are You, as an Easter Egg on the The Kids Are Alright SE DVD !

 

Cool idea. One for the weekend and one to get to during the week!

 

I find with the non Hi-Res mixes that cranking them up a bit helps give them a little extra punch.

 

Your thread, your rules but I'd be concerned that the more popular (or widely owned) of two discs would ride roughshod over the other in the discussion. Maybe every dog should have its (sun)day?

 

We'll see how it goes, but I certainly understand the concern

 

Just wanted to throw in my two cents here....I have a bout 100 surround discs, such a great format and a shame they kinda petered out! Agree with the general concensus about Running on Empty, it's a great surround mix. "Shaky Town" in particular, really immersive. I havn't listened to this one in a while, will have to soon! I did, however, throw on Crowded House s/t dualdisc the other day, another one I hadn't heard in a while. Man, this is a great surround mix of a great album! Hopefully we'll get to that one eventually.

 

Playing the Blu ray disc (Disc # 4 of 4), in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround of this very unique mix :

The Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild South 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition

This is a lot more than an "opening up" of the music. There are alternate sounds throughout this mix. Fascinating for a true fan of The Allman Brothers Band.

 

Ray Charles - Rays Sings Basie Swings


Compilation album by
Ray Charles, Count Basie Orchestra
Released October 3, 2006
Recorded Mid-1970's, February - May 2006
Studio Los Angeles
Genre Soul, jazz, Swing
Label Concord/Hear Music
Producer Gregg Field

I hope that this album isn't considered controversial, I personally think it is great, and with the way Ray Charles liked to mix it up, I imagine he would love this.
This is a posthumous album that takes some unreleased Ray Charles vocal tracks, recorded live in the seventies, and lays them on a bed of newly recorded tracks by the contemporary Count Basie Orchestra.

• 
  
  
  • Ray Charles – vocals, piano
  • Grant Langford – alto saxophone
  • Marshall McDonald – alto saxophone, flute
  • Doug Lawrence – tenor saxophone
  • Doug Miller – tenor saxophone
  • John Williams – baritone saxophone
  • Clarence Banks – trombone
  • Dave Keim – trombone
  • Barry Cooper – bass trombone
  • Scotty Barnhart – trumpet
  • Shawn Edmonds – trumpet
  • Endré Rice – trumpet
  • Mike Williams – trumpet
  • Joey DeFrancesco – organ
  • Tony Suggs – piano
  • James Leary – double bass
  • Will Matthews – guitar
  • Butch Miles – drums

Backing vocals

• 
  
  
  • Patti Austin
  • Maxi Anderson
  • Lynne Fiddmont
  • Lorraine Perry
  • Sharon Perry
  • Darlene Perry
  • Valerie Pinkston
  • Sandy Simmons

Additional musicians

• 
  
  
  • Wayne Bergeron
  • Chuck Berghofer
  • Jim Cox
  • John Chiodini
  • Andy Martin

Technical

• 
  
  
  • Quincy Jones – arranger
  • John Clayton – arranger
  • Roger Neumann – arranger
  • Larry Muhoberac – arranger
  • Shelly Berg – arranger, conductor, musician
  • Tom Scott – arranger, conductor
  • Bill Hughes – orchestra director
  • Aaron Woodward – executive producer
  • Bill Airey Smith – engineer
  • Bill McKinney – assistant engineer
  • Charles Paakkari – engineer
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Don Murray – engineer, mixing
  • Eric Weaver – assistant engineer
  • Gregg Field – conductor, engineer, producer, vocal arrangement
  • Joe Adams – executive producer, producer
  • Joe Brown – assistant engineer
  • John Burk – executive producer, producer
  • Paul "Scooby" Smith – assistant engineer
  • Paul Hamann – assistant engineer
  • Sanwook Nam – mastering
  • Seth Presant – engineer
  • Steve Genewick – engineer[1]

As you see there was a wealth of talent involved in this project. I haven't listened to this album for a while, but whenever I have it has been a huge source of joy. I sincerely hope some of you have this and will put forward your opinions on the mix.
I think this is somewhat of a rare case, where a posthumous recording that is completely different, actually works incredibly well. Often some of these types of ideas, where remixing and messing with original recordings can cause some contention. As this is something completely new, and not a manipulation of a previous recording I think it actually holds a lot of weight and really brings something of value to the table.

1. 
   
   
   • "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" (Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers) – 4:35
   • "Let the Good Times Roll" (Moore, Theard) – 2:57
   • "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 6:19
   • "Every Saturday Night" (Hogan, West) – 4:05
   • "Busted" (Harlan Howard) – 2:35
   • "Crying Time" (Buck Owens) – 3:53
   • "I Can't Stop Loving You" (Don Gibson) – 4:02
   • "Come Live with Me" (Bryant, Bryant) – 4:10
   • "Feel So Bad" (Johnson, Temple) – 4:10
   • "The Long and Winding Road" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 4:04
   • "Look What They've Done to My Song (Melanie Safka) – 2:51
   • "Georgia on My Mind" (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) – 4:40

The format for this album is the sacd. It was produced by Greg Field, who was assisted by Joe Adams and John Burk.

The 5.1 Mix was done by Michael Bishop at Suma Recording Studios, Painesville Ohio, April 16-20, 2007.

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning.
The first thing I hear is how beautifully this is recorded.
The electric piano is sitting just to my left in the intro, and Ray is front and centre.
Ray's piano is holding the front together with the drums. Everything is tastefully, and smoothly arranged for a natural sound and feel.
The horn section sounds magnificent, spread smoothly and naturally around. There is a sax directly to my left, and a trumpet over on the right in certain sections they are playing outside the ensemble adding chordal embellishments and punctuation.

Let The Good Times Roll
We have a sensible decision to keep a solid platform, which gives us aural continuity.
Also we have a nice sensible usage of the sub here, bringing the upright bass into the mix in a beautifully balanced way. There are some sweet trumpet embellishments, over to the right.

How Long Has This Been Going On.
These horn arrangements are magnificent, and use the surround space beautifully.
When playing chordal arrangements, there is a smooth, even swell around us, in such a way as to enhance the whole song. Everything can be pinpointed, but is not standing out above anything else.

Every Saturday Night
This is the first track to have the backing vocalists. They are again beautifully balanced, as if they are standing across the back of Ray.
We have the organ sitting to our right, and again those horns are encompassing us beautifully.

Busted
By this stage, the fact that this is surround sound has slipped to the back of my mind, because the vocals and arrangements are just magnificent, yet the surround is totally adding to this magnificence.

Crying Time
Nothing really to add here. A gentle song, and the mix and arrangement are done in such a way as to enhance this. We have the same mix principles in place.

I Can't Stop Loving You
This is somewhat of a different arrangement of the song, and it swings hard.
The organ lead break is sitting across the right, with horns balancing it on the left. Ray plays a little flourish of piano, and then the full band come in wonderfully.

Come Live With Me
Here again, we have a mellow track that is so intimate.... a lot of these vocals, Ray really could be in the room.

Feel So Bad
We start with the piano up front and organ to the right and then we bounce into the full band arrangement.
It is hard to describe how well the horns work in surround, with chords and flourishes, call and response, lead breaks etc
Here a sax has a lead up front while the rears/sides have chordal and punctuation pieces filling out the environment, so well, it is just about hypnotising. Embellished with the organ to the right... this is just a musical smorgasbord, made for maximum aural pleasure.

The Long And Winding Road
To some degree my observations become a little redundant on here, because, sensibly there is a consistency here, that is about a great mix, surround or not, it just happens to be a great surround mix.

Look What They've Done To My Song
We have some handclaps stereoed in the rears beautifully, and then again we have this beautifully balanced mix keeping a continuity that gives this a live in the studio feel.

Georgia On My Mind
Magnificent, there is just no other word for this.

In all seriousness, to me this is an essential album, whether you get the stereo vinyl or cd, or whether you get the sacd. This is something that anybody that likes Ray Charles needs to have.
This is an example of how natural a big band can and does sound in a balanced 5.1 musical environment. I actually can't see how someone who has stated they aren't a fan of 5.1 could hear this and not be moved by
a) how well it is sung and arranged
b) how good the sound is
c) how natural and, I'm going to say, fulfilling this 5.1 mix is.

Even if you aren't a big Ray Charles fan, or Swing fan, if you love 5.1, I can't see how you wouldn't be swept away with just how good this is.

https://www.amazon.com/Sings-Basie-Swings-Charles-Orchestra/dp/B000UZ4FKQ
Ray Charles + The Count Basie Orchestra* - Ray Sings ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ Basie Swings
Ray Charles - Ray Sings, Basie Swings (2007) for sale online | eBay

Unfortunately another out of print item, but still available for around fifty bucks, and well worth the investment for the surround enthusiast. NB: ebay always seems to have the most expensive prices when looking for this kind of stuff, but is still worth checking when you are looking.

 

Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
So as not to depress folks new to the format, here is something fairly recent, that is till widely available.



Includes new 5.1 surround sound mix by Eddie Kramer, 24 bit/96 kz high resolution stereo audio, expanded documentary on the making of the landmark record + previously unreleased demos and alternate takes, unreleased live album plus book containing handwritten lyrics/unseen photos

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the Jimi Hendrix Experience masterpiece Electric Ladyland, Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, are releasing the Deluxe Edition box set on November 9. Available as either a 3CD/1 Blu-ray set or a 6LP/1 Blu-ray set, both packages include the original double album, now newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes. For the LP set, Grundman prepared an all analog direct to disc vinyl transfer of the album, preserving the authenticity. Also included is Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes, which presents demos and studio outtakes from this period in Hendrix’s career, plus a new 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire original album by Hendrix’s original engineer Eddie Kramer. This marks the first and only time this has been done with a Hendrix studio album, and gives listeners the original stereo mixes in uncompressed 24 bit/96 kz high resolution audio.

TRACK LISTING:
1. … And the Gods Made Love
2. Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)
3. Crosstown Traffic
4. Voodoo Chile
5. Little Miss Strange
6. Long Hot Summer Night
7. Come On (Part I)
8. Gypsy Eyes
9. Burning of the Midnight Lamp
10. Rainy Day, Dream Away
11. 1983…(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)
12. Moon, Turn the Tide…Gently Gently Away
13. Still Raining, Still Dreaming
14. House Burning Down
15. All Along the Watchtower
16. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

A new 50th anniversary edition was released on 28 November 2018. It features Hendrix's originally intended cover, and is available as a box-set with either a Blu-ray disc and 3 x CD or a Blu-ray disc and 6 X Vinyl. The Blu-ray includes a 5.1 surround mix by Eddie Kramer and a high resolution version of the album remaster. [51]. The 5.1 surround mix received its public world premiere at a listening session in the dark hosted by Pitchblack Playback in London on Tuesday 6 November, 2018. [52] The remastering was done by Bernie Grundman from the original master tapes. The box set also features early takes, demos and live concert from 14 September 1968 at the Hollywood Bowl plus a 1997 documentary "At Last...The Beginning: The Making Of Electric Ladyland" featuring Chas Chandler, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding and Eddie Kramer.

• 
  
  
  • Jimi Hendrix – vocals, guitars, piano, percussion, electric harpsichord; bass guitar on "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)," "Long Hot Summer Night," "Gypsy Eyes," "1983," "House Burning Down," and "All Along the Watchtower"; comb and tissue paper kazoo on "Crosstown Traffic"
  • Noel Redding – backing vocals, bass guitar on "Crosstown Traffic," "Little Miss Strange," "Come On," "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"; acoustic guitar and lead vocals on "Little Miss Strange"
  • Mitch Mitchell – backing vocals, drums, percussion all tracks except "Rainy Day Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"; lead vocals on "Little Miss Strange"

Additional musicians[edit]

• 
  
  
  • Chris Wood – flute on "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)"
  • Freddie Smith – tenor saxophone on "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"
  • Steve Winwood – Hammond organ on "Voodoo Chile"
  • Mike Finnigan – organ on "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"
  • Al Kooper – piano on "Long Hot Summer Night"
  • Dave Mason – twelve-string guitar, backing vocals on "Crosstown Traffic" and "All Along the Watchtower"
  • Jack Casady – bass guitar on "Voodoo Chile"
  • Buddy Miles – drums on "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"
  • Larry Faucette – congas on "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"
  • Brian Jones – percussion on "All Along the Watchtower"
  • The Sweet Inspirations – backing vocals on "Burning of the Midnight Lamp"

Production[edit]

• 
  
  
  • Jimi Hendrix – producer, mixing, arrangements, US LP issue liner notes
  • Eddie Kramer, Gary Kellgren – engineers, mixing
  • David King, Rob O'Connor – UK cover design
  • Karl Ferris – US cover design
  • Ed Thrasher – US art direction
  • David Montgomery – UK cover inside photography
  • Linda Eastman, David Sygall – US cover photography

Digital remastering[edit]

• 
  
  
  • Lee Herschberg – initial compact disc release
  • Joe Gastwirt – 1989 compact disc release
  • Eddie Kramer, George Marino – 1997 compact disc release
  • Bernie Grundman, Scott Sedilo – 2018 anniversary compact disc release

Again, i hope this is an album that folks have some interest in. again it has been a while since I had a chance to sit and listen to it.
So lets see how we go with this one.

Please note: due to no fault of their own, dogs and wives can be a distraction lol

This is the bluray and I'm listening to the uncompressed pcm 5.1

And The Gods Made Love
The sub is very effective on the opening punch, without being overbearing.
We have Jimi's opening sound effects montage doing what some people don't like about surround, but in context of this album it is perfect. It is replicating in surround what Jimi was trying to do in stereo.

Have You Ever Been (to electric ladyland)
The layering that Jimi and Eddie were going for on the album work really well here.
The backing vocals balance nicely front, and left and right surrounds. We have a mild psychedelic feel to the mix, that suits its styling well. With the main rhythm section up front and some cymbal strikes coming into the surrounds. The guitars also share some surrounds.

Crosstown Traffic
We have the drums slightly to the left here.
The opening lead lick starts on the left, and a responding note comes from the right, working nicely.
We have a guitar either side of us, obviously being two different guitars.
I like this mix, but it is ever so slightly left sided.
Actually... on entering the next song ... one of the things about surround sound is finding your position. For this album I need to sit slightly forward from the last album, to be in the right spot for it to work properly.
Any surround freaks know exactly what I'm talking about.
This improves the crosstown traffic mix a lot. We have some really nice little effects here, pulling our ears one way then another.

Voodoo Chile
We have Steve Winwood to our left, and Jimi's guitar to our right. Not hard panned. Probably just slightly wider than the front left and right speakers.
Kramer has gone for a nice live type sound here. More use of the surrounds as somewhat ambient. Some cymbals effectively sit in the surround spaces. As the song moves on, some of Jimi's delay effects, make very effective use of the surrounds.
On the trill about 15 minutes into the disc, we get a really nice movement of the sound, very effective. Also during the track, we hear folks in the studio I am guessing, throwing in little hand claps and whoops etc.
There is a very in the room with a bunch of people effect here.
I also just noticed that on the tv we get a series of changing photographs... i wasn't really paying attention to that.

Little Miss Strange
A nice full sound here. Nice spacing of the harmony guitars works well here. There are a lot of guitars on this track.
This works really well and has a great sixties hippy pop feel

Long Hot Summer Night
Another nice full mix. Again there is a lot going on in the mix. I gather Hendrix was going for a somewhat wall of sound on this recording.

Come On
With the effects on the guitar, we get some nice sends creating some surround movement that works really well. This track leans predominantly for that live sound.

Gypsy Eyes
One of my favourite Hendrix songs.
Again lots of guitars on here. Spaced nicely with a pushing and pulling of the surround environment that works effectively to enhance the track.
A couple slides across the centre of the surround field when Jimi is doing the tacet riff with the scrape. I really like this mix. The guitar layers work really well playing with and against each other. Great stuff.

Burning Of the Midnight Lamp
This is another of my very favourite Hendrix tunes, beautifully constructed. It's one of those songs that make me wonder why so many consider Jimi as "just" a guitarist, and not a composer.
This mix is sensational. The intro has a beautiful spread, this retracts slightly for the verse.
The backing vocals here have a really nice effect also.
The lead break section is like an amazing headphones mix. It works incredibly well.
The phasing/flanging outro works wonderfully too.

Rainy Day Dream Away
We have a jam type setting, and Jimi is doing some talking, as if two people on either side of us.
The organ is taking up the right nicely also.
Then the song proper starts.
And we have a nice feel. Some nice guitar effects also

This moves directly into

1983 (a merman i should turn to be)
This is beautiful. Guitars either side. With the incidental instruments filling us out. A flute? To the left. Hendrix wonderful guitar sound effects coming to us from all around.
This really would be a great track/album to listen to with a buzz.
I always imagined this to be a great album for the format, and it is.
The crescendo around the 50 minute mark of the album, is a virtual psychedelic experience, wonderful stuff.
A tour de force of surround mixing for this type of album.

And this moves directly into...

Moon, Turn The Tide ... gently gently away
This, in a similar way to the opening track, is a collage of sound. Delicate, and beautifully executed.

Still Raining, Still Dreaming.
Essentially a coda of sorts to Rainy Day, Dream Away. Again, a nice full sound... i caught myself tapping my toes too lol

House Burning Down
Wonderful swirling flange/phase effect intro.
Guitars on either side here, working well.
Punctuation guitar in the rears. Jimi's bvox coming either side.
Some more great psychedelic mixing towards the end of this. Suits this album beautifully.

All Along The Watchtower
Nice percussion mix in the rears, balancing with the drums up front nicely.
The first lead has a nice spreading effect, again working nicely with the guitar effect.
The slide guitar effect works beautifully in this format.

Voodoo Chile (slight return)
Jimi's guitar controls this as it should, like it is sitting in the middle of the field sliding out towards different speakers like he is stood in the middle of the room moving around in front of you.

To some degree with this mix, there are minor issues, with the year it was recorded and the equipment used etc, but it really doesn't impede the enjoyment of it. We get a some excellent usage of all the speakers and in context with the music Jimi was making it is logical to me. I think this is essential for any Jimi fans, especially if they like the surround format.
I don't buy into the seemingly common idea that Jimi is just for guitarists. To me his songwriting is very good, and the music is entertaining. Some tracks that I was a little ho hum about in a stereo format, really come to life in this 5.1 environment, and it raises the albums stature in my eyes at least.

Also with this being a book style "box set". You get plenty of outtakes, a live concert disc, and a documentary, but to be honest I haven't gotten around to those yet. I bought this for the 5.1 and that is what I have listened to so far. Definitely good value in comparison to many sets out there, and as I say, it is still out there and available for anyone interested.

https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Ladyland-50th-Anniversary-Deluxe/dp/B07GGPT67F $45 on amazon seems like a bargain to me.

 

I do the album run through on my phone whilst I am listening to it, so please forgive any poor grammar, typing etc ... I do have a quick proof reading, but am not infallible.

I hope that you guys have some input on these two albums. I tried to pick albums that were completely different today, so as to give folks a chance to share their thoughts on something in their zone.

Next week again will be something completely different and we'll see how we go with these.

Cheers
Mark

 

@MYKE @Juggsnelson @mrcond @Sordel @goodboyfred
@rxcory @thetman @privit1 @Captain Rogers @Mikey471 @JonUrban @footprintsinthesand @ceddy10165 @Vic333

 

I don't have the Ray Charles disc but I sure have this set! Unfortunately work gets in the way of listening for me today but I will play it tomorrow. You provide great notes on the songs as usual! Cannot wait to throw in my two cents!

 

Hmm, I was a hard pass on that Electric Ladyland ... you make me wonder whether that was a mistake.

 

If you really like the album, I think it is a good buy. If you're a bit ho hum about it, I can understand not getting it. It is certainly one of the better priced/value sets out there ... but as I say, I have only listened to the 5.1

 

Nice review! After this was released, a few buddies and I had a surround listening party with Electric Ladyland and The White Album as the centerpieces. Both albums sounded spectacular but the consensus was that the 5.1 mix of “1983” was the highlight. Just mind-blowing stuff.

I love the whole mix in fact. It really does a fantastic job of expanding on Jimi’s vision and the original stereo mix. Initially, I was a little disappointed with the mix of “Crosstown Traffic” and “All Along the Watchtower” bit I recently listened to the album again and they both sounded great.

This set is more than worth it just for the surround mix.

 

I bought my Blu ray from a forum member, who was selling his box, in pieces. I really enjoy it. Great mix, great SQ.

 

I pulled the Jackson Browne off the shelf on Friday but could not find the thread. The Ray Charles is another I have not listened to in a long time but really love. The Hendrix is just not something I can afford at the moment. I already had Orff's Carmina Burina loaded when I found the thread again. Looking forward to listening to the Charles while reading your comments.

 

You can always come back to Jackson Browne. I don't think it matters a huge amount with this thread, as long as you let folks know which it is you're listening to