Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

Ow, that hurts.

 

I was never gonna buy the box, but I have every intention of getting the standalones. Maybe I'll pare it down to One Of A Kind for starters, and see how it goes from there.

Even though I spun FGTM just yesterday, and was wowed as usual.

Jakko is really hit-or-miss with his various remixes.

 

Thanks for this post. I had no idea there were two different mixes of this. I’ve had this title on my want list and now I know to look out for the sacd instead of the DVD- A.

 

Looks like Tull and Gabriel are a foregone conclusion for tomorrow, but just in case anyone missed out voting
go here - Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

 

Tommy Bolin and Zephyr recorded their second album, Goin' Back To Colorado, with Eddie Kramer at Electric Ladyland in September 1970.
Jimi Hendrix died in London in the middle of the project, a blow to Eddie and the studio staff, it was hard to finish the record.

Here's the first time Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer & Tommy Bolin recorded together, two years before Spectrum.
A 1971 flutist Jeremy Steig session, also at Electric Ladyland with Kramer.
Sister Andrea, written by Hammer.

Tommy's echoplex comes in around 4:30.
Sorry, won't play in the forum window, have to click through to YouTube to hear it.

 

Up


Studio album by
Peter Gabriel
Released 23 September 2002
Recorded April 1995 – October 1998
(Principal recording),
Early 2000 – April 2002
(Additional recording)
Studio Real World Studios, Box, England,
(Principal recording)
The Meduse and the Real World Mobile Recorder in Senegal and France
(Additional recording)
Genre Progressive rock, art rock, electronic rock, industrial rock, downtempo, worldbeat
Length 66:40
Label Geffen (US & Canada), Realworld
Producer Peter Gabriel

Musicians

• Peter Gabriel – vocals (all tracks) organ (tracks 2, 6, and 8) bass guitar (track 4), harmonica (track 6), piano (tracks 1, 3-4, 7-8, 10), reversed strings (track 6), harmonium (track 4), keyboards (tracks 1, 3, 5), tom-tom (track 4), samples (tracks 5 and 9), Mellotron (tracks 6-7, 9), electronics (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8-9), bass keys (tracks 2, 5-6, 9), MPC groove (tracks 1-4, 6, 8-9), crotales (track 4), sampled guitar (track 8) sampled keyboards (tracks 2 and 4) string samples (track 6), Telecaster(tracks 4 and 6), JamMan (tracks 1-2)
• Tony Levin – bass (tracks 1 and 3–8)
• David Rhodes – guitars (tracks 1–4, 7 and 9), guitar (tracks 6 and 8), electric guitar (track 5), backing vocals (tracks 2–3, 6 and 8–9)
• Manu Katché – drums (tracks 1–3, 5–7)
• Dave Power – drums (track 1)
• Hossam Ramzy – tabla (track 4), percussion (track 7)
• L. Shankar – improvised double violin (track 5)
• Melanie Gabriel – backing vocals (tracks 3 and 8)
• Tchad Blake – tape scratches (track 2), groove treatment effects (track 6)
• Jon Brion – mandolin (track 8), Chamberlin (track 8)
• Richard Chappell – programming, percussion (track 2), treated loop (track 6), loop manipulation (track 7)
• Christian Le Chevretel – trumpet (track 6)
• Adrian Chivers – backing vocals (track 2)
• Pete Davis – additional programming (track 2)
• Dominque Mahut – percussion (tracks 2 and 7)
• Richard Evans – recorder (track 4), acoustic guitar (track 5)
• Bob Ezrin – co-brass arrangement (track 7)
• Tony Berg – backwards guitar (track 6)
• Mitchell Froom – backwards piano (track 4)
• Steve Gadd – drums (tracks 4 and 9), percussion (track 9)
• Peter Green – guitar (track 3)
• Dominic Greensmith – drums (tracks 4 and 8)
• Will Gregory – string arrangements (tracks 1 and 9)
• Stephen Hague – percussion (track 5)
• Chris Hughes – drum programming (track 4)
• Nick Ingham – orchestrations (tracks 1 and 9)
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – vocals (track 9)
• Daniel Lanois – guitar (track 3), percussion (track 3)
• Sally Larkin – backing vocals (6)
• Ged Lynch – drums (tracks 2, 6 and 8), percussion (tracks 2–9)
• Chuck Norman – Spectre programming (track 5), strings (bridge; track 5)
• David Sancious – Hammond organ (track 3)
• Ed Shearmur – co-brass arrangement (track 7)
• Alex Swift – additional programming (tracks 1–3)
• Assane Thiam – percussion (track 7)
• Danny Thompson – double bass (track 4)
• Will White – percussion (track 5)
• Black Dyke Band – brass (track 7)
• Blind Boys of Alabama – additional vocals (track 3), backing vocals (track 8)
• Dhol Foundation – Dhol drums (track 9)
• London Session Orchestra – strings (tracks 1 and 9)
• Isobel Griffiths – string contractor (tracks 1 and 9)

Technical personnel

• Peter Gabriel – production, design concept
• Steve Osbourne – additional production (track 2)
• Stephen Hauge – co-production (track 5)
• Richard Chappell – recording, engineering
• Richard Evans – additional engineering
• Alan Coleman – assistant engineering
• Edel Griffith – assistant engineering
• Dan Roe – assistant engineering
• Chris Treble – assistant engineering
• Ben Findlay – on-band recording session engineering
• Steve Orchard – orchestra engineering (tracks 1 and 9)
• Derek Zuzarte – additional engineering (Blind Boys of Alabama vocals)
• Kevin Quah – additional engineering (Blind Boys of Alabama vocals)
• Yang – additional engineering (Blind Boys of Alabama vocals)
• Steve McLaughlin – additional engineering (Black Dyke Band)
• Tchad Blake – mixing (tracks 1–4 and 6–9)
• Claire Lewis – mix assistant
• Marco Miglari – additional mix assistant
• Paul Grady – additional mix assistant
• Richard Evans – mixing (track 5)
• Stephen Hague – mixing (track 5)
• Kurt Hentschläger – granular synthesis
• Ulf Langheinrich – granular synthesis
• Marc Bessant – design concept
• Susie Millns – design coordinator
• Adam Fuss – photography
• Arno Rafael Minkkien – photography
• M. Richard Kirstel – photography
• Mari Mahr – photography
• Michal Rovner – photography
• Paul Thorel – photography
• Shomei Tomatsu – photography
• Susan Derges – photography
• Susan Derges – sleeve photography
• Dilly Gent – photo coordination

1. "Darkness" 6:51
2. "Growing Up" 7:33
3. "Sky Blue" 6:37
4. "No Way Out" 7:53
5. "I Grieve" 7:25
6. "The Barry Williams Show" 7:16
7. "My Head Sounds Like That" 6:29
8. "More than This" 6:02
9. "Signal to Noise" 7:36
10. "The Drop" 2:59
------------------------------------------
Peter Gabriel is quite the musical wanderer. Born in 1950 he attended Charterhouse School and in the process met Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, and with others, formed Genesis in 1967.
For more Genesis info, try the Genesis Album thread, here is the reference guide.
By the time the band had finished the Lamb Lies Down On Broadway album, some inside tensions, and other varying factors led Gabriel to want to leave the band. An agreement was made that he would fulfill the Lamb tour, which seems to be somewhat written down in the history books as quite an amazing series of concerts.
Gabriel took about a year or so off, and learned the keyboards, sharpened his writing, and enjoyed time with his then wife Jill and their daughters.
Gabriel has really made some wonderful albums over the years, and anyone wanting to look deeper the Peter Gabriel album thread covers those pretty well, and here is the reference guide.

My favourite Gabriel albums are III and IV, but this album probably comes in a close third. For me it was a return to a somewhat more experimental sound and feel, and I enjoy it a lot.
It was recorded over a long period of time, and for some, that is a negative. For some reason Gabriel has found it harder and harder over the years to be satisfied with his work it seems, or perhaps he has been too busy with other things, and although he has had a new album, or at least rumours of a new album floating around for a long time now, this was his last album of original new material at this stage.

I also highly recommend that any Peter Gabriel fans get the Secret World Live bluray, such a fantastic concert, The Growing Up Live bluray, and Play - the music videos.
The two concert movies are very entertaining, and set up in thematic kind of performances, that are visually and musically entertaining. Play the music videos is only on dvd, but it contains (I think) all of his music videos, some of which were certainly groundbreaking at the time, but also a very good 5.1 mix of all the songs on there.

Sadly this sacd is also in the out of print state, and hopefully at some point this will get re-released, and perhaps we may get some other albums at some point also.
Discogs has the sacd - 5.1 available
European - 1 copy for $58.22 Peter Gabriel - Up
European - 11 copies from $64.84 Peter Gabriel - Up
US - 5 copies from $50 Peter Gabriel - Up

Ebay has several copies starting from around the $50 mark sacd peter gabriel Up | eBay

I did read that there was a dvd DTS disc available, but I can't find any record of it being anywhere, and that is the first time I have heard about that.

I can't find any specific details for the 5.1 mix, so I assume it is the people listed above in the credits, but if someone has more accurate/correct info, please let us know.

Darkness
We get a gentle percussive sound up front, and a substantial sub on the kick.
A sound just to the left.
Then it kicks in with the sound effect to the right.
This is an in credibly dynamic track. I recommend listening until it kicks in to set your volume.
We get cymbals in the rears. The main sound effect and synth on the right.
Some string sounds on the left in the quiet passage. Also as synth sound swells out either side during the bridge section.
We have a nice mix that really if there is anything wrong with it, it may be a little too dynamic.
Some nice swell effects give the mix a pass for me.
A subtle mix in many ways, but certainly not stuck up the front.

Growing Up
Keyboard starts us left rear, with string sound up front.
Again some lovely synth swells enjoy filling the rears. Again good sub support.
We get a synthetic guitar type sound alternating either side. Sfx in the rears.
Percussion right side and a synth melody.
B box in rears.
Really nice synth effect pulses in the rears really nicely.
Another nice dynamic track, that isn't as much of a shock as the opening track.
This is an excellent mix.
Percussion track alternates sides.
We definitely have a nice full sound here, that is very effective. Some subtly moving effects and vocals at various points, as well as some fixed sections that keep everything balanced and coherent.
Some of these tracks a relatively long, but I think they keep the interest up well.

Sky Blue
This is a beautiful track.
We start with a gentle swell, that comes from all around. Then another nice sub enhanced kick, with a gentle guitar up front. Gabriel is up front.
A guitar kicks in on the ride side.
B box all around.
Synth pads rears.
This is a really well balanced mix, that is using the surrounds well.
With Gabriel's studio layering, we get some really nice bits and pieces here and there giving us nice effects, while the bulk of the instruments have defined locations.
The Blind Boys Of Alabama get a really nice rears mix in the extended coda, and it is really well done. The subtle crescendo really adding to the beauty of this really well executed song.

No Way Out
Synth burble up front.
Rhythm gtr right, riff gtr up front.
Piano up front.
A percussive track up front, with extra percussion either side.
Synth swells rears.
Synth pad left, moves to the front.
Pad swell in the rears.
B box all round, and counter melody vocals also.
A more subtle surround mix on this track until near the end where we get some really nice dynamics and some really well placed musical effects in the rears, the are very effective. Then an interesting drum part full of crashes on either side.
A very well thought out mix, that is very effective.

I Grieve
Percussion track up front with a synth in support.
Some nice gentle effects in the rears.
Synth pads support the rears.
Volume swells guitar in the rears.
This is a mellow reflective track that again is very balanced. We have a full mix, but it isn't obnoxious or obvious. It manages to fill the zone without creating neck jerking effects in the rears.
Then the song breaks into a beat, and we get a little more obvious in the surrounds.
Gtr rears.
B box rears.
Then we mellow back out again, with pads all round.

The Barry Williams Show
Some folks really dislike this track, but I think it is good, and it is fun.
Hats left. Support snare right, but drums up front.
Gtr rears, with a little movement.
Gtr right, bvox rears. Trumpet sound front, counter rhythm gtr just left synth swells sides and rears.
Volume swell gtr rears.
Again the sub is well used.
The mix really adds a new dimension to this song for me.
Synth chords in a string style come in the rears to support another trumpet section.
Some really nice synth stuff on the rears.
Another well balanced mix, that has a nice soundfield.
"The best tv" section. Vocals front, synth rears, effects rears.
Nice distorted harmonica up front.
Some nice swooshing and swirling effects around the channels. A lot going on here.
Then the drums come in via the rears for the fade out.
Excellent mix.

My Head Sounds Like that
Percussive sound up front. Sfx rears. Piano up front. Actually the piano seems to have a really wide field...
We get some orchestral type arrangements coming in the sides, sounding like a wind section.
A gentle dynamic swell, that dies off again.
Then the song punches in in a mechanical style with a lot of full field action.
This is another really nice mix.
A held vocal note up front with some punctuated gentle side action is very effective. Then a kind of glissando effect with horns in different spots giving a very effective surround effect to finish.

More Than This
Gtr/synth front right. Counter rhythm synths either side. Gtr left.
Bvox all round.
A couple of nice rears synths before the next verse.
Some nice volume swells have a nice effect in the side
Some drums on the right adding nicely to the dynamic crescendo of the song, with vocals and synth giving a very full sound field
We drop down to some staccato synths giving us another nice surround effect to end the song.

Signal To Noise
Synths swell in the rear, with vocals up front.
Again a really nice sub support for the kick. PG? does a somewhat middle eastern vocalizing section.
The strings sounds in the rears keeping things balanced.
We move to a percussive section and Nusrat does some really effective vocals.
Again the dynamics here are so engrossing.
A really slow smooth crescendo comes in with the processed drum up front and a beautiful mass of string sounds holding the surround field together nicely.
Some sfx on the right.
A beautifully engaging piece of music, and surround mixing.

The Drop
Piano up front, that again gets a wide splash into the sides... not sure if this is due to effect sends or mic'ing technique, but it has the effect of being in the piano somewhat.
Gentle Gabriel vocal up front.
This is a very short track the works as somewhat a coda to the album.

This to me is an excellent mix. The album is such a dynamic album, the we don't always have a huge amount of rears action at times, but there is always something there, and when the rears really come into play it is effective and enhancing to the songs and listening experience.
I think any PG fan that doesn't particularly have something against surround really needs this, and I would imagine any surround fan that likes PG would probably want this as well.
To me the album doesn't suffer from it having been recorded over such a long period of time, but I know some do feel that way. I think the surround mix is the way to listen to it, due to its somewhat cinematic nature.
Great album, and I think it is an excellent surround mix.

 

I very much enjoyed Up when it came out (“Signal to Noise” has became a firm longterm favourite) but sadly I don't own it on surround.

 

This sounds like a enhanced stereo mix with audience and reverb in the rear channels. I remember feeling a bit disappointed when I first listened to the quad mix.
The album is amazing, it's Santana at its best.

 

Thick as a Brick


The original LP cover; its gatefold opens up as a 12-page newspaper
Studio album by
Jethro Tull
Released 3 March 1972[1]
Recorded December 1971
Studio Morgan Studios, London
Genre Progressive rock
Length 43:46
Label Chrysalis (Europe)
Reprise (America, Japan and Oceania)
Producer Ian Anderson, Terry Ellis

Thick as a Brick is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Jethro Tull, released in March 1972. The album contains a continuous piece of music, split over two sides of an LP record, and is a parody of the concept album genre. The original packaging, designed like a newspaper, claims the album to be a musical adaptation of an epic poem by fictional eight-year-old genius Gerald Bostock, though the lyrics were actually written by the band's frontman, Ian Anderson.

The album was recorded in late 1971, featuring music composed by Anderson and arranged with the contribution of all band members. The live show promoting the album included the playing of the full suite, with various comic interludes. Thick as a Brick is considered by critics to be the first Jethro Tull release to entirely consist of progressive rock music. It received mixed reviews upon its release, but was a commercial success and topped various charts in 1972. Today it is regarded as a classic of progressive rock, and has received several accolades. Anderson produced a follow-up to the album in 2012, focusing on the adult life of the fictional Gerald Bostock.

Jethro Tull's frontman and songwriter Ian Anderson was surprised when critics called the band's previous album, Aqualung (1971), a "concept album". He rejected this, thinking it was simply a collection of songs, so in response decided to "come up with something that really is the mother of all concept albums".[2] Taking the surreal English humor of Monty Python as an influence, he began to write a piece that would combine complex music with a sense of humour, with the idea it would poke light-hearted fun at the band, the audience, and the music critics.[2] He also intended to satirise the progressive rock genre that was popular at the time.[3]

Anderson has also said that "the album was a spoof to the albums of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, much like what the movie Airplane! had been to Airport"[4] and later remarked that it was a "bit of a satire about the whole concept of grand rock-based concept albums".[5] Although Anderson wrote all the music and lyrics, he co-credited the writing to a fictional schoolboy named Gerald Bostock. The humour was subtle enough that some fans believed that Bostock was real.[2] Reviewing the 40th anniversary reissue, Noel Murray suggested that many listeners of the original album "missed the joke".[6]

Jethro Tull

• Ian Anderson – vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, violin, trumpet, saxophone
• Martin Barre – electric guitar, lute
• John Evan – piano, organ, harpsichord
• Jeffrey Hammond (as "Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond") – bass guitar, spoken word
• Barriemore Barlow – drums, percussion, timpani

Additional personnel

• David Palmer – orchestral arrangements[17]
• Terry Ellis – executive producer
• Robin Black – engineer

1. "Thick as a Brick, Part I" 22:40
2. "Thick as a Brick, Part II" 21:06
---------------------------------------------------
Tull started out as pretty much a British blues band, and through many name changes, and the trial and error of finding who they were Ian Anderson decided to buy a Flute.
In his own words - "I didn't want to be just another third-rate guitar player who sounded like a bunch of other third-rate guitar players. I wanted to do something that was a bit more idiosyncratic, hence the switch to another instrument. When Jethro Tull began, I think I'd been playing the flute for about two weeks. It was a quick learning curve ... literally every night I walked onstage was a flute lesson."
For a short time Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath fame was a member of the band, but after a short stint he decided that he preferred the style of his then band Earth (who became Black Sabbath) and returned to them.

Their debut album, "This Was" came out in 1968, and it was a sort of blues/rock with some minor jazz influences. Shortly after its release Martin Barre joined the band. He had auditioned during the same time Iommi had. Barre ended up contacting Anderson and ended up joining the band in December 1968.
Tull started to become a well thought of live band, having supported Jimi Hendrix in Scandinavia and Led Zep and the Vanilla Fudge in the US. Anderson was asked to write a hit single, and he came up with Living In The Past, and it reached #3 on the UK charts and #11 in the US.
Stand Up came out in late 69, and went to #1 on the UK charts, surprisingly the only album to do so. Already it could be seen that the band was gradually morphing into something other than what they had started out as.
Benefit came out in early 1970 and charted at #4 Uk and $11 US. Anderson had rejected an offer to appear at Woodstock, not wanting the band to be typecast as hippies prior to its recording, but after its recording they ended up playing the Isle Of Wight festival, and by now were in the big leagues, and able to fill twenty thousand seat arenas on the back of the success of Benefit.
Aqualung was recorded in 1970, and released in 1971, and it reached #7 in the US, and was a big seller for the band, reaching a million sales by July 1971.

As stated above Aqualung has been perceived to be a concept album, so Anderson decided to "come up with something that really is the mother of all concept albums". He wanted to poke fun at the idea, by making an album that was virtually a send up of concept albums, full of humour, sharp wit, and great music. I think he and the band achieved this very well.
Thick As A Brick ended up reaching #1 on the US album chart, and the follow up Passion Play is the only other Tull album to do so.

As I stated when we did the Minstrel album, I held off buying this for years, because the idea of one track being the whole album was quite foreign to me. I loved the single edit, but my young mind couldn't see how this would translate over 45 minutes of music. So the anniversary book was the first time I ever heard the whole album, and I am so grateful for this being released in 5.1, or I may never have heard it.

I generally enjoy all the Wilson 5.1 mixes, and memory tells me that I like this one also, but if anything, this thread has proven to me that memory can be a deceptive thing.....

well I guess this is out of print also, and one can only hope for a re-release ...
Amazon has it starting at about $460 (wtf) https://www.amazon.com/Thick-Brick-40th-Anniversary-Special/dp/B00APTBXMA
Discogs has it starting at about $240 Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick
Ebay has some also available .. some set price and some in the process of bidding. Set prices starting around $240 Jethro Tull Thick As A Brick 40th aniversary | eBay

It is so disheartening to see these wonderful sets becoming so hard to justify buying at these crazy secondhand prices. I sincerely hope that record companies see these figures and realise that a repress is worthwhile ... but I won't hold my breath.

This is a Steven Wilson 5.1 mix ... and he normally handles the whole thing.
Dts 96/24

Thick as a Brick I
Acoustic guitar and vocals front. Flute in the rears.
Hats left.
Bell tones and another acoustic in the rears.
A newspaper turns on the screen.
We kick into a rock section.
We have a very full sound with keys and guitars and cymbals finding various spaces in the surround field.
At around the 7:30 mark and we get lead guitars either sides.
As one expects with Wilson this is very balanced and sounds really good.
There certainly wouldn't be any gripes about this mix I wouldn't think.
9:30
The drums have a sort of room filling sound . Based in the front, but mixed to fill the field, nicely.
10:45
Organ right side, hats left.
Drum fills sound great rolling into the sides.
This is such an erratic piece of writing (not a criticism) it is hard to keep up.
Organs either side, flute centre of the room.
15:00
Organ left, guitar right.
The recurring little March section works really well.
The inversion with the guitars works even better.
16:30
We get somewhat of a return to the best known theme of the album, and it sounds great, with the surround field dancing and singing with the layers of instruments on this track.
18:00
Hats left. Guitars rear . Flute middle of the room.
Twinkly keyboard rears.
This track has such smooth transitions, it is hard to believe it was recorded in sections.
The mix keeps the smoothness in tact and adds to the enjoyment of it greatly.
Aside from a couple of elongated sections, the track seems to change its coat every minute/minute and a half.
Certainly with the knowledge of Anderson's goal with this album, it gets 10/10.
We get a staccato finish with nice delays sending some cool surround effects all over the place and disappear into some moving white sound that runs to a fade.

Thick as a Brick II
This quickly fades back up with effect sounds everywhere, and we get a reprise of the staccato finish from part one.
Organ in the rears.
Barlow gets to show of on the drums.
The newspaper is still turning pages... but who has time to look.
Cymbals and flute rears, and bell tones.
Talking in the rears.
A couple of little breaks in the music, add to the intrigue.
Then we get another inversion of the main acoustic guitar theme.
Acoustic guitars all round.
Flute rears.
Punctuated section with sounds all round.
28:30
The track changes its skin again.
Organ rears acoustic either side.
29:
Changes again
Flute rears. Acoustic all round.
Piano? bit, right rear.
30:45
Kind of spooky section that has organ rear, flute left.
Again the balance achieved with so many elements and musical changes is quite remarkable.
Organ rears, gtr stabs right rear.
Multiple flutes from all over the place.
Doubled guitars front left and right.
35.30
Another change that takes us into another section.
Gtrs and organ rears
Keyboard right, gtr left, flute front... so much going on here, with change after change.
We finish with a reprise of the beginning.

Look, the best way for me to describe this album is, as an intense musical experience, with an equally intense mix.
There is just so much going on that it ends up being quite difficult to try and translate it by texting on a phone. By the time I have attempted to describe one section, another section has passed and it is a perpetual state of flux. The music is brilliantly put together, and the mix, as far as I am concerned is equally as brilliant in expressing it.
I would seriously doubt that any Tull fan would want to be without this. I think a big fan of surround would want this ... The current prices are rather overwhelming, so I really hope that people already have it, or have a lot of spare cash ... The only bad thing about this 5.1 mix is that it is out of print.

 

It is certainly mainly front heavy, but I didn't find it totally front and stereo. There was music from the sides, whether that was effects sends or not, it is often hard to tell.
I think it would have been nice to have more usage of the rears, but it seems for live recordings the mixers don't want to go there. The main thing that always seems to strike me about Lotus, is how good it sounds to me in this format.

 

I know I've said this before, but stereo recordings of live performances like Lotus are usually intended to reproduce an actual soundstage, so mixing to the rears is likely to just mess it up. OTOH, live performances recorded for video are another story. Growing Up is an excellent example. I don't feel like I need a surround mix of Up because I'm usually gonna play the bluray with video instead anyway.

 

I hadn't factored in the likelihood of Thick as a Brick featuring this weekend when I decided to listen to Songs From The Wood yesterday and Heavy Horses today. As it is I feel very up to speed with giving this another audition!

TaaB was the first Jethro Tull album I liked and one of the reasons for that is that it's the Tull album on which Ian Anderson seems most indebted to Roy Harper, picking up a lot of his vocal mannerisms. I'm therefore distressed to admit that this is the SW Tull remix that disappointed me the most.

Listening to it again with fresh ears, I can hear that there is a lot here to enjoy. The rockier parts of the album hit harder in Wilson's mix: the front channel image seems quite narrow at times on these parts and that increases the sense of a “rock band” performing. Often, the bass guitar, drums, flute vocals and organ seem to be fighting it out in the centre channel, but it sort of works and sets up contrasting sections where musical elements are more widely distributed. But Wilson pulls his punches in terms of dynamic range, meaning that the very raucous editing during the drum section at the start of Part Two doesn't hit quite as hard as it could. Again, the bass extension is fine: the bass guitar is very clear. But this album for me lives & breathes in the sections where the acoustic guitar is prominent and Wilson just doesn't weave his customary magic there.

This one of those cases where maybe I knew the stereo mix too well. Even if SW's remix is faithful to the original, it isn't faithful to how the album sounds in my mind's ear.

 

TaaB is a great album, though I tend to listen to side one much much more than side two (on the LP). The surround mix is immersive and tastefully done. Luckily I was able to download a disk image of this because there is no way I would spend over $100 for a copy of this. But it is a good mix, to me. Disclaimer: I have old ears and lo-fi equipment. But I heartily enjoy 5.1 and this is a good one, a classic really.

 

Futurama



Studio album by
Be-Bop Deluxe
Released July 1975
Recorded 1975
Genre Glam rock art rock progressive rock
Length 35:31
Label Harvest
Producer Roy Thomas Baker

Futurama is the second album by the band Be-Bop Deluxe, released in 1975.

After the line-up of Be-Bop Deluxe changed, the band recorded the album with founder member Bill Nelson (guitars, keyboards and vocals), Charlie Tumahai (bass and backing vocals) and Simon Fox (drums). The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales[2] and produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who also produced Queen.

Subsequently, in October 1976, "Maid in Heaven" reached number 36 in the UK singles charts as the lead track on the Hot Valves EP. The American market was harder to break for British acts during the 1970s due to the hangover from the 1960s and problems with availability of records in the US for breaking acts such as Be-Bop Deluxe, whose first album Axe Victim was only available as an import.

Although critics were not always open to the mix of styles, Be-Bop and Nelson's music received a fairly warm welcome from the music critic of The New York Times. John Rockwell started his article with a fairly scathing dismissal of English musical acts:

"Every month or is it week? seems to bring a new rock band from Britain, eager to catch a few leftover crumbs from the Anglophilia of the 1960s. Most fail completely; others latch onto an FM cult success; a very few, unpredictably, make it big..."[5]

Although his opening seems to dismiss British music as hanging on to fame gained during the 1960s, Rockwell goes on to say:

"Be-Bop Deluxe is redeemed by the brilliance of [the band's] playing, and particularly Nelson's guitar playing. His records put Nelson right up there with the other great masters of the electric guitar."[5]

In The Rough Guide to Rock, Peter Buckley described the album as:

"Top-heavy with massed guitars and melodic ideas pursued on a whim and just as quickly abandoned, it nevertheless contained two of the most perfect pop singles never to make the charts – 'Maid in Heaven' and 'Sister Seagull'."[3]

• Bill Nelson – guitar, lead and backing vocals, keyboards
• Charlie Tumahai – bass, backing vocals
• Simon Fox – drums

1. "Stage Whispers" 3:05
2. "Love With the Madman" 3:12
3. "Maid in Heaven" 2:26
4. "Sister Seagull" 3:36
5. "Sound Track" 6:15
6. "Music in Dreamland" 4:44
7. "Jean Cocteau" 2:53
8. "Between the Worlds" 3:17
9. "Swan Song" 6:03
10. "Between the Worlds (original single version) (bonus track)" 3:19
11. "Maid in Heaven (recorded live in 1977) (bonus track)" 2:33
12. "Speed of the Wind (bonus track)" 4:19
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I have posted all the Wiki info, because I really don't know much at all about these guys. I purchased this album on the strength of Sunburst Finish (which I bought out of curiosity from forum posts about the band), and haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. So this is a blind leap.
If we have any experts on the band that would like to fill in the blanks for us, that would be great.

Thankfully this is still available new
Amazon about $48 https://www.amazon.com/Futurama-BE-...deluxe+futurama&qid=1573405813&s=music&sr=1-1
Cherry Red UK about 45 pounds Be-Bop Deluxe: Futurama, 3CD/1DVD Limited Edition Deluxe Boxset - Cherry Red Records

The full set tracklist
Disc: 1
1. Stage Whispers
2. Love with the Madman
3. Maid in Heaven
4. Sister Seagull
5. Sound Track
6. Music in Dreamland
7. Jean Cocteau
8. Between the Worlds
9. Swan Song
10. Between the Worlds (Single Version)
11. Lights

Disc: 2
1. Stage Whispers (New Stereo Mix)
2. Love with the Madman (New Stereo Mix)
3. Maid in Heaven (New Stereo Mix)
4. Sister Seagull (New Stereo Mix)
5. Sound Track (New Stereo Mix)
6. Music in Dreamland (New Stereo Mix)
7. Jean Cocteau (New Stereo Mix)
8. Between the Worlds (New Stereo Mix)
9. Swan Song (New Stereo Mix)
10. Between the Worlds (Single Version) (New Stereo Mix)
11. Lights (New Stereo Mix)
12. Music in Dreamland (Phonogram Studios Version)
13. Between the Worlds (Alternate Single Version)

Disc: 3
1. Stage Whispers (BBC Session March 1975)
2. Sister Seagull (BBC Session March 1975)
3. Maid in Heaven (BBC Session March 1975)
4. Lights (BBC Session March 1975)
5. Stage Whispers (BBC in Concert May 1975)(Previously Unreleased)
6. Third Floor Heaven (Bbc in Concert May 1975)
7. Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape (Bbc in Concert May 1975)
8. Sister Seagull (BBC in Concert May 1975)(Previously Unreleased)
9. Piece of Mine (BBC in Concert May 1975)(Previously Unreleased)
10. Maid in Heaven (BBC in Concert May 1975)(Previously Unreleased)
11. Axe Victim (BBC in Concert May 1975)(Previously Unreleased)

Disc: 4
1. Stage Whispers (5.1 Surround Mix)
2. Love with the Madman (5.1 Surround Mix)
3. Maid in Heaven (5.1 Surround Mix)
4. Sister Seagull (5.1 Surround Mix)
5. Sound Track (5.1 Surround Mix)
6. Music in Dreamland (5.1 Surround Mix)
7. Jean Cocteau (5.1 Surround Mix)
8. Between the Worlds (5.1 Surround Mix)
9. Swan Song (5.1 Surround Mix)
10. Bonus Audio Material
11. Between the Worlds (Single Version) (5.1 Surround Mix)
12. Lights (5.1 Surround Mix)
13. Music in Dreamland (Phonogram Studios Version)(5.1 Surround Mix)
14. Maid in Heaven (Old Grey Whistle Test)
15. Sister Seagull (Old Grey Whistle Test)
16. Maid in Heaven (Previously Unreleased Promo Video)

5.1 mixes Steven W Taylor
Mastering Ben Wiseman (5.1?)
Authored by Ray Shulman

Dts 96/24

Stage Whispers
We start with some layered lead guitars and crashing drums and cymbals. Well spread.
We get a galloping rock thing going on.
A lead guitar on the right side.
The song is quite erratic, and would probably take a couple of listens to digest.
We have the rhythm section up front.
A lead guitar on the right side. Some delays sliding to the left side.

Love With The Madman
Rhythm section up front. Some slide gtr on the right. That becomes straight lead guitar. Some guitar movement in the field.

Maid In Heaven
Guitars all round. Hats left. Cymbals rears.

Sister Seagull
Guitars either side.
Cymbals sides and rears.

Sound Track
Piano left and front.
Nice roll of drums from left to right.
Guitar up front, effects send to the right side. Going on the left.

Music In Dreamland
Lead gtr up front with effects send left, at the end of the run the effect swirls around the back to the right.
A horn type arrangement all round.
Cymbals sides and rears again.
Piano left.

Jean Cocteau
Acoustic left. Belltones left rear. Acoustic right rear. Percussion right side.
This is kind of an acoustic bossa nova type thing or something.

Between the Worlds
Layered guitars, across the field, with effects sends also.
Guitars either side.

Swan song
Snare March front left right rear..
Guitar front with effects send to right side.
Guitar on the right. Piano just left of left front.
Cymbal in rear.
Mellotron? Left side.
Some nice reverse guitar effects.
Synth type effects either side, and some bvox.

Between The Worlds
The mix not too dissimilar to the album version from a 5.1 perspective.

Lights
Gtrs either side.
A more kind of traditional ballad styling here.
Lead guitar front, effects sends right side.
Percussion break down, percussion all round.

This is an unusual album. From a first listen it is a little chaotic to some degree, not so much that it puts me off it. What I am hearing to some degree, outside of the 5.1 mix, is a new band, as the first configuration obviously broke up, Nelson being the only guy left .... Now I say this from experience and it isn't a criticism against the album ... It sounds like Nelson being and excellent guitarist, got slightly carried away with layering guitars, and effects, and it tends to give the songs a slightly chaotic feel. I say that I observe this from experience, because I have done the same thing and listened back years later, and criticised myself for not leaving any spaces. So I just needed to get that bit out of the way. Don't be angry with me, that is just my initial response to the songs on the album....
I think this is a good album that kind of tries a little too hard to prove itself, and in doing so, makes it a little more difficult to digest. I think this album will take a few listens to break through that feeling. The guys are obviously great players, and they know how to construct quite complex arrangements into some shorter songs (generally), but It kind of seems that they were trying slightly too hard to show that, and it seems slightly forced.....
I think on Sunburst Finish they tempered this somewhat and it is a much more coherent listen. I reckon this is the kind of album that some folks are going to just love, because of that styling, but some folks will take a few spins to really absorb it all.
Having said that. The mix is good, without being outstanding, and interesting, but perhaps a little erratic. I think that is the case because it is living up to the somewhat erratic nature of the music.....
We have a quite a bit of swooshing and sweeping flanger, and delay and various other effects, some head turning channel movement in various locations, and what sounds like quite a few effects sends feeding to the back and sides, sometimes creating a swirling type effect.

Please don't let this put you off. If you have any interest, I would probably give the album a listen on youtube, or a streaming service, if that's your thing, and get a feel for the album, before trying to absorb this.

I reckon that a Be Bop Deluxe fan, who is already familiar with how these songs are structured would almost certainly love this. I think given time, I will like it, but this is probably not the way to experience this album for the first time. Trying to hear something completely new, in this styling, while trying to review the way it is mixed, was probably a bigger piece of pizza than I could comfortably eat.

So perhaps I shouldn't post this, but I am not averse to making a fool of myself, and perhaps when I get a chance to listen to it down the track, I may well look back here and revise this initial impression.... for this morning, that is the best I can do.

 

Well if anyone still wants to play after my stumbling and bumbling, here are some pairs to vote on for next week .....

 

The Band - Music From Big Pink
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - The Traveller

 

The 2012 stereo Steven Wilson mix is an inexpensive alternative.
I find it decodes nicely in DPL II on the surround system, great in stereo in headphones or auto.
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick (The 2012 Steven Wilson Stereo Remix) (CD, Europe, 2015) For Sale | Discogs

 

David Bowie - Stage
Nick Drake - A Treasury

 

Bob Marley and The Wailers - Legend
Alan Parsons Project - Eye In The Sky

 

Pineapple Thief - Your Wilderness
Opeth - In Cauda Venenum

 

Yes - Relayer
Gentle Giant - Octopus

 

Soundgarden - Superunknown
Deep Purple - Machine Head

 

Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
The Doors - L.A. Woman

 

Thanks for your thorough review. I’ve been trying to find a copy of this on the cheap for a long time. It starts at $80 and up on eBay. More on Discogs. I was afraid to take the plunge at that price fearing it would be like the dvd-a. I like my quad/surround to make the most of the medium, otherwise why bother? I think I might have to open the wallet and let some of the moths out. Thanks again.

 

I can totally understand that.
I really enjoyed Songs From The Woods and Heavy Horses, very much looking forward to Stormwatch finally being shipped, but still a little time to wait yet.