Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

Tales from Topographic Oceans


Studio album by
Yes
Released 7 December 1973
Recorded Late summer–early autumn 1973
Studio Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
Genre Progressive rock
Length 81:15
Label Atlantic
ProducerYesEddy Offord

Tales from Topographic Oceans is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 7 December 1973 by Atlantic Records. Yes frontman Jon Anderson devised the concept album during the band's 1973 Japanese tour when he read a footnote in Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda that describes four bodies of Hindu texts about a specific field of knowledge, collectively named shastras: the shruti, smriti, puranas, and tantras. After pitching the idea to guitarist Steve Howe, the two developed the album's themes and lyrics that took shape as a double album containing four side-long tracks based on each text. The album was negatively received by keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who disagreed with its structure and elaborate concept and felt unable to contribute to the music that had been written. It is the first Yes album to feature drummer Alan White, who replaced Bill Bruford in the previous year.

Tales from Topographic Oceans received a mixed critical reception and became a symbol of alleged progressive rock excess with its detailed concept and lengthy songs. However it was a commercial success, becoming the first UK album to reach gold certification solely based on pre-orders. It topped the UK Album Chart for two weeks and reached No. 6 in the US, where it went gold in 1974 for selling 500,000 copies. Yes supported the album with a five-month tour of Europe and North America, the largest in the band's history at the time, that featured the entire album performed live. Tales from Topographic Oceans was reissued in 1994 and 2003; the latter included previously unreleased tracks. An edition with new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes by Steven Wilson arrived in 2016.

Yes

• Jon Anderson – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion
• Steve Howe – guitars, electric sitar, backing vocals
• Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Rick Wakeman – keyboards
• Alan White – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Production

• Yes – production
• Eddy Offord – engineering, production
• Bill Inglot – sound production
• Guy Bidmead – tapes
• Mansell Litho – plates
• Roger Dean – cover design and illustrations, band logo
• Brian Lane – co-ordination
• Steven Wilson – 2016 Definitive Edition mixes

1. "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)" 20:25
2. "The Remembering (High the Memory)" 20:38
3. "The Ancient (Giants Under the Sun)" 18:35
4. "Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)" 21:37
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For some folks Yes are the kings of the progressive rock movement, but for me the beauty about the progressive rock movement was the variety. None of the major bands were really even very similar to each other, and I think that's why there are so many very broad and different opinions about who is best and why .... I'm glad we had them all, because all those flavours made the whole era taste good to me.

Yes got together in 1968, and the band was Jon Anderson vocals, Chris Squire Bass, Peter Banks Guitar, Tony Kaye Keyboards and Bill Bruford drums.
Yes started as most bands do, as a cover band, playing Beatles, 5th Dimension and Traffic tunes. On 16 September 1968, Yes performed at Blaise's club in London as a substitute for Sly and the Family Stone, who failed to turn up. They were well received by the audience, including the host Roy Flynn, who became the band's manager that night.
That month, Bruford decided to quit performing, to study at the University of Leeds. His replacement, Tony O'Reilly of the Koobas, struggled to perform with the rest of the group on-stage. After Bruford was refused a year's sabbatical leave from Leeds, Anderson and Squire convinced him to return for Yes's supporting slot for Cream's farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 November.
After seeing an early King Crimson gig in 1969, Yes realised that there was suddenly stiff competition on the London gigging circuit, and they needed to be much more technically proficient, starting regular rehearsals. They subsequently signed a deal with Atlantic Records, and, that August, released their debut album "Yes". Compiled of mostly original material, the record includes renditions of "Every Little Thing" by the Beatles and "I See You" by the Byrds. Although the album failed to break into the UK album charts, Rolling Stone critic Lester Bangs complimented the album's "sense of style, taste, and subtlety". Melody Maker columnist Tony Wilson chose Yes and Led Zeppelin as the two bands "most likely to succeed".
Following a tour of Scandinavia with the Small Faces, Yes performed a solo concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 21 March 1970. The second half consisted of excerpts from their second album Time and a Word, accompanied by a 20-piece youth orchestra. Banks left the group in 18 April 1970, just three months before the album's release. Having expressed dissatisfaction with the idea of recording with an orchestra as well as the sacking of Flynn earlier in the year, Banks later indicated that he was fired by Anderson and Squire, and that Kaye and Bruford had no prior knowledge that it would be happening.
Banks' replacement was Tomorrow guitarist Steve Howe, who appears in the photograph of the group on the American issue despite not having played on it.
The band retreated to a rented farmhouse in Devon to write and rehearse new songs for their following album. Howe established himself as an integral part of the group's sound with his Gibson ES-175 and variety of acoustic guitars. With producer and engineer Eddy Offord, recording sessions lasted as long as 12 hours with each track being assembled from small sections at a time, which were pieced together to form a complete track. The band would then learn to play the song through after the final mix was complete. Released in February 1971, The Yes Album peaked at number 4 in the UK and number 40 on the US Billboard 200 charts.
Tony Kaye performed his final show with Yes at the Crystal Palace Bowl that August and was fired shortly thereafter. The decision was made after friction arising between Howe and himself on tour, and his reported reluctance to play the Mellotron and the Minimoog synthesizer, preferring to stick exclusively to piano and Hammond organ. Anderson recalled in a 2019 interview: "Steve and Chris came over and said, 'Look, Tony Kaye... great guy.' But, you know, we’d just seen Rick Wakeman about a month earlier. And I said, 'There’s that Rick Wakeman guy,' and we’ve got to get on with life and move on, you know, rather than keep going on, set in the same circle. And that’s what happens with a band."
So this leaves us with what is generally seen as the classic band line-up - Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford.
Released on 26 November 1971, the band's fourth album Fragile showcased their growing interest in the structures of classical music. Each member performed a solo track on the album, and it marked the start of their long collaboration with artist Roger Dean, who designed the group's logo, album art, and stage sets. Fragile peaked at number 7 in the UK and number 4 in the US after it was released there in January 1972, and was their first record to reach the top ten in North America. A shorter version of the opening track, "Roundabout", was released as a single that peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Released in September 1972, Close to the Edge, the band's fifth album, was their most ambitious work so far. At 19 minutes, the title track took up an entire side on the vinyl record and combined elements of classical music, psychedelic rock, pop, and jazz. The album reached number 3 in the US and number 4 on the UK charts. "And You and I" was released as a single that peaked at number 42 in the US. The growing critical and commercial success of the band was not enough to retain Bruford, who left Yes in the summer of 1972, before the album's release, to join King Crimson. The simple fact of the matter there, was that Bruford was interested in more fusion like music, and was a little tired of the classical pop/rock thing.
Bruford's replacement was Plastic Ono Band's drummer Alan White, who was a friend of Anderson and Offord, and had sat in with the band a few weeks before Bruford's departure.
White learned the band's repertoire in three days before embarking on the 72-73 tour, and this material with White very new to the band is what brought us the live album Yessongs, from May 1973. The album reached number 7 in the UK and number 12 in the US.

So that brings us to this mornings somewhat controversial album Tales Of Topographic Oceans. Some see this album as bringing about the death of progressive rock a little early ... although as always, the form didn't die, it just became somewhat unpopular for a while. Many saw this album as an overblown act of self indulgence, and others again saw/see it as the crowning achievement in the progressive movement.
The album was the idea of Jon Anderson, after reading the autobiography of a Yogi, and essentially the album is Anderson's interpretation of some Hindu teachings.
The album became the first LP in the UK to ship gold before the record arrived at retailers. It went on to top the UK charts for two weeks while reaching number 6 in the US, and became the band's fourth consecutive gold album. Wakeman was not pleased with the record and is critical of much of its material. He felt sections were "bled to death" and contained too much musical padding. Wakeman left the band after the 1973–1974 tour; his solo album Journey to the Centre of the Earth topped the UK charts in May 1974. The tour included five consecutive sold-out shows at the Rainbow Theatre, the first time a rock band achieved this.

Anyhow, I do tend to agree with Rick Wakeman's opinion of this album, in fact, I used to find it impossible to get through. BUT since the 5.1 was released, I did find the album, much more listenable in that format, giving the very good, but a little overblown music, enough space to breathe.
I think the opinion that this is the album that killed prog, is just the same kind of popular rhetoric that says that punk music killed this, that and the other, and grunge killed this, that and the other, because all those things that are supposed to be dead, are still alive and well to my ears. Progressive music actually didn't die at all, it didn't even really become less commercially viable, when you look at bands like Rush 1974 - 2015, Marillion 1979 - ..., Dream Theater 1985 - ..., and many more bands delving into the style in their own way. It just became less fashionable .... and I hate fashion anyway, what a crock.

Again it has been a while since I listened to this, and I am looking forward to revisiting it this morning to see how this album sits with me now.

Amazon still has this set available new, but says "only 5 left in stock - order soon", so it must finally be coming to the end of its stock. So if the album has interested you, but you haven't bought it, it may pay to grab it before it becomes one of those annoyingly expensive out of print albums.
Amazon $26.49 https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Topographic-Oceans-Expanded-Blu-ray/dp/B01J3JWTIE
Burning shed about 26 pounds Tales From Topographic Oceans
Discogs around $36 Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans
There is a cd/dvd-a version on discogs also from about $21 Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans
Acoustic Sounds has it for about $40 Yes-Tales From Topographic Oceans-Blu-ray|Acoustic Sounds

This is a Steven Wilson 5.1

The album is approximately 80 minutes of music, with just the four songs/tracks, so it really pays to be in the mood for it.

The Revealing Science Of God (Dance of the Dawn)
We start with Anderson's vocal and some guitar volume swells, there is a very smooth, slow dynamic build.
We are getting some bvox in the rears.
Then we move into an instrumental section.
A nice spread of drums on the rolls, covering the right side to just left of front left.
We have keys in the rears.
This album has many layers, and the 5.1 field really does help it to breathe.
The vocal arrangements use the 5 channels very well.
We get little guitar interjections in the rears and across the middle.
As one expects with Wilson the mix is very balanced, and clear.
A reprise of the opening melodic riff appears on the keys in the rears.
Howe noodles a little up front, and Wakeman's string sounds across the back.
There really is a lot going on in this mix and even though it is somewhat over the top, it is really well arranged, and unless one has ADD, it is an engaging piece of work.
We move into a mellow section with a little mellotron across the back. Guitar volume swells either side.
Howes guitars either side work well.
Wakeman's strings come in across the back again.
In reality, at the sixteen minute mark of the track, it still holds the attention, due to the ever shifting base of the track.
Wakeman takes a synth lead up front, and the guitar gives us a rhythm bed across the rears.
Wakeman's string take over the rears again.
The mix is logical, and engaging.
A melody lead guitar on either side creates a nice sound.
We move back into an Anderson vocal section that and we end with that.
Good engaging mix, and song.

The Remembering (High the Memory)
Gtr just left of front left, with effects send to right rear. Vocals up front... doubled? Tripled?
Some tinkling celeste type sounds in the rears.
The gtr/s are essentially in the sides.
Keys in the rears.
The opening section here has a melancholy, nostalgic kind of feel.
We move into a layered synth heavy section all around us, accented by cymbals in the rears.
Then return to the opening section, which develops nicely into something else again.
The chorused guitar, is still either side, and they layers of vocals disappear into reverb at the sides.
We get handclaps at the side, that move into a section of reflection synth pads in rears, and a melody synth up front. Accented by some guitar bell harmonics.
Then we move into a bouncy acoustic section. Acoustics either side rears.
A lead guitar comes in just on front of front centre.
Synth bed across the back again, synth lead up front again.
The mix is stable and consistent.
Again , we get an almost Tull-like folky acoustic section.
Then we get volume swell melodic guitar across the middle and dive into an uptempo section with arpeggiated gtr either side, synths in the rears.
Squires bass is staying front and centre. There isn't really much on the way of sub, but it probably isn't necessary.
Like whitewater crashing down a hillside stream, the music doesn't stop moving and changing.
Another synth section, with volume swell guitar, and cymbals in the rears.
Again the mix is balanced and consistent. This track probably does ramble a little, but I doubt a Yes fan is going to bothered by that, and this mix and arrangement keep it interesting enough to ride the wave to the shore.
We come into a crescendo type finish, that mellows out into a bed of synths gently taking us out of the song.

The Ancient ( Giants Under The Sun)
A Hong up front, cymbal in left rear, feeding to the right. Some underlying synth in rears.
Then we move into an uptempo, almost funky, due to Squire, section.
Percussion zips across the rears, back and forth, is the feeling it gives. A cool synth thing going on across the middle, as Howe is playing some slide.
Then we move into more familiar Yes territory after about three minutes with synth beds across the rears, that is punctuated by bass, with a wah effect, and drums. Then the vocals come in.
Then we move into what is almost, but not quite a tango kind of feel. This then becomes a staccato punctuation, and again moves into some layered synths, and back to the staccato chords.
We get some unusual staccato vocal inserts and then we have an almost Gentle Giant-like section.
Synth dances across the rears.
A cymbal punctuation right rear.
This has an awful lot going on here, and we have a full field of frenetic changes.
Then we mellow out to a synth bed across the rears and in the front, and Howe does some volume swells, and legato playing up front, almost Holdsworth in styling.
This piece is quite dramatic.
We get surrounded by percussion elements, and Howe is still playing lead.
This seems somewhat like the direction Relayer would take, although a little more focused on Relayer.
Some white sound punches through the sides.
We mellow out again,
Synth across the back gives way to some nice nylon string guitar, that has an extended solo section feeding to the rears, but predominantly up front.
Anderson returns to singing, and a synth countermelody comes in the rears.
This section works as a nice contrast to the prior frenetic section.
Then we move into a slightly unusual, almost folk section the punches in some power chords and fades out on a delay.
Really good mix, and an unusual, but engaging track.

Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soleil)
The standard synth in the rears mix here keeps a certain continuity going. Howe up the front. Nice definition of all the instruments.
Bass and drums very present.
We have a da da da vocal from Anderson, and it works nicely.
There is a sort of crescendo type feel here with the main melody getting a good work out, and then a really nice, slightly distorted Squire lead on the bass.
This gives way to Howe with a nice lead, and a sort of ambient swell in the rears.
Then the guitar finds a melodic chordal pattern and a swell of synth on the rears, and Anderson sings the title of the track.
Anderson gets the layered vocal, front and sides.
We then move into what I assume we will call a verse, and Howe is playing a choral sitar?
We get a return to the instrumental melodic them . And back into another vocal section.
In so many ways this album is a great achievement, but I do understand some of the backlash, even though it kind of misses the point of the album.
Layered and sectional these tracks have wonderful layers, and arrangements, and do keep the interested party very entertained.
Squire again gets to lead the band musically, and we get some nice, clicky rhythmic sitar and drums.
The power sort of comes back in with a layering that some of reminds me of some of Steve Vai's more elaborate instrumentals.
More form comes together with the synths in the rear. A tacet kind of takes us by surprise . Then we get percussion banging away either side, alternately in the rears , and we get a sort of drum solo, and a wall of percussion.
Then the alternating percussion in the rears comes back. Another crescendo, that drops out to the guitar, which moves into a chordal pattern, piano joins in the rears, and Anderson sings, what I consider to be, the main section of the song, as such.
Another crescendo, which drops out to the guitar and synth that fade us out.

We get a bonus track called Dance Of the Dawn, which is an extended version of the Revealing Science of God, which goes for 22:36, but for me at this stage I have enjoyed what I have heard and feel no need to keep it rolling. Too much steak leads to indigestion.

This album tends to have its lovers and its haters. I like it. I didn't prior to the 5.1 mix though, it seemed ponderous and somewhat overblown. For me the 5.1 gives the album a much more interesting aural landscape to live in. It makes the definition of what is going on, a little more clear to me, and I think it is the only way to hear this album. Certainly not knocking anyone who prefers the record or cd in stereo, that is just my take, and personal preference.
More often than not the criticism of this album is it is self indulgent, but really music is a somewhat selfish pursuit of personal expression. Very few if any musician's make music that they don't want people to hear and like, so by default that doesn't really mean much to me.
This is an over the top album, where the band really put everything in and the kitchen sink, and if you like that kind of thing, this is excellent. The surround mix is really very very good, and it makes this album more coherent for me.
In so many ways this is an essential progressive rock album, it really kind of takes the form to its very boundaries and sees what it can do. Sure they could have trimmed this down to make it more easily consumed, but then really that would have been selling out to the market, rather than expressing what it is they actually wanted to do.
For some this is the peak of progressive rock, and for some the nadir. I think they are both extremes and I tend not to be too extremist in my views.
If you like adventurous music, that often has a frenetic, ever changing bed of sound, a collage of layers, and expression of the artists inner self or whatever, then this is a great album. If you prefer your music short and to the point, then it really isn't for you. I think it really just comes down to that in the end.
While it is still available new for $26, I think it is very much worth getting. If you like Yes, seventies style, I would say it is essential. If you like an immersive 5.1 mix with an ever changing landscape of sounds and feels, I would say it is essential.
This isn't an album I would listen to every day, by any means, but it is an album where, when I am in the mood, satisfies and delivers on the promises it makes. This is/was a big bold musical statement, that took a lot of chances, and I think for the most part it is very successful in being its own thing, and is definitely worth checking out, if you can tick most of the boxes stated up there.

Sorry if that is a little rambling lol

 

Back Home


Studio album by
Eric Clapton
Released 29 August 2005
Recorded 2004–05 at The Town House, London, Olympic Studios, London and Los Angeles
Genre Blues rock, reggae, folk rock
Length 60:17
Label Duck/Reprise
Producer Eric Clapton, Simon Climie

Back Home is the seventeenth solo studio album by Eric Clapton. It was released 29 August 2005 internationally and a day later in the U.S. It is his first album containing new, original material since Reptile (2001), as the previous release Me and Mr. Johnson is an album of song covers of Robert Johnson.

"Say What You Will" is a song that Clapton offered to the Japanese musical group SMAP.

• Eric Clapton – lead vocals, guitar
• Doyle Bramhall II – guitar
• Andy Fairweather-Low – baritone guitar
• Vince Gill – guitar
• John Mayer – guitar
• Robert Randolph – pedal steel guitar
• Simon Climie – keyboards, programming
• Toby Baker – keyboards
• Billy Preston – keyboards, acoustic piano, Hammond organ
• Chris Stainton – keyboards
• Steve Winwood – keyboards
• Nathan East – bass guitar
• Paul Fakhourie – bass guitar
• Pino Palladino – bass guitar
• Steve Gadd – drums
• Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums
• Nicky Shaw – programming, percussion
• Kick Horns – brass
• Gavyn Wright – violin
• Isobel Griffiths – strings
• Nick Ingman – strings
• Michelle John – backing vocals
• Sharon White – backing vocals
• Lawrence Johnson – backing vocals

Production

• Eric Clapton – producer, cover design concept, liner notes
• Simon Climie – producer, ProTools engineer
• Alan Douglas – recording engineer
• Bea Henkel – second assistant engineer
• George Renwick – assistant engineer
• Phillippe Rose – assistant engineer
• Mick Guzauski – mix engineer
• Tom Bender – mix assistant
• Joel Evendeen – assistant ProTools
• Jonathan Shakhovskoy – assistant ProTools
• Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, ME).
• Lee Dickson – guitar technician
• Debbie Johnson – session coordinator (Los Angeles).
• Bushbranch – management
• Catherine Roylance – art direction and design
• Paul Higgens – illustration
• Chris Sykes – main photography
• Allan Titmuss – photography
• Jill Furmanovsky – photography
• Dunlop Management, Inc. – pick pack concept

1. "So Tired" (Eric Clapton, Simon Climie) – 4:47
2. "Say What You Will" (Clapton, Climie) – 4:35
3. "I'm Going Left" (Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright) – 4:03
4. "Love Don't Love Nobody" (Joseph Jefferson, Charles Simmons) – 7:13
5. "Revolution" (Clapton, Climie) – 5:00
6. "Love Comes to Everyone" (George Harrison) – 4:35
7. "Lost and Found" (Doyle Bramhall II, Jeremy Stacey) – 5:21
8. "Piece of My Heart" (Bramhall II, Susannah Melvoin, Mike Elizondo) – 4:22
9. "One Day" (Vince Gill, Beverly Darnall) – 5:20
10. "One Track Mind" (Clapton, Climie) – 5:04
11. "Run Home to Me" (Clapton, Climie) – 6:18
12. "Back Home" (Clapton) – 3:33

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Eric Clapton is probably one of the most well known guitarists of all time. That ends up being somewhat of a problem for him, because everyone seems to want the young Eric wailing for half an hour on a lead break.
Clapton came to prominence in the Yardbirds and was with them from 63-65. He famously left the band, not particularly because For Your Love was a hit, but because the band wanted to follow a more pop oriented sound after it was a hit.
Clapton also famously then joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and recorded what people like to refer to as the Beano album. That album is generally considered famous and essential. It is very good, if that is a style of music you like, and I do.
Clapton was in and out of all sorts of scenarios ... leaving the Bluesbreakers, trying a few other things, coming back to work with John Mayall, and getting a reputation as the best blues guitarist in the club scene. Doing a project with Jimmy Page called the Immediate Allstars. Having a side project with Jack Bruce and Steve Winwood.
It was somewhere around this time that the famous/infamous "Clapton Is God" slogan appeared on a wall, and has become somewhat legendary of its own accord. That whole scenario was embarrassing to Clapton and in 1987 he said "I never accepted that I was the greatest guitar player in the world. I always wanted to be the greatest guitar player in the world, but that's an ideal, and I accept it as an ideal".
Then we come to 19666 and Clapton joined Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, and the legend of Cream began. Most folks these days seem to look at Cream as the high point in Clapton's career, a sort of blues based jam band, with three excellent musicians, and lots of jamming, giving Clapton himself a lot of mileage for the whole guitarist thing.
We have Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Derek and The Dominoes, which we already looked at here.
Clapton went through some serious personal crises in the early seventies with personal longings and drug and alcohol issues, and famously Pete Townshend put together the Rainbow concert to try and lift him out of this. Clapton returned the favour by playing the Preacher in the movie version of Tommy.
Many people don't like Clapton's solo career because they see it as a little mellow, and not full of the fire and fury of Cream, but the reality is, although Clapton wanted to play the guitar, he didn't want the attached issues of being seen as "the guitar guy", he wanted to play songs, and he mellowed out.
I am one of the seemingly weird few that prefer most of Clapton's solo material, and for me it sort of comes to a beautiful crescendo in 1980 with the magnificent Just One Night, recorded at the Budokan.
During the eighties Clapton once again annoyed a lot of folks by finally submitting and trying some eighties style music, that had a bit of a popular kind of sound and feel, but essentially still retained Clapton's identity, at the time I didn't like it a lot, but have grown to really appreciate it as a part of the journey and a lot better than I thought it was at the time.
In 1992, Clapton had a huge hit with the Unplugged album, and a rearranged version of Layla, that was hugely popular, although of course now, many can't take it for what it was, like to state the the original was the only version that should exist ... music is such a funny thing.
Anyway, this brings us to 2005, with a very rough overview of how we came here.

I have only had a chance to listen to this album once, I just have too much music, and seemingly not enough time, but I really enjoyed it. This is a song based album, and one of the highlights for me, is some of Clapton's singing. I think he has always had a good voice, but on here I think he really puts down some fantastic vocals that anyone unfamiliar with him, if there is anyone, would probably think he was predominantly a vocalist. that isn't to say there is no guitar though.... you're always going to get the guitar, but Clapton made a point of making the song the focus through most of his solo career, almost as a rebuke of the Cream years, and the jams they had.

This album is available second hand on amazon from about $5 https://www.amazon.com/Back-Home-Limited-CD-DVD/dp/B000A7BGSS
Discogs the dualdisc from about $5 Eric Clapton - Back Home
discogs another dualdisc from about $40 Eric Clapton - Back Home
discogs a cd dvd digipak (which is what I have) from about $9 Eric Clapton - Back Home

• Mastered By – Bob Ludwig
• Mixed By – Mick Guzauski
• Mixed By [Assistant] – Tom Bender

I assume these include the 5.1 mix. If you can clarify this, that would be cool.

So Tired
Nice solid drum sound with sub assist.
Gtrs either side in rears. Bvox in rears.
This is bouncy track with a really nice feel, a few horn stabs. We get a few stabs of lead guitar, but that isn't really the focus.
Organ on the right.
Even though this is a dolby digital audio track it sounds good.
The mix is very balanced, and nicely immersive. We get some tasteful lead toward the end for the guitar heads and there is a baby wanting attention on the left side.

Say What You Will
We have a somewhat reggae feel.
Horns rears. Organ left side. Percussion right side.
This has a really pleasant kind of upbeat sound melodically, though again in a sort of mellow, smooth musically.
Bvox in the sides.

I'm Going Left
Piano right rear. Organ left.
This is a really cool upbeat kind of track.
Almost like seventies r&b or soul or something.
Bvox either side.
Clapton really puts over a solid vocal that really could be considered a genuine soul vocal.
Again a nice immersive mix, with the horns in the sides also.
Such a different kind of album for Clapton, but I like it a lot.

Love Don't Love Nobody
A piano opens us up, up the front. An acoustic guitar, just left of front left.
A sort of melancholy come down from the bright openers.
Again the vocals are excellent.
This is like a blueish ballad.
Strings in the sides...
This could almost be a George Benson track.
Clapton finds his inner Stevie Wonder or something here.
A nice lead break, with its focus on melodic playing.
Again a nice mix.
Great song, really convincing vocal.

Revolution
Organ on the left. Horns in the sides.
A really smooth sort of reggae here, with a bluesy undertone. Some nice percussive effects in the rears. Bvox in the rears.
This is really coherent and smooth. Some of the seventies reggae from Clapton didn't really work for me, but this is so smooth and well executed, that it wins me over.
Another well written song too.

Love Comes to Everyone
Nice acoustic right rear. Bvox.
Nice slide lead break.
Synth from I am guessing Steve Winwood, on the left side.
Again a well written smooth kind of R&B track with a Clapton twist, a really nice slide guitar in here too.

Lost And Found
We get a bit of a dirty blues rocker here.
Organ left rear. Another nice slide guitar.
A solid pumping, moderate/slow beat.
This is all about feel, and it works great. A nice riff section in the middle.
Track ends abruptly, and is the first thing that doesn't quite work for me.

Pieces Of My Heart
A return to the smooth stuff.
Guitar right rear. Organ left rear.
Rhythm gtr left side.
This album isn't probably typical Clapton, but it really works for me.
Bvox rears. These ladies really help with the smooth sound on here. Another tasteful lead break.
A really nice groove.

One Day
Organ in rears. Horns in sides.
A slow grooving track, again a really nice feel.
Cymbals in the sides. Bvox all around.
Smooth is the word for most of this album, and I don't use that in a derogatory sense.
Real sweet lead break, short but very sweet.
We roll out with some marvelous lead work. Excellent

One Track Mind
We start off with a bit of a George Benson feel again here. Very cool groove. The rhythm guitar is very sweet. A dobro also comes in left rear and front.
Horns in the rears.
Nice layering here, and another nicely written and arranged track.
Really nice dobro slide lead.
I don't think I've ever heard Clapton groove as smoothly and cool as this.

Run Home to Me
Organ on the left. Gtr right.
A slower somewhat blueish kind of ballad.
Clapton really managed to pull off some nice soulful vocals on this album.
Again, really well written, and really nice execution.
A key modulation into a really nice lead break. Leading onto a really nice bridge.
Bvox sides again.
Strings come in also, in the rears.
This is really good bluesy soul music

Back Home
Acoustic guitar just left of front left.
This is a kind of folky type ballad, kind of early John Martynish.
Organ on the left. Acoustic right.
We move into a nice bridge. Slight change of feel, but the writing works really well for me again.
A slight ritard moves us back into the folky section.

I really like this album. This certainly isn't for the folks itching for some Cream, with over the top lead breaks and outright jam frenzy. This is a well written series of songs, and you can see that Clapton wrote a lot of them, and then there is Stevie Wonder, George Harrison etc written songs, but they are all expertly executed, and incredibly tastefully done.
This album is really very good, and I feel probably overlooked because folks have a predetermined idea of what Clapton should be doing, and this isn't really it. I would imagine that most of the folks who would love this album aren't necessarily Clapton fans, and so won't hear it, and those that are Clapton fans are probably going to wish it was something else.
I think going into this album with an open mind, and in the mood for some, leaning towards mellow, thoughtful, blues/R&B/Soul kind of hybrid music, one will be rewarded well.
The mix is very good. It isn't over the top, but it is immersive and the feel on here is beautiful.
For me one of the highlights on here is Clapton's vocals. Try I'm Going Left and Love Don't Love Nobody for examples ... I imagine they are on youtube.
I do recommend this album, but it needs to be approached with a mindset that takes into consideration the things mentioned. If you expect Cream, The Bluesbreakers lots of heavy jamming lead guitar, this will disappoint, if you bear in mind what I have tried at least to say, this is a really rewarding album. I could imagine sitting back on a Sunday evening with a cigar and glass of whisky just melting into the feel of this album.

 

Also don't forget to run through any of the albums we have done, if you feel drawn to

Reference to the albums

Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic
Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare
Alan Parsons Project - Tales Of Mystery and Imagination
Allman Brothers Band - Live At Fillmore East
Allman Brother Band - Eat a Peach
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here thanks @riskylogic
Anathema - Weather Systems thanks @riskylogic
Ayreon - The Source thanks @riskylogic

Band - Music From Big Pink ... I did this twice ... must occasionally sleep lol
Bass Communion - Loss thanks @riskylogic
The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama
Be Bop Deluxe - Sunburst Finish
Beck, Jeff - Blow By Blow
Beethoven - 3rd Symphony Eroica
Beethoven - 5th Concerto (Emporer) - Barenboim/Rubenstein
Bjork - Vespertine
Blackfield - IV thanks @riskylogic
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Blood Sweat and Tears - Blood Sweat And Tears
Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties
Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune
Bowie, David - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Browne, Jackson - Running On Empty
Bruford - Feels Good To Me thanks @riskylogic

Charles, Ray - Ray Sings, Basie Swings
Clapton, Eric - Back Home
Cobham, Billy - Spectrum
Cobham, Billy - Spectrum (Quad) thanks @-dave--wave-

Davis, Miles - Sketches Of Spain
Davis, Miles - In A Silent Way
Davis, Miles - Bitches Brew
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Deep Purple - Stormbringer
Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward
Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
Derek and the Dominos - Layla and other assorted love songs
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
Doobie Brothers - The Captain And Me
Doors - LA Woman
Drake, Nick - A Treasury
Dream Theater - Distance Over Time
Dukes Of Stratosphear - Psurroundabout Ride
Dylan, Bob - Blonde On Blonde

Eagles - Hotel California
ELO - debut album
Emerson Lake And Palmer - Tarkus
Emerson Lake And Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery

Fagen, Donald - The Nightfly
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Foreigner - Foreigner

Gabriel, Peter - Up
Gallagher, Rory - Big Guns (Best Of)
Gaye, Marvin - Lets Get It On
Genesis - Overview of all thanks @MikeF63
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
Genesis - And Then There Were Three
Gentle Giant - The Power and The Glory
Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead

Hackett, Steve - Voyage Of The Acolyte thanks @riskylogic
Hendrix, Jimi - Electric Ladyland

Inxs - Kick
Iron Maiden - Dance Of Death

Jeff Beck Group - Rough And Ready
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick
Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery
Jethro Tull - Stormwatch
Jethro Tull - TAAB 2 thanks @riskylogic
Joel, Billy - The Stranger
John, Elton - Madman Across The Water

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - The Traveller
King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King 40th and 50th
King Crimson - Red
King Crimson - The Power To Believe
Knopfler, Mark - Sailing To Philadelphia
Kooper, Al (with Bloomfield and Stills) Super Sessions

Living Colour - Collideoscope
Love And Rockets - Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven thanks @riskylogic
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Southern Surroundings

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire
Marillion - Afraid Of Sunlight
Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed
Moody Blues - A Question Of Balance
Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn
Morrison, Van - Moondance
Mussorgsky, Modeste - Carlo Ponti - Pictures At An Exhibition+
Mozart - 40th Symphony

Nektar - Journey To The Centre of The Eye Thanks @riskylogic
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
No Man - Schoolyard Ghosts Thanks @riskylogic

Oldfield, Mike - Ommadawn
Oldfield, Mike - Five Miles Out
Oldfield, Mike - Crises thanks @Sordel 's overview
Oldfield, Mike - Return To Ommadawn thanks @riskylogic
Opeth - Pale Communion
Opeth - In Cauda Venenum

Pat Metheny Group - Imaginary Day
Pineapple Thief - Dissolution
Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
Pixies - Doolittle thanks @Galactus2

Queen - A Night At The Opera

REM - Green
Rich, Charlie Behind Closed Doors
Riverside - Love, Fear And The Time Machine thankl @riskylogic
Roxy Music - Avalon
Rush - 2112
Rush - A Farewell To Kings (Wilson version)
Rush - Hemispheres
Rush - Moving Pictures

Santana - Abraxas
Santana - Lotus
Sly And The Family Stone - Greatest Hits
Soord, Bruce - All This Will Be Yours
Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle

Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker - Neeme Jarvi
Talking Heads - Fear Of Music
Talking Heads - Remain In Light
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Temple Of The Dog - Temple Of The Dog
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes
Townsend, Pete/Lane, Ronnie - Rough Mix
T Rex - Electric Warrior

Uk - Night After Night
Uriah Heep - Gold From The Byron Era

Wakeman, Rick - Six Wives Of Henry The Eighth
Waters, Roger - Amused to Death
Wayne, Jeff - War Of The Worlds
Who - Quadrophenia
Wilson, Steven - The Raven That Refused To Sing
Wilson, Steven - Hand. Cannot. Erase.
Wings - Band On The Run

XTC - The Black Sea
XTC - Oranges and Lemons

Yes - Close To The Edge
Yes - Tale Of Topographic Oceans
Young, Neil - Harvest

Zappa - Quaudiophiliac

If the mood takes you, please feel free to give us your summary of any of these albums that we have done. For our purposes here, please try and give us information about the mix, in as much or as little detail as takes your fancy.
If you feel so inclined, review the album, and the mastering or anything else about the album that you feel drawn to.
Cheers,
Mark

 

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans. I for one never ever thought this was a bad album. I played the hell out of it when it first came out and have continued to play it ever since. Ok, it was a little disappointing that it wasn't as good as Close to the Edge, but I got over it. But the Steven Wilson mix has also elevated my opinion of it . Now, it's up there with Fragile and CTTE as one of their best. It's not just the surround mix either - I also greatly prefer the SW stereo mix to the old Offord one. Rating just the surround mixes, Tales is my favorite among all Yes albums. (3/4)

I prefer the extended version of the first track. The main difference is that it has a longer intro that sounds great in surround. After a little hand wringing, I ripped that to my hard drive instead of the first track. Playing it off the disc today, I started with the fifth track and then jumped to the second. If you let the bluray keep playing it will continue on to the extras including four different additional stereo versions, including two different needle drops. I haven't done it, but I guess it would play for 8 hours if you let it ( ).

 

It’s been about three months since last did it, so I will update my ratings summary. I will also explain by rating system:

The first number is an album rating that essentially rates how much I like the stereo mix:

0- I don’t ever need to hear this again. I don’t have very many of these, but we all make mistakes
1- This is a decent album, but I have so many other titles to listen to (approaching 4000) that this isn’t likely to break through to my playlist. Except maybe in surround.
2- A very good album that I have listened to many times. Still, I have so many of these that it will get played once a year, if that
3- One of my favorite albums – a top 10 percenter. I mostly listen to albums in this group.

The second number is for the surround mix:

1- Not better in any way than the stereo mix
2- A nice alternative to play on a home theater system, but it doesn’t really justify a significant expense to acquire it
3- A significantly different listening experience that makes having a surround system worthwhile
4- A top 10 percenter in my surround collection – I only have a little over 200, so there won’t be very many of these. A new rating that I instituted with my previous post. I am also retroactively giving it here to about 10% of the discs I have already rated

You might reasonably ask why the first ordinal scale goes from 0 to 3 while the second 1 to 4. The explanation is that they both started out as 1 to 3 scales, and then I subsequently decided that I needed an extra category at the bottom for the first, and the top for the second.

Allman Brothers Band - Live At Fillmore East (2/2)
Allman Brother Band - Eat a Peach (3/2)
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here (3/3)
Anderson, Ian – TAAB 2 (1/3)
Ayreon - The Source (3/3)
Bass Communion – Loss (1/2)
Beck, Jeff (Group) – Rough and Ready (2/3)
Beck, Jeff - Blow By Blow 5.1 (3/1), Quad (3/3)
Blackfield – IV (1/3)
Blue Öyster Cult – Secret Treaties (3/2)
Bruford - Feels Good To Me (2/3)
Davis, Miles - Bitches Brew (2/3)
Deep Purple - Machine Head (1/2)
Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward (2/3)
Depeche Mode – Delta Machine (1/2)
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (2/2)
Doors - LA Woman (2/3)
Dream Theater - Distance Over Time (2/3)
Eagles - Hotel California (2/3)
ELO - debut album (1/3)
Emerson Lake And Palmer – Tarkus (2/2)
Emerson Lake And Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (3/4)
Fagen, Donald - The Nightfly (3/3)
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (1/3)
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (3/2)
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (3/3)
Gentle Giant - The Power and The Glory (3/3)
Hackett, Steve - Voyage of the Acolyte (3/1)
Hendrix, Jimi - Electric Ladyland (3/3)
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick (2/3)
Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery (2/3)
Jethro Tull – Stormwatch (1/3)
John, Elton - Madman Across The Water (1/3)
King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King 40th (3/3) and 50th (3/3)
King Crimson - Red (2/3)
King Crimson - The Power To Believe (2/3)
Love and Rockets - Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven (1/3)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Southern Surroundings (1/2)
Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight (2/3)
Moody Blues - A Question Of Balance (2/3)
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (0/3)
No Man - Schoolyard Ghosts (2/3)
Oldfield, Mike – Ommadawn (2/3)
Oldfield, Mike - Five Miles Out (2/3)
Oldfield, Mike – Return to Ommadawn (1/3)
Opeth - Pale Communion (2/3)
(Alan) Parsons Project – Tales of Mystery and Imagination (3/3)
Pineapple Thief - Dissolution (3/3)
Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother (1/3)
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (3/4)
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (3/3)
Queen - A Night At The Opera (3/2)
REM - Green (2/2)
Riverside - Love, Fear and the Time Machine (2/3)
Roxy Music - Avalon (3/4)
Rush – 2112 (2/2)
Rush – Farewell to Kings 2015 Mix (1/2)
Rush - Moving Pictures (2/2)
Talking heads – Fear of Music (3/3)
Talking heads - Remain In Light (3/3)
Talking heads – Speaking in Tongues (3/3)
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra (2/3)
Wakeman, Rick - Six Wives Of Henry The Eighth (3/2)
Waters, Roger – Amused to Death (2/4)
Who - Quadrophenia (2/2)
Wilson, Steven - The Raven That Refused To Sing (2/3)
Wilson, Steven - Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2/3)
XTC - The Black Sea (3/3)
XTC - Oranges and Lemons (1/3)
XTC / Dukes of the Stratosphere – Psurroundabout Ride (2/4)
Yes - Close To The Edge (3/2)
Yes – Tales From Topographic Oceans (3/4)

I may revise my ratings in the future. For the last eight months I’ve been living in the Virginia mountains with pretty much the same home theater system I’ve had for 15 years. However, in about two weeks we are finally getting the new townhouse in the big city (suburban Washington) that we’ve been chomping at the bit for since we sold our old house in Maryland last May. I intend to turn my old higher end stereo system into a surround system that will have a couple of ceiling speakers for Atmos purposes and full range speakers in the back for Quad purposes. I will surely revisit many of the albums on the list.

 

The Man-Machine

Studio album by
Kraftwerk
Released 19 May 1978
Recorded 1977–1978
Studio Kling Klang Studio
(Düsseldorf, Germany)
Genre Synth-pop electronic
Length 36:10
Label Kling Klang EMI Electrola
Producer Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider

The Man-Machine (German: Die Mensch-Maschine) is the seventh studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released on 19 May 1978 by Kling Klang in Germany and by Capitol Records elsewhere. A further refinement of their mechanical style, the album saw the group incorporate more danceable rhythms and less minimalistic arrangements. It includes the singles "The Model" and "The Robots".

Although the album was initially unsuccessful on the UK Albums Chart, it reached a new peak position of number nine in February 1982,[1] becoming the band's second highest-peaking album in the United Kingdom after Autobahn (1974).[2]

3-D The Catalogue


Live album by
Kraftwerk
Released 26 May 2017
Recorded 2012–2017
Genre Electronic
Length 285:49
Label Kling Klang Parlophone

3-D The Catalogue (German: 3-D Der Katalog) is the second official live album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released on 26 May 2017 and was released on several formats, including a four-disc Blu-ray box set, an eight-disc CD box set and a nine-disc vinyl box set.[6][7]

According to the liner notes, the album documents Kraftwerk's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 tour at various museums and concert halls around the world: Museum of Modern Art in New York City (9–17 April 2012), Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf (11–20 January 2013), Tate Modern in London (6–14 February 2013), Akasaka Blitz in Tokyo (8–16 May 2013), Sydney Opera House (24–27 May 2013), Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles (18–21 March 2014), Burgtheater in Vienna (15–18 May 2014), Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (6–14 November 2014), Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin (6-13 January 2015), Paradiso in Amsterdam (16–23 January 2015), DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen (26 February – 1 March 2015), Oslo Opera House (4–7 August 2016), and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (7–14 October 2016).

Disc seven of the set is mixed in Headphone Surround 3D. Unlike on most live albums (including Kraftwerk's own Minimum-Maximum), there is no audible crowd noise.

The album was nominated for two awards at the 60th Grammy Awards, Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Surround Sound Album, winning the former.[8]

1. "The Man-Machine" ("Die Mensch-Maschine") Hütter, Karl Bartos 5:10
2. "Spacelab" Hütter, Bartos 5:28
3. "Metropolis" Hütter, Schneider, Bartos 5:46
4. "The Model" ("Das Model") Hütter, Bartos, Schult 3:39
5. "Neon Lights" ("Neonlicht") Hütter, Schneider, Bartos 5:45
6. "The Robots" ("Die Roboter") Hütter, Schneider, Bartos 7:44
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kraftwerk have always liked to be a little different. they were pioneers, with others, of synthesiser music, and they did have a good amount of success with it, particularly in Europe.
I am not going to pretend to be some kind of authority on their work, because to be honest when these guys were doing their thing back in the day, I was pretty much 100% rock pig, and synths were my enemy lol
Anyway
What we have here is a rather remarkable project that I will try and fills in the blanks for, but I am sure someone else here can correct and/or add to whatever I put here.

The band embarked on a touring exercise of playing their albums in full, in concert. I believe they must have had this set in mind whilst doing it, because they filmed in hi-def 3d, and this was recorded with no audience sound whatsoever. This could well be studio recordings from a naked ear listen.
The band tends to lean towards minimalism and the packaging reflects that. It is obviously all made with the highest quality in mind, and presented in a manor that reflects that minimalist style.
There is a thick (roughly) 12x12 book, full of well shot pictures, for those into that kind of thing, and in some ways, unfortunately the information is somewhat minimal also.
We end up with four blurays all with the surround mixes of the eight albums. Two blurays are like the digital image screens, I guess for the 3d folks (please be aware I do not have 3d tv, and this is compatible with 2d tv's) and two blurays that are the actual concert footage, again with no audience sound.
I don't generally do anything like a concert bluray/dvd, but this is such a different kind of project, I would hate folks to completely overlook it.

I have never had a Kraftwerk album before, and my understanding is that the songs are a little different from the original releases in some ways, but for our purposes here, this is essentially a very well done surround series of albums, by a unique and unusual group, that certainly have their own thing going on.

Also please be aware that this is also available as 3-D Der Katalog, which is the german versions of these particular tours/shows. I believe the hardcore Kraftwerk folk think Der Katalog is the one to get, but I like to understand the words even if they are minimal.

to some degree I suppose that picking Man Machine shows that I am still a Kraftwerk newbie, because it is the most famous of the albums I believe, or at least probably the most widely known outside of Kraftwerk circles.

This isn't cheap.
Amazon has one left (more on the way for about $199 https://www.amazon.com/3-D-Catalogue-4Blu-ray-Discs-Cover/dp/B06Y3VL6ZQ

for those interested there is also a bluray/dvd combo, that is somewhat like a highlights set for about $18 https://www.amazon.com/3-D-Catalogue-Blu-ray-DVD-Kraftwerk/dp/B06Y3YHJVC

The tracklisting for the bluray/dvd

Autobahn 14:27
Geiger Counter 0:31
Radioactivity 6:14
Trans Europe Express 3:21
Metal On Metal 2:08
Abzug 2:24
The Man-Machine 5:08
Numbers 2:58
Computer World 3:22
Boing Boom Tschak 2:33
Techno Pop 2:46
Music Non Stop 7:45
The Robots 7:44
Tour De France 4:18
Prologue 0:27
Etape 1 3:46
Chrono 1:12
Etape 2 4:59

The box set = the full albums
Autobahn
Radioactivity
Transeuropean express
The Man Machine
Computer World
Technopop
The Mix
Tour De France

The quality is very high, and I remember really enjoying this when I first listened to it.
This is obviously very different to the prog/classic rock/jazz/ classical we have been looking at so far, but I am sure there are some folks out there that would get a kick out of this, even if just the condensed version.

I'm not really sure what else to say, but all versions seem to still be available, and I am assuming that if and when they run out, it will be another monster price hike.

the audio is 5.1,6.1 and 7.1 for those of you with Atmos set ups

I have no idea who mixed and mastered these, but memory tells me they did a great job.

The Man Machine
We are instantly surrounded by synths and the vocoder type vocals.
A percussion track comes in front. A synth line starts on the left, and kind of bounces across the centre.
Nice sub usage especially for this style of music.
The sound is crystal clear.
We get synth effects zipping and bouncing all over the place, and then move into the wonderful layered synths.
We have bits moving from left to right.
This has everything and the kitchen sink.
Lyrically this is pretty sparse, the man machine is about it, but this is like .... effect music, and it is very effective.
The sound and clarity is wonderful.
Very balanced levels and wonderful use of the soundfield.

Space Lab
Drum to the left side. Keyboard arpeggiostarts up front and zooshes around our heads very effectively.
Then we get a sequenced line up front. The obligatory drum machine.
There are synths in all channels doing there own thing in coordinated ways. Rhythmically very nice, and don't underestimate the melodies.
A digital hats effects moves around, while lower frequencies zoosh in out out, with really nice surround results.
I looked up at the screen there is stuff going on there too, but it is this aural landscape that I really love.
I am honestly not sure I would be bothered to get this in stereo, and I bought this set on a whim to be honest, with not a little apprehension, but it sounds magnificent, even to a rock pig like me.

Metropolis
Obviously there was a smooth transition that i missed.

The Model
This was a bit of a hit in oz back in the day.
Again nice sub. Vocal up front.
Wonderful use of the channels for the various synth parts again.
We have balanced separation and also nice subtle movement effects.
This is a really good song of its style, and I get the impression hearing this now, that Midge Ure's Ultravox were listening.

Neon Lights
Staccato keys front left. Percussion track front left. Zooshing from front to rear.
Understated melody up front sliding to the rears.
Counter melodies either side is the rears.
So subtle, and so effective.
There is nothing about this really that would make you think it was live.
Wonderful circling, high synth.
The picture clarity is perfect too, and I imagine 3d folks may get more again....
Quite brilliantly done.

The Robots
Probably their most famous track
Instantly some excellent surround effects. With proverbs in all channels and dancing around the field.
The the iconic rhythm synth comes in
High pitch synth left rear, rhythm synth left side. Nice sub again.
Just balanced beautiful sounds from everywhere.
The main riff, moves around the soundfield.
The vocoder vocals and all the effects just working beautifully together to created a wonderful escapist soundfield.
Beware any epileptics there is some strobe light effects that for for a minute or so on the screen.
I can't speak highly enough on how well this done.

I imagine for a techno-head, this mix would not be unlike a rock-head's first headphones listen to Dazed and Confused.
This is definitely demo quality stuff. I know that to some degree this may leave a lot of the rock guys in the cold somewhat, but just purely on the clarity, the brilliant mix, and thoughtfulness, this is a must have.
I assume that the bluray/dvd set is the same mix, and I reckon you would be disappointed to miss it. If this synth type of music is your thing, and you like surround, this is an absolute must.
If every surround album took the time and care to make something this good, surround would currently be the number one selling thing in the music world.

 

so for some choices for next week .....

The Who - Tommy

 

Toto - IV

 

Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream

 

Jeff Beck - Wired

 

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac

 

Velvet Underground - Re-loaded

 

Bob Marley And The Wailers - Legend

 

Ohio Players - Fire

 

Brian Ferry - Boys and Girls

 

Miles Davis - Tutu

 

As it turns out, my Kraftwerk bluray is in storage and I didn't copy it to my hard drive. Oh well, I should get back in a couple of weeks. I guess I was primarily thinking of it as a video production as it comes with 3D videos. Is the whole box like that, or is it just the compilation? In any case, The Man-Machine is my Kraftwerk favorite. Maybe they can get around to selling them individually one of these days. I didn't realize there was a $200 version of the box with all the 5.1s. That is a little tempting, but I can't see buying new productions of 8 old albums when I am really only interested in three of them.

 

Signed up to participate in this very cool thread I've been reading since Mark started it. Long, Long time lurker not comfortable with all the social media stuff, so far this is only the 3rd forum I've joined. After many years decided to finally join.

 

Well the Mrs is having one of those sleepy Sundays ...... so.

Illuminations


Studio album by
Santana & Coltrane
Released September 1974
Genre Free jazz
Length 35:40
Label Columbia
Producer Turiya Alice Coltrane, Devadip Carlos Santana, Tom Coster

Illuminations is a 1974 collaboration between Alice Coltrane and Carlos Santana. Jazz musicians Jules Broussard, Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland also contributed to the record, on saxophone, flute, drums and bass.

Alice Coltrane performs on harp, piano, and Wurlitzer organ and arranged and conducted the string section. Carlos Santana (whose Indian name "Devadip" appears on the sleeve) plays electric guitar in a minimal style, using feedback, long notes and simple melodies and lending much space to the other instruments. The album is conceived as an instrumental jazz album, with lengthy solos on guitar, saxophone and keyboards.

The introduction to "Angel of Air", with its violins, has been sampled by the Cinematic Orchestra. It is his first of three solo albums (the others being Oneness and The Swing of Delight) to be released under his temporary Sanskrit name Devadip Carlos Santana, given to him by Sri Chinmoy.

In addition, the usual 2 channel stereo version of the album was also released in 1974 by Columbia Records in a 4 channel quadraphonic version.

• Alice Coltrane - Piano, Harp, Wurlitzer Organ (on track B1)
• Carlos Santana - Guitar
• Dave Holland - Double Bass (on tracks A2, B1)
• James Bond - Bass
• Jack DeJohnette - Drums and Percussion (on tracks A2, B1)
• Tom Coster - Electric Piano and Hammond Organ (on tracks A2, B1-2)
• Jules Broussard - Flute, Soprano Saxophone (on tracks A2, B1)
• Phil Brown - Tanpura (on track B1)
• Armando Peraza - Congas (on track B1)
• Phil Ford - Tablas (on track B1)
• String section arranged and conducted by Alice Coltrane
• Murray Adler - Violin, concert master
• Ron Folsom - Violin
• Bill Henderson - Violin
• Nathan Kaproff - Violin
• Gordon Marron - Violin
• Paul Shure - Violin
• Charles Veal - Violin
• Anne Goodman - Cello
• Glenn Grab - Cello
• Jackie Lustgarten - Cello
• Fred Seykora - Cello
• Marilyn Baker - Viola
• Myer Bello - Viola
• Rollice Dale - Viola
• Alan Harshman - Viola
• Myra Kestenbaum - Viola
• David Schwartz - Viola

1. "Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism" (S.Chinmoy) - 1:11
2. "Angel of Air / Angel of Water" (Coster-Santana) - 9:55
3. "Bliss: the Eternal Now" (A. Coltrane) - 5:33
4. "Angel of Sunlight" (Coster-Santana) - 14:43
5. "Illuminations" (Coster-Santana) - 4:18

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Having heard a lot of Santana's stuff and Mahavishnu Orchestra ... A lot of John Coltrane's stuff and such, I feel that I am coming to the album prepared, but I have never heard it before.
I bought this on the strength of some comments about it on here, and also the fact that the Dutton/Vocalion stuff seems generally to be very high quality.
So I am not going to try and talk about something I have never heard and will dive right in.

Available from Dutton Vocalion for about 12 pounds/$15 US duttonvocalion.co.uk store: Turiya Alice Coltrane & Devadip Carlos Santana - Illuminations [SACD Hybrid Multi-channel] | SACD & Surround Sound | CDSML8530 |
From amazon for about $22 https://www.amazon.com/Turiya-Coltrane-Devadip-Carlos-Santana/dp/B0747SL2SH
Discogs from about $16 Turiya Alice Coltrane*, Devadip Carlos Santana* - Illuminations

Remastered by Michael J. Dutton
This is an sacd and I have no idea who did the Quad mix.

Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism
We start with on "om"
Then a, part spoken, part sung vocal.
This is like a set up.

Angel of Air / Angel of Water
Here we start with a flute up front, and mild reverb sends to the rears.
The a really sweet sounding bass comes in.
Then strings fill the soundfield.
Cymbals roll in the sides, and Carlos plays a few notes.
Carlos has that sweet tone he was known for.
We get keys either across the centre, or one on each side, I'm not certain.
A sax comes in just right of front right, and the cymbal rolls continue.
Really good sound. The bass is fully and round, and I am pretty sure these don't have a sub send.
The harp has a really nice effect, on the right and feeling like it rolls around the back.
Meanwhile strings have filled the rears.
The sax comes in just right of front right.
Everything has its space and it is a sort of hypnotic feel to the music.
Carlos is front and centre.
This is soothing, but not boring. Rather emotive and reverent.
It works very well in this quad medium.
Definitely immersive.
The sax seems to be more to the side now.
Very effective


Bliss: the Eternal Now
We come on with a flurry of strings in the rears. Carlos still sitting front and centre.
Excellent audio quality. Dreamlike feel is induced by the mix in combination with the music.
There is definition in the strings arrangements, you can tell it isn't a pad or generic sounding string mix, it is mic'd properly and there is space between, if that makes sense.
We get sweeps of the harp.
There is a sort of grand, yet relaxed feel about the music.
The harp is streaming across the left side.
Really nice.

Angel of Sunlight
A sort of throbbing sitar like sound comes in the rears.
Santana front and centre.
Cymbals again rolling in the rears, and little clicks of percussion.
Strings and percussion sounds on both sides, particularly the left side.
Meanwhile Carlos is squeezing sad beauty out of his guitar. This isn't a shred-fest, this is measured melodic ruminating.
The bass comes in to define a rhythm, and percussion strikes up in the front also.
The scale sounds middle eastern.
This track builds in urgency, and Santana's melodic playing is sort of holding the musical side of things together.
Then a sax starts wailing in in the left rear, but sort of floats across the rears.
In the meantime Carlos has disappeared to allow space for this new melodic leader floating above the percussive assault all around us.
Then we get a synthetic sounding keyboard in the left rear take over from the sax, and then it moves to the front right with feeds to the right rear.
This is a frenetic keyboard that is full of adrenaline and bad manners.
Then the sax comes back in the rears, with Carlos joining up front with sometimes ambient held tones and sometimes frantic flailing.
This is an exhilarating collage, certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but it works for me.
We move into somewhat more frantic territory like we are being blinded by the angel of sunlight.
The sax dies off, but the intensity doesn't.
Not long after the sax has a quieter presence up front.
The ferocious drumming and percussion dies off, leave just the rolling cymbals.
As we fade the drums come back in.
It would interesting to know how long that jam last.

Illuminations
A piano comes in strongly on the right and in the front.
Silence, and then a crescendo of strings come in with a flourish all around us.
This sounds like sailing on a beautiful calm ocean into the horizon.
Santana front and centre gives us some understated little notes.
A cello, the harp, little flourishes of musical colour.
Suddenly there is a slight change of musical tone, apprehension?
Then we get dreamy crescendos from the strings all round.
A swell of strings, and the journey is over.

These aren't songs, and they are but are not just instrumentals. What comes to mind listening to this are the "emotional landscapes" that Bjork sings about in Joga.
This is emotive, and beautiful music. It is somewhat perfect for the listener who paints picture sin their head. It isn't for everybody, but it could be for you.
The mix is perfect in conveying the emotional landscapes. The surround enhances the full encapsulation of what is attempting to be achieved here.
I think it works terribly well. Although I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea.
If you like your music to be more that a beat and a melody. If jazz stylings, or perhaps influences would be better, are of interest, or a pleasure to you. If you like cinematic movie scores, that are more than just "here's the creepy bit". This album may well be for you.
I don't think anyone would be disappointed in the mix.
High quality emotional landscapes found on this disc.

 

The bluray box is four blurays.
Disc one is the first four albums in 5.1, atmos etc (and I think stereo also, but that would be redundant after hearing the surround mix) with ... like, the backing screens from the concert with the 3d capability.
disc two is the second four albums, with the same type of video backing.
disc three is the first four albums, but in a concert video type thing, same sound, and I believe also 3d capable.
Disc four is the second four albums again concert setting etc etc.
I guess it works out at $50 per disc, but I think of it as $12.50 per album I guess. I never really watch the concert or video, the music is just too well done for me to care to be honest.
It is expensive, but with this set I feel confident in the quality of the work that has gone into it.
The minimalism of the set itself is nice, but I like info as well lol.
The book is beautifully done, but I have little interest in the pictures to be honest

 

$25 per album, which is great if you want all the albums (e.g. Genesis 1971-75). If you only really want three, not so much.

As for the video on the compilation, it definitely adds to the experience. But, I don't know if I'd care to watch 8 albums worth of it. The Autobahn video is quite boring on the second viewing - kinda like the audio.

 

I paid £125.19 a year ago on Amazon UK, Jan 15th to be exact. It's now priced at £117.93, an absolute bargain imo.

 

Sold

 

Yea, I paid $145 about 18 months ago. It has gone up over here

 

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