Surrounded On Sundays - 5.1/quad reviews and summaries

I like the Chateau d'Herouville stuff more than the finished album, and the finished album is still pretty good if you're a Tull fan. It just takes a while longer to grow on you than Thick as a Brick. I thought the Wilson 5.1 mix was superb, one of the better Tull mixes he did in fact.

 

I just listened to Chateau d'Herouville for the first time, and it has it's high points. The surround mix is especially fun; maybe because he didn't have any preconceptions to deal with, he took a lot more chances - little bits pop up in the back all the time. Maybe I should rip it after all. Yes I have an abundance of Tull already, but the surround mix is unusually good.

 

Simple Minds, New Gold Dream 81 82 83 84, in Pure Music blu ray.

Great album, and fun to hear it in glorious 5.1!

 

Just got my Genesis 1970 - 1975 SACD box today, and am diving into Trespass, which I'd never heard. Music is pretty good without being great. That kind of folky take on prog which the band had at the time. Lots of acoustic guitars, mellotron, flute, etc. The sound is ace (including the surround sound), but the songs aren't really there yet, if you know what I mean.

But I'm loving being surrounded by this pastoral music.

 

I like all three, even though there are a couple of issues with Sparkle

 

I'm going to play Sparkle this weekend, and will report back!

 

Sparkle is my favourite Simple Minds album

 

Are IV and V the only albums of theirs with a surround mix?

 

There is also this:

Blackfield – NYC: Live in New York City / Live Performance / Rating: 11

 

Here's my Quadraphonic quad review of Genesis' Nursery Cryme:

Just picked up the 1970 - 1975 box yesterday and am giving Nursery Cryme a spin. The 5.1 mix isn't quite as good as Trespass, but since the music is better, I'm not complaining. The field is immersive, that pastoral vibe established with the previous LP is still present, and the recording's natural dynamics have been preserved. Gabriel is coming into his own here, and the addition of Hackett and Collins is just what the band needed to kick them up a notch. Another 9.

 

The Yes Album

Studio album by
Yes
Released 19 February 1971
Recorded 17 July 1970 ("Clap")
Autumn 1970
Venue "Clap": Lyceum Theatre, London
Studio Advision Studios, London
Genre Progressive rock[1] proto-prog[2]
Length 41:32
Label Atlantic
Producer Yes Eddie Offord

The Yes Album is the third studio album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 19 February 1971 by Atlantic Records.[3] It was the band's first album to feature guitarist Steve Howe, who replaced Peter Banks in 1970, as well as their last to feature keyboardist Tony Kaye until 1983's 90125.

The album was the first by the band not to feature any cover versions of songs. The band spent mid-1970 writing and rehearsing new material at a farmhouse at Romansleigh, Devon, and the new songs were recorded at Advision Studios in London in the autumn. While the album retained close harmony singing, Kaye's Hammond organ, and Chris Squire's melodic bass, as heard on earlier releases, the new material also covered further styles including jazz piano, funk, and acoustic music. All of the band members contributed ideas, and tracks were extended in length to allow music to develop. Howe contributed a variety of guitar styles, including a Portuguese guitar, and recorded the solo acoustic guitar piece "Clap", live at the Lyceum Theatre, London.

The album was a critical success and a major commercial breakthrough for Yes, who had been at risk of being dropped by Atlantic due to the commercial failures of their first two albums. It reached number 4 in the United Kingdom and number 40 in the United States, and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for surpassing one million copies. The album has been reissued on CD several times, and was given a Blu-ray release in 2014 remixed by Steven Wilson.

• John Anderson[d] – lead vocals, percussion
• Chris Squire – bass guitar, vocals
• Steve Howe – electric and acoustic guitars, vachalia, vocals
• Tony Kaye – piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer
• Bill Bruford – drums, percussion[25]

Additional musician

• Colin Goldring – recorders on "Your Move"[25]

Production

• Yes and Eddie Offord – production
• Eddie Offord – engineering
• Brian Lane – co-ordination
• Phil Franks – photography
• Barry Wentzell – photography
• Jon Goodchild – design[25]

1. "Yours Is No Disgrace" Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, Bill Bruford 9:41
2. "Clap" (instrumental) Howe 3:15
3. "Starship Trooper" Anderson, Howe, Squire 9:36

• a. "Life Seeker"
• b. "Disillusion"
• c. "Würm"

4. "I've Seen All Good People" Anderson, Squire 6:46

• a. "Your Move"
• b. "All Good People"

5. "A Venture" Anderson 3:12
6. "Perpetual Change" Anderson, Squire 8:50
--------------------------------------------------------------------
So far we have covered Close To The Edge and Tales Of Topographic Oceans, which features a rough history of the band.
Yes were one of those bands whose members seem to have always been in a state of flux, to the point where these days, nobody is really sure who Yes are anymore. We have a band touring as Yes, and a bunch of ex-members touring as a version of Yes and it all gets quite messy, but back in the day they were one of the big guns of progressive music, but it wasn't always that way.
The bands first two albums with Peter Banks on the guitar stiffed somewhat in a very strong market, with many new and interesting bands. Due to some differences of opinions Banks moved on after the Time And A Word album, and as we have seen with several bands here, they were on their last chance with the record company, who wanted some success or the band would be set free.
As also seems to be often the case this ultimatum didn't really deter the band, they decided to try something different.
They did some gigs to get Howe in the groove of the band and then went to a cottage in Churchill, Devon, but the conditions didn't suit them and they had to stop when the sun went o down, so they advertised for somewhere to do what they needed to do.
They anded up on Langley Farm in Romansleigh, near South Molton 20 miles away and wrote and rehearsed new material. This led to them going to Advision Studios with Producer Eddie Offord and over Autumn they recorded enough material for an album. In November the band were involved in an accident and all in shock and Tony Kaye broke his foot and had to do some gigs and the photo shoot for the album in a plaster cast.
The album was well received by critics and also did well in the charts and so Yes survived and we end up with the strange journey and legacy that this produced.

This is probably the first Yes album I ever heard, with the track Your Move/All Good People being the first Yes song to get my attention. Not a criticism, merely an observation, but The Yes album and Fragile have a somewhat patched together sound and feel to me, it doesn't mean they are bad albums, but it is on Close To The Edge where the band seems first totally focused and in their own zone, but this album and Fragile were terribly important in the band's development and sound. Still very good, but not quite as cohesive as what came after.

One thing about most of the Yes stuff on bluray audio is it is at least still generally available.
Amazon has this bluray audio for about $21 https://www.amazon.com/Yes-Album/dp/B00IS3E30Y
Acoustic Sounds has it for about $35 Yes-The Yes Album-Blu-ray Audio|Acoustic Sounds
Burning shed has it for about 16 pounds Yes-The Yes Album-Blu-ray Audio|Acoustic Sounds
Discogs has it from about $23 Yes - The Yes Album

There is also a dvd-audio version available at discogs for about $16 Yes - The Yes Album

An sacd was also released at the same time, but it did not have a 5.1 track.

5.1 mix Steven Wilson

Memory tells me that all these Yes album received very good mixes and that is not surprising as Steven Wilson tends to be very consistent and interesting with his mixes.

We have dts-HD master audio and pcm 5.1, as per normal I am going with the pcm.

Yours Is No Disgrace
Bass gtr and drums up front, with tom fills and cymbals running to the sides.
Organ comes in through the middle.
Howe's wonderful little guitar riff up front.
We move into the held organ chord and the vocals come in.
This bounces back to the main rhythm section, this time with vocals, the guitar fills on the right side.
A synth comes in on the left side.
We move into a change. Hats left side, gtr volume swells up front. Vocals spread in the front and rears triangle.
The main organ stays through the rears all through.
We move to another change, and Howe's guitar stabs at us from various points around the field giving a cool, interesting effect. We end up with a guitar either side.
Another variation section leads to some volume sell guitar again using different channels all around us, ending up with a nice effect in the rears, and a regular plucked lead break comes from the front.
We move into an acoustic, kind of reprise of the main vocal theme, and have acoustic guitars either side
Then we get the electric gtr come back bouncing around the soundfield.
This leads us into the main instrumental section with the snazzy gtr part and we burst into some synth swelling and swirling for a big surround finish.

Clap
This is essentially solo acoustic gtr, and it is great. It is a sort of hybrid country rock thing with some really nice parts, and essentially we have the acoustic all around us, and it sounds very good.
Tonal thing seem to comes from different points as though they used a few different mics picking up slightly different frequencies...

Starship Trooper
Organ left rear. Gtr, bass and drums front.
Tom hits are either side.
A flute? Front right.
Tom's are spread nicely around the field.
We move into a really nice piece of Howe's country pickin' again.with the trademark Yes harmony vocals.
The ahhhhhh vocal slides yo the left rear, and ends up with various sections all round.
We move into the gtr playing a nice rhythm part on a three chord pattern, just right of front right. A tremolo gtr comes in underneath and a swell of synth.
This is immersive but less so than sections of the opening track.
A counter guitar comes in and we get this crescendo that lead to a guitar lead break up front, and the surrounds come into play a little more with some mix effects in the rears.
The ending crescendo I'd probably the most interesting part of the song.

I've Seen All Good People
The iconic vocal opening surrounds us with the vocal sections.
Acoustic gtr up front. Mandolin? Left side.
Hats left rear.
Recorders come in from various spots but based mainly on the right side.
The backing vocals come in from all around.
This mix is very nice, and adds to the beautiful feel of the song.
The organ comes in across the middle.
The swell at the end is dynamic and effective.
Howe's lick guitar is on the right side.
A rhythm gtr on the right side.
Again nice wide drums.
We do have nice sub assist in several spots.
Organ comes in all round for the key change refrain section. We move to a fade.

A Venture
Electric piano comes in up front, and Squire follows on his bass.
Gtr comes in through the rears. Bvox on the rears.
There is actually a gtr right rear, and left rear, and they play off each other, and a lead gtr comes in up front. That has the piano slide into the lead instrument position. Moving into a slow fade.

Perpetual Change
This starts of very densely and various things are all around.
I always forget what this track is until it starts.
It is a great blend of prog, and Howes brings an odd country flavour to it.
Bvox in the rears.
Piano left side.
This is a nice full mix
Some drums are just left.
However through in a somewhat jazz type lead break.
The random change with the riff is up front. rhythm gtr left side.
A bit of madness with all sorts going on, that ends with a synth whoosh from left side to right side.
Hard to convey this mix, it is really dense and all sorts of stuff is going on.

This is an interesting album, and it almost has a searching for a sound kind of feel to it. I love that Howe throws in some country and jazz flavours to really spice things up a bit. The mix is very good, we generally have things going on around us and we have some moving mix effects going on also. I must note that the Meniere's has been playing up for a few weeks now, I guess it is a seasonal thing, and my right side is compromised, but even so the mix is very good, it is just harder for me to pick stuff out.
I would imagine this would be essential for a Yes fan, and interesting for a surround fan.
Aside from the album we get a lot of bonus stereo material for the Yes fan.
We get a flat transfer of the original album. An alternate album, with live tracks, a studio Clap, Lifeseeker single edit, and an extended Venture. We get some single versions, and some more live tracks. We also get the album as an instrumental mix and also a Uk album needle drop.
So really this would become pretty much a necessity for the Yes fanatic, particularly those that like variations on an album, with there being a new stereo mix, a flat transfer of the master, and also the Uk vinyl needle drop. This disc has plenty for the surround fan, and the stereo purist.

 

Loaded


Studio album by
The Velvet Underground
Released November 15, 1970
Recorded April–August 1970
Studio Atlantic Recording Studios, New York City, United States
Genre Rock and roll rock pop proto-punk[1]
Length 39:48 (original pressing)
40:35 ("full length version")
Label Cotillion
Producer Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan, The Velvet Underground

Loaded is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in November 1970 by Atlantic Records' subsidiary label Cotillion. It was the final album recorded featuring founding member and main songwriter Lou Reed, who left shortly before its release.

Loaded was ranked 110 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

• Lou Reed – vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, piano
• Doug Yule – bass, piano, keyboards, lead guitar, fuzz bass, drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Who Loves the Sun", "New Age", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'", and "Ride Into The Sun (Session Outtake)"
• Sterling Morrison – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, possible backing vocals
• Maureen Tucker – drums: credited, but does not appear due to maternity leave; on the Fully Loaded edition, does appear singing on the outtake "I'm Sticking With You" and playing drums on the demo of "I Found a Reason"

Additional musicians

• Adrian Barber – drums on "Who Loves the Sun"[6]
• Tommy Castagnaro – drums on "Cool It Down" and "Head Held High"
• Billy Yule – drums on "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" and "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'"

Technical staff

• Adrian Barber – engineer
• Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan and the Velvet Underground – producers

Disc One: Loaded (Remastered)
1.1Who Loves The Sun2:46
1.2Sweet Jane (Full-Length Version)4:06
1.3Rock & Roll (Full-Length Version)4:43
1.4Cool It Down3:05
1.5New Age5:10
1.6Head Held High2:57
1.7Lonesome Cowboy Bill2:44
1.8I Found A Reason4:16
1.9Train Round The Bend3:21
1.10Oh! Sweet Nuthin'7:29
Session Outtakes:
1.11I'm Sticking With You (Remix)2:53
1.12Ocean5:45
1.13I Love You2:54
1.14Ride Into The SunWritten-By – John Cale, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker*, Sterling Morrison3:26
Disc Two: Loaded (Promotional Mono Version) (Remastered)
2.1Who Loves The Sun2:45
2.2Sweet Jane3:15
2.3Rock & Roll4:38
2.4Cool It Down3:03
2.5New Age4:46
2.6Head Held High2:55
2.7Lonesome Cowboy Bill2:42
2.8I Found A Reason4:14
2.9Train Round The Bend3:18
2.10Oh! Sweet Nuthin'7:24
Additional Material:
2.11Who Loves The Sun (Single A-Side 45-44107)2:48
2.12Oh! Sweet Nuthin' (Single B-Side 45-44107)7:26
2.13Rock & Roll (Unissued Single A-Side 45-44133)3:05
2.14Lonesome Cowboy Bill (Unissued Single B-Side 45-44133)2:40
Disc Three: Loaded Demos, Early Versions And Alternate Mixes
3.1Rock & Roll (Demo)4:42
3.2Sad Song (Demo)3:31
3.3Satellite Of Love (Demo)3:00
3.4Walk And Talk (Demo)2:25
3.5Oh Gin (Demo)2:45
3.6Ocean (Demo)6:05
3.7I Love You (Outtake)2:09
3.8Love Makes You Feel Ten Feet Tall (Demo/Remix)4:15
3.9I Found A Reason (Demo)3:17
3.10Cool It Down (Early Version/Remix)4:20
3.11Sweet Jane (Early Version/Remix)5:31
3.12Lonesome Cowboy Bill (Early Version/Remix)3:19
3.13Head Held High (Early Version/Remix)2:56
3.14Oh! Sweet Nuthin' (Early Version/Remix)4:04
3.15Who Loves The Sun (Alternate Mix)3:05
3.16Sweet Jane (Alternate Mix)4:23
3.17Cool It Down (Alternate Mix)3:28
3.18Lonesome Cowboy Bill (Alternate Mix)2:42
3.19Train Round The Bend (Alternate Mix)4:39
3.20Head Held High (Alternate Mix)2:15
3.21Rock & Roll (Alternate Mix)4:40
Disc Four: Live At Max's Kansas City (Remastered)
4.1I'm Waiting For The Man4:44
4.2White Light/White Heat5:15
4.3I'm Set Free6:27
4.4Sweet Jane6:17
4.5Lonesome Cowboy Bill4:20
4.6New Age6:38
4.7Beginning To See The Light5:42
4.8I'll Be Your Mirror3:27
4.9Pale Blue Eyes6:01
4.10Candy Says5:50
4.11Sunday Morning3:39
4.12After Hours2:58
4.13Femme Fatale3:09
4.14Some Kinda Love11:03
4.15Lonesome Cowboy Bill (Version 2)4:17
Disc Five: Live At Second Fret, Philadelphia, 1970 (Previously Unreleased)
5.1I'm Waiting For The Man6:12
5.2What Goes On5:26
5.3Cool It Down6:06
5.4Sweet Jane7:08
5.5Rock & Roll7:31
5.6Some Kinda Love4:24
5.7New Age7:29
5.8Candy Says5:05
5.9Head Held High4:15
5.10Train Round The Bend8:51
5.11Oh! Sweet Nuthin'7:36
Disc Six: (Audio Only DVD) Loaded (Surround Sound Remix, Stereo Downmix And Original Stereo Mix)
Loaded (5.1 Surround Sound Remix In DTS 96/24 And Dolby Digital Surround Sound)
6a.1Who Loves The Sun2:54
6a.2Sweet Jane4:23
6a.3Rock & Roll4:48
6a.4Cool It Down3:54
6a.5New Age5:52
6a.6Lonesome Cowboy Bill3:00
6a.7I Found A Reason4:15
6a.8Head Held High4:15
6a.9Train Around The Bend4:30
6a.10Oh! Sweet Nuthin'7:26
Loaded (5.1 Surround Sound To Stereo Downmixes in 96/24 High Resolution Audio)
6b.1Who Loves The Sun2:54
6b.2Sweet Jane4:23
6b.3Rock & Roll4:48
6b.4Cool It Down3:54
6b.5New Age5:52
6b.6Lonesome Cowboy Bill3:00
6b.7I Found A Reason4:15
6b.8Head Held High2:59
6b.9Train Around The Bend4:30
6b.10Oh! Sweet Nuthin'7:26
Loaded (Flat Transfer Of Original Stereo Album In 96/24 High Resolution Audio)
6c.1Who Loves The Sun2:50
6c.2Sweet Jane3:17
6c.3Rock & Roll4:40
6c.4Cool It Down3:05
6c.5New Age4:40
6c.6Head Held High2:52
6c.7Lonesome Cowboy Bill2:48
6c.8I Found A Reason4:15
6c.9Train Around The Bend3:20
6c.10Oh! Sweet Nuthin'7:23
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Velvet Underground are a very interesting band. They weren't altogether huge when they were originally around, but have gone on through time to be credited as a very influential band, and boast Lou Reed and John Cale who both had good solo careers after the band dissolved, Cale leaving before this album.
They started in 1964 Reed worked in some garage bands and became a songwriter for Pickwick records, describing himself as a poor man's Carole King. He met Welshman John Cale who had come to the US to study classical music and secured the Leonard Bernstein Scholarship. Cale had worked with some experimental composers included John Cage.
Reed and Cale formed a short lived band called the Primitives. They went on to recruit Sterling Morrison.
Reed and Morrison played the guitars, and Cale played Viola, Bass and Keyboards. They recruited Angus Maclise as a percussionist.
They first called themselves the Warlocks, and then The Falling Spikes. Tony Conrad showed the band the book The Velvet Underground by author Michael Leigh, a paperback about the secret sexual subculture of the early sixties, and the guys liked the name. Reed feeling that the name sounded like something from underground cinema, and The Velvet Underground were born. This was 1965.
In July 1965, Reed, Cale and Morrison recorded a demo tape at their Ludlow Street loft without MacLise, because he refused to be tied down to a schedule and would only turn up to band practice sessions when he wanted. When he briefly returned to Britain, Cale attempted to give a copy of the tape to Marianne Faithfull, hoping she would pass it on to Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones. Nothing ever came of this, but the demo was eventually released on the 1995 box set Peel Slowly and See.
It was around this time that Maclise was replaced by Maureen (Moe) Tucker, for obvious reasons. Tucker often played standing up using mallets for stick with the bass drum turned up on its side.... This was after the band asked her to do something unusual. She rarely played cymbals, because she didn't really like them.
In late 65 Andy Warhol became the bands manager and he suggested they use German born singer Nico (Christa Paffgen) for vocals on several songs. Warhol's reputation helped gain the band a highre profile and he managed to get them an MGM/Verve deal, and he became a nominal producer pretty much leaving the band to do what they wanted. There were many little Warhol projects during 1966, including the exploding plastic inevitable.
The bands debut album was recorded in NewYork in April of 1966, and Warhol insisted that Nico sing three tracks on it. A couple of songs were recorded later in the year at TTG in Los Angeles. The album was finally release March 12 1967. The album made it to 171 on the Billboard 200, and was then withdrawn due to there being an image of Eric Emerson from one of Warhol's movie projected behind the band in a concert shot. Emerson sued, and the record company pulled the album, airbrushed out the image and it was re-released a couple of months later. The modest success initially suffered due to a release by a Liverpool band ( )that caught everyone's imagination ...
The albums delayed release was because MGM/Verve didn't really know what to do with this strange album, and apparently only released in because of the Nico songs on it.
Understandably the band severed ties with Warhol and all of his shenanigans, and Nico moved off to a solo career.
Steve Sesnick was soon brought in as a replacement manager, much to the chagrin of Cale, who believes that Sesnick tried to push Reed as band leader at the expense of band harmony. Both Cale and Reed called Sesnick a "snake" in different interviews after leaving the band.
The band then released White Light/White Heat, and in Cale's words the album was anti-beauty, virtually as a reaction to some of the beauty on the debut album. The album just touched the Billboard 200 at 199.
Tensions were growing in the band as Cale and Reed were trying to take the band in different directions
Reed called Morrison and Tucker to a meeting at the Riviera Cafe in the West Village without Cale's knowledge, and informed them that Cale was out of the band; when Morrison objected, Reed said it was either Cale was sacked or the Velvets were dissolved. Neither Morrison nor Tucker was happy with the idea, but faced with a choice of either no Cale or no band at all, the pair reluctantly sided with Reed.
Doug Yule ended up coming into the band just before work on their third album commenced. The album was the quite beautiful, almost confessional style album The Velvet Underground.
The band spent 1969 touring, reworking older songs, and introducing some songs that would become part of the album Loaded.
The title of the album comes from the fact that Atlantic requested an album Loaded with hits.
Reed encouraged Doug Yule to play a larger role in the band, and Doug sang four songs on the Loaded album. Yule once commented on the recording of Loaded: "Lou leaned on me a lot in terms of musical support and for harmonies, vocal arrangements. I did a lot on Loaded. It sort of devolved down to the Lou and Doug recreational recording."
Lou Reed was disheartened by the lack of progress the band was making, and towards the end of 1970. Reed decided to quit the band during the last week of the Max's Kansas City shows in August 1970. Although Reed had informed Tucker, who was attending the show but not playing with the band because of her pregnancy, that he planned to leave the group on his last evening, he did not tell Morrison or Yule. In a 2006 interview, Yule said Sesnick waited until one hour before the band was scheduled to take the stage the following night before notifying him that Reed was not coming. "I was expecting [Lou] to show up, I thought he was late." Yule blamed Sesnick for Reed's departure. "Sesnick had engineered Lou's leaving the group. He and Lou had a relationship where Lou had depended on him for moral support, and he trusted him, and Sesnick basically said 'screw you.' ... It must have been hard for Lou to hear that because he depended on him, so he quit."

So goes the rocky life of the Velvet Underground. Of course it launched the solo careers of Lou Reed and John Cale, both of whom have received a fair amount of critical acclaim and of course Lou became pretty much an anti-rock star with the way he wrote and particularly the way he gave interviews. Often misunderstood, and unfortunately in the grips of addiction for many years Lou went on to create some marvelous, if somewhat erratic albums.

I discovered the Velvet Underground via Bowie's version of White Light/ White Heat from the Ziggy Stardust concert movie. I found the band thoroughly intriguing, I enjoyed all their album that I knew of, but didn't really knwo about this album until the box set came out. I had the first three Velvet Underground albums, and Most of Reed's solo work from Transformer up to New York, and it seemed this album was a bit of a missing piece (I guess I need to get Reed's first solo album one day ...but wow there is a lot of music around, and it seems impossible to absorb everything ...... anyway .....)

This set is still available
Amazon about $68 https://www.amazon.com/Loaded-Re-Loaded-45th-Anniversary-1DVD/dp/B0149125WQ
Discogs from about $60 The Velvet Underground - Loaded: Re-Loaded 45th Anniversary Edition

5.1 mix and mastering Kevin Reeves

This is in dts 96/24 and DD. I always go for dts in this situation.

Who Loves The Sun
We have a nice spread of instruments.
Acoustic guitar either side.
Piano left side. Bvox on the right side.
This is a really kind of sweet pop song.
We can hear the band trying to do something a little more easily accessible.
This is a nice balanced mixed, and the sound is very pleasant. Subtle sub assist is nice too.

Sweet Jane
Guitars either side.
Then we move into the groove.
This isn't the same as the Rock and Roll animal version, but I really like it.
Again we have a slightly more accessible styling and it works.
Acoustic guitars either side.
Hats left side.
The drums are centered around the front left and spread to the left side with some cymbals right also. It doesn't sound out of balance.
Horns on the left side
Again nice balanced mix

Rock And Roll
Drums left front again. One gtr front. Another guitar on the right side.
Bvox left rear. Violin? Left side, no, it's a nice lead gtr effect.
Although slightly unusual the mixes do work, we have clarity... it doesn't sound compressed to me, and it does sound and feel balanced.
There is a gtr left side also.
We build into a controlled noisy crescendo. Works well.

Cool It Down
Drums front. Guitar right rear. Another guitar left side playing licks. Electric piano left.
Again a slightly unusual mix, but again it works, and it does have balance.
It creates an interesting soundscape, where everything is there and sounds good, but is still coherent.

New Age
A gtr left side, another up front.
Drums up front.
Gtr also on the right side.
A nice mellow song, that has a very Reed lyric. Yule does a good job of the vocal.
Again a nice balanced, wide mix and I am enjoying this.
We get a kind of soul song style burst with an organ across the front.

Lonesome Cowboy Bill
Gtrs in either side rears. Drums up front.
Gtr playing lead left side.
This is almost like a rockin country pop king of. Uptempo and good fun.
There are guitars everywhere and again the mix in nice and balanced.
Some piano comes in on the left side, also some bvox on the left side.

I Found a Reason
We enter with spread guitars again.
We have some almost Beach Boys vocals between the left side and front right.
Acoustic gtr on the left side. Electric gtr right side. Vocals spread from left front to the right side.
This is again a really nice track, with another nice balanced mix.
I somewhat guess that a lot of hardcore Velvets fans may not like this as it is a lot more accessible, but it comes across to me like a variation of a composite styling of the more gentle pop style songs from the debut, and the self titles album, with a few rock songs ala White Light, but a little more accessible.

Head Held high
This track has a fairly straight rock style with Reed giving one of his most aggressive vocals.
Gtrs either sidedrums front left.
Again this comes across as a very balanced mix. The recording is not quite as good as the other songs though I think. It has a certain harshness to it, but certainly not bad.

Train Around The Bend
This track fades in with various gtrs sound various things all around us.
Drums front left again.
This is a pulsing rock song, and is again a nice balanced mix.
I kind of get the feeling that someone that like Lou's solo albums would really like this.
We have a really good jam type track here, and the mix is very immersive.

Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
A nice mellow rolling track.
Piano left side. Drums sort of in the middle of the room. Gtrs either side. Lead guitar up front, with a bit of a country feel.
Again Yule does a pretty good vocal and his delivery works well, sounding like a student of Reed.
Bvox left rear.
Again very immersive and again as unusual as the mix may be, it is balanced, and I am enjoying it.
This is a cool song.
We have an extended lead break, by I assume Lou and for me it works really well.
Then we get a change that works like coda, and builds back up again.

First up, I really like this album. It probably doesn't attain the classic status of the first three, but I reckon it is a solid album, with good variety. To me it kind of feels like Lou's first solo album with Doug Yule sharing some vocals, and singing like a student of the Lou Reed style of vocals. I think the songs are solid. I think some of the recording isn't quite right, but it doesn't sound bad, at all. I actually like the sound of it.
The mix is really very good, it comes across to me as a sort of hybrid between seventies quad mixes with a little bit of modern 5.1 thrown in ... I hope that makes sense, but that is what it sound like to me.
Although some of the positioning may seem slightly strange, it doesn't sound wrong to me, and that is where the seventies quad styling comes in. It is balanced and focused, which is where the modern 5.1 aspect comes in.
I had listened to this a couple of times prior to this thread starting, and I had enjoyed it, but it was really fresh and new to me, now if feels like the album itself has clicked with me and I like the mix.
I think fans of quad mixes would like this, and I feel that fans of Lou Reed's solo material would like this. I really enjoyed it this morning.
To be honest, as always, I haven't listened to anything else on here. Demos rarely interest me. and If I am listening to the album I am going for the official 5.1, rather than a variation on the original in stereo or whatever.
I can't speak to the quality of the live recordings, because again, I just haven't listened to them.
It would seem to me, if you are a Lou Reed fan, this would be an essential item, if you like 5.1, and it is a shame to some degree that there wasn't a stand alone surround release, but with 5 other discs of music, I can only assume that the value is there for folks into that stuff. for me and my 5.1 addiction, the value is in the surround mix and the album itself, but I know we all have different expectations.
Anyway, I reckon this is a very good album and a very enjoyable mix.

 

Shadows in the Air



Studio album by Jack Bruce
Released 10 July 2001
Recorded Nov 1999 - Dec 2000
Genre jazz-rock, blues-rock
Label Sanctuary Records
Producer Jack Bruce, Kip Hanrahan

Shadows in the Air is the twelfth studio album by Scottish musician Jack Bruce, released in March 2001.

Personnel
Jack Bruce – vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, piano, Vox organ
Robby Ameen – drums

Additional musicians
Malcolm Bruce – guitar, synthesizer (Track 14)
Milton Cardona – conga (Tracks 2,3,4,6,7,8,11,14)
Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals, Vox organ (Tracks 6 and 14)
Dr. John – organ, piano (Tracks 5 and 10)
Richie Flores – conga (Tracks 4,6,14)
Andy González – bass (Tracks 4,6)
Jimmy McDonald – accordion (Track 11)
Gary Moore – guitar (Tracks 3,11)
Vernon Reid – guitar (Tracks 1,2,5,10,12,13)
Mario Rivera – tenor sax (Track 4)
Piro Rodriguez – trumpet (Track 4)
Alfredo Triff – violin (Tracks 1,7,8,14)
Papo Vasquez – trombone (Track 4)
Miguel Xenon – Alto-Sax (Track 4)

Production
Jack Bruce – composer, arranger, producer
Kip Hanrahan – composer, producer
Pete Brown – lyricist
Dick Kondas – engineer
Jon Fausty – engineer, mixing

Track listing
1. "Out into the Fields" (Brown, Bruce, Laing, West) – 5:22
2. "52nd Street" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 3:59
3. "Heart Quake" (Brown, Bruce) – 5:31
4. "Boston Ball Game 1967" (Brown, Bruce) – 2:01
5. "This Anger's a Liar" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 3:21
6. "Sunshine of Your Love" (Brown, Bruce, Clapton) – 4:31
7. "Directions Home" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 4:30
8. "Milonga" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 4:53
9. "Dancing on Air" (Brown, Bruce) – 4:02
10. "Windowless Rooms" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 5:08
11. "Dark Heart" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 5:59
12. "Mr. Flesh" (Bruce, Hanrahan, Reid) – 2:13
13. "He the Richmond" (Brown, Bruce) – 3:19
14. "White Room" (Brown, Bruce) – 5:48
15. "Surge" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 1:58
_______

The surround version is on a Silverline DVDA released in 2003. It is out of print, and but used copies aren’t expensive. That’s not a good sign, but it’s got two Cream songs with Clapton on board as a guest musician, so if those are any good from a surround perspective I’ll be happy.

5.1 mix by Gustavo Bonet

“Out into the Fields"
Basically stereo with a little reverb in the back.

"52nd Street"
Very nice stereo imaging – the congas sound great.

"Heart Quake"
Lead vocals in surround – most I’ve heard out of the rear speakers so far. Guitar in center again, and then in surround.

"Boston Ball Game 1967"
Horns in surround.

"This Anger's a Liar"
Dr. John piano in sort of surround.

"Sunshine of Your Love"
No, this isn’t the Cream in surround that I’ve always dreamed of. Basically just a little reverb in the back. It’s a nice rendition though, with lot more percussion than the Cream version.

"Directions Home"
Nice jazz track that has a little reverbing violin, which is nice.

"Milonga"
Violin in surround.

"Dancing on Air"
Another jazz track with just a little reverb.

"Windowless Rooms"
A little extra percussion reverb perhaps.

"Dark Heart"
Percussion in surround, for sure. Guitar too. The title from the lyrics of this track. Best track on album.

"Mr. Flesh"
Just a very little reverb

"He the Richmond"
Percussion and acoustic guitar with a little extra reverb, perhaps.

"White Room"
Wow, lots of congas, with Clapton on guitar; it’s pretty awesome. The surround mix is worthless however.

"Surge" (Bruce, Hanrahan) – 1:58
Voice and congas, with a smidge reverb for the latter
_____
This is a pretty nice album. I don’t have any of Bruce’s other solo albums, so I can’t compare this one to those. However, I do have all three of his collaborations with Robin Trower, and only Seven Moons clearly outshines this one. I do really like all the congas on Shadows. However, I might as well listen to it in stereo – Silverline has let me down yet again. It might as well be an upmix. “Dark Heart” is the only track that briefly resembled a proper surround mix (2/1).

 

New Favorite


Studio album by
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Released August 14, 2001
Genre Bluegrass, country
Length 45:28
Label Rounder
Producer Alison Krauss & Union Station

New Favorite is the ninth album by bluegrass music group Alison Krauss & Union Station, released August 14, 2001. The album peaked in the top 50 of the Billboard 200 and within the top 5 of the Billboard charts for both Country and Bluegrass and was certified gold. This album was released in the same year as the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, which Krauss appeared on, that had a large effect on bluegrass in the United States. At the 44th Grammy Awards, New Favorite would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album and the single "The Lucky One" won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal as well as Best Country Song.

• Alison Krauss – lead vocals, fiddle, viola
• Dan Tyminski – background vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin
• Ron Block – background vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo
• Jerry Douglas – dobro, lap steel guitar
• Barry Bales – background vocals, upright bass
• Larry Atamanuik – drums, percussion

1. "Let Me Touch You for Awhile" (Robert Lee Castleman) – 3:21
2. "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn" (Traditional) – 4:40
3. "The Lucky One" (Castleman) – 3:10
4. "Choctaw Hayride" (Jerry Douglas) – 3:10
5. "Crazy Faith" (Mark Simos) – 3:47
6. "Momma Cried" (Bob Lucas) – 3:20
7. "I'm Gone" (Eric Kaz, Wendy Waldman) – 3:28
8. "Daylight" (Lucas) – 4:03
9. "Bright Sunny South" (Traditional) – 3:00
10. "Stars" (Dan Fogelberg) – 2:54
11. "It All Comes Down to You" (Ron Block) – 2:44
12. "Take Me for Longing" (Simos) – 2:51
13. "New Favorite" (David Rawlings, Gillian Welch) – 4:34

Chart (2001) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[1] 35
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums[1] 3
U.S. Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums[1] 2
----------------------------------------------------------------
I sort of discovered Alison Krauss and Union station by accident.
I was aware of Jerry Douglas, because anyone that plays guitar should be aware of Jerry Douglas, and to a degree he is what lead me to buy something by the band.
In the early 2000's I was consistently buying concert dvd's, because frankly I had always liked live albums and concert movies were the next step to being a real concert, so it went without saying that I loved them. I had a tendency to buy things that looked interesting, even if I wasn't sure what they were and this band falls into that category. I saw a dvd of Alison Krauss and Union station Live, and it looked quite interesting and I saw Jerry Douglas so I bought it. What a fortunate purchase that was. Alison Krauss And Union Station Live is a fantastic dvd, a fantastic concert, and if you are not deterred by Alison's somewhat rambling, but pleasant little band member introductions it is absolutely brilliant.
The band are a really top quality unit, and every member is a solid player and they play together really well also.
They share vocals and work together as a unit to produce some excellent Country/Bluegrass.... and perhaps a very slight tinge of pop music that is excellent on every level.
This isn't modern Country, it is most certainly more Bluegrass flavoured and I highly recommend the concert dvd. Perhaps @riskylogic will be running through it in his Surrounded on Saturdays thread? If not I may well do that soon.... let me know mate.
As an off the wall kind of thing I saw that this album was available in 5.1 and so I purchased it, based on the concert. I enjoyed it, but in all honesty I have only listened to it once or twice, and that is a long while ago now ... I must have watched that concert a dozen times though it is marvelous ...
So this morning I am looking forward to revisiting this album and seeing where we are at with it.

It is on Amazon for about $60 but I am not sure if it is the multichannel, so I am not going to link it.
Discogs from around $70 Alison Krauss + Union Station* - New Favorite
Ebay from about $65 New Favorite by Alison Krauss/Alison Krauss & Union Station (CD, Nov-2002, Rounder Select) for sale online | eBay

Reissued in the US in 2003 on discogs from about $100 Alison Krauss + Union Station* - New Favorite

For the record the Live album is on sacd in 5.1 but starts at about $100 https://www.amazon.com/Alison-Krauss-Union-Station-Multichannel/dp/B00008NGHI

There doesn't seem to be a specific name given for the 5.1 mix, what it does say
Mixed by Gary Paczosa, assisted by Eric Bickel
Mastered by Doug Sax and Robert Hadley

This is a band album and everyone gets a turn to be fronting a song aside from the bassist and occasional drummer. Personally I don't think that it makes the album sound uneven. To me it has a beautiful flow and variety makes it even more interesting and entertaining.

Let Me Touch You For A While
Even Alison makes a little fun of the title of this song on the live concert, but it is actually a really good track... almost spite of the title.
Gtr left rear. Dobro front left. Violin in the rear. Banjo working like percussion right front.
A nice reverb on the vocal gives it some space, and she has a very pretty voice, that is really very expressive.
Douglass plays a lovely and suitable dobro lead.
Really nice balance, beautiful sound, really well recorded.

The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn
I love this track.
Dan who is I guess somewhat famous through the movie and singing Man of constant sorrow.
Here jerry is playing some great slide and we have banjo on the right side and acoustic left.
Alison shows she has plenty to offer with some excellent fiddle playing. Also adding some nice harmony vocals to the crescendo verse.

The Lucky One
A nice country tinged pop song of sorts.
The mix again is nice and we have a sort of lush immersion.
Again we get great balance and the recording and sound are top quality.

Choctaw Hayride
Here we get an uptempo true bluegrass instrumental written by Jerry.
Banjo right side. Acoustic left side. Dobro front left. Everyone gets a bit of a lead, and gets the front for their lead, but it doesn't sound odd.
It is a really excellent track.
Great melody, great playing and some wonderful harmonised parts also.

Crazy faith
I'm less familiar with the next couple of tracks.
The instrument mixes are staying fairly constant. Mainly the violin/fiddle being placed in different spots in relation to the sings necessity.
But the balance and sound is quite stunning. I am guessing Doug Sax isn't a major compressor, because this breathes beautifully. I have the volume reasonably high, and there is definitely a sort of natural dynamics here.

Mama Cried
Dan on vocals here.
Again we have a nice immersion in beautiful sounding acoustic instruments.
Again everyone has a chance to shine without detracting from the song, or seeming like some kind of competition.
These arrangements are wonderful... perhaps perfect.

I'm Gone
Mellow love ballad type song. Again the space needed for the song to breathe is allowed.
We get some nice instrumental leads that compliment the song, and in certain points Alison creates her own string section.
Again beautifully immersive.
Nice. Slightly unusual melodic arrangement.

Daylight
This track is a little more bright in mood than the last.
Again nice full mix, with beautiful sound.
Strings accenting in the rears.
Even if the songs were poor, which they aren't, I would enjoy this merely for the top class musicianship.

Bright Sunny South
Another great track, with Dan taking the vocal.
A moderate tempo bouncing bluegrass track with some great banjo, dobro and fiddle.
Acoustic guitar left side, fiddle right side.
Alison doing some nice percussive chunking during the vocals

Stars
Mellow track. A lilting pretty song, with a positive vibe about it. Again nice melodic construction.

It All Comes Down to You
Ron takes the lead vocal here.
This is like a country blues and again beautiful arrangement, mix and recording.

Take Me For The Longing
Although the title sounds like a slow love song, but this is a perky punchy demand of a song, not a wimpy please take me song.
A sort of bluegrass meets folk type song.
We get beautiful lead fills from Alison and Jerry, and again beautiful sound and immersive mix.

New Favourite
This was co-written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. I'm not super familiar with Gillian, but I know she is well known.
This is a heartbreak song, but it is wonderful. We have a bit of a gentle thump to it.
The vocal is exceptional, as are the instrumental breaks.
I find this track quite hypnotising.
I have no idea why I haven't listened to this album more, it is quite brilliant.
We have a very slow fade.
And then at the end a bit of studio fun to close the album.

First of all my apologies for not being more specific today, I am having a particularly bad right ear day ... in spite of that, please believe me when I say that the mix here is very good.
I am not a big modern country music fan... after about 1980, most of the country music I have heard hasn't done much for me at all, but it is not my main stylistic choice in music anyhow. I tend to like particular artists, for their sound and or songs ....
This album though is really rather brilliant. The band are exceptionally good, the songs are very good, and unlike (to my ear at least, as dodgy as it is) most modern country style music, this had a very organic, natural kind of bluegrass feel for the most part, veering ever so slightly into a pop flavour occasionally, but not chart style pop ... not sure how to describe that actually, genre's aren't my strong suit ...
The recording is really excellent. The mix is excellent. The mastering is Excellent. The songs are pretty much all excellent. Alison has a beautiful voice, Dan has a good voice (if you have heard the Brother where art though Man Of Constant Sorrow, you know his voice) Ron sounds not too dissimilar to Dan.
Jerry Douglas is technically brilliant, and his tasteful playing really adds a lot to the sound and feel of the album, but Dan and particularly Ron Block are both excellent instrumentalists as well. Ron plays a mean banjo, and adds some beautiful lead acoustic as well. If there was any criticism here at all it would be that perhaps Barry's bass could be a little higher in the mix, but it is a bad day for me to make an absolute judgement on that.

I highly recommend this album to anyone that likes bluegrass at all, because it really is very good. Perhaps some of the lyrical themes are little feminine, but I'm pretty secure in my masculinity, so that doesn't perturb me at all, and it isn't wimpy, merely feminine.

I would really like someone who has this to add their opinion, merely to counteract the fact that I am having a lot of trouble today. I would say if you like this music style at all it is definitely worth paying the money for it, but I completely understand that someone reading this would have reservations due to my crappy ear.....
Hopefully next week it will be back on board. I'll try and drink more and hopefully it will get back to what my old age normal has become ... (sigh)

 

For now I am not going to put up any choices for next weekend.
First I have Guns And Roses coming on Wednesday. Also I received the replacement In Absentia disc on Thursday ... So next week, if my ears are working properly I will run through those. If my ear is like it is this week I will probably just skip doing this. I love my Sundays doing this, but don't want to be guessing and struggling to make out what is going on, as it would be unfair for anyone to make a judgement about picking something up based on that.

Anyway please give us some input on today's albums and hopefully next week we'll be a little more successful/confident.

Cheers
Mark

 

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
Alan Parsons Project - Eye In The Sky
Alan Parsons Project - Ammonia Avenue
Alison Krauss and Union Station - New Favourite
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
Anderson, Ian - Homo Erraticus
Anderson, Ian - TAAB 2
Argent - In Deep thanks @riskylogic
Ayreon - The Source thanks @riskylogic

Band - Music From Big Pink ... I did this twice ... must occasionally sleep lol
Barclay James Harvest - GoneTo Earth
Bass Communion - Loss thanks @riskylogic
The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
The Beatles - Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama
Be Bop Deluxe - Sunburst Finish
Beck, Jeff - Blow By Blow
Beck, Jeff - Wired
Beethoven - 3rd Symphony Eroica
Beethoven - 5th Concerto (Emporer) - Barenboim/Rubenstein
Bjork - Vespertine
Blackfield - IV thanks @riskylogic
Blackfield - V 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
Bowie, David - Young Americans
Bowie, David - Station To Station
Bowie, David - Stage
Browne, Jackson - Running On Empty
Bruce- Jack - Shadows In The Air thanks @riskylogic
Bruford - Feels Good To Me thanks @riskylogic

Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink thanks @riskylogic
Charles, Ray - Ray Sings, Basie Swings
Clapton, Eric - Give Me Strength The 74/75 Recordings
Clapton, Eric - Back Home
Cobham, Billy - Spectrum
Cobham, Billy - Spectrum (Quad) thanks @-dave--wave-
Coltrane, Alice/Santana, Carlos - Illuminations

Davis, Miles - Sketches Of Spain
Davis, Miles - In A Silent Way
Davis, Miles - Bitches Brew
Davis, Miles - Live Evil
Davis, Miles - Tutu
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Deep Purple - Stormbringer
Dekker, Desmond - Anthology thanks @riskylogic
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
Dylan, Bob - Slow Train Coming

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 - Fleetwood Mac (1975)
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 - Foxtrot
Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Genesis - And Then There Were Three
Gentle Giant - Three Piece Suite
Gentle Giant - The Power and The Glory
Gilmour, Dave - On An Island
Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead

Hackett, Steve - Voyage Of The Acolyte thanks @riskylogic
Hackett, Steve - At The Edge Of Light
Hancock, Herbie - Sextant
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 - A Passion Play/ Chateau d'Herouville
Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery
Jethro Tull - Stormwatch
Jethro Tull - TAAB 2 thanks @riskylogic
Joel, Billy - The Stranger
John, Elton - Elton John
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 - Beat
King Crimson - Thrak
King Crimson - The Power To Believe
Knopfler, Mark - Sailing To Philadelphia
Knopfler, Mark - Shangri La
Kooper, Al (with Bloomfield and Stills) Super Sessions
Kraftwerk - 3d Catalogue - Man Machine

Lennon, John - Imagine, Ultimate Edition
Living Colour - Collideoscope
Love And Rockets - Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven thanks @riskylogic
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Southern Surroundings

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire
Manheim Steamroller - Fresh Aire 8 thanks @riskylogic
Marillion - Script For A Jester's Tear
Marillion - Afraid Of Sunlight
Monk, Thelonius - Supreme Jazz
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 - Deliverance / Damnation 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
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
Pixies - Doolittle thanks @Galactus2
Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia (deluxe version 1)
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing thanks @riskylogic

Queen - A Night At The Opera

REM - Green
REM - Monster
Renaissance - Turn Of The Cards thanks @riskylogic
Rich, Charlie Behind Closed Doors
Riverside - Love, Fear And The Time Machine thanks @riskylogic
Riverside - Wasteland
Roxy Music - Avalon
Rundgren, Todd - Liars - Thanks @riskylogic
Rush - Fly By Night
Rush - 2112
Rush - A Farewell To Kings (Wilson version)
Rush - Hemispheres
Rush - Moving Pictures
Rush - Signals

Santana - Abraxas
Santana - Lotus
Shankar & Gingger - One In A Million thanks @riskylogic
Sly And The Family Stone - Greatest Hits
Soord, Bruce - All This Will Be Yours
Squire, Chris - Fish Out Of Water
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
Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair
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

Velvet Underground - Re-Loaded

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

XTC - The Black Sea
XTC - Oranges and Lemons

Yes - The Yes Album
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

 

I have the CD and I like it - but hahaha at paying more than $25 for a surround mix. Paper Airplane is my favorite by them. But what I really want is a bluray with a surround mix of O Brother Where Art Thou.

 

I can see that.
What I really want is that live album reissued on bluray. I don't know what happened to my dvd...

 

I have the DVD - and it already has surround. I haven't watched it in a while, but it's on my list.

 

I have the other 2 boxes, but I’m not willing to spend $700 on a box set.
But I would dearly love this set one day.

 

Just listened to this tonight and Music For The Masses and Ultra last night. Been on a DM surround kick this weekend.

 

The DVD-V version (which is what I have) goes for half that. Given the compression issues with those mixes, I can't see much benefit in holding out for an SACD.

 

Actually played D Mode - A Broken Frame in 5.1 this weekend.
Behind The Wheel from Masses in 5.1. WOW!!

 

The DVD box has bonus interviews and live material, YMMV on its value, but it's something.

 

The DVD/ sacd box does too