STELLAR RECORDINGS
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I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but his concerns as a professional audio and studio recording engineer are probably different from that of the average listener. So yeah he's got an agenda, but (IMHO) he's not dealing in snake oil.
Back to the Yellow Brick Road comparison...
I don't care what Amazon's description says, the 30th anniversary SACD and the 40th anniversary Blu-ray are completely different mixes! It took just 30 seconds of Funeral For a Friend and about 15 seconds of Candle In The Wind to know they are vastly different.
Now, which one is better is going to be a matter of debate, opinion and personal preference. There are clearly elements of the SACD I like more than the BD. Yet there are also elements of the BD I like more than the SACD. I can only imagine you and Botch - and anyone else - will have similar findings and preferences.
But there really shouldn't be any discussion about the multichannel mixes being the same. Cuz they ain't!
I don't care what Amazon's description says, the 30th anniversary SACD and the 40th anniversary Blu-ray are completely different mixes! It took just 30 seconds of Funeral For a Friend and about 15 seconds of Candle In The Wind to know they are vastly different.
Now, which one is better is going to be a matter of debate, opinion and personal preference. There are clearly elements of the SACD I like more than the BD. Yet there are also elements of the BD I like more than the SACD. I can only imagine you and Botch - and anyone else - will have similar findings and preferences.
But there really shouldn't be any discussion about the multichannel mixes being the same. Cuz they ain't!
Dr. Waldrep, the founder of AIX Records, keeps mentioning this particular recording he did in the early days of AIX:
Mr. Juber had been a lead guitarist in McCartney's Wings, but here he plays strictly a Martin acoustic. The bass player and percussionist I'm unfamiliar with, but they're on a LOT of albums that I am. This recording is done on DVD-A, not Bluray, so I've not picked it up until now.
Shouldn't have waited. This thing sounds wonderful, best-sounding recording I've gotten this year and easily in my all-time Top 5. The guitarist has a really beautiful style, this is a great record just for the music, but how it sounds is super special too.
Its funny, I can't tell a difference between how a DVD-A and a Bluray sound (either is great with me) but a DVD picture is so easily inferior to that of a Bluray; and yet, it's my eyes that are going bad, not my ears! :think:
Mr. Juber had been a lead guitarist in McCartney's Wings, but here he plays strictly a Martin acoustic. The bass player and percussionist I'm unfamiliar with, but they're on a LOT of albums that I am. This recording is done on DVD-A, not Bluray, so I've not picked it up until now.
Shouldn't have waited. This thing sounds wonderful, best-sounding recording I've gotten this year and easily in my all-time Top 5. The guitarist has a really beautiful style, this is a great record just for the music, but how it sounds is super special too.
Its funny, I can't tell a difference between how a DVD-A and a Bluray sound (either is great with me) but a DVD picture is so easily inferior to that of a Bluray; and yet, it's my eyes that are going bad, not my ears! :think:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv3oaDX9ikY[/youtube]
Mojo, the last Heartbreakers album, was their first to be released in the Bluray Audio format. I loved its "audience mix", wherein it sounds like the band is in front of you, and the surrounds give you mostly the sound of the venue (reverb, echo, etc). I don't know what their sales numbers were for the Bluray, but I'm so glad they've done it again on this album.
First thing I noticed: this is more spread around (like an AIX Records' stage mix). I prefer the audience mix, but this is tastefully done and for the most part they're not swooping instruments back and forth (which is fine for something like, say, Pink Floyd).
Second thing I noticed: this mix is dry! There's not a lot of artificial reverb on it, it sounds like the band is in a very good-sounding, moderate-sized room, and you can hear everything with any instrument you concentrate on; very, very clean!! Then, when reverb or other effects are incorporated (mostly on a vocal section or Campbell's guitar solos), that makes them stand out even more. Really good-sounding! Mike Campbell is one of the most under-rated lyrical guitarists in rock, and he's just smoking, tastefully, on this disk.
:bow-blue: :bow-blue:
The whole band, in fact, are just tight as hell (I've always been a huge fan of Benmont Tench, the keyboardist). Tom's voice is the only weakness this band ever had, but the songwriting is so steller you have to overlook that (not unlike John Prine, Dylan, Neil Young, et al). Just listen to the first four lines in the track above.
One song I've already fallen for is called Full Grown Boy; didn't see an upload on EweTube yet.
I can see $25/disk for a boutique operation (AIX for example) but I wish, for a big name like the Heartbreakers, the price was a little lower. Still worth every penny, however.
I love this record! :music-listening:
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Botch said:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv3oaDX9ikY[/youtube]
Mojo, the last Heartbreakers album, was their first to be released in the Bluray Audio format. I loved its "audience mix", wherein it sounds like the band is in front of you, and the surrounds give you mostly the sound of the venue (reverb, echo, etc). I don't know what their sales numbers were for the Bluray, but I'm so glad they've done it again on this album.
First thing I noticed: this is more spread around (like an AIX Records' stage mix). I prefer the audience mix, but this is tastefully done and for the most part they're not swooping instruments back and forth (which is fine for something like, say, Pink Floyd).
Second thing I noticed: this mix is dry! There's not a lot of artificial reverb on it, it sounds like the band is in a very good-sounding, moderate-sized room, and you can hear everything with any instrument you concentrate on; very, very clean!! Then, when reverb or other effects are incorporated (mostly on a vocal section or Campbell's guitar solos), that makes them stand out even more. Really good-sounding! Mike Campbell is one of the most under-rated lyrical guitarists in rock, and he's just smoking, tastefully, on this disk.
:bow-blue: :bow-blue:
The whole band, in fact, are just tight as hell (I've always been a huge fan of Benmont Tench, the keyboardist). Tom's voice is the only weakness this band ever had, but the songwriting is so steller you have to overlook that (not unlike John Prine, Dylan, Neil Young, et al). Just listen to the first four lines in the track above.
One song I've already fallen for is called Full Grown Boy; didn't see an upload on EweTube yet.
I can see $25/disk for a boutique operation (AIX for example) but I wish, for a big name like the Heartbreakers, the price was a little lower. Still worth every penny, however.
I love this record! :music-listening:
Thanks for the review Botch. I agree about the price, if it were a little cheaper, it would be a no-brainer.
I'll probably hold out for a sale. :handgestures-fingerscrossed:
Dennie
bscene-drinkingcheers:
^--- Ok just finished my first listen to Hypnotic Eye, and I agree Botch, it's a great recording. Very, very clean mix, not a whole lot of surround but enough to give it some space. I thought the mix on Shadow People was particularly good. And I agree about Full Grown Boy, great song. I like Red River a lot, too. I don't mind Petty's voice, he's got his own unique style.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Botch, I hope you're reading this... I want to apologize to you. You posted about this album, and in particular the blu-ray surround mix, a long time ago. I bought it based on your rec, started listening to it, and gave up after a few tracks because... well I don't know, it wasn't what I expected maybe, or just wasn't in the mood for.
But tonight I wanted something different, so I decided to give this one - Patricia Barber, Modern Cool - another spin.
And I experienced another "holy shit!" moment. This music is extraordinary. It's... well kinda jazz, kinda, but in a style all its own, at least compared to anything in my collection. Think Rickie Lee Jones (but with a low smoky voice) does contemporary jazz. Ok it's sort of "niche" music, there are probably only a couple of people on this forum who would be remotely interested in this stuff.
But wow, I'm putting it in this thread for a number of reasons. One, it's a great surround mix. It's not demo material, exactly, not because of SQ (which is top notch) but because it's *subtle*, it's not an in-your-face sort of mix. But the use of surround I feel really puts you inside the music in this one. It's a sit in a dark room and close your eyes and let it wash over you sort of thing. (And in case you all are wondering, yeah I did enjoy a bourbon or two while listening to this, which may be talking a bit now... but it totally fit the mood here.)
More so, though, it's the MUSIC in this one that really struck me tonight. I absolutely LOVE "Constantinople" in particular. There's one part in this track where there's only drums (middle eastern style hand-drums of some sort) in the rear channels, with a bit of a dialog with one single such drum in the front right... genius.
I'm sorry. I know my ramblings must seem totally out there to most of you. It's just my response to this album, it's unique in my experience.
Belated thanks for the recommendation, Botch. Don't even know what thread it was in...
I have always known it was a stunning recording, I just spent some time with #50 Words for Snow# by Kate Bush. If you want to test the limits of you playback rig with a subtle, intense, understated, gorgeous, lush, minimalist, and beautifully written music, get a high resolution copy of "Lake Tahoe", relax and enjoy the moment.
