WOW. A solid 10.
This is now a surround reference/demonstration disc for me, possibly at the very top of my list. It's that good.
The album is new to me. I listened to it once in stereo, as is my preference with unfamiliar recordings, rather passively while doing other things. I found it pleasant, but milquetoast; nothing grabbed my attention. Today, I finally had the chance to fine tune my surround setup in my new house and chose to inaugurate it with this disc, excited but expecting to be underwhelmed as before.
I could not have been more wrong. From the first swell of the strings in the rear channels, I knew I was in for a treat. A friend and fellow musician once gave me the advice, "Find music that makes you cry," which really hits the nail squarely on the head, doesn't it? This album, in quad, does it for me. It is truly special.
MIX: A masterclass from Roy Halee (and some other unsung heroes, I'm sure). This is not a "four corner" mix, nor does it come off as experimental, but is fairly discrete and quite immersive. Placements seem to be just right most of the time, and there are relatively few gimmicks. A strong front stereo image is maintained throughout the record, and the front phantom center is incredibly well defined, making me wonder at times whether Art isn't really singing to me from the center channel (I checked; he isn't!). Special shoutout for the rear-centered drum kit in "Another Lullaby:" unconventional, but it works brilliantly and does not distract the listener but rather enhances the experience.
FIDELITY: This record must have been a true hifi effort in 1973. The tapes are plainly still in excellent condition today, and Michael Dutton has managed to capture and enhance all the brilliance contained therein. Instruments and voices, especially Garfunkel's leads, are near-lifelike in their presentation unless deliberately effected to sound otherwise. The overall sonic character is warm, but not overly so, with plenty of definition in the high end and no bloat in the bass. The dynamic range is excellent and feels completely natural (listen to the swells in "Traveling Boy").
CONTENT: Art Garfunkel is a fine singer with a pleasant voice, and the songs chosen for this project suit him well, but what really make the record are the arrangements played by some killer session musicians. They are at times dense, others sparse, but always engaging and serving the music. The strings are lush and full without being saccharine sweet, and the occasional organ skirts the edge of cheesy with enviable deftness. They were seemingly made for quad, and I didn't fully appreciate them until hearing them in this format.
PACKAGE: There's no doubt that Dutton's labels, Vocalion included, engineer their products to meet a price point. There's nothing aesthetically special about the standard black-tray jewel case with generic traycard and booklet replicating original album art, but there is some value added in a new, bespoke essay in the booklet. I really can't deduct any points for the package, though, because I like the price and the disc is well protected. (N.B. I did notice a typo in the SACD TOC: "Angel Clair." Whoops...)
Really and truly, I can't recommend this disc highly enough. Buy it while it's in print.
