DVD/DTS Poll Jethro Tull - HEAVY HORSES [DTS DVD]

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Rate the DTS DVD of Jethro Tull - HEAVY HORSES

  • 7

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Poor Content, Surround Mix, and Fidelity

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    54

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Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2018 reissue of the classic 1978 Jethro Tull album "Heavy Horses".
Reissued for its 40th anniversary, this "New Shoes Edition" features a brand new 5.1 surround mix of the album remixed by Steven Wilson, along with 8 bonus tracks from the studio sessions (also mixed in 5.1 surround by Steven Wilson) and a complete 5.1 surround mix of their May 1978 concert in Berne, Switzerland, mixed in 5.1 surround by King Crimson's Jakko Jakszyk.

(y)(n)

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The studio tracks are a 9.5 for mix, fidelity and content. The extra studio takes are a welcome addition. Both versions of "Living in These Hard Times" are very worthy.

The overall package is a 9.5 as well. The book is a nice bonus. The few video clips are nice as well. And you cant argue with the value... a 5 disk package for about $36 my cost.

Where this release falters for me is the live material. I was hoping for something special with the 5.1 Berne show (like something approaching the stunning 5.1 sound track from Ian Anderson: Live in Iceland, also mixed my Jakko), but that's not the case here. The Berne show pretty much sounds like everyone else's rendition of live. Very little of it is presented in a discrete fashion, and I don't care for the fidelity or the performance to be honest. I enjoy the between track banter from the band however. The studio versions of this material are just too good to waste time with the live stuff IMO.

So I gotta go 9 or 10, and I go 9. Though I didn't subtract anything for the dud live mix, a good live mix of the Berne material would have elevated this up to a 10 for me. Even the mix we got but with video of the show would have done it for me.
 
Again excellent packaging ! so happy to have TULL in surround ! here is something a little off topic , when Bursting Out was first released I purchased it and noticed that on the front and record label it was titled "BURSTING OUT" but on the spine it said " BUSTING OUT" . Anyone out there ever notice this or still have a copy? I no longer have the Vinyl or I would have posted a photo !
P.S. Thanks Mr. Wilson !!!!
 
Again excellent packaging ! so happy to have TULL in surround ! here is something a little off topic , when Bursting Out was first released I purchased it and noticed that on the front and record label it was titled "BURSTING OUT" but on the spine it said " BUSTING OUT" . Anyone out there ever notice this or still have a copy? I no longer have the Vinyl or I would have posted a photo !
P.S. Thanks Mr. Wilson !!!!
Still have my Canadian copy with Busting Out on the spine.

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This is where I came in... Heavy Horses was the first Tull album that I bought back when I was 17. I had just borrowed Aqualung from a college friend but wasn't quite sure if it was fantastic or just weird! However visiting a local record shop and found out that Heavy Horses had been released the same day so I bought it with no idea what to expect. Well it was just wonderful and I was instantly a Jethro Tull fan, much to the horror of my punk loving friends...
All these years later and it's better than ever. Once again the mix is flawless, natural and very exciting. The title track is breathtaking and now actually feels too short - it needed two listen and I was ready to go for a third but ran out of time. The extras were a pleasant surprise too with some new tracks and a great studio version of Quatrain which is unfortunately only in 2.0.
The live concert is a nice extra, but not the most involving of the Tull concerts, I'll revisit it later on its own and not directly after the main event. It still has to be a 10/10 nothing could diminish the greatness of this release.
 
This is a wonderful release, in fact these Tull re-issues have set the bar as far as content/packaging goes imho.

But (there's always a "but") - is it just me or does anyone else think that it's possible to tell Steven Wilson's favourite tracks by the overall quality of the surround mixes?

Luckily, his favourites seem to align closely with mine and they're all solid tens, but although the overall standard is very high it's not (to my ears) as consistently high as the best tracks e.g. Horses, Moths, Weathercock and a few others. This is a minor "gripe." In fact not even a gripe, more an observation, as I'm exceedingly grateful that he's still doing them in amongst his obviously stupidly busy schedule! Long may they continue and I hope he makes it as far as "Crest of a Knave" as that and "Beastie" are my favourites.

9/10
 
This is a wonderful release, in fact these Tull re-issues have set the bar as far as content/packaging goes imho.

The thing I noticed the other day after receiving the Marillion "Brave" release, is that it and the Marillion "Misplaced Childhood" release use basically the same style of packaging as the Tull releases. They are kind of priced the same as well. I hope its the start of a trend that continues.

Long may they continue and I hope he makes it as far as "Crest of a Knave" as that and "Beastie" are my favourites.
Amen to that. Crest is the release where Ian's voice changed substantially and the album was criticized for it. It also follows the infamous synthesizer period the band went through which lost them a lot of fans. But Crest was a return to form IMHO. Not to mention a welcome, heavier emphasis on Barres guitar work. Steven Wilson may not continue mixing past Stormwatch, but I do think there are several capable mixers who could pick up that torch and run with it.
 
I'm really enjoying this album. I had it as a teenager, and this one along with Songs From The Wood, I believe had a much greater impact on my life than I ever realized. As a nature lover, gardener and very much an environmentalist, I believe Mr. Anderson and crew played a significantly role in shaping who I am and I will be forever grateful for this.
 
Honestly, aren't these Tull packages just amazing? It is Christmas Day every time one of these arrives! Total immersion - enveloping 5.1 version of the album (wonderful work by the team again!), all the extra goodies, that full Berne concert (which I loved, slightly surprisingly, having sorta ignored Bursting Out over the years), and the beautiful, extensive, and highly informative essays and interviews. When I compare these to the Zeppelin reissue box sets, well the Zepsters' releases are a real missed opportunity, right? And the frankness in the interviews is so refreshing. No myth burnishing there - with what feels like honest reflections of the musicians' experiences. Including disagreements. Although some of his colleagues rate HH very highly, Ian relegates it to somewhere outside his top 10 in his personal Tull pantheon! The videos also reveal our Tullists as all a bit ridiculous - not the prettiest guys, the outfits are a tad pretentious, and the overall feel very dated. So well done for including them too. Warts and all!

And it is very nice indeed that they also recognize other musicians that they worked with along the way - Maddy Prior and Daryl Way. Those interviews are a very nice touch indeed. And Maddy's input offers some very interesting insights into our Ian. Nothing earth shattering - but a sense of how hard working, clever, and private he really is. A bloke with talent, who manages that talent very well indeed. And why not? Not just the crazy long hair tramp or exotic medieval minstrel - but a calculating, intelligent, careerist. And I don't mean that as criticism. In fact, these wonderful packages are just the latest illustration of that highly effective career, reputation, and asset management!

I have loved every single one of these releases and am so happy this one will join the set. The price point is also so good - amazing in fact, and it never feels like they want to exploit loyal fans (compare to the wonderful but so expensive first Roxy Music Album). And, slightly stupid point, but isn't the book format just perfect in terms of quality, size, and structure - never mind the brilliant information? (I wish they would re-release Benefit in this format - just the collector in me!)

Of course, then there is the music. When this first came out way back in the day, I wasn't very enamored of it. A huge improvement over "Too Old To Rock and Roll...", but not as much fun as "Songs From The Wood". It all felt a bit dark and dense, and very much at odds with the whole punk ethos of the day. But Ian and team were plotting their own, very idiosyncratic way, and the album has grown on me ever since. It IS a darker album - in a very English way. And now reeks of nostalgia for an older age - all beautifully conveyed with compelling music and some of Ian's best lyrics. Brought to clearer life on the immersive surround mix. Isn't it marvelous to sit in the middle of all this complexity, and pick up on bits and pieces you'd forgotten you'd sorta heard before, but not as distinctly? Just a true joy listening to the whole thing again, with the music all around - in what feels to me to be a very natural overall sound stage. Not contrived at all. Anyway, a very happy 10 from me - wonderful!
 
Haven't heard this yet but one thing I can say is that I could just never get into this record. I 1st bought it at Woolworth's in 1979 or 1980 in the cut-out section and didn't like it then. I have tried to listen to it over the years when I am on a Tull kick and always turn it off. I love everything JT ever did up to it though and also like Stormwatch and some of A and some of Broadsword. Under Wraps is complete horseshit!! Maybe it's because it really leans too far on the Celtic sounds which I can only take so much of. Maybe the 5.1 will change my mind.

I never even bought the HH LP when it was released because the little of it I heard on FM radio didn't interest me. I did get the re-mastered CD a few decades later, but probably only out of a sense of completeness (and the fact it probably only cost me $2.99 from the BMG club). I likely played it once or twice and dismissed it. But when I got this release (initially again out of a sense of completeness, since I have all the other deluxe re-issues) and listened to it seriously, I was surprised at how much I liked it. About half of it is really excellent... specifically the title track, Moths, Weathercock, and the Living in These Hard Times bonus tracks.

If you can get through the Celtic flavoring of "Songs from the Wood", sitting through "Heavy Horses" should be a cake walk in that regard.

I share your opinion about "Under Wraps". And I don't like "A" very much either, but who knows... that was 20 years ago. maybe I need to pull them out again and re-listen.
 
Perfect surround mix and fidelity to my ears. Content is right up there with Aqualung for me... strong from start to finish. The lyrics to the title track are poetry to my ears. By far this is the best horse concept album ever released (I won’t go into direct comparisons of horse albums here, but PM me if you need a list). Surround=3; Fidelity=3; Content=3; 1 bonus point for an album’s worth of additional songs mixed in surround, so a 10!
 
I voted 9. I love all these JT releases. I go back and forth and listen to all of them from time to time. I decided to listen to this Heavy Horses, New Shoes Edition, in the stellar packaging we have all become accustomed to.
My listen was my ripped file from the DVD-V 24/96, DR's are 13, 14's, 15's, 16. I listened at 66db, which is comfortable.
The SW remix has spectacular surround activity with the instruments. Vocals, center channel which is what I prefer and common mix treatment for SW.
My reason for voting 9 instead of 10 is solely for the sonics of the vocals, they sound over, (over modulated) I don't know the word, but like a speaker would sound when one of the paper cones is worn or small tear. When I listened I thought oh no, what is wrong with my rig, and listened to another album and was fine. Not a big deal of course, as I would have voted 1 if it was a big deal.
The music is very good, and love how SW does little fades in and outs between front and back.
Definitely worth purchasing for your Jethro Tull surround collection.

KEEP SURROUND POLLS PURE. NO OFF TOPIC OR NON RELEVENT CHATTER.
 
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I voted 9. I love all these JT releases. I go back and forth and listen to all of them from time to time. I decided to listen to this Heavy Horses, New Shoes Edition, in the stellar packaging we have all become accustomed to.
My listen was my ripped file from the DVD-A 24/96, DR's are 13, 14's, 15's, 16. I listened at 66db, which is comfortable.
The SW remix has spectacular surround activity with the instruments. Vocals, center channel which is what I prefer and common mix treatment for SW.
My reason for voting 9 instead of 10 is solely for the sonics of the vocals, they sound over, (over modulated) I don't know the word, but like a speaker would sound when one of the paper cones is worn or small tear. When I listened I thought oh no, what is wrong with my rig, and listened to another album and was fine. Not a big deal of course, as I would have voted 1 if it was a big deal.
The music is very good, and love how SW does little fades in and outs between front and back.
Definitely worth purchasing for your Jethro Tull surround collection.

KEEP SURROUND POLLS PURE. NO OFF TOPIC OR NON RELEVENT CHATTER.

Technically it's a DVD-V, but I still love your post. I WISH there was a DVD-A option!
 
The SW remix has spectacular surround activity with the instruments. Vocals, center channel which is what I prefer and common mix treatment for SW.
My reason for voting 9 instead of 10 is solely for the sonics of the vocals, they sound over, (over modulated) I don't know the word, but like a speaker would sound when one of the paper cones is worn or small tear. When I listened I thought oh no, what is wrong with my rig, and listened to another album and was fine. Not a big deal of course, as I would have voted 1 if it was a big deal.
Ian Anderson's vocals are pretty rough on this album, particularly on the title track. In the book accompanying the New Shoes Edition, he is quoted as saying this is due to a bad cold he had at the time. I had always considered it the beginning of his ongoing vocal decline that got really bad on some of the 80s albums, but he does sound better on Stormwatch, so maybe it really was mostly due to illness. I don't know if that completely accounts for the vocal distortion you mention or not. (And not to wander too far off-topic in this poll thread, but it's interesting to me that in the Dan Rather interview he did a couple years back, Ian blames his COPD condition on the fog machines used on stage, and doesn't mention his many years of heavy cigarette smoking... not sure when he quit that habit.)

I love this album and its surround treatment by SW, although I must say that when he isolates lead vocals in the center, with no bleed-over to the fronts, it does sound a little isolated and detached on my system. I think it's because my fronts are cubes (Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III) and I have them mounted pretty wide. Mixes that blend vocals a little more across the center and fronts tend to work better on my setup, for example the Elton John classics and Beck's Sea Change. Regardless, I'll take a Wilson surround mix any day, and he's done a great job with the entire Tull series. Heavy Horses doesn't quite match up to its predecessor, Songs From The Wood, but how many albums do? HH still has a lot of great folky-prog tunes, and all the better to appreciate the layered arrangements and top-notch instrumental performances in surround. This album has major sentimental value for me, especially since I saw them live for the first time on the HH tour, but should appeal to most prog or classic rock fans.

I would probably vote a 9 for this release, but will wait until I give it another spin with close attention. I highly recommend this to any Tull fan, along with all the others in the anniversary deluxe book-format series... get 'em before they go out of print! (This Was, Benefit, Stormwatch and A are currently still available at original prices.)
 
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