QQ Top 10 Surround Music Discs of all time! (?)

[LizardKing]

Based on the amount of times I've listened to them:

Deadwing - Porcupine Tree (DVDA)
Guero - Beck (DVDA)
Lightbulb Sun - Porcupine Tree (DVDA)
The Incident - Porcupine Tree (DVD DTS)
Red - King Crimson (DVDA)
Avalon - Roxy Music (SACD)
Remain In Light - Talking Heads (DVDA)
Minimum-Maximum - Kraftwerk (SACD)
Ten Summoner's Tales - Sting (DTS CD)
A Valid Path - Alan Parsons (DVD DTS)

[Chiburb]

PT-Lightbulb Sun
PT-Stupid Dream
PT-FOABP
Beatles-Love
Roy Orbison-Black and White Night
Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Bonnie Raitt-Nick of Time
King Crimson-Red
Steely Dan-Gaucho

Reserving #10 for "The Incident" when/if ....

[jefe1]

Its funny how the new DVDA of Red is showing up in these top ten lists already. I think it sounds superb and find myself playing it a lot, loud. I'm waiting for Lizard and the hype is building up my expectations. This is going to be a superb series.

[beached]

PT-Lightbulb Sun


Reserving #10 for "The Incident" when/if ....

IMHO, even the DTS edition is worthy of 10.

[Dylan Berichon]

Here are my 10 favorite surround mixes, regardless of format.

NERD - In Search Of...
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (Alan Parsons Mix)
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery
O'Jays - Ship Ahoy
Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn
Four Tops - Main Street People
RPWL - World Through My Eyes
Average White Band - Average White Band (Quad Mix)

[rusinurbe]

Its funny how the new DVDA of Red is showing up in these top ten lists already. I think it sounds superb and find myself playing it a lot, loud. I'm waiting for Lizard and the hype is building up my expectations. This is going to be a superb series.

I have a feeling that many of the KC discs would enter the top tens I know RED would appear in mine though i am not sure what i would excise to add it.
these lists can only really be a snapshot of teh time they were created. My top 10 would probably change from day to day dependoiing on the weather, which way the wind blows etc..

[dwight]

Here are ten I never put back on the shelf.

Zepher-Voices Unbound AIX DVD-A
Bela Fleck-Blue Grass Sessions DVD-A
The Beatles-Love DVD-A
The Manhattan Transfer-Vibrate SACD
Chicago-Chicago DVD-A
James Taylor-Hourglass SACD
Chamber Music Palisades-Shostakovich Piano Quintet AIX DVD-A
Roy Orbison-Black&White DVD-A
Bucky Pizzarelli-Swing Live DVD-A
Lyle Lovett-Joshua Judges Ruth DTS

Dwight

[MikeP]

It would be nice to have a thread of the top ten classical surround discs

[wanners]

It would be nice to have a thread of the top ten classical surround discs

For me the list would be dominated by TACET and AIX, although at the top there would be at least a couple Vanguard Classics titles, such as Bach the Brandenburg Concertos or Handel's Water music. After that, mostly any title by TACET and AIX, and maybe one or two by DTS entertainment and Silverline, and maybe a Pentatone if I'm in a good mood (pentatone quad mixes are of the "nonaggressive" type).

BTW there is such a list here http://www.classicalcdreview.com/sssurroundhall.html

[Kal Rubinson]

For me the list would be dominated by TACET and AIX, although at the top there would be at least a couple Vanguard Classics titles, such as Bach the Brandenburg Concertos or Handel's Water music. After that, mostly any title by TACET and AIX, and maybe one or two by DTS entertainment and Silverline, and maybe a Pentatone if I'm in a good mood (pentatone quad mixes are of the "nonaggressive" type).

None of the above, expect for a Pentatone or two. Both TaceT and AIX, imho, make great recordings but, with rare exception, they do not have the performers to compete artistically. As for the "old stuff" from Vanguard/dts/Silverline, they have some decent performances but, generally, the sound is not as smooth, deep and detailed as modern recordings. I will not argue the immersive vs. non-aggressive issue although that does affect my affections.

BTW there is such a list here http://www.classicalcdreview.com/sssurroundhall.html

Strange bunch.

[wanners]

Have you heard those vanguard classics--bach and Stravinsly? incredible! then there's also Bach's the Four Great Toccatas and Fugues with one organ coming out of each of the four corners--mindblowing!!! Some of the other stuff on that list is your type, it's not all aggressive.

this thread talks about great surround mixes. to me that means at least some discrete activity in the surround speakers. Therefore, naturally i'm exlcuding most anything non-aggresseive, such as the ambient stuff you like because it would be better to run the stereo through DPLII.

[Kal Rubinson]

Have you heard those vanguard classics--bach and Stravinsly? incredible! then there's also Bach's the Four Great Toccatas and Fugues with one organ coming out of each of the four corners--mindblowing!!!

Yup. I have heard all and still own most but I was ignoring the aggressiveness of the mix as an issue.

Some of the other stuff on that list is your type, it's not all aggressive.

Funny. My type. In fact, I do like some of the TaceT issues quite a bit but I would not put them in my top 10, unless I was making a list for impressive demonstration material.

this thread talks about great surround mixes. to me that means at least some discrete activity in the surround speakers.

Actually, the title of the thread is "QQ Top 10 Surround Music Discs of all time?" I see nothing explicit about the mix. So, your interpretation is a reasonable one but not a unique one.

Therefore, naturally i'm exlcuding most anything non-aggresseive, such as the ambient stuff you like because it would be better to run the stereo through DPLII.

DPLII never does the trick.

[wanners]

I was assuming that the mix would be the key thing in this thread, but you'r correct.

I might not completely understand your idea of good surround; when I say your type, i'm thinking mainly ambient in the rears, is that correct?

that leads into my dolby statement. I wouldn't say it never does the trick in the sense that with certain titles like the Silverline duds (i know there are alot of good ones), i'd rather blast the stereo through dplII than listen to faux 5.1. that's why I "dismiss" most upmixes. If they're not done right, I'd sooner listen to the dolby.

I have to admit overall, I'm impressed with DPLII, when there's no other choice, the results can be pretty neat--but not always.

[Kal Rubinson]

I was assuming that the mix would be the key thing in this thread, but you'r correct.

I might not completely understand your idea of good surround; when I say your type, i'm thinking mainly ambient in the rears, is that correct?

Yes but recorded ambiance or instruments if so demanded by the composer.

that leads into my dolby statement. I wouldn't say it never does the trick in the sense that with certain titles like the Silverline duds (i know there are alot of good ones), i'd rather blast the stereo through dplII than listen to faux 5.1. that's why I "dismiss" most upmixes. If they're not done right, I'd sooner listen to the dolby.

OK. I don't listen to either.

I have to admit overall, I'm impressed with DPLII, when there's no other choice, the results can be pretty neat--but not always.

There is always a choice.

[wanners]

what do you mean there's always a choice?

[Kal Rubinson]

what do you mean there's always a choice?

I'd rather listen in stereo than DPLII. AFAIK, I have not been faced with a fakey 5.1 remix where I did not have an alternative.

Kal

[ssully]

that leads into my dolby statement. I wouldn't say it never does the trick in the sense that with certain titles like the Silverline duds (i know there are alot of good ones), i'd rather blast the stereo through dplII than listen to faux 5.1. that's why I "dismiss" most upmixes. If they're not done right, I'd sooner listen to the dolby.

A Silverline upmix is derived from 2ch run through DPLII (or similar technology), with each channel digitally captured. But an advantage to home DPLII is that you can adjust the Center Width, Dimension and Panorama to your own taste.

It could be interesting to see how closely a DPLII upmix could be made to match a true 5.1 classical remix where there surrounds are used only for ambience. (Unlike Kal, I tend to prefer the DPLII ambience creation to straight 2ch)

[wanners]

A Silverline upmix is derived from 2ch run through DPLII (or similar technology), with each channel digitally captured. But an advantage to home DPLII is that you can adjust the Center Width, Dimension and Panorama to your own taste.

It could be interesting to see how closely a DPLII upmix could be made to match a true 5.1 classical remix where there surrounds are used only for ambience. (Unlike Kal, I tend to prefer the DPLII ambience creation to straight 2ch)

That's interesting because some of the silverline titles eg bruce dickinson just sound like some ambience in the rear (as i recall), not even as good as dplII.

to Kal--I was referring to a choice beyond the stereo. I do of course listen to stereo, but if I get bored with it, i'll run it through dplII. Sometimes it's a disaster, like with Jethro tull living in the past it sounded horrible and I immediately went back to stereo.

[Kal Rubinson]

to Kal--I was referring to a choice beyond the stereo. I do of course listen to stereo, but if I get bored with it, i'll run it through dplII. Sometimes it's a disaster, like with Jethro tull living in the past it sounded horrible and I immediately went back to stereo.

I, too, get bored with it at times, especially when listening to cable radio. So, I go through the myriad options, settle on one for a bit but, inevitably, switch back to POS (plain old stereo) within a selection or two.

[bliss_band]

Off the top of my head:

Pink Floyd - WYWH (Q8)
America - Holiday (CD4)
Doobies - Captain And Me (CD4)
Chicago - CTA (SQ LP)
Beatles - Love (DVDA)
Ten Years After - A Space In Time (SQ LP)
Queen - A Night At The Opera (DVDA)
Average White Band - AWB (CD4)
Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (QS LP)
Talking Heads - Naked (DVDA)
There are just so darn many I like, these are just a start.

[JonUrban]

This thread deserves to be "Stickied". If you haven't posted, what are you waiting for?

[Ed Bishop]

Did post some time back, but my interests are so diverse that it really comes down to the music first, the mix second. A great mix is fine but if it's music I really don't dig, it's not going to make a lot of difference, although the experience of hearing it a new way *might* help in understanding something a bit more (or at least make me listen one more time).

It may also depend on how well I know the music. For instance, although the ITCOTCK mix is fantastic, I haven't played the title all that much so far--maybe four times. That's partly because I knew it so well in stereo, and was trying to guess for myself how those involved would remix it. So I'd already played the hell out of the album before the 5.1 came along.

The new Chicago release was a mixture of both delight and frustration. Delight, because it was nice to hear such clean sound for and lively mixes for some fairly decent pop/rock/jazz, light but not airy, a little tough but not hard. Frustration, because some of it ("Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?") has been played to death to the point where I don't really want to hear it anymore; and the fact that some of it, frankly, was filler (think "Free Form Guitar") and dubious from the outset (although if you like Lou's MMM, this is up your alleyway too). Still, nice to have, and hopefully the first of a series of reissues.

Really, though, my favorite surround title--like any vintage nice mono mix--is the one I'm listening to at the moment.

ED

[DennisMabry]

OK, I'm finally getting around to posting in this thread. This was very hard for me to narrow my list down to 10! My initial list totaled 41. Then I whittled it down to 23. Finally down to 10, however I must say to pick only the top ten leaves out so many titles that are right up there and deserve recognition. So I have listed my 10 runners up as well.

1. Porcupine Tree - In Absentia (DVD-A)
2. Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms (SACD)
3. The Temptations - All Directions (Q4)
4. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (SACD)
(sorry guys, I just like this one better)
5. Beatles - Love (DVD-A)
6. The Who - Tommy (DVD-A / SACD)
7. Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (SACD)
8. Nilsson - Shmilsson (Q4)
9. Neil Young - Harvest (DVD-A)
10. Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues (DVD-A)


11. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (DVD-A)
12. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (DVD-A)
13. Z Z Top - Tres Hombres (Q-8)
14. Peter Gabriel - Up (SACD)
15. Deep Purple - Machine Head (SACD)
16. LAGQ - Guitar Heroes (SACD)
17. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (DVD-A)
18. Eagles - Hotel California (DVD-A)
19. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (CD-4 / Q-8)
20. Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Long Walk To Freedom (SACD)

[Bidkat]

3. The Temptations - All Directions (Q4)
13. Z Z Top - Tres Hombres (Q-8)

I don't believe the Temptations album was ever released as a QR.
The version you have is most likely from the Japanese CD-4, which sounds quite good.

Tres Hombres was actually released on a QR as well as the Q8.

[sukothai]

Here's the latest tally. There were a couple lists that specified "Chicago DVDA". I assumed these must be "Chicago II" since CTA didn't exist at the time of the post (and CTA isn't a DVDA anyway.) Let me know if this was a bad assumption or if I missed something.

- Ben

Votes	Artist	Title
25	Pink Floyd	Dark Side Of The Moon
20	Beatles	Love
9	Porcupine Tree	Stupid Dream
9	Porcupine Tree	Lightbulb Sun
9	Porcupine Tree	Fear Of A Blank Planet
7	Elton John	Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
7	Dire Straits	Brothers In Arms
6	Talking Heads	Remain In Light
6	Steely Dan	Gaucho
6	ELP	Brain Salad Surgery
6	Deep Purple	Machine Head
5	Roxy Music	Avalon
5	Queen	A Night At The Opera
5	Pink Floyd	Wish You Were Here
5	Eagles	Hotel California
5	America	Homecoming
4	The Who	Tommy
4	Temptations	All Directions
4	Talking Heads	Speaking In Tongues
4	Porcupine Tree	Deadwing
4	O'Jays	Ship Ahoy
4	Jeff Beck	Blow By Blow
4	Donald Fagen	Nightfly
3	Seal	Best: 1991-2004
3	Roy Orbison	Black And White Night Both
3	Richard Thompson	Rumor And Sigh
3	Porcupine Tree	The Incident
3	Porcupine Tree	In Absentia
3	Moody Blues	Days Of Future Passed
3	Metallica	Black Album
3	Flaming Lips	Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
3	Elton John	Honky Chateau
3	Depeche Mode	Ultra
3	Chicago	Chicago II
3	Bjork	Vespertine
3	Beck	Sea Change
3	Average White Band	AWB
2	Toy Matinee	S/T
2	Talking Heads	Naked
2	Talking Heads	Fear Of Music
2	T-Rex	Electric Warrior
2	Ray Charles	Genius Loves Company
2	R.E.M	Automatic For The People
2	R.E.M.	In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003
2	Pere Ubu	Modern Dance
2	No Man	Schoolyard Ghosts
2	Neil Young	Harvest
2	King Crimson	Red
2	John McEwen & Jimmy Ibbotson	Nitty Gritty Surround
2	James Taylor	Hourglass
2	James Taylor	Gorilla
2	Herbie Hancock	Head Hunters
2	Herbie Hancock	Gershwins World
2	Harry Nilsson	Nilsson Schmilsson
2	Grateful Dead	American Beauty
2	Graham Nash	Songs For Survivors
2	Genesis	The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
2	Foreigner	4
2	Fleetwood Mac	Rumours
2	Edgar Winter Group	They Only Come Out At Night
2	Doors	Perception Box
2	Doors	Best
2	Diana Krall	Love Scenes
2	Depeche Mode	Violator
2	David Crosby	If I Could Only Remember My Name
2	David Bowie	Young Americans
2	Crowded House	Crowded House
2	Carole King	Tapestry
2	Bucky Pizzarelli	Swing Live
2	Bob Dylan	Blood On The Tracks
2	Black Sabbath	Paranoid
2	Billy Joel	52nd Street
2	Beck	Guero
2	America	Holiday
2	Alan Parsons	A Valid Path
1	Zepher	Voices Unbound AIX
1	Yellow Note	We Love Everybody... You'Re Next
1	Weather Report	Mysterious Traveller
1	Tom Cochrane & Red Rider	Trapeze
1	The Raiders	Indian Reservation
1	The Manhattan Transfer	Vibrate
1	The Guess Who	Greatest Hits II
1	The Guess Who	Greatest Hits I
1	The Allman Brothers	At Fillmore East
1	Ten Years After	A Space In Time
1	Talking Heads	Brick Box
1	Sting	Ten Summoner's Tales
1	Steven Wilson	Insurgentes
1	Steely Dan	Can't Buy A Thrill
1	Sly & The Family Stone	Greatest Hits
1	Simon & Garfunkel	Bridge Over Troubled Water
1	Seal	First S/T
1	Scorpions	Moment Of Glory
1	Rush	Snakes And Arrows
1	RPWL	World Through My Eyes
1	Rick Wakeman	Six Wives Of Henry The Eighth
1	Rick Wakeman	King Arthur
1	Renee Fleming	Renee Fleming
1	R.E.M	Out Of Time
1	Pink Floyd	Atom Heart Mother
1	Peter Gabriel	Up
1	Peter Gabriel	Play The Videos
1	No man	Together we're Stranger
1	Nilsson	Shmilsson
1	Nicklecreek	This Side
1	NERD	In Search Of...
1	Moody Blues	Seventh Sojourn
1	Moody Blues	Question Of Balance
1	Moody Blues	Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
1	Macy Gray	Trouble With Being Myself
1	Lyle Lovett	Joshua Judges Ruth
1	Linkin Park	[Reanimation]
1	Linda Ronstadt	What'S New
1	Kraftwerk	Minimum-Maximum
1	Kitaro	The Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai
1	Keb' Mo'	Just Like You
1	Joni Mitchell	Court & Spark
1	Joe Satriani	Strange Beautiful Music
1	Jethro Tull	War Child
1	Jefferson Airplane	Volunteers
1	James Taylor	Flag
1	Jackson Browne	Late For The Sky
1	Grover Washington Jr.	Winelight
1	Graham Nash	Songs For Beginners
1	Goldfrapp	Supernature
1	Genesis	1976-1982 Box
1	Frankie Goes To Hollywood	Rage Hard....
1	Frank Zappa	Quadaudiophiliac
1	Fourplay	S/T
1	Four Tops	Main Street People
1	Faith Hill	Cry
1	Eric Clapton	461 Ocean Boulevard
1	Elton John	Tumbleweed Connection
1	Elton John	Madman Across The Water
1	Elton John	Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
1	Eagles	On The Border
1	Dredg	El Cielo
1	Doors	LA Woman
1	Doobies	Captain And Me
1	Doobie Brothers	What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
1	Donald Fagen	Morph The Cat
1	Diana Ross & The Supremes	Greatest Hits
1	Diana Krall	The Girl In The Other Room
1	David Sylvian	Manafon
1	David Bowie	Ziggy Stardust
1	David Bowie	Reality
1	David Bowie	Heathen
1	Cornelius	5.1
1	Chicago	CTA
1	Chicago	Chicago VII
1	Chamber Music Palisades	Shostakovich Piano Quintet AIX
1	Carpenters	Singles 1969-1981
1	Carpenters	Now And Then
1	Carly Simon	No Secrets
1	Cardigans	Long Gone Before Daylight
1	Boz Scaggs	Dig
1	Bonnie Raitt	Nick of Time
1	Blackfield	Live NYC
1	Bjork	Medulla
1	Bjork	Homogenic
1	Bjork	Debut
1	Billy Joel	Turnstiles
1	Billy Joel	The Stranger
1	Billy Cobham	Spectrum
1	Bette Midler	The Divine Miss M
1	Bela Fleck	Blue Grass Sessions
1	Beethoven	String Quartets Vol. 1 by Tacet
1	Bass Communion	Loss
1	Barbra Streisand	Butterfly
1	Alison Krauss And Union Station	Live
1	Alice Cooper	Welcome To My Nightmare
1	Alice Cooper	Muscle Of Love
Votes	Artist	Title