HiRez Poll Wilson, Steven - GRACE FOR DROWNING [Blu-Ray Audio]

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Rate the BDA of Steven Wilson - GRACE FOR DROWNING

  • 6:

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  • 5:

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  • 4:

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  • 3:

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  • 2:

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  • 1: Poor Surround, Poor Fidelity, Poor Content

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  • Total voters
    99
(Although it has nothing to do with the BluRay...) I was fortunate enough to be at one of the last European tour dates.
It was really great. The sound was good and yes there WAS surround sound! The rears were mainly used for sounds from the backing tracks (like multiple harmony parts, sound effects). The whole show is preprogrammed, all except 2 songs are played sync'ed to videos and at the same time to the backing tracks and the light show.
But that's just technique. The result is a great show with a theater like perfection.
On condition you can enjoy this kind of music of course.
 
This is Wilson somewhat dialed back in every way. The music is just as intricate as anything he puts his hands on, but more subdued. The surround mix is dialed back in places as well, with everything still where it should be in the mix, but a bit of vocal ambience creeping in the rears when appropriate. A 9 out of 10 for me simply because, as great as it is, I still found myself wanting just a bit more from Steven in the mix this time around.
 
I wasn't real impressed with Insurgentes, but after reading all the praise here, decided this was one I need to get. So I ordered it and waited and it finally arrived last weekend. Took a couple of days to get time to sit and listen and my player won't read the disc. I take it out and blow on it even though I see nothing and then it plays. Great! I listen to most of it and then have to leave. Now I haven't been able to get it to load again. A replacement is on it's way. Anyone else get a bad one?

From what I heard, I think I will like it much better than Insurgentes. I knew the surround mix would be great because he knows how to do it, but musically this one sounded much better to my ears. I can't wait to get the replacement disc and listen again.

K
 
Saint Steven does it again ! Is there anyone out there trying to further the causes of hi-res stereo AND surround mixes ?? I can't find em if there are . I agree with Elmer that he should ' cheer up a bit and lose the dolls ' but he is very close with Lasse Hoile his danish visuals guy and feels that their work dovetails very well . A disappointing first listen for me has been followed by many BD listenings and the London live show and I have to say , if we're going to ( music ) war then this guy is my General and I will follow . A bit like Bowie , his bad still so comprehensively beats most others' good you can't help being won over . In parts , like the PT album ' Metanoia' , this could be filed under ' Self Indulgent ' but is so sublime elsewhere that each listening becomes like the beginning of a new journey .

In a world that has been turned into every greedy buggers' playground , music like this is necessary yet very rare .

Is this the world that we created ? Unfortunately , yea .

Nice 1 Mr. Wilson , keep em com in'

~M~

:O)
 
I'm kicking myself a bit for holding off with buying this one. Insurgentes was the reason for that but my hesitation was not justified. $13.00 - Insane. 83 minutes of wonderful-sounding surround music. I'm in love with DTS-HD MA. It has such a natural feel to it. Sweet.

GFD is great. This is exactly what I expect from SW, the solo artist. The album comes off with a satisfying sense of continuity. Whenever Steven figures out the vision for the album that he wants to make it all comes out right. My appreciation of his mastery of the .1 channel continues to grow. A definite 10.
 
I haven't had this Bluray that long but still, it's been a couple of weeks now so I think I can pass judgement.

I gave it a full 10 because, seriously, what's not to like? A great album to start with, insane sound quality IMO and once again a superb 5.1-mix. Add in the extra bonus stuff which I actually haven't checked out yet and you have an extraordinary package!
 
I must say I'm still enjoying this album in all forms. The CDs stay in the car and when I can sneak a sonic treak into my work, the BD version fills the room so very nicely.
 
still digesting content and not sure if i'll ever get full meaning of what he meant.
anyway, for tech aspects 9. very well done as a recording and so 5.1 mix.
could be 10+ if vox wouldn't been somewhat screwed up during recording by quite harsh
"essing". that's really unpleasant moments, when in the overal perfect sound picture does
appear whistling distortion of the voice on "s" and "sh"
 
I decided to give this disc a spin tonight in celebration of the news that my copy of Steven's Get all you Deserve live bluray has just shipped from Burning Shed!

This is clearly SW's crowning achievement (so far), not only in terms of mixing but also in terms of music and performance.

I always listen to this album with the pictures for each song on the screen, mixing in the respective videos at the right points.

This release has proven that Blu-Ray is the best medium for high-res 5.1 surround.

Can't wait for Steven's next release in 2013! :)
 
caved iin and finally bought a blu ray player, now catching up on the blu rays that were essentail purchases once i bought the player (other than those discs that came with DVDs or CDs (Storm Corrosion)).
As expected a 10 out of 10 or maybe 9.5 as I prefer the Raven, but based on music and content extras etc has to be 10.
everything that has been written about this album is valid, and glad I managed to find a copy of teh blu so late after the original release.
 
caved iin and finally bought a blu ray player, now catching up on the blu rays that were essentail purchases once i bought the player (other than those discs that came with DVDs or CDs (Storm Corrosion)).
As expected a 10 out of 10 or maybe 9.5 as I prefer the Raven, but based on music and content extras etc has to be 10.
everything that has been written about this album is valid, and glad I managed to find a copy of teh blu so late after the original release.

I need to do this for exactly the same reason! My Bluray copy of Grace is still un-played! What hardware did you go for out of interest and would you recommend it?

btw I notice you're just down the road from me - I live in Swindon. Small world...
 
I need to do this for exactly the same reason! My Bluray copy of Grace is still un-played! What hardware did you go for out of interest and would you recommend it?

btw I notice you're just down the road from me - I live in Swindon. Small world...

Just some crappy LG Blu Ray home cenema system which i Have in the (newly built) conservatory. It does mean i can crank things up, even with the syetms speakers being what they are you can tell the difference between a good recording and a bad recording.

Tis' indeed a small world, Wiltshire not being the most populous county that so many come from one small corner of that county
 
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Well. as usual, I am late to the party. Just got this Bluray as a late Christmas present and am totally loving it. Of course the homemade apple liqueur I am enjoying while I am listening may be heightening the experience a bit, LOL!

Seriously though, this is different from the other works of his I've heard and would be moodier and darker in my opinion. The mix is outstanding though and the music is certainly an experience in and of itself. I get so blown away by his music on my modest system that I have to wonder what a really high-end delivered performance of his albums would be like. I mean right now the sounds I am hearing out of my Klipsch are so freaking awesome I can only image what the privileged few must hear...

Oh, and yeah, a definite 10 from me on this album!(y)
 
Love the mix as I do with most SW efforts. However the whole album is a difficult listen, I just keep going through Deform a star, Postcards and Index (which I think is one of his best best composition, simple yet spine tingling.
 
The mix is a 10, the fidelity is a 10 and for me the content is also an easy 10. It's deceivingly gentle at times and brooding at others. Overall, a repeatedly rewarding dark listen. Thanks to timbre4, you're posts on this release are outstanding.
 
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(sigh...)

Steven was in such a dark place when he composed Grace for Drowning. Yet, it transcends not only loss and despair, but also hope and beauty. Another stunning album with strong material and a stellar mix.

All I can say is I fear the day I'll play it for my father's death...


guess how I rate it? :)



*for those who don't know, Steven wrote Grace for Drowning right after his father's passing... it is somehow an elegy. Just look at the tracks' titles.
 
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(sigh...)

Steven was in such a dark place when he composed Grace for Drowning. Yet, it transcends not only loss and despair, but also hope and beauty. Another stunning album with strong material and a stellar mix.

All I can say is I fear the day I'll play it for my father's death...


guess how I rate it? :)



*for those who don't know, Steven wrote Grace for Drowning right after his father's passing... it is somehow an elegy. Just look at the tracks' titles.

Actually even though the album was released after his father's death, I think the vast majority of it was written and recorded before his father died, so I'm not really sure how much of the album was directly affected by his father's death. If anything, his father's death had more of an effect on "The Raven That Refused to Sing" which has even more to do with death and the ghosts it leaves behind.
 
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