HiRez Poll Phillips, Anthony - THE GEESE AND THE GHOST [DVD-A]

Just got this today (thanks to all you Quaddies!) I am a part-time acoustic musician and really love this disc. Excellent guitars and very lilting melodies.

Voted 9. Gorgeous. And I appreciate having mellow stuff to throw on now and then.

So, I just got this today and gave it a good, dedicated listen, and while I've listened to a few snippets on youtube, this was my first listen to the album straight through, so most of the material was new to me. It's certainly too soon for me to discuss in much depth - let alone, give it a rating - but I do have a few initial thoughts:

First off: The title track, The Geese and the Ghost Part 1 and 2, is absolutely FANTASTIC! I had to listen to it twice. Very cool piece, and seems to be one of the more energetic, and "proggy," moments on the album.

Sound quality seems excellent throughout, and the mix, while rather reserved, is very fitting for the type of music; although, I did feel that there were moments where they could have gotten a bit more adventurous with the mix (again, only one listen, my feelings could certainly change...).

Anyway, I'm digging it. Should have picked it up a long time ago...

This I did not even have to think about "10". From the very first number to the very end this was a beautiful piece of music. This was very well done with hints of sounds now and then from the back speakers. I just closed my eyes and listened. Not often I can say I like every song but I did here.
Thank you Mike for having me check this one out.

I would have given this an 8, but I have to drop it to a 7. Great music, and it's amazing that this has a surround mix. But some mixing/EQ choices really bug me. The whole thing is a tad too bright, but this would be OK if it didn't get so much worse every time a loud part appears. Did they bother listening to the original mix first? The "Henry Goes to War" bit gets much louder and more powerful than what comes before, but here it's just a little louder and a whole lot brighter. Digital compression perhaps? The sporadic drums are unnaturally bright as well. Overall, it's a nice mix, but it's a drag to want to keep turning it down instead of up. Not a total loss for sure, but just a bit of a head-scratcher for me.

izgoblin said:

I would have given this an 8, but I have to drop it to a 7. Great music, and it's amazing that this has a surround mix. But some mixing/EQ choices really bug me. The whole thing is a tad too bright, but this would be OK if it didn't get so much worse every time a loud part appears. Did they bother listening to the original mix first? The "Henry Goes to War" bit gets much louder and more powerful than what comes before, but here it's just a little louder and a whole lot brighter. Digital compression perhaps? The sporadic drums are unnaturally bright as well. Overall, it's a nice mix, but it's a drag to want to keep turning it down instead of up. Not a total loss for sure, but just a bit of a head-scratcher for me.

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I gots to say that I do the same thing when I listen to it - I'm progressively dropping the volume as the album plays.

timothyemerson said:

I gots to say that I do the same thing when I listen to it - I'm progressively dropping the volume as the album plays.

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Yeah, I love really dynamic mixes, but this one just gets harsh instead of loud. If not for those moments, I'd be thrilled with this.