Greatest Quadraphonic Mixes (And 5.1 too!) (Songs only)

I am not talking complete albums, I mean if you could take the very best quad mixes from the '70s, which songs would they be.

I will start of with:

David Essex - Rock On
This song is meant to be heard in surround. It is a real masterpiece. Although the rest of the LP is not as well known as the title track, this track alone should make it worthy of an SACD release.

Edgar Winter - Frankenstien
Need anything else be said?

Now you guys. Don't just list your favorite songs, make sure the 4.0 mix is worthy!!!

While I could easily make a pretty substantial list of "great" mixes, I'll start off by just taking the easy way out:

Paul McCartney - Band on the Run.......entire album Quad Mix.:spot

The reason I give the "nod" to the entire album is that I think it is the easiest way to demonstrate the "capabilities" of mixing in multi-channel. If you listen to the entire album and analyze the mixing "style" you'll find that they used virtually every method of multi-channel mixing through the course of the album.......

360 sweeps...........,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,got it :banana:
echo effects to the rear channels.................got it :banana:
solo instruments in the rear channels.............got it :banana:
backup singers in the rear channels...............got it :banana:
full orchestra surround................................got it :banana:

And, probably a few other methods I can't think of off the top of my head!!!

But, the bottom-line is that the quad mix of Band on the Run should be REQUIRED listening for ANYONE involved in multichannel mixing and production. Debate the musical importance all you want...........it demonstrates the capabilities of quad mixing beautifully. Years ago we used to say it really took "balls" to turn a channel off (placing NO sound in one or more channels), yet he even did this to dramatic effect. Paul McCartney is definitely a music genius (with regards to Alan Parsons, and all the others who qualify for this elite group)! :worthy

The key I think is to explore the possibilities.........Paul did! :wave

Sanatana's Black Magic Woman has always brought on an aural thrill when I hear the quad version. It does use the "unnatural" ping-pong effect when the sound swirls around me but..... I like the effect.

Santana's Everything is Coming our Way doesn't use a "swirl" effect but, instead, has a sense of "ambience" wherein on my system the song sounds as if it is being played in a large hall.

Redbone's Message From a Drum has some good quad effects. Nothing spectacular as in the "swirl" effect but the quad rendition gives a sense of depth and space to the music.

I always thought Wish You Were Here was the best quad album, so if we're picking a song, take any one of them.

Some of my favorite mixes are:

She's A Woman - Jeff Beck (Blow By Blow)
Looking Out For Number One - BTO
Money/US & Them - Pink Floyd
Foreigner Suite - Cat Stevens

All very full and aggressive mixes.

I like Rick Wakeman's 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' (1st part) and Jayne Seymore from his 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII'. Both SQ.
Try Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid' and 'Iron Man' (CD4) too. Fun.
Scott

My picks would be:
Hot Tuna - "Serpent of Dreams" from America's Choice (the whole lp is great!)
Jethro Tull - "Locomotive Breath" from Aqualung
Guess Who - "No Time Left For You"
Jefferson Airplane - "Wooden Ships" from Volunteers
Dzyan - "Time Machine" one of the most discrete SQ recordings
Pink Floyd - "Atom Heart Mother" ditto
Tens Years After - "One of These Days" from A Space In Time
I'll think of a few more later, there are so many!

I'd have to say the Q8 version of Kodachrome by paul simon . The sweeping piano as well as the placing of instruments is still exciting to hear.

My all-time, favorite #1 quad mix from the 70's is (drum-roll please)...

It's a Tie!

Harry Nilsson - Jump Into The Fire
Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone

Here are a few runners-up:

Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady
Black Sabbath - Planet Caravan
Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together
Deep Purple - Space Truckin'
Frank Zappa - Uncle Remus
Guess Who - Talisman
J. Geils Band - Detroit Breakdown
Jefferson Airplane - Hey Fredrick
Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way
Santana - Oye Como Va
Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
Spinners - I'll Be Around
Steely Dan - Do It Again
Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle
Ten Years After - One Of These Days

To name a few...

I've made a few "greatest hits" from my DTS cds.
(some from converters from this grand site and some store bought). This is my demo DTS cdr

Queen Bohiemian Rhapsody
Pink Floyd Money
BS&T Go Down Gamblin'
Jimi H. All along the WatchTower
Grass Roots Live for Today
Toy Matinee Last Plane Out
Aerosmith Seasons of Withers
Guess Who No Sugar tonight
Jethro Tull Locomotive Breath
Eagles Seven Bridges
Simon & Garfunkel The Boxer
Cat Stevens Morning has Broken
Sting Fields of Gold

Don't forget the many superb surround-mixes from Hugo Montenegro and the discrete Ray Conniff. And of course also the big-band productions from Enoch Light with separation-power ( in opposite to any actual big-band surrounds like sleeping feets). Also Temptation's "1990" and so many others of convincing quadraphonic productions. Dietrich

Oh, a little musunderstanding - here should be only talked about surround - songs - but why not over all? Examples of best songs/singers may be Tom Jones "Body & Heat" and "Playing Possum" from Carly Simon".
and... of course, many more. Dietrich

For me, without a doubt, from the Doubie Brother's "What Were Once Vices" (my favorite ALBUM), the SONG "Blackwater", with it's call-and-response chorus from front to [stereo] rear channels.

surroundophile said:

For me, without a doubt, from the Doubie Brother's "What Were Once Vices" (my favorite ALBUM), the SONG "Blackwater", with it's call-and-response chorus from front to [stereo] rear channels.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. That was one of my great CD-4 demos in the '70s. A "must have" on any list.

Good job!

Cai Campbell said:

My all-time, favorite #1 quad mix from the 70's is (drum-roll please)...

It's a Tie!

Harry Nilsson - Jump Into The Fire
Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone...

Click to expand...

I totally agree with “Jump into the Fire”. I always used to use that to demo my quad system…a great song in stereo, but I didn’t really “get it” until I heard the quad mix.

And just for sheer gimmicky thrills, I recommend the “Tommy James and the Shondells” greatest hits Q8. Most of the songs were probably recorded with (at most) 4 tracks to begin with, so the results are often…interesting. My personal fave moment is the end of “Crimson and Clover”, where Mr. James sings the refrain over and over (through a Leslie speaker?), and his voice gets panned around the different channels…psychedelicatessin, man!! @:

There are two reasons I really, really dig the quad mix of "Jump Into The Fire":

1. Harry Nilsson backs himself on the track, with the primary vocal coming out the front speakers and the backing vocal track coming out the rear. On casual listen, it would seem that this is just a simple echo of the vocal track in the rear. I always knew something was off in the stereo version but I couldn't quite put my finger on it until hearing the quad version, but what is REALLY going on is that the backing track is an entirely different recording. Harry must have had the headphones on, listening to the primary vocal track as he recording the backing track. The backing track sounds VERY close to the primary track, but he introduces small, deliberate changes that really play with your mind. The end result is very cool, especially in quad, giving a surreal call-answer effect to the vocal. It's my favorite vocal, ever! A pure mind-fuck, for anyone willing to listen for it.

2. The drum solo absolutely kicks ass! It gets into this synchopated groove where multiple drummers are just swirling about you as they kind of synch in and out with each other. Again, a real trippy experience and cool beyond words when heard on a great setup.

Besides that, its just a cool balls-ahead rocker that can't be beat!

This is, of course, another no brainer, a perfect example of well executed 4.0 quadra, quadro, quadri, phonics at its best.

When we get all of these titles together, we should make a QuadraphonicQuad DTS CD. QQ's greatest hits!

JonUrban said:

This is, of course, another no brainer, a perfect example of well executed 4.0 quadra, quadro, quadri, phonics at its best.

When we get all of these titles together, we should make a QuadraphonicQuad DTS CD. QQ's greatest hits!

Click to expand...

COOL IDEA!!! :sun

My suggestions "City of New Orleans" from Judy Collins' "Judith", and Skating Away , Jethro Tull's Warchild, and a very Rare Overute frm "A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum."

Great topic, instantly popular! Hard to narrow it down; my quad song mixes would have to include these:

Beck Bogart Appice - Lady
Steely Dan - Bohvisata (sp)
The Doors - Hello I Love You
Loggins & Messina - Angry Eyes
Paul McCartney & Wings - Live & Let Die
Moody Blues - Tuesday Afternoon
Santana - No One To Depend On
Alice Cooper - Generation Landslide
Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein
Joe Walsh - Daydream
Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Montana
Paul Simon - American Tune