HiRez Poll Band, The - MUSIC FROM BIG PINK (2003 5.1 surround mix) [DVD-A]

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Rate the DVD-A of The Band - MUSIC FROM BIG PINK (2003 5.1 surround mix)


  • Total voters
    39

JonUrban

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Please post your comments, thoughts and observations.......(y) (n)

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Band Big Pink Back.jpg
 
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The biggest disappointment of all my dvda discs..discreet but lots of hiss....
i prefer the stereo lp......still I kept it because it's multichannel...and (from memory ..it's been a while since I played)...they may be one or 2 tracks that are ok...but I.M.O....overall this sucks..
 
Rather a lot of Hiss on may tracks the Guitar intro to 'the weight' in particular. A great album, but not one I would have put as a first up M/C release.
Music 8 sound 5 Multichannel 5 average 6 !
 
It's difficult to penalize such a great album for the condition of the master tapes, but what can you do? A seminal album and an interesting surround-sound choice, but I'm entirely happy to listen to the original LP in lieu of this questionable release. I gave this one a head-scratching six. :confused:
 
Still a left-field choice for surround, and despite a not-terribly-exceptional mix balance, certainly fascinating to give a spin every now and again.....a '7'....

ED:)
 
I pretty much agree with what's been said here. Not a steller example of surroundness. And I was really appauled at the amount of tape hiss myself. I don't recall the CD being nearly that bad, but I've never really A/B'd them that closely.

That having been said, not an unpleasant listen, but not something I find myself drawn to repeatedly.
 
dprokopy said:
And I was really appauled at the amount of tape hiss myself.
This would be an interesting poll on the hoffman forum. The more hiss the better they always say over there.
 
Hello,
I don't notice the hiss on this title? Maybe I've lost that frequency of hearing:). I thought "The Weight" stood out in brightness but not with noticeable hiss. All in all I thought this was pretty good and I'm glad I finally got it. After all these years all I've ever heard of these guys is there greatest hits. Only recently have I started getting into their individual albums and they are very refreshing, it's a sound that doesn't get touched upon much in this day and age and I'm getting to hear this one for the fist time around in surround. Very enjoyable.
 
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A solid but unspectacular "7" from me.

The biggest letdown was "The Weight" which sounds better on the hits cd I've had for donkeys years!
its probably no-noised and compressed to death on the compilation, compared to this DVDA but its just more enjoyable there than it is here.

thankfully just about all of the rest of the album sounds pretty good and the mix is better than i expected, given the negativity its received over time.
overall, I'm happy to have it in the collection as I'd searched for it for years and while its no demo disc, it certainly isn't as mediocre as its reputation.
 
I'd ask anyone to AB the MSFL stereo version against this and despite a lack of ultra discrete content I find it rich and full. Hiss and everything. If this album is going on then it's this version every time. 7.
 
I'd ask anyone to AB the MSFL stereo version against this and despite a lack of ultra discrete content I find it rich and full. Hiss and everything. If this album is going on then it's this version every time. 7.

Hey! Long time no see! Nice to have you back. Hope all's good with you. I need to revisit this one, it's been a while. Thanks for the reminder.
 
One little observation... nearly half the votes here are 8's, 9's and 10's.. but almost all the comments are from those of us voting 7 and lower who weren't too impressed with this disc. It would be nice to hear from some of those members giving this the highest scores, I'm intrigued to know what they're hearing I'm not. Definitely need to give this another airing.
 
I finally tracked down an inexespensive copy of this DVD-A recently.

The 5.1 mix has a very natural sound to it. I don't hear a lot of hiss on this, or at least anything offensive or that buries the mix. I'm in the camp that prefers hiss over excessive noise reduction used. I would worry if this release had less hiss than the stereo mix!

The 5.1 mix isn't extreme, but there is some seperation happening in the rears. I wouldn't imagine this album having a lot to work with regarding multis for a 5.1, since it basically sounds like a band playing in a room (no pun intended). I doubt a lot of overdubs were recorded for the album. I think half the songs were recorded using only four tracks.

Overall, an enjoyable listen, taking into consideration the assumed limitations of the original recording. I give it an 8. (y)
 
Gave it a nine.


When in this case, Robbie is involved with the mix (fr 68 ! Tapes , cripes that's olde) it makes it specisl. And a pretty good mix for this historic album.

But------oh do I ever wish he had worked next on a surround of the self titled disc 69's THE BAND-THE BAND . A superior disc from The Band I think. Oh well. :rolleyes:
 
While the hiss of this release is audible, I'm not convinced that it's much a detraction, and I'd worry that any attempt to selectively lessen it would seriously muck with the dynamics. So I'm happy with with the production choices.

The mix is solid, enveloping and wonderfully discreet. Not terribly "exciting" but I'd happily put it into the "Sgt Pepper" camp of "don't muck with it too much".

"Big Pink", of course, is a seminal album, so it was a must have for me.

Not terribly inexpensive to buy though! Any price under $50 is pretty uncommon.

9
 
The mix is pretty bland. Every song has the same vocals in at least 4 and often in all 5 speakers. I guess there is some separation of instruments although it's not that convincing. The rears replicate the fronts.

The fidelity is more impressive. It is great to hear such a classic album in high resolution - especially the vocals.
 
I spun this MLP DVD~A 5.1 the other night to refresh my auditory senses and by golly, it sounded fine. The hiss was NOT noticeable until "The Weight' where it came out of nowhere and then totally subsided with the next track. I gave it a borderline 8. Still a classic and since it was recorded in that pink house in Upstate New York probably not under the most ideal conditions, I give it slack.

Will the new remaster be better? In my case, I'll withhold a double dip until the reviews are in hopefully comparing the DVD~A with the BD~A.
 
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I say a 10 because it is simply one of the best albums ever created. Raw, entrancing music; lyrics that are by turns hilarious, mysterious, ecstatic, and sad. The songs convey a sense of the glorious, tragic mess of being human. And those amazing, plaintive voices! Danko, Helm, Robertson, and especially Richard Manuel.

The surround is very good given the limited number of tracks available for the mix. Major hiss at the beginning of a couple of cuts happily tells me DNR was likely not applied. Even with the new surround, the spirit of the late 60s stereo LP is solidly present (unlike the cleaner, more modern flavor of the recent 5.1 Blu-ray).

The Band's second album (the self-titled brown one) is wonderful and considered by most critics to be their best, but Music From Big Pink -- which I bought on its release -- will always be my favorite and have a special place in my heart and memories. I simply could not score less than 10.
 
Bump for comparisons to Blu-ray. Because of the better mix of The Weight, I would probably choose the DVD-A if I could ONLY choose one. I don't hear the hiss as a problem like some here. I vote 8, mix fits the music nicely!
 
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