Johnson, Eric AH VIA MUSICOM

[wanners]

I just listened to a few tracks last night, and it is quite good, actually.

I haven't heard the stereo version since some time in the 90s, so I had a fresh slate. the mix won't knock you off your socks, but it's not bad, just not that aggressive for the most part.

I think this thread raises the question of how much comparing back to the stereo version should we do, if any at all (meatloaf anyone?)

BTW--Where does the notion come from that a MCH mix has to stay true to it's stereo predecessor? Did you lose your stereo version, or are you somehow unable to play it anymore? If you answered "no", then you'll be OK

[Bob Squires Jr]

I actually kinda liked the EJ DVD-A, and although I know from listening to it that things seemed a bit different,
it's the same with a lot of Quad and MC mixes.

Did we complain about Aqualung when the "sun streaking cold" lines were sung straight out instead of telephone like effect?
Or Black Sabbath when War Pigs didn't speed up at the end?
Or Joe Walsh where Meadows doesn't start out with the gibberish and screams like it does in the stereo version?
I can think of countless others! Grazing In The Grass by Friends Of Distinction... nothing like the original!

Although I heard the original mix of Ah Via Musicom many times,
(one of my friends drove me nuts with it when it first came out!)
I just appreciate it for what it is.
Now I'm not saying that bad MC is better than no MC, but AVM is really not all that bad.
And... we all here know for a fact what bad MC sounds like!!
One has but to listen to a few Silverline discs and
you'd appreciate anything else, trust me!
They even make the early "vocal on the left, music on the right" stereo versions sound like gems.

As for Meatloaf, hey... they tried!
The original MC masters were burned in a fire and they did their best
with what they had. (They supposedly found the backups a few months after but...)

Boston is one disc that SHOULD have been MC but Noooo!
The industry never ceases to amaze me.

We should be used to it by now!

-B

[timbre4]

You make a great point! I've had a sealed copy for about 18 months that I will now open and enjoy for what it is. There's not much hope of a re-do on this title, unless Eric dispatches somebody to do it. If he does there are 2 or 3 catalog titles I'd want even more than this one.

[BananaSlug]

I've been putting this one in the player lately - was thinking of selling it to help finance the Blu-ray upgrade. Looks like it's value may have fallen... oh well, I'm starting to like it! I think the sound quality is quite good and the mix very good. I usually don't make it past the third or forth track before my kids make me put on SpongeBob or something, but so far I'm impressed. I don't care for the vocal tracks as much, but hey, it's not like I can go out and buy something new that I really want to hear in surround.

[Bob Squires Jr]

Looks like it's value may have fallen...

I think the value of a lot of DVD-As have fallen... SACDs are going up.
ie: I saw T-Rex's EW as DVD-A for $60 US on Ebay. It's SACD counterpart... $169.00
Likewise with Beck's Sea Change... $55.00 DVD-A vs $135 for the SACD.
Maybe the releases of the SHM-SACDs and the new MoFi stuff coming are changing the SACD tide
even though they are stereo

I have a ton of DVD-As and was going to sell them off as I just moved and could use the cash to
fix a few things up here. But it's not worth it.
I have ELP, T-Rex, Elton John, Tommy, Diana Krall etc on both SACD & DVD-A.
Since, on DVD-A you get either spectacular Hi Res or terrible Dolby, if my DVD-A machine goes.
I'm hosed as I can't buy another in the near future. If they at least had a DTS track, (some do)
it would make playing them on standard DVD systems worthwhile. But to keep them just for the Dullby track... yeah right!
However, they aren't worth the time in selling.

At least the Genesis, Depeche Mode, Quadio Releases, King Crimson etc. are definitely keepers as they have a DTS 96/24 or have SACD counterparts.
Just in case...

[LizardKing]

I'd never heard of this guy.... and only got a copy because its 5.1 - so I can't comment on the issues with the mix - but to me it sounds like a great mix - sonically good also.

However - I've never been a huge fan of "guitar virtuoso" albums....so I just can't get into this....

[cupboy]

$135 for Sea Change? I wonder if I've still got those 4 extras or if I already sold 'em. Will have to take a look.