BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013 - PART TWO

[sjcorne]

New titles:
The Who "Quadrophenia" (half of the album had been released as a 5.1 DVDA-V in 2011)
Bryan Adams "Reckless"
Tears for Fears "Songs from the Big Chair"
Simple Minds "Sparkle in the Rain"
Alan Parsons Project "Tales of Mystery and Imagination"

There were a few more new ones, though most of them were 'under-the-radar' titles by lesser-known artists:
The Who - Tommy (2013 5.1 mix by Bob Pridden & Richard Whittaker)
Mando Diao - Aelita
George McCrae - Love
Tiesto - Elements Of Life
Booka Shade - Galvany Street
Love & Rockets - Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven (this one doesn't come in the usual case, but it states "High Fidelity Pure Audio")

 

[EricKalet]

Another program that was mishandled and really not given the opportunity to succeed. Sadly

The marketing alone was responsible for the program's failure. Or I should say lack of marketing.

 

[rtbluray]

I think maybe the bigger issue was all the missed opportunities - there were a whole bunch of titles where an extant surround mix (either 5.1 or quad) wasn't used, either because the guy running the HFPA program was anti-surround (as he said in one interview) or simply the company was willfully ignorant about what assets they had in their vaults.

A couple of notable examples:

Derek & The Dominos Layla - HPFA BD-A was stereo only, could've used either the Mick Guzauski 5.1 mix from the SACD, or the (at the time) unreleased Scheiner mix.
Marvin Gaye Let's Get It On - reused the (sub-par) Cal Harris/Jeff Glixman 5.0 mix from the SACD, could've used the infinitely superior quad mix to entice new buyers
Marvin Gaye What's Going On - stereo-only disc that could've used the fantastic quad mix, not to mention included some of the wealth of extra stereo material that's been released on various special editions of this album, like Marvin's rejected "Detroit Mix" of the album, various instrumental versions and outtakes, and live material. Seems wasteful to author a 25 or 50gb disc and only use 10% of its capacity.

Plus there were other titles released around the time that were either only released on the lossy DVD-V format or if they were released on Blu-Ray it was only in a big box set (which of course both trends have continued since then too.)

Lossy DVD-V releases around the time included:
-Mike Oldfield ("Crises", "Five Miles Out" and "Discovery")
-Steve Hackett ("Please Don't Touch" and "Spectral Mornings", both Steven Wilson 5.1 mixes)

Big Box Set titles only:
-Soundgarden ("Superunknown", "Badmotorfinger" and the spin-off project "Temple of the Dog")
-Allman Brothers Band ("Idlewild South") [not really an expensive set but there still could have been a single disc Blu-Ray option for this title)
-Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" (already released on DVDA-V back in 2003)

 

[Circular Vibes]

The marketing alone was responsible for the program's failure. Or I should say lack of marketing.

I remember walking into a local HMV record shop here in Ottawa and asking when they were getting in the new hi-res HFPA discs. The "girl" behind the cash said "Why would we do that? We just started selling VINYLS" They were making a big production of playing new "vinyls" on a Crosley "vinyl player" in store to show how cool they were. HMV was bankrupt and sold to Sunrise records not long after that. BTW, I hate the fake word vinyls, grates my last nerve every time. What good is a record store that stocks more movies and paraphernalia than music and doesn't seem to know their customers or puts them down when you ask for something you don't see?

 

[EricKalet]

I remember walking into a local HMV record shop here in Ottawa and asking when they were getting in the new hi-res HFPA discs. The "girl" behind the cash said "Why would we do that? We just started selling VINYLS" They were making a big production of playing new "vinyls" on a Crosley "vinyl player" in store to show how cool they were. HMV was bankrupt and sold to Sunrise records not long after that. BTW, I hate the fake word vinyls, grates my last nerve every time. What good is a record store that stocks more movies and paraphernalia than music and doesn't seem to know their customers or puts them down when you ask for something you don't see?

Exactly! When you couldn't find any of the HFPA in a Best Buy or Walmart and no one knew what the heck it was or couldn't bother to care, automatic FAIL.

 

[humprof]

There were a few more new ones, though most of them were 'under-the-radar' titles by lesser-known artists:
[...]
Love & Rockets - Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven (this one doesn't come in the usual case, but it states "High Fidelity Pure Audio")

Ditto for Pixies - Doolittle. (Of course both this and Seventh Dream weren't released on UMG; they were on Beggars Group labels--Beggars Banquet and 4AD.)

 

[4-earredwonder]

Ditto for Pixies - Doolittle. (Of course both this and Seventh Dream weren't released on UMG; they were on Beggars Group labels--Beggars Banquet and 4AD.)

And the 4AD BD~A of Doolittle, I understand, was significantly more discrete and improved over the pricey Pixie's 2009 box set Minotaur.

https://www.discogs.com/Pixies-Minotaur/release/2141910

 

[Owen Smith]

Yep. They took the easy way out instead of going all-in. And they also compressed the heck out of the discs. The Bryan Adams is very loud, and although some of those tunes are made to be heard loud, it would have been nice if they let the buyer add the volume and eq. If you're going to sell HiRez for audiophiles, you don't slam the audio like you're making a CD for a boom box

Queen - A Night At The Opera BD-A at least is 5.1. But the 5.1 mix is compressed to death and sounds awful, the original DVD-A/V release sounds much better. Strangely the stereo on the BD-A is sublime, it is believed to be a flat hi res transfer of the original stereo master tape. It's the first time I've had a transfer so clean I can hear master tape saturation.

 

[rusinurbe]

I think maybe the bigger issue was all the missed opportunities - there were a whole bunch of titles where an extant surround mix (either 5.1 or quad) wasn't used, either because the guy running the HFPA program was anti-surround (as he said in one interview) or simply the company was willfully ignorant about what assets they had in their vaults.

A couple of notable examples:

Derek & The Dominos Layla - HPFA BD-A was stereo only, could've used either the Mick Guzauski 5.1 mix from the SACD, or the (at the time) unreleased Scheiner mix.
Marvin Gaye Let's Get It On - reused the (sub-par) Cal Harris/Jeff Glixman 5.0 mix from the SACD, could've used the infinitely superior quad mix to entice new buyers
Marvin Gaye What's Going On - stereo-only disc that could've used the fantastic quad mix, not to mention included some of the wealth of extra stereo material that's been released on various special editions of this album, like Marvin's rejected "Detroit Mix" of the album, various instrumental versions and outtakes, and live material. Seems wasteful to author a 25 or 50gb disc and only use 10% of its capacity.

The Derek and the Dominoes set was very much a lost opportunity, they could have included 4 different mixes original stereo, the 20th Anniversary remix stereo and both Mick Guzauski's unsympathetic 5.1 mix and Elliot Scheiners Sympathetic 5.1 mix. Infact that would have made a great 50th anniversary disc. Lost opportunities.

Extra material seems to have been pretty random, the sex pistols set had loads of extras as did one of the john Coltrain discs. To often though they were bare bones stereo mixes taking up a fraction of the potential of the discs

 

[fredblue]

If you recall, and NOT to sound uncharitable, but they put a dweeb in charge of the program who had NO knowledge of surround. Universal's BD~A launch was D.O.A.

Rule of Thumb: NEVER HIRE A BOY TO DO A MAN'S JOB!

the whole thing only happened because that dweeb's mate owned a pressing plant and could get the discs knocked up cheap.

 

[jaybird100]

Seems the Universal BD~Audio 'DRIVE' Drove a nail into their own coffin. SO many titles were released in Stereo only not to mention the amount of drivel (like the UNNECESSARY McCrae title) and with all my bitchin' and moaning' about NOT releasing any boxsets [like a Motown compilation containing 3 or 4 hours of content], no wonder no one stood up and took notice.

And if Universal REALLY wanted to show us their LOVE (and NOT the McCrae type), they would've released the wildly sought after Hayward/Lodge Blu Jays album in ALL it's QUAD glory instead of the lackluster releases they did.

There were, unfortunately, some artists who didn't want their music remixed and released in surround. A number of them just weren't convinced that their music could benefit from that treatment. And, depending on their contracts with the record companies, they have the right to do that.

 

[humprof]

And the 4AD BD~A of Doolittle, I understand, was significantly more discrete and improved over the pricey Pixie's 2009 box set Minotaur.

https://www.discogs.com/Pixies-Minotaur/release/2141910

I actually hadn't known about Minotaur, but I'm, uh, checking it out now...

Only partway through Surfer Rosa so far, so I can't comment on the differences between one Doolittle and the other yet. Generally speaking, though, the Pixies' instrumentation is so spare that the music isn't an obvious candidate for surround. The 5.1 mixes definitely open it up, though, and make you feel like you're in the middle of things.