After several listens to the 5.1 mix, I’m prepared to cast a “9” vote. Needless to say, I’m thrilled this was finally released after sitting in limbo for five years!
I don’t know if I’d say this is Steven Wilson’s
best 5.1 mix, but it’s a very good one--especially considering all the limitations and difficulties with the source material (be sure to read SW’s notes about the making of the 5.1 mix in the booklet). There are some incredible moments and others that left me wanting a bit more. I’ll get into more detail below, but my two biggest gripes overall are that it’s a bit bright-sounding and the lead vocals are frequently too low in the mix.
“Woman In Chains” - It’s a bit weird not having the drum hits bounce back-and-forth in the beginning (not SW’s fault), but otherwise I can’t really fault this. I would describe it as just a really well-done “3-D” version of the original stereo mix. The guitars that enter at around 2:20 are only in the rears and sound fantastic. The vocals tend to get a bit obscured once it gets really busy, but that’s fixable by turning up the center channel a notch or two. Both Roland & Oleta’s vocals are isolated in the center channel, giving the listener the ability to mute everything and hear the duet on it’s own--which is incredible.
“Badman’s Song” - My favorite aspect of this is the way the drum kit is spread around the room. During the reprise of the piano melody at around 5:15, the kick drum actually moves a bit from the left side back to center front. The general layout places the main guitars the front channels, while the backing vocals, brass, organ, and additional percussion are assigned to the rears. At the part where they sing “look at yourself, see how you lie”, Oleta’s vocal is in the center and Roland’s is in the rears(!). My only critique here is that the synth brass sounds a lot faker than it did in the original stereo mix.
“Sowing The Seeds Of Love” - I was expecting the be-all-end-all ultimate surround demo, but--for better or for worse--this isn’t quite it (in my opinion, of course). The intro with the static sounds panning around the room and reverse drums in the rears sounds great, but once the vocals enter it sounds...different. The balance between certain elements seems off at a few points and I agree with the comments saying that some of the lead vocals could be from alternate takes (the “so nice to eat, so nice to taste” line in particular seems different to me). I was expecting Curt’s vocals to be placed in the rears, but instead they’re kind of everywhere at once--an unusual choice for SW. There are some really good moments though, like the organ popping up in the rears at 3:25 and the panning guitar solo that leads into the “time to eat all your words…” vocal section.
“Advice For The Young At Heart” - I actually never realized the chorus vocals were doubled. On the 5.1 mix, you can hear the main vocal in the center channel and doubled parts in the rears. This is fairly straightforward mix-wise, but effective: the rears generally feature backing vocals and percussion, and there’s even a fun bit where a harp(?) pans from left rear to right rear.
“Standing At The Corner Of The Third World” - I’ve never been a huge fan of this song, but it’s amazing in 5.1! Super-atmospheric and powerful. SW noted on his “Album Years” podcast that this is one of his favorite tracks on the album and it shows in the 5.1 mix.
“Swords & Knives” - Again, this was never a standout track for me but it’s certainly more interesting in surround. Lots of fun panning effects.
“Year Of The Knife” - SW mentions in the liner notes that this is the most complicated mix he’s ever done. I won't even bother to try and describe exactly what’s happening in the 5.1 mix, but--needless to say--it’s very discrete and almost overwhelming at times. There’s some really creative use of surround with the guitar delay trails sort of wash over the listener. The “this is the year of the knife” backing vocals come blasting from the rears, just as I’d hoped. My only issue here is that the cymbal hits towards the end get to be really shrill at high volume.
“Famous Last Words” - The intro sounds great with the ambient sounds in the rears and Roland’s voice coming through the center channel with striking clarity.
Like everyone else said, there’s really no reason not to go for this if you’re a fan of the material. I suppose one could quibble about price, but as far as ‘Super Deluxe Editions’ go this is one of the better examples--nice, compact packaging and interesting extras (single mixes, instrumentals, hi-res stereo, etc). The ‘Townhouse Jams” on disc 4 are probably the highlight in terms of extras. Definitely one of the best releases of 2020!
I think SW may have just raised the bar on how good a 5.1 remix can be. I haven't voted yet, partly because I want to listen a few more times, but mostly because I think we need an 11 or 12 in the voting system. Yes, it's that good.
).
. For the record, it's probably my least favourite song on the album, but I suppose it has its place.
