Rush-Fly By Night
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OK QQ! Here is my detailed review. I hope this helps. :banana:
DISCLAIMER - I AM A HUGE RUSH FAN, SO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT AS YOU READ MY REVIEW...I HAVE TRIED TO STAY NEUTRAL AS BEST I CAN....
RUSH - FLY BY NIGHT BLU-RAY AUDIO
Well, the opening screen does look pretty sweet. They have the blue owl with yellow eyes moving at you...and then if you just sit at that screen long enough...every once in a while, the owl's eyes blink at you. LOL - sort of freaked me out...thought I was imagining it.
Audio choices:
DTS-HD 5.1 SURROUND
DOLBY TrueHD 5.1 SURROUND
PCM STEREO
I chose to go with the DTS format...
Couple of additional comments - I wrote this on the fly. Meaning, I listened to each song, in chunks.....wrote down my thoughts...moved to next. So, you will notice that as the album goes on, I find it more pleasing. I think that was the best way for me to write my thoughts. Instead of from memory...which sometimes fails.
Anthem
You know it is an awesome song of course. It opens up in the first 45 seconds and I admit I am less than impressed. What I notice is Neil's drums are very constricted to the center soundstage...I don't mean center speaker...it just sounds like his drums are center...no width. His cymbals are pretty quiet...not crisp at all like you know they should sound. Rear speakers are utilized in this case for some reverb, or echo. Past the 45 second mark, which is where Alex starts his jam, the guitars are decently pronounced. Now at this point, I'm feeling a bit better....I can feel the jam factor increasing... Geddy's vocals are razor sharp, in front and you can hear a slight echo of his vocals in rears. Pleasing I would say. 2:25 mark where again, they are just jamming...Geddy's bass is sqaurely in the front along with Neil's drumming. Geddy's bass is not super pronounced really, but you can find it for sure. At this point, it is sounding good. Surround features are really for some subtle echos of the instruments...but noticeable echo. More like a concert hall setting.....but still good. You can turn this up loud. I'm not dissappointed.
BEST I CAN
Starts off clean sounding, drums a little more spread out on this one..still not a lot. But better for some reason. Now into my 2nd song, what I think is that Geddy's vocals and Alex's guitar are what are most featured so far. I still think they could have focused a bit more on Neil's drumming...but so far, it's not a bad thing. Half way through song, the sound of this song is tight, great bass and jams. This is rock boys. Sounds pretty good. I just heard Neil slam the cow bell...and it was pretty loud...wasn't expecting that clarity. That was cool. Now into Alex solo - just so good, very loud again, pretty loud across soundstage. I like that. No back and forth between speakers, just well distributed. At this point in the song, if I didn't know who Neil Peart was....this song/mix clearly lends to his superior playing...
BENEATH, BETWEEN & BEHIND
This opening riff sounds EXACTLY like Zeppelin. Similar to 2nd song, seems the drumming has opened up a bit...cymbal hits are more crisp, defined. Still not in your face....I wish they were a bit more. Not a deal breaker by no means. Now we midway through song and they just took off on a jam, no vocals....it rocks. Sounds awesome. No doubt this is the very best I have ever heard this song...hands down. Geddy's bass is in show off mode....wonderful. Rock and roll at its finest and sounds great turned up.
BY-TOR & THE SNOW DOG
Killer song - very similar in sound qualities and instrument distrubution to 2nd/3rd songs. Alex's guitar is louder and nearly even at times between front and back. Nice. Geddy's vocals manage to hit the rear in a loud echo every once in a while. I think that they are utilizing surround a bit better here to focus on the feel of the song. 5 minutes in, where they get into that semi-psychedelic jam, they do use surround to their benefit. Clearly here, Alex's guitar shows up all over...sometimes left rear...right rear, left front...very cool. You can really feel Jimmy Page influence on Alex in this part of the song....again, a good thing. Part of the song where all other instruments go silent and Neil has a quick short solo (5 second bursts) and it's loud and proud. Awesome power drumming...crisp, hard, tight. Wow, now that's it's showcasing Neil, there is some pronounced left to right and back left of his drumming. Eyes closed, you can imagine him circling his drums in rapid fire like he does. This song easily showcases all musicians and very well. This is what I'm talking about. Now on to the slower, spacey part of the song....amazing. They utilize surround and hi-rez very well in this song. Outstanding!!
FLY BY NIGHT
Same formula. Geddy's vocals and Alex's guitars are featured, vocal front, crisp, loud, Alex guitar spread across the stage with slight echo in back. Loud good, drumming strong, still centered front. Very tight sounding song. So far, I would say this disc sounds very good. It has excellent representation of lower end (bass), mid-range and excellent highs...at least vocally and guitar. At the part where Geddy's voice has some sort of effect on it and they utilize rears to make this more pronounced, nice job. Wow, Neil's drums just did a pretty pronounced right to center to left drum roll. That was excellent.
MAKING MEMORIES
Acoustic guitar to start the song...man..reminds me of Zeppelin again. They utilize surround nicely here....the acoustic sound swings to the back a bit here. Geddy's voice rock solid, wide and loud. Excellent sonics here... drum bass is excellent and firm...acoustic guitars are clean and vibrant. Electric guitar kicked in and damn if it doesn't sound just like Jimmy Page...have I said that already? LOL! So, this song is a homerun, sounds amazing I think. Turn it up, you won't be disappointed.
RIVENDELL
Starts out like uplugged (acoustic). The sound is very stark, clean, in your face. Excellent!! Alex acoustic is mostly right and Geddy's vocal is clearly sharp left on this one. Very nice effect....amazing. This is showing off hi-rez.....and to great effect. Slight amount of echo in rear...but not too much. Clearly this is meant to give a performance as if they are right in front of you...and it works.
IN THE END
No change...last song. Strong, crisp vocals in front, drums centered, but crisp. Slight echos in rear...nothing overpowering here. Simple song, so a simple sound. Now, they seque to an all out rock assault. It's loud and in all speakers....vocal front, guitars loud, crisp and in all 4.....awesome. Hold on...gonna turn this one up. So...wow. It sounds excellent, just rocks. Drums pretty pronounced here now....just a great job.....now Alex is jamming a solo and it's loud...clear...all the while Geddy and Neil bring up the lower end.
In summary, I really do need to put away my snobbish demands I always put on the surround mix. I do tend to like surround gymnastics....but I truly believe in this case, they are not needed. If they did, I'm afraid they would detract from the excellent music and musicianship that Rush has. This disc is sonically very clear, lots of bass, not muddy sounding whatsoever. Decent usage of rears...but mostly for echo...typical for this style of music...but don't get scared boys. This disc rocks and will blow the doors off of any version you likely have ever heard (I mean, typical LP or CD). If you like this music and are looking for the ultimate version...dare I say this is it. I have ZERO regrets and plan on playing this often...that is...when I can turn it up. It needs to be turned up to appreciate.....I think that's why it's called rock and roll.
I would give this an 8.
DISCLAIMER - I AM A HUGE RUSH FAN, SO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT AS YOU READ MY REVIEW...I HAVE TRIED TO STAY NEUTRAL AS BEST I CAN....
RUSH - FLY BY NIGHT BLU-RAY AUDIO
Well, the opening screen does look pretty sweet. They have the blue owl with yellow eyes moving at you...and then if you just sit at that screen long enough...every once in a while, the owl's eyes blink at you. LOL - sort of freaked me out...thought I was imagining it.
Audio choices:
DTS-HD 5.1 SURROUND
DOLBY TrueHD 5.1 SURROUND
PCM STEREO
I chose to go with the DTS format...
Couple of additional comments - I wrote this on the fly. Meaning, I listened to each song, in chunks.....wrote down my thoughts...moved to next. So, you will notice that as the album goes on, I find it more pleasing. I think that was the best way for me to write my thoughts. Instead of from memory...which sometimes fails.
Anthem
You know it is an awesome song of course. It opens up in the first 45 seconds and I admit I am less than impressed. What I notice is Neil's drums are very constricted to the center soundstage...I don't mean center speaker...it just sounds like his drums are center...no width. His cymbals are pretty quiet...not crisp at all like you know they should sound. Rear speakers are utilized in this case for some reverb, or echo. Past the 45 second mark, which is where Alex starts his jam, the guitars are decently pronounced. Now at this point, I'm feeling a bit better....I can feel the jam factor increasing... Geddy's vocals are razor sharp, in front and you can hear a slight echo of his vocals in rears. Pleasing I would say. 2:25 mark where again, they are just jamming...Geddy's bass is sqaurely in the front along with Neil's drumming. Geddy's bass is not super pronounced really, but you can find it for sure. At this point, it is sounding good. Surround features are really for some subtle echos of the instruments...but noticeable echo. More like a concert hall setting.....but still good. You can turn this up loud. I'm not dissappointed.
BEST I CAN
Starts off clean sounding, drums a little more spread out on this one..still not a lot. But better for some reason. Now into my 2nd song, what I think is that Geddy's vocals and Alex's guitar are what are most featured so far. I still think they could have focused a bit more on Neil's drumming...but so far, it's not a bad thing. Half way through song, the sound of this song is tight, great bass and jams. This is rock boys. Sounds pretty good. I just heard Neil slam the cow bell...and it was pretty loud...wasn't expecting that clarity. That was cool. Now into Alex solo - just so good, very loud again, pretty loud across soundstage. I like that. No back and forth between speakers, just well distributed. At this point in the song, if I didn't know who Neil Peart was....this song/mix clearly lends to his superior playing...
BENEATH, BETWEEN & BEHIND
This opening riff sounds EXACTLY like Zeppelin. Similar to 2nd song, seems the drumming has opened up a bit...cymbal hits are more crisp, defined. Still not in your face....I wish they were a bit more. Not a deal breaker by no means. Now we midway through song and they just took off on a jam, no vocals....it rocks. Sounds awesome. No doubt this is the very best I have ever heard this song...hands down. Geddy's bass is in show off mode....wonderful. Rock and roll at its finest and sounds great turned up.
BY-TOR & THE SNOW DOG
Killer song - very similar in sound qualities and instrument distrubution to 2nd/3rd songs. Alex's guitar is louder and nearly even at times between front and back. Nice. Geddy's vocals manage to hit the rear in a loud echo every once in a while. I think that they are utilizing surround a bit better here to focus on the feel of the song. 5 minutes in, where they get into that semi-psychedelic jam, they do use surround to their benefit. Clearly here, Alex's guitar shows up all over...sometimes left rear...right rear, left front...very cool. You can really feel Jimmy Page influence on Alex in this part of the song....again, a good thing. Part of the song where all other instruments go silent and Neil has a quick short solo (5 second bursts) and it's loud and proud. Awesome power drumming...crisp, hard, tight. Wow, now that's it's showcasing Neil, there is some pronounced left to right and back left of his drumming. Eyes closed, you can imagine him circling his drums in rapid fire like he does. This song easily showcases all musicians and very well. This is what I'm talking about. Now on to the slower, spacey part of the song....amazing. They utilize surround and hi-rez very well in this song. Outstanding!!
FLY BY NIGHT
Same formula. Geddy's vocals and Alex's guitars are featured, vocal front, crisp, loud, Alex guitar spread across the stage with slight echo in back. Loud good, drumming strong, still centered front. Very tight sounding song. So far, I would say this disc sounds very good. It has excellent representation of lower end (bass), mid-range and excellent highs...at least vocally and guitar. At the part where Geddy's voice has some sort of effect on it and they utilize rears to make this more pronounced, nice job. Wow, Neil's drums just did a pretty pronounced right to center to left drum roll. That was excellent.
MAKING MEMORIES
Acoustic guitar to start the song...man..reminds me of Zeppelin again. They utilize surround nicely here....the acoustic sound swings to the back a bit here. Geddy's voice rock solid, wide and loud. Excellent sonics here... drum bass is excellent and firm...acoustic guitars are clean and vibrant. Electric guitar kicked in and damn if it doesn't sound just like Jimmy Page...have I said that already? LOL! So, this song is a homerun, sounds amazing I think. Turn it up, you won't be disappointed.
RIVENDELL
Starts out like uplugged (acoustic). The sound is very stark, clean, in your face. Excellent!! Alex acoustic is mostly right and Geddy's vocal is clearly sharp left on this one. Very nice effect....amazing. This is showing off hi-rez.....and to great effect. Slight amount of echo in rear...but not too much. Clearly this is meant to give a performance as if they are right in front of you...and it works.
IN THE END
No change...last song. Strong, crisp vocals in front, drums centered, but crisp. Slight echos in rear...nothing overpowering here. Simple song, so a simple sound. Now, they seque to an all out rock assault. It's loud and in all speakers....vocal front, guitars loud, crisp and in all 4.....awesome. Hold on...gonna turn this one up. So...wow. It sounds excellent, just rocks. Drums pretty pronounced here now....just a great job.....now Alex is jamming a solo and it's loud...clear...all the while Geddy and Neil bring up the lower end.
In summary, I really do need to put away my snobbish demands I always put on the surround mix. I do tend to like surround gymnastics....but I truly believe in this case, they are not needed. If they did, I'm afraid they would detract from the excellent music and musicianship that Rush has. This disc is sonically very clear, lots of bass, not muddy sounding whatsoever. Decent usage of rears...but mostly for echo...typical for this style of music...but don't get scared boys. This disc rocks and will blow the doors off of any version you likely have ever heard (I mean, typical LP or CD). If you like this music and are looking for the ultimate version...dare I say this is it. I have ZERO regrets and plan on playing this often...that is...when I can turn it up. It needs to be turned up to appreciate.....I think that's why it's called rock and roll.
I would give this an 8.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2012
- Messages
- 306
Just an FYI to Rush fans that the stereo remaster of the 1st Rush album that was previously only released on vinyl is supposed to be released on HDTracks tomorrow. The vinyl folks gave it very good marks...
You know - a guy always wonders on a forum like this where there are a LOT of different ideas about what sounds good...and what is worthy of a purchase. Different reasons go into that decision. As I said, while I was trying to be neutral, it's hard to do when you LOVE the band and know that older copies of the music are inferior.
In hindsight.....
I 100% stand by my review and would recommend this disc to anyone who truly loves Rush...or more particularly loves Fly By Night. You won't find a better version anywhere. IMO. If the music...song by song is important to you. You will absolutely be thrilled by this blu-ray audio. If your intent is to play FBN as loud as you can and hear it way better than back in the day...this is your disc. If you want a Gentle Giant type surround experience......move along. Not remotely close.
But...still. All my comments above are rock solid IMO. This thing flat out jams. Lower volumes don't do it justice. It really needs to be turned up to fully appreciate. If you can't do that...then you may not be realizing the full potential of this music. I am so pleased that I have this...and played it again tonight. Loud.
No regrets as it rocks and rocks hard. So good.
LizardKing
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Is anyone noticing "glitches" at the start of the tracks on the Blu-ray. 
As an example when Track 2 starts the initial cymbal crash isn't right - it has a "gap" in the splash.... seems to happen when the lyrics are loading at the start of tracks..
The DVD-Audio is fine. I also ripped the DTS-HD MA 5.1 and it plays fine... so the actual audio is fine.
I have a Oppo BDP-83SE. Is anyone else experiencing this?
As an example when Track 2 starts the initial cymbal crash isn't right - it has a "gap" in the splash.... seems to happen when the lyrics are loading at the start of tracks..
The DVD-Audio is fine. I also ripped the DTS-HD MA 5.1 and it plays fine... so the actual audio is fine.
I have a Oppo BDP-83SE. Is anyone else experiencing this?
Is anyone noticing "glitches" at the start of the tracks on the Blu-ray.
As an example when Track 2 starts the initial cymbal crash isn't right - it has a "gap" in the splash.... seems to happen when the lyrics are loading at the start of tracks..
The DVD-Audio is fine. I also ripped the DTS-HD MA 5.1 and it plays fine... so the actual audio is fine.
I have a Oppo BDP-83SE. Is anyone else experiencing this?
To be honest - I do remember hearing a "hiccup" near the start of some song....
LizardKing
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
knifeman
400 Club - QQ All-Star
Yes, mine cuts off the first couple seconds of the opening track. It does this on both surround formats, but not the stereo mix. I haven't noticed any other glitches, but now you have me paranoid. I'm referring to the HDPA Blu-ray. My player is a Yamaha BD-A1010 with the current update.
Is anyone noticing "glitches" at the start of the tracks on the Blu-ray.
As an example when Track 2 starts the initial cymbal crash isn't right - it has a "gap" in the splash.... seems to happen when the lyrics are loading at the start of tracks..
The DVD-Audio is fine. I also ripped the DTS-HD MA 5.1 and it plays fine... so the actual audio is fine.
I have a Oppo BDP-83SE. Is anyone else experiencing this?
hehehe - this post got lost...just like emails at work do. I'm gonna check this next...
OK, haven't listened to this disc in several days.....again...I say....I love the way this disc jams. Still very, very happy with the sound....
OK...on to song 2.
OK...on to song 2.
OK, just started song 2....over and over. I don't think whatever you heard....is what I heard. Also, my comment about the hiccup...is certainly not on this song. Jeez....Guess I'll have to check each song.
On the other hand...I'm getting somewhat sidetracked...cause this rocks so hard. LOL! Wife is gone by the way....so the volume knob is a bit higher than normal.
LizardKing
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
So no "glitch" when the lyrics load on track 2 with the initial cymbal crash?
I mean, I don't notice anything....but I don't have any other version to compare to...that's the problem I suppose.
I admit, the cymbal crash is short...maybe that's what you mean....
It may be possible that the exquisite sound of Rivendell is worth the purchase of this Blu-Ray...not sure....but wow....goosebumps...
LizardKing
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Honestly, I assumed I had the CD......but not the LP copied to CD. I'll have to locate it as I copy stuff (CD) to laptop. Haven't seen it yet.
I just changed audio to 2 channel...I'm just not hearing it. But again....don't have original to compare to...
Bingo! I just switched over to Dolby True HD...and I hear something odd with cymbal...or at least the start of the song...cymbal or even other stuff.
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