Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills

I was pretty excited to get the "Cheap Thrills" multi-channel SACD and I must say that it is a great sounding disc. It's hard to tell for sure, but it seems to me that most of the songs are not true multi-channel. Mostly, it sounds like synthesized surround from stereo source, but it is very well done. I mean, it is so good that I'm half thinking it might actually be discrete ambience in the rears... I don’t think so, but then I can’t be 100% sure either.

However, two of the songs are obviously discrete, multi-channel live recordings, and they sound absolutely fantastic! The songs in question are "Turtle Blues" and "Ball and Chain". These two songs alone are worth the price of admission and are stellar standouts in terms of sonic quality, surround presence, and (of course) musical performance.

Even folks not generally appreciative of "live" surround recordings are sure to appreciate these two songs. This is another one of those rare examples that gives you that "you are there" feeling. I mean, I could close my eyes and imagine myself sitting in the audience... in the center, about six rows back. It's really, really good.

I wish the rest of the album were as good as these two songs. The album itself was recorded in pieces. Most songs were recorded live, and a few in the studio. Most were recorded on different dates between March and May of 1968. The two songs in question were recorded during a three-day stint at the Fillmore West. I'm sure the original multi-tracks from those concerts are floating around someplace. I'd sure like to see a Big Brother surround-sound release based solely from those recordings!

Wishful thinking aside, "Cheap Thrills" is a genuine classic that sounds incredible on SACD. The multi-channel presentation ranks from very good to downright incredible. All-in-all, a very fine disc!

They did a nice job on the 5.1 remix. It was produced by Eliot Mazer, who assisted with the original Cheap Thrills album years ago.

I got a kick out of the cut where you hear a glass breaking in the rear left channel - and then moments later what sounds like someone sweeping it up!

Recommended.

Actually, this entire album (excluding bonus tracks) was recorded in the studio - all live effects were dubbed in. An unreleased quad mix has been in circulation since the early 1980s. On it you can hear the band take off on the opening cut without the Bill Graham introduction, and there is absolutely no audience on any track except the "Turtle Blues" track, and that dubbed-in ambience is only on two channels. The quad mix is very wide separation, and I was expecting this to be the same mix, not a "throw-on-the-ambience-switch" for the rear channels. For imitation "live", I guess it's ok- but it's not the real thing. The sound quality is outstanding.

Very interesting...

Yeah, I would tend to believe your story except for the part about ALL songs being recorded in the studio. The two songs I mentioned ("Turtle Blues" and "Ball and Chain") sound too convincing to be fake live recordings. Also, the recording dates mentioned in the CD book for those songs coincide with dates that they were playing live at the Fillmore West.

The rest of the songs with audience noise do sound suspect, now that you mention it. At least you've confirmed my suspicions about the majority of it being fake surround. But as far as fake surround goes, its about the best I've heard.

"Ball And Chain" may actually be live - I'm going to have to dig out my old reel and listen to it. I have read my notes from an earlier listen, and it's the only track with a question mark regarding live or studio recording.

Great news that some of Janis Joplin's recordings are being released in surround. Unfortunately, I have not made the SACD plunge.
I had no idea that 1980's unreleased quad mix existed. I'd love to hear that original quad recording. Is there anywhere to get a copy of that?
Any info would be appreciated.
George

The mix was done in the early 1970s as a planned release, but became available on the sly in the early 1980s as a reel two generations off the master reel. The eq was a bit "bright" on mine. I've heard that the individual selling them (M.R.) has passed away (does anybody know if this is so?). To date, nobody has made this available on dts disc, but I've heard of plans......I shall let them speak for themselves.

Hmm..... It all sounds very mysterious. Since this mix is different than the SACD version and, if I'm understanding the comments correctly, a more discrete mix, I'd really like to hear it. I hope we might see it available on dts cd.

Well, as an unabashed multichannel fan (for entertainment value, take a look at the recent thread in Audio & Hifi on AVS, "Rolling Stones to Save SACD"--a noted Stereophile editor proves he won't be posting here anytime soon), I've got to differ on this one.

I just played the entire disc and was pretty unimpressed. I'll have to play my Cheap Thrills CD to see what the comparison yields, but this is one that did not do it for me much.

Right now, Indigo Girls (whom I never heard of until SACD, and only ordered for that reason) is on in the background), and sounds superb. Maybe my expectations for Cheap Thrills were too high, but it is not among the better ones, in my opinion.

Nick Satullo

"Rolling Stones to Save SACD"--a noted Stereophile editor proves he won't be posting here anytime soon)

This is what pissis me off ! We don't hate 2 channel stereo here , we like stereo but we { key word } "prefer" multichannel when we can have it. Some people are just so stuck in the ways and not open to different or new or change! Those people are so closed minded it makes me sick. I don't put down stereo ! I like stereo but think , { in my opinion, and I don't force it down your throat } that it has it's place and so does Surround sound - key word surround - it surrounds you! I like The Music and the creativity of surround sound! This goes back to the early days of Quadraphonic sound . So many people I knew didn't know about it and the people around me got to hear it and were amased at it !
I don't want to get into a rant so i'm going to stop here before I lose it about This type!...... Enough said! If these people had there way we'd be back in the stone age, with they're tunnel vision.. O.k. I'll stop!...AHHHHHH!!
Rob

I understand that when stereo came about, there were manaural enthusiasts that similarly put down stereo. Some folks just don't get it.

The Quadfather

Hi Nick,

Please give the "Cheap Thrills" multi-channel SACD another spin and check out "Turtle Blues" and "Ball And Chain". These will knock your socks off!

Nick, if you like the Indigo Girls on Multichannel SACD, do check the Multichannel SACD "Time Sex Love" by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Similar style of music and also very good !

How the circle turns.

It was because I touted the Mary Chapin Carpenter SACD so heavily that someone . . . can't recall who, but it might've been you, Brian. . . recommended the Indigo Girls.

I fell in love with Mary Chapin Carpenter, and I'm doing the same with Indigio Girls.

I will listen more to the Cheap Thrills disc. It's still in the carousel (SCD-C555ES). I'm going to, however, listen to it in CD first so I give it a fair frame of reference. Maybe it is not fair to a disc like that to compare it to either of the above I've mentioned. We'll see.

Nick

Well, Cheap Thrills is a much older recording than the Mary Chapin Carpenter and Indigo Girls SACDs. So the improvements over the originals are probably more incremental.

I don't have the original Cheap Thrills here on CD, but I do like what they've done with the Multichannel SACD.

Not a reference quality demo SACD, but enjoyable nevertheless.