HiRez Poll Talking Heads - TRUE STORIES [DVD-A DualDisc]

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Rate the DVD-A DualDisc of Talking Heads - TRUE STORIES

  • 6:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 5:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Poor Mix, Poor Fidelity, Poor Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    37

JonUrban

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Originally available in the "Talking Heads Brick", which at the time of this thread origination heads the HiRezPoll, the seven discs were released individually some time later. Here's a chance to comment on the specific discs, as requested by some of our members.

So, please post your thoughts and comments on this DVD-A DualDisc! (y) :phones (n)

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This is my second of the Talking Heads DualDiscs. The other, "Remain in Light", is far better. I think I wish I had purchased any of the other discs as I believe I have the best and worst, although this one is pretty good. A 6 for the music and 8 for the mix for a 7 overall.

Chris
 
I finally got this one to complete my Talking Heads surround set. (All DualDisc, unfortunately). This was never one of my favorite albums by them (that's why I waited until I got it for a bargain), and the fact that it sounds too hot for me, I only gave it a 7. Overall the Talking Heads high resolution disks are a bit 'hot' IMO when compared to other surround discs. I enjoy the surround on most of them, though.
 
I recently received this disk and played it just today. The music is pretty good, but not the best TH, IMHO, and the mix is less aggressive than I would have expected, comparing to the other TH surround disks I have. So a "7" overall. Listening to the disk I got curious about the maps in the background of the track stills, so I looked up the Wikipedia entry for the album - but it wasn't mentioned (turns out it is Texas, discovered by Google mapping one of the interstates). I did not realize these are songs from a Byrne-directed film (which is set in Texas, thus the maps, I guess), and I followed the links from the film Wiki to the Church of the Subgenious Wiki. Very odd things you can read about that you otherwise would never know about...

shinksma
 
I've heard this, Little Creatures, and Remain in Light. While this is by far my favourite album of the three, the mix lacks a whole lot compared to the other two. Not enough discrete stuff going on in the rears for my liking, although as with the others it is not over dry, nor drowned in reverb.
 
I thought I was bored by that album, too--and then I listened to it again after many years and remembered just how many great songs were on it. (I think it's just the film I was bored by...!)

I keep going back and forth on all of the Talking Heads albums: reference recording or not quite? Almost none of them are exactly revelatory. And many are ultra-discrete: you really have to sit or stand exactly in the sweet spot to get the full effect. But they also grow on you, and while they're usually not flashy or dramatic, they often move you with their subtle workmanship. And to me they end up feeling more immersive than I initially thought they were.
 
Talking Heads 5.1 albums generally sound great. I don't find the music all that memorable, most of the time.
To me, they are more or less background music. Especially since most albums fixate on a dance beat, most of the way though.
That's ok and fun, just a bit repetitive.
 
I don't really *get* Talking Heads, but possibly because this album is arguably as close as they got to pop it seems to be the one I like the most.
 
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Sweet! About time this movie got a re-release. Looking over the extras, this one is making the set a must buy for me:

CD with 23 songs, containing the film’s complete soundtrack, compiled here for the first time (Blu-ray only)
 
Nonesuch is now taking pre-orders for the CD re-release of this album (which, they say, will be included with the Blu-Ray package from Criterion). No surround sound on the CD, obviously, but the promo page does talk about the new 5.1 mix--and includes lots of detailed credits.
 
Got my copy of the Criterion re-release of True Stories (with a new 5.1 soundtrack) today. Not a new remix of the DVDA/DualDisc that's the subject of this thread; rather, it's the film itself. From the booklet:
The new 5.1 surround soundtrack was created from 35 mm mono DME and 35 mm 3-track LCR M&E magnetic tracks by the Criterion Collection and approved by David Byrne. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.
Rears have (often subtly) discrete elements; center-channel vocals are consistently forward in the mix. No way to program a playthrough of the musical numbers, though individual tunes are clearly indexed and easily accessible from the chapter menu. Lots of nice extras, including a "making of" documentary and a CD with a stereo mix of the complete musical soundtrack, with all incidental music and most songs sung by cast members. (Would be nice if they'd included a 5.1 mix of that!)

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