Bitches Brew Quadraphonic SACD from Sony Japan

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Got mine today! I haven't been able to devote full attention to it, just a quick audition, but I was not disappointed. Funnily the mix seems drier than the stereo, so the ambience and echoes are done with clever panning, bouncing and repeating of parts through the various channels. Quite a novel way of mixing it and somewhat distracting at first, but very fascinating. I can only imagine how I will react when I can devote full attention to it.

It is very different from the In a Silent Way multichannel mix, which is equally superlative IMO. That one is much more conservative, not much in the way of bouncing around, but just a superbly deep and open mix with each instrument given tremendous space. There is some of the same quality in the Bitches Brew quad mix of course, but it's overall much, much trippier and thus the music sounds even more far out than the stereo mix.

When was this mix done again? Parts of it reminded me of the more abrupt and radical mixing and editing that you can hear on On the Corner and Get Up With It.
 
Bitches Brew quad came out in 1971, so it was mixed no later than that...it is reportedly one of the first quad LP releases.

Was In A Silent Way originally recorded to three tracks like Kind of Blue, or was it more a true 'multitrack' mix?
 
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Bitches Brew quad came out in 1971, so it was mixed no later than that...it is reportedly one of the first quad LP releases.

Was In A Silent Way originally recorded to three tracks like Kind of Blue, or was it more a true 'multitrack' mix?

According to the Quadraphonic Discography only Bitches Brew and LIVE EVIL were released as SQ QUAD LPs. The surround mix of In A Silent Way must've been synthesized from the original three channel masters.
 
Are you sure there aren't multitrack tapes available for In a Silent Way? It was recorded in 1969, and I can't believe they would get that mix out of just three tracks.
 
Mine arrived yesterday so CDJAPAN came through. Beautiful packaging including those stickers. I got a laugh from the repro of old quad equipment..... but on to the music. Only got a chance to preview part of disc 1. Great fidelity and the bouncing around I feel suits the experimental character of the music. I have the SQ album and the SQ of Live Evil and I don't remember when I last pulled the records for a listen. Not something Im going to listen to everyday......but boy does it sound great. This merits a ten.
Now if they would reissue the Santana Quads.....that is something I would play a lot......even without stickers.
 
Are you sure there aren't multitrack tapes available for In a Silent Way? It was recorded in 1969, and I can't believe they would get that mix out of just three tracks.

Here are the complete Miles Davis' Quad listings from Mark Anderson's Quadraphonic Discography:

MILES DAVIS -
Bitches Brew. Columbia [2 LP] GQ-30997 (SQ). CBS/Sony SOPL-24/25
[Later SOPJ-58/59] (SQ) [Japan]
* Live - Evil. Columbia GQ-3092582 (SQ), CBS/Sony SOPL 143/4 (SQ) [Japan],
CBS Q-67219 (SQ) [UK]


BTW, is your surround SACD of In A Silent Way THAT discrete?
 
I need to schedule a listening session for BB back to back with Cobhams Spectrum......and maybe through in a little Morton Subotnick too...... :cool:
 
I need to schedule a listening session for BB back to back with Cobhams Spectrum......and maybe through in a little Morton Subotnick too...... :cool:

Jazz Fusion versus Electronica = Some Enchanted evening!

I haven't heard Morton Subotnick's TOUCH in years and never in QUAD. I used to play his Nonesuch album Silver Apples of the Moon back in the day.
 
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The surround mix of In A Silent Way must've been synthesized from the original three channel masters.

In A Silent Way is definitely from more than 3 tracks. I think you maybe have it mixed up with Kind Of Blue, which is from a 3 track master.

When was this mix done again? Parts of it reminded me of the more abrupt and radical mixing and editing that you can hear on On the Corner and Get Up With It.

Bitches Brew is from that early series of gold-bordered Columbia SQ LPs, released I believe in 1971 or 72. The quad mix was done by Ray Moore, who I think helped engineer several Miles albums.
 
In A Silent Way is definitely from more than 3 tracks. I think you maybe have it mixed up with Kind Of Blue, which is from a 3 track master.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_a_Silent_Way [everything including the kitchen sink about In A Silent Way except how many tracks it was originally recorded on.....but a nice read nonetheless]



Bitches Brew is from that early series of gold-bordered Columbia SQ LPs, released I believe in 1971 or 72. The quad mix was done by Ray Moore, who I think helped engineer several Miles albums.
 
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According to the Quadraphonic Discography only Bitches Brew and LIVE EVIL were released as SQ QUAD LPs. The surround mix of In A Silent Way must've been synthesized from the original three channel masters.

Huh? That isn't proof that In a Silent Way was a three-channel multitrack.
 
Here are the complete Miles Davis' Quad listings from Mark Anderson's Quadraphonic Discography:

MILES DAVIS -
Bitches Brew. Columbia [2 LP] GQ-30997 (SQ). CBS/Sony SOPL-24/25
[Later SOPJ-58/59] (SQ) [Japan]
* Live - Evil. Columbia GQ-3092582 (SQ), CBS/Sony SOPL 143/4 (SQ) [Japan],
CBS Q-67219 (SQ) [UK]


BTW, is your surround SACD of In A Silent Way THAT discrete?

Again...so? The fact that it was never released as SQ or quad way back when means nothing as regards its original multitrack tape format.
 
Again...so? The fact that it was never released as SQ or quad way back when means nothing as regards its original multitrack tape format.

Usually wikipedia [but not always, obviously] lists the number of tracks an album was recorded on but couldn't find that info anywhere. I'm sure someone knows the answer as 8 tracks were being utilized in the United States at the time Sgt Pepper was recorded in 1967 on 4~track equipment.....and In A Silent Way was recorded in the US in 1969!
 
Solved.

"The In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew and most of the Jack Johnson material was on 1-inch 8-track, with some of the final sessions from 1970 on 1-inch 16-track.” -- Mark Wilder

https://www.mixonline.com/recording/miles-davis-365364

Also, is there a poll thread here devoted to IaSW? I don't find one using the QQ forum's rather unreliable search function.
 
Btw that mixonline article from 2004 notes that Jack Johnson was mixed to surround by Wilder, but not yet released.

"Wilder has remastered and, in many cases, remixed almost the entire Miles Davis back-catalog for SACD. At the time of this writing, very little of this has been released, and there are no immediate plans to issue the Jack Johnson surround mixes on SACD."
 
Btw that mixonline article from 2004 notes that Jack Johnson was mixed to surround by Wilder, but not yet released.

"Wilder has remastered and, in many cases, remixed almost the entire Miles Davis back-catalog for SACD. At the time of this writing, very little of this has been released, and there are no immediate plans to issue the Jack Johnson surround mixes on SACD."

Ssully, is the domestic mch SACD of IasW discrete or ambience in the rear?

I purchased the MoFi Stereo SACD of Jack Johnson.....it's superb but, IMO, also begs for the multichannel treatment.

Wonder if SONY Japan will release any of the Wilder mch Miles Davis SACDs ........? I was thinking of buying the Japan mch SACD of IasW.......AmazonUS has a few listed for US 32.95 NEW + $3.99 s/h shipped from Japan.

According to CDJapan, the 2007 SONY Japan mch SACD of IasW is THREE CHANNEL only http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-10088?s_ssid=e46365b86273ad06c
 
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