Doors article in the latest (July/August 2015) Sound and Vision

[JonUrban]

My S&V arrived yesterday with a headline on the cover "Doors Legacy Lives on in 5.1". I read the article and it spoke of the Perception Box and the Infinite SACD box, but nothing about the new Doors Best of SACD from Audio Fidelity. So I sent them the following Letter to the Editor. I thought you all would like to see it.

Maybe you don't, but here it is anyway:

To the Editor of Sound and Vision Magazine:

As the "caretaker" of the non-profit surround sound enthusiast's internet web forum 'QuadraphonicQuad', I am always very pleased when the latest copy of “Sound and Vision” arrives with an article or review concerning artists who create and release their music in more than two channels. Your magazine is one of the few places anywhere that gives its readers information and reviews of surround music, and it seems you do it almost every issue, which is very appreciated.

The latest issue arrived yesterday and there on the cover was a blurb about the Doors and their surround sound legacy in 5.1. It was a very informative article and a good showcase for both the Perceptions DVD-A Box Set and the Infinite SACD box set, both containing all of their classic catalog albums in new 5.1 surround mixes created with loving care by those who should care.

That article, however, missed a very important piece of their surround sound history. In 1973, at the dawn of the Quadraphonic era, a Doors greatest hits album was created by Elektra with the express purpose of showcasing the newborn "quadraphonic sound". This album was only available in quad and remained that way well into the '80s (with the exception of a record club only stereo pressing). Everyone who purchased this album got the quad version, although the majority of the many people who owned it never got to hear it in surround because they did not have the proper CD-4 decoding equipment of the time to hear it in quad. This summer this album has been remastered in stereo and quad by Steve Hoffman and released as a 2.0/4.0 hybrid SACD by Audio Fidelity. The sound on this disc is spectacular, and just as many music fans long for their favorite stereo albums to be released in their original form instead of some modern remix, this SACD gives the surround sound community a way to hear the original quad mix from that 1973 album the way it was meant to be heard, and cleaner than ever before.

I hope you guys get to listen to it and review this release, as it is not only an important piece of surround sound history, it is an album that belongs in the collections of every Doors fan and collector.

Keep up the good work with your surround artist and release articles. They are very much appreciated and looked forward to.

Jon Urban
QuadraphonicQuad

 

[Clint Eastwood]

My S&V arrived yesterday with a headline on the cover "Doors Legacy Lives on in 5.1". I read the article and it spoke of the Perception Box and the Infinite SACD box, but nothing about the new Doors Best of SACD from Audio Fidelity. So I sent them the following Letter to the Editor. I thought you all would like to see it.

Maybe you don't, but here it is anyway:

Great job Jon...you reminded me of my lapsed subscription to S&V...got to renew...I've been getting most music news from Rolling Stone these days...and of course from this forum

 

[ProgRules]

My S&V arrived yesterday with a headline on the cover "Doors Legacy Lives on in 5.1". I read the article and it spoke of the Perception Box and the Infinite SACD box, but nothing about the new Doors Best of SACD from Audio Fidelity. So I sent them the following Letter to the Editor. I thought you all would like to see it.

Maybe you don't, but here it is anyway:

Great job Jon. I really appreciate all you do to provide people w/ info on this hobby of ours. It was an earlier letter from you to S&V that they published that alerted me to your excellent site. I think you should get a penny or two from every MCH release sold for all you've done to keep MCH alive during it's dead days, as well as helping to spear-head it's resurgence. Keep up the great work!

 

[GOS]

Great job Jon. I really appreciate all you do to provide people w/ info on this hobby of ours. It was an earlier letter from you to S&V that they published that alerted me to your excellent site. I think you should get a penny or two from every MCH release sold for all you've done to keep MCH alive during it's dead days, as well as helping to spear-head it's resurgence. Keep up the great work!

Oh man, I totally agree. Jon needs to be rewarded for his continued effort to keep this hobby alive. wow....no doubt.

 

[JonUrban]

Knock it off guys, it's not just me. It's ALL OF YOU. I would never want QQ to generate one penny of revenue. Just think of the tax nightmare. If you guys were not here, well, it would just be a static web page now, wouldn't it?

 

[fredblue]

Could be a not for profit charity dealeeo, tax nightmare avoided

 

[rtbluray]

My question is, why is there now an article on these surround mixes when they were originally released in 2006 and reissued as SACDs six years after that? As far as I'm concerned, they really aren't that contemporary.
That said, yeah it would have been nice if they had a little sidebar article about the original Best Of Quad release.

 

[Cibola]

Because surround sound music is resurgent and has been for about a year and a half, give or take

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Better late than "NEVER"!

Kudo's to any source keeping SURROUND alive.Perhaps we'll see more of this soon.

 

[surroundophile]

I agree, and thanks Jon.
However, you should have made them aware of the AF quad/5.1 SACD reissues. I haven't seen one review in print (except in QQ of course) !

 

[ProgRules]

I agree, and thanks Jon.
However, you should have made them aware of the AF quad/5.1 SACD reissues. I haven't seen one review in print (except in QQ of course) !

???? What- there's a print version of QQ now?

I know, I know...

<-------- a real smart@ss. :couch

 

[Larry Geller]

My question is, why is there now an article on these surround mixes when they were originally released in 2006 and reissued as SACDs six years after that? As far as I'm concerned, they really aren't that contemporary.
That said, yeah it would have been nice if they had a little sidebar article about the original Best Of Quad release.

I felt like I had stepped into a time warp when I read that article. Clearly S&V have been sitting on it since 2006, and, for some reason, have finally got around to it. I await the Talking Heads Brick cover story.

 

[elroy]

IIRC, they did a full page review of the Perception box set at the time...

 

[rtbluray]

For those who would like to read the article, here it is online:

http://www.soundbard.com/soundbard/...d-and-harnessing-the-doors-hi-res-audio-fire/

 

[quicksrt]

Very nicely written letter Jon! You've really taken the high road in many regards. LOL :sun

 

[timbre4]

I was equally puzzled by the S&V issue story's obvious omission of the Best of in quad or the SACD of same being released in the very same month as this issue's appearance. I would hope there wasn't anything in the relationship between AF and S&V to prevent this important aspect from not being at least a sidebar to this article.

 

[Larry Geller]

I was equally puzzled by the S&V issue story's obvious omission of the Best of in quad or the SACD of same being released in the very same month as this issue's appearance. I would hope there wasn't anything in the relationship between AF and S&V to prevent this important aspect from not being at least a sidebar to this article.

The best of wasn't out in 2006.

 

[GOS]

I was equally puzzled by the S&V issue story's obvious omission of the Best of in quad or the SACD of same being released in the very same month as this issue's appearance. I would hope there wasn't anything in the relationship between AF and S&V to prevent this important aspect from not being at least a sidebar to this article.

The best of wasn't out in 2006.

I think Tim is suggesting that they should have acknowledged this information as sort of a side note to the article.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Since we are talking about the Doors...on this day in 1969 the album Soft Parade was released...

 

[The Rang]

The content for many of these magazines is determined months in advance.
Wouldn't surprise me if AF's Best of the Doors disc was announced after this month's issue of S&V was set in stone.