HiRez Poll Emerson Lake & Palmer - BRAIN SALAD SURGERY [SACD]

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Please rate the SACD of Emerson, Lake and Palmer - BRAIN SALAD SURGERY

  • 6:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4:

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  • 3:

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  • 2:

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  • 1: Poor Fidelity, Poor Surround Mix, Poor Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    43

JonUrban

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Please post your thoughts and comments on the SACD release, available from the UK. I am adding this title to the polls as a seperate entity from the US Released (and now out of print) DVD-A because this disc has bonus tracks (stereo only), but primarily it does NOT include the track "Lucky Man" in 5.1, which was one of the selling points of the DVD-A. (y):phones(n)
 

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It's interesting that there is no SACD logo on the package, and the SACD is stuck in the package with no sleeve and no disc "sprocket". It's almost like an afterthought. The first thing I did when I got mine was take the stereo CD out and put the SACD in its place so the disc would be protected. Very strange.
 
This is the most hilarious release ever. Pages and pages of posts about this at "other forums", and barely any discussion about the music or sound or 5.1 mix.

Has anyone here played the 5.1 mix?
 
I've read that thread too over SH forum... looks like nobody has bought both the DVD-A and the SACD yet (or has been unable to make a comparison yet).

For now I stick with my DVD-A, and honestly this Deluxe edition is so full of typos that again, you can question if there are still people who cares inside majors.
 
This is the most hilarious release ever. Pages and pages of posts about this at "other forums", and barely any discussion about the music or sound or 5.1 mix.

Has anyone here played the 5.1 mix?

Presumably the guy who started the thread did, but only he can say for sure...:smokin

ED :)
 
Presumably the guy who started the thread did, but only he can say for sure...:smokin

ED :)

Sorry. I bought it but haven't had time to sit down and do an A/B, in fact I haven't even played the SACD. This is not an album that I know very well. :eek:
 
I know the album well - I originally bought the vinyl in 1973! I also have both the DVD-A and SACD and have had the chance for one complete run through of the SACD.

Firstly, it is the same mix as far as I can tell. Too many of the surround cues are the same for this to be a different mix. Having said that, I can detect a difference sonic wise between the two, with the DVD-A sounding slightly better. It may be just a volume thing as the SACD seems to be lower in volume but even after equalising the levels the DVD-A seems to have more punch to my ears.

There are other differences such as the MIA 'Lucky Man' and of course no video extras. For those that don't already have the DVD-A I would still recommend this package to fans of the band as the surround mix definitely infuses the music with a new life.

As mentioned by earlier posters the accuracy of the packaging leaves a lot to be desired. I'd also like to offer the opinion that the bonus CD is next to worthless. Other than the two 'rare' tracks ('When The Apple Blossoms Bloom In The Windmills Of Your Mind I'll Be Your Valentine' and 'Brain Salad Surgery') the content of this disc is comprised of alternate mixes of pretty well all of the album tracks. This could have been interesting but for the fact that the differences between these and the original mixes is almost non-existent. And remember that I'm very familiar with the content. Add this to the fact that CD1 (the main album) is virtually redundant as the content is duplicated on the redbook layer of the SACD and you're left with a release that doesn't offer a lot of value for your money.

Unless you don't already have the DVD-A of course!
 
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My Wherehouse ELP pre-orders for these (BSS & Pictures At An Exhibition - stereo only) were abruptly cancelled last week wothout explanation. Since I have the DVD-A I'll not be in the same kind of rush that I was based on these comments.
 
It seems so weird that a few have received the release while apprently most of the web based pre-orders are being cancelled or delayed. Obvously some have been made and sent. Legal Issues?

I am not as bothered with this delay as I have the DVD-A but I am worried if the ramifications are the same for the Black Sabbath release. Not that is the one I really want.
 
Even though I pre-ordered the damn thing months in advance from Amazon.com, they are now telling me my order is delayed even though the title has been released. Fuck that. I don't know why I ever pre-order anything from Amazon.com. If it is even remotely rare or hard to come by, they never follow through. I thought the point of a pre-order was to lock in your purchase on the chance that it becomes hard to get later on!

They screwed me on the Yazoo box set. I pre-ordered it, it was released, and Amazon kept updating my pre-order status to "delayed". I called them and they said not to worry that I would get it. Well, the pressing sold out and they ultimately canceled my order. Fuckers. I ended up buying a copy through Amazon marketplace. How ironic is that?

Anyhow, this time around as soon as Amazon "delayed" my pre-order of Brain Salad Surgery, I canceled it and took my business elsewhere. Specifically, to CD Universe (who I'm not kean on dealing with since they have a nasty habit of re-shrinking damaged returns and peddling them off as new) but they claimed to have the BSS SACD in stock, so I ordered it and hopefully I'll actually get the damn thing.
 
After the saga of getting the SACD, I opened it up and have played it a few times. I give it a solid 9. The 5 channel mix is amazingly similar to what they sounded like when I saw them in '77. Anyone who says the mix is gimmicky simply never saw the band live; they did channel to channel sweeps throughout their shows that are well and accurately represented on this disk.

I have to agree with the above comment about the packaging. It beats the hell out me that they take the disk I am really interested in and just slip it into a cardboard cavity. I looked the disk over with a magnifying glass; it appears to be no worse for the wear.

As an unabashed ELP fan, I really enjoyed the stereo "extras" disk as well. I make no bones about it, I loved the band's sound and any "new" material is going to be immensely enjoyed on my end. If you are an ELP fan, you have got to get a copy of this.
 
I'm giving this a 10.
I had never listened to ELP before this release. Everything about it in terms of sound quality, music and surround mix are outstanding. I can not imagine how they could possibly improve this album. The only complaints one could have would be the packaging issues people have mentioned above, but once I swapped the pointless stereo only album disc for the surround disc (which comes stuffed in with the booklet) I am completely happy.
I would recommend this to anyone with a surround SACD setup. The only reason not to buy this is if you already have the DVD-Audio version.

On a side note... I ordered this from amazon.co.uk about three weeks ago, and received it this morning in the mail. I mention this because people had been discussing that orders were being cancelled etc. Looks like amazon.co.uk have it in stock.
 
Not to sound harsh or anything but if you have the DVD-A... stay with it!
Deluxe Edition packaging is humorous with it's mis-spellings (and 00:00 running time!) to say the least but the joke is that they put a standard CD in with a hybrid SACD (pointless) which they tossed into a black hole of a holder (sacrilegious!) :eek:. Soundwise, It does not appear to my bent ears to be any different in the multi-mix than the DVD-A however I still think sonically the DVD-A sounds better. (DUH! :D). Also the fact that the DVD-A has videos and an amazingly beautiful multi-mix of Lucky Man, makes the DVD-A a real keeper. In fact, had Lucky Man been on the album to begin with in place of Benny The Bouncer (the only filler track on the record IMHO), it would have been one of the world's all time best albums... not that it's not already! :phones
I love ELP!
Now I wish they would do the Welcome Back My Friends album!
 
I woulda been happy with just their debut, really...a little ELP goes a long way for me, although there are scattered gems like "From The Beginning" and "C'est La Vie," amongst others that would be great in MC.

As for BSS, if you want to impress your prog friends, the DVD-A is probably the finest MC demo you could wish for. The mix is very playful at times, which is how it should be for this kind of pretentious music...:D Pity it's OOP, but that was inevitable.

ED :)
 
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