HiRez Poll Fripp, Robert - EXPOSURES [Blu-Ray Audio (Dolby Atmos)]

[rtbluray]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this MASSIVE box set from King Crimson's Robert Fripp entitled "Exposures".
This new box set mainly focuses on the period revolving around Fripp's first solo album "Exposure" which was originally released in 1979.

There's a LOT of surround sound content in this box set, so I will break down the surround content of the Blu-Rays and DVDs below:

Blu-ray Disc 1 (Disc 25):
-"Exposure" (Fourth Edition - 2021 Mix) [DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround & Dolby Atmos, mixed by Steven Wilson]
-"Exposure" (Fifth Edition - 2021 Mix; features alternate Daryl Hall vocal takes) [DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround & Dolby Atmos, mixed by Steven Wilson]
-"Breathless or How I Gradually Internalized The Social Reality of Manhattan Until It Seemed to Be a Very Reasonable Way Of Life" (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround & Dolby Atmos, mixed by Steven Wilson)
-"God Save the Queen" (2021 Mixes) [DTS-HD Master Audio 4.1 surround; mixed by David Singleton]
-"Under Heavy Manners" (2021 Mixes) [DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround; mixed by Steven Wilson]
-"Under Heavy Manners" (2021 Extended Mixes) [Dolby Atmos; mixed by Steven Wilson]

Blu-ray Disc 4 (Disc 28):
-"The League of Gentlemen" (2021 Mixes) [DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround, mixed by Steven Wilson]
-"Let the Power Fall" (2021 Mixes) [DTS-HD Master Audio 4.1 Surround, mixed by David Singleton]
-"Washington Square Church" [DTS-HD Master Audio 4.1 Surround, mixed by David Singleton]

DVD 1 (Disc 22):
-"Exposure" (Fourth Edition - 2021 Mix and Additional Material) [DTS 5.1 surround, mixed by Steven Wilson]

DVD 2 (Disc 23):
-"God Save the Queen" (2021 Mixes) [DTS 4.1 surround, mixed by David Singleton]
-"Under Heavy Manners" (2021 Mixes) [DTS 5.1 surround, mixed by Steven Wilson]
-"The League of Gentlemen" (2021 Mixes) [DTS 5.1 surround, mixed by Steven Wilson]

DVD 3 (Disc 24):
-"Let the Power Fall" [DTS 4.1 surround, mixed by David Singleton]
-"Washington Square Church" [DTS 4.1 surround, mixed by David Singleton]

 

[Bob Romano]

I love this 5.1 mix. I don't have Atmos so I don't know about that but the 5.1 is great.

 

[ogrequad]

Got my box the other day and jumped right into BR1. Exposure (4th version) is excellent, but so far, my favorite surround mix has been God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners - hearing the Frippertronics spread out around the channels is just incredible.

And the closing minutes of "The Zero of the Signified"?

Given the sheer amount of content and what I've heard so far, this is a "10" for me.

 

[stormchaser]

I love this 5.1 mix. I don't have Atmos so I don't know about that but the 5.1 is great.

I got the DVD as well, so I agree with this assessment. I'm having trouble with the music itself, but the 5.1 mix is great on first listen.

 

[Pitscher]

I got the DVD as well, so I agree with this assessment. I'm having trouble with the music itself, but the 5.1 mix is great on first listen.

I agree 100%. The mix is awsome like the most Wilson-Mixes. But the music... some titles a torture (Exposure, I May Not Have Had Enough Of Me But I've Had Enough Of You) and some like "North Star" are great.

 

[ogrequad]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the surround mixes on the different versions of Exposures (for example, 4th vs. 5th edition)? Is the speaker placement/panning the same, the only difference being the different vocalists and other variations in song length etc?

 

[Progfiend]

There is a lot to absorb here, but as I work through the big box, I am enjoying it immensely. I have owned the original album since the ’80’s and it has always been hit and miss for me. I loved the Hammill and Gabriel vocals and the Crimson-sounding instrumentals were fantastic. Other aspects of the album didn’t resonate with me, for whatever reason. At least until now. After going through the box and hearing the progress from disc to disc, I was finally able to “get” this album in its entirety. And, the inclusion of the original Daryl Hall vocals was a revelation! To my ears it is a shame that the Hall version was not allowed to be released at the time.

Aside from Exposure, it it a real treat to have Fripp’s other non-Crimson releases from that period in surround as well, not to mention the Washington Square Frippertronics concert. Overall, the mixes are stunning. A 10 from this Crimson head.

One final note. There is a minor discrepancy in the booklet, which lists the League of Gentlemen mix on Blu-ray 28 as Atmos when in fact it is in DTS-HD Master audio 5.1 instead. According to the DGM guestbook:

“Although considered for an Atmos mix by Steven, it was decided the League of Gentlemen would sound great in 5.1 and would work less well in Atmos. Unfortunately the compilers carried forward the error listing it as Atmos.”

 

[albertop]

I am happy I ended up buying the big boxed set rather than the individual releases. There is so much content I didn't own or knew before buying this beast, so I am glad I opted for this one. I am currently in Europe on holiday, so shipping to Italy made a big difference compared to shipping to Australia!

I am not ready to provide a full review of the surround content because my father has a surround system, but it sounds a bit different than mine. So I will wait until my return to Oz for that.

For the moment, I can warn you all that I have found a few inaccuraccies/mistakes in the box set:
1) on the BD, Exposure 1st edition is actually the 2nd edition (and vice versa). The 2nd edition sounds great (in stereo only and it's a good alternative remix of the 1st edition)
2) on the CD, God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners, the GSTQ tracks are the new remixes while UHM is the remaster
3) on the CD Let the Power Fall, tracks 1 to 6 are new remixes, and not remasters.

Frippertronics in surround are very effective. More soon. For the moment it could be a 9. I don't think I would vote 10 because this kind of music is not easy listening for me.

 

[ogrequad]

Dare I say that David Singleton's surround mixes on this set are far more adventurous and compelling than Steven Wilson's? I know that they each were working with different types of material, but what Singleton has done with the Frippertronics tracks is nothing short of astonishing. "Let the Power Fall" is just overpowering in its beauty.

 

[JediJoker]

For the moment, I can warn you all that I have found a few inaccuraccies/mistakes in the box set:
1) on the BD, Exposure 1st edition is actually the 2nd edition (and vice versa). The 2nd edition sounds great (in stereo only and it's a good alternative remix of the 1st edition)
2) on the CD, God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners, the GSTQ tracks are the new remixes while UHM is the remaster
3) on the CD Let the Power Fall, tracks 1 to 6 are new remixes, and not remasters.

After the ProjeKcts fiasco, Singleton and co. have managed to bungle things again? Well, nobody complain to David, or he might actually not greenlight any more box sets.

So, is the 1st Edition included at all? On CD, maybe?

 

[albertop]

After the ProjeKcts fiasco, Singleton and co. have managed to bungle things again? Well, nobody complain to David, or he might actually not greenlight any more box sets.

So, is the 1st Edition included at all? On CD, maybe?

It is included on the blu ray. I can’t remember on the cd. The first and second are just inverted, so when ripping it is important to tag the first as the second and viceversa. No major issue.

 

[JediJoker]

It is included on the blu ray. I can’t remember on the cd. The first and second are just inverted, so when ripping it is important to tag the first as the second and viceversa. No major issue.

I missed the key "and vice versa." Derp.

 

[Juggsnelson]

I have the original LP and I would play and enjoy it every few years. When I heard of this box set and and all of the surround mixes it contained it eas a no brainer to purchase... but would I actually listen to most of it?

Well the answer.....a bit to my surprise I admit....is a resounding yes! Tons of great stuff on here and in no way am I a Fripp obsessive.

 

[halbroome]

I voted 9. Almost a ten, but I agree with the posting somewhere above me about the songs being "hit or miss." The
novelty tunes are fine -- couldn't be Fripp without pushing forward -- but I tend to skip those and go the actual
"songs." Have I plowed through all of this? By no means no. Looking at a pile of other unlistened to music, I must
move on. . . .

 

[albertop]

I voted 9.

The surround content is mostly demo quality, regardless of the format. There's the studio album in atmos and 5.1, and both sound great. I also loved the zero of the significance in atmos, just amazing stuff.

I haven't listened to all of the life frippertronics, but there's so much content and info in this box set that I find it a must-buy for Crimson and Fripp fans. I don't think it deserves a 10 because the music can be hard to digest, but a solid 9 seems appropriate.

 

[Malhomme]

That impressive box just arrived today. I'd say 32 discs for 160 euros should be a lesson for all these overpriced boxes (Rush anyone ?).
It will take quite an amount of time before being able to give a valuable notation, of course. More to follow.
In the meantime, even the added goodies are impressive. They are plethora, they are great. Posters, fac similé of hand written scores, fac similés of concert tickets, photos,... This is certainly a wonderful object before listening to the very first note.

 

[Malhomme]

OK. This is going to be a 10.
I love everything in Exposure, for a long time, the music really appeals to me. I am not one for whom digesting the music is hard.
The mixing is stellar. The different propositions of Exposure are all great. I can not even understand, considering the source material, how it was possible to make the frippertronics multichannel.
The League Of Gentlemen albums are great too, and retain their raw color (like exposure) and their impact. Even in 5.1 (I don't have atmos), nothing sounds over processed.
I am not done by far with the content of this plethoric box, but it is enough to make me consider the others (the road to Red, for example).

It is raw, it is powerful, it is uncompromising, it is wonderful, I am amazed.