HiRez Poll Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - BLACK AND BLUE & WAKE UP EVERYBODY [SACD]

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Rate the SACD of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - BLACK AND BLUE & WAKE UP EVERYBODY

  • 7

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 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: Terrible Content, Surround Mix, and Fidelity

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    33

rtbluray

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Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2020 Multichannel SACD release from Dutton Vocalion of the albums "Black and Blue" & "Wake Up Everybody" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
This Multichannel SACD contains the first release of the original Quadraphonic mixes for both albums for the first time in over 40 years! šŸ¤Æ
Both Quadraphonic mixes are also available to stream in Dolby Audio via Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/black-blue-expanded-edition-feat-teddy-pendergrass/1223784904https://music.apple.com/us/album/wake-up-everybody-bonus-track-version/292759865
Black and Blue
LP KZ 32407 (1973) STEREO/ZQ 32407 QUADRAPHONIC
1: CABARET (Ebb; Kander)
2: THE LOVE I LOST (Gamble; Huff)
3: IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU (Gamble; Huff)
4: CONCENTRATE ON ME (Huff; McFadden; Whitehead)
5: SATISFACTION GUARANTEED (OR TAKE YOUR LOVE BACK) (Gamble; Huff)
6: IS THERE A PLACE FOR ME (Huff; McFadden; Whitehead)
7: Iā€™M WEAK FOR YOU (Gamble; Huff; Gilbert)
8: Iā€™M COMINā€™ HOME TOMORROW (Gamble; Huff)

Arrangers: Lenny Pakula [1], Bobby Martin [2, 4, 7-8], Norman Harris [3, 5], Vince Montana [6]


Wake Up Everybody
LP PZ 33808 (1975) STEREO/PZQ 33808 QUADRAPHONIC
9: WAKE UP EVERYBODY (Whitehead; McFadden; Carstarphen)
10: KEEP ON LOVINā€™ YOU (Whitehead; McFadden; Carstarphen)
11: YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE ME FEEL SO GOOD (Gamble; Huff)
12: DONā€™T LEAVE ME THIS WAY (Gamble; Huff; Gilbert)
13: TELL THE WORLD HOW I FEEL ABOUT ā€™CHA BABY (Whitehead; McFadden; Carstarphen)
14: TO BE FREE TO BE WHO WE ARE (Whitehead; McFadden; Carstarphen)
15: Iā€™M SEARCHING FOR A LOVE (Gamble; Huff)

Arrangers: Bobby Martin [9-11, 13],Norman Harris [12, 15], Ronnie Baker [14]

Remastered from the original analogue tapes by Michael J. Dutton


Multi-ch Stereo
All tracks available in stereo and multi-channel


SA-CD
This hybrid CD can be played on any standard CD players

CDSML8571

s-l1600.jpg

s-l1600.jpg
 
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This was one of my most hoped-for D-V releases and to see it actually materialize is kind of a dream come true. Here we goā€¦

Black & Blue: One of my absolute favorite quad titles. I loved it on both SQ LP and Q8, but this will be my go-to version from now on. The sound quality is phenomenal and the mix is...otherworldly. I wonā€™t describe it in detail as Iā€™ve done that before, but itā€™s certainly a showcase for the quad format. I know a lot of folks tend to dismiss active panning in a surround mix as gimmickry - and if not used properly, it can be - but I think this is one of those cases where it really serves the material well. Standout tracks include "The Love I Lost" and "Is There A Place For Me". A 10 for this alone.

ā€œThe Love I Lostā€:
HM_DV_1.jpg

Wake Up Everybody: This was another one of those 'SQ-only' R&B/Soul quad titles, so to hear it off the master tape with Mike Duttonā€™s mastering is nothing short of a revelation. Mix-wise, it's very similar to Arthur Stoppeā€™s other quad mixes for PIR (MFSBā€™s Philadelphia Freedom, The Oā€™Jaysā€™ Family Reunion and Message In The Music, etc). You get a strong stereo image upfront with the rhythm section and lead vocal, while the rears are used to supply accessory percussion, rhythm guitars, horns, and backing vocals. Itā€™s less active than Black & Blue, and in some ways a bit more refined - it doesnā€™t feel like a ā€˜vintageā€™ surround mix.

ā€œDonā€™t Leave Me This Wayā€ is a particular highlight of the quad mix - it starts off in a very simple fashion with the keys upfront and bongos over your left shoulder. Once Teddy Pendergrassā€™ vocal enters, alternating rhythm guitars appear in the rear speakers. Then, when the chorus hits, the rears explode to life with horns and backing vocals. Thereā€™s an especially cool effect around three minutes in where the guitars sort of ā€˜bounceā€™ back-and-forth between the rear speakers.

ā€œDonā€™t Leave Me This Wayā€:
HM_DV_2.jpg

This one goes to 11! If you have even the tiniest bit of R&B/Soul in you, donā€™t hesitate to purchase.
 
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a stunning collection, two very different albums stylistically (WUE is really a Teddy Pendergrass album in all but name) with very different types of Quad mixes.

Black & Blue's more playful surround with lots of panning and effects, Wake Up Everybody has a much more restrained more modern multichannel mix.

the two distinct approaches to surround suit the styles of the respective albums perfectly, there's some stonking tunes, arrangements and performances on both records and the sound on the SACD presents the music better than ever.

add to that comprehensive liner notes, i thoroughly enjoyed reading along while listening.

i shall be playing this a lot.

"10".

4 SQ LPs = Ā£87.00 including international shipping

1 SACD = Ā£11.99 + p&p

7e55nyb.jpg


ps. beautiful job on the artwork! šŸ¤©
 
Listened to Black And Blue last night, it really sounds phenomenal. Fidelity and Discreteness are perfect for me, and I love how the vocals move around the room on several tracks. I also dig the music, although some songs that start off great get a little repetitive as they approach the six minute mark, but hey, that was just the style for dancing. Canā€™t wait to check out the second album... this is a 10 so far, so everything else is just a bonus!
 
Listened to Black And Blue last night, it really sounds phenomenal. Fidelity and Discreteness are perfect for me, and I love how the vocals move around the room on several tracks. I also dig the music, although some songs that start off great get a little repetitive as they approach the six minute mark, but hey, that was just the style for dancing. Canā€™t wait to check out the second album... this is a 10 so far, so everything else is just a bonus!
What a great two-fer! With many of the D-V two-fers, there's a clear difference between the two albums in terms of content, fidelity, and or mix... one album is the "star", while the other is the "bonus" because it likely wouldn't sell well on it's own. That is NOT the case here... both of these albums are presented with excellent fidelity, good to great content from start to finish, hits on both albums, and beautiful discrete, classic quad mixes... about the only difference is that "Black And Blue" has a more active, adventurous mix, whereas "Wake up Everybody" has a more static mix. For me, this is one of the best D-V surround releases so far. 10.
 
Did anybody catch the extended version of "The Love I Lost"? 3m53s on the Q8 , 6m24s on the SACD. Does the old SQ LP feature the extended mix or the short Q8 version?

6:24 on the SQ LP

(in VLC at the top of the screen my last attempt at decoding the SQ LP through the Surround Master clocked in at 6:24 exactly. it decoded well i thought, not a patch on the SACD but still very enjoyable)

C94E24E6-3A40-4BDD-A498-AEE2E41B44B1.jpeg
 
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Really?? Huh. I had checked one of my DTS compilations and I had 3:53. I made that disc a long time ago. I must've done my own shortened version. šŸ„“ Whoops! My bad!! Disregard.
 
Really?? Huh. I had checked one of my DTS compilations and I had 3:53. I made that disc a long time ago. I must've done my own shortened version. šŸ„“ Whoops! My bad!! Disregard.

funny, i have an old DTS compilation somebody did with all Quad Soul stuff like that i burned to a CD-R, no idea where i got the tracks from now, had it at least 10 years, i think it starts out with The Love I Lost! i'll have a snoop for it later, hope i haven't.. sorry i lost it! šŸ¤£
 
My Q8 has the full 6:24 version. All three lined up in audacity below (top=SACD, middle=Q8, bottom=SQ):

View attachment 45905

(gotta say, my Tate really held its own on this one)
Boy, you can sure tell from these how the SQ really fills in the quieter spots - with Stuff :oops: !
 
I voted 10. Super discrete 4.0 surround, sounds fantastic and the music is great.
Glad I have it

"life is a cabaret, old chum,
its only a cabaret, old chum
and i love a cabaret, old chum,
so come to the
cab...
..a-raaaaaayyyyyy!!"


doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo

bud-dum

šŸ„

OHHHHHH YEEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

:LB
 
Just received this one along with the Oā€™Jays and EW&F D-V twofer releases. Had previously heard a good conversion of Black & Blue so I sorta knew what to expect, but this SACD simply sounds fantastic. The fidelity and the mix are excellent, and even though the albums and mix differ stylistically as pointed out by Jonathan and Sean, it all holds together incredibly well. Love it! Iā€™ll rate it a 9 for now with the option to go to a 10 in the future!
 
Also late on this - only so much moolah to spend! - but I couldn't say any better than what @sjcorne said in his opening post. An easy 10 from start to finish. And yes, the full-length version of "The Love I Lost" is Philly Soul at its finest, with the Blue Notes vamping in the corner while Teddy takes it to church. Simply spectacular!

As has also been mentioned, I would LOVE to hear all three of the Spinners CD-4s on SACD as well - but getting WEA to allow this would be a huge uphill. Fingers crossed.
 
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