HiRez Poll Jones, Rickie Lee - The Sermon On Exposition Blvd [SACD]

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Rate the SACD of Rickie Lee Jones - THE SERMON ON EXPOSITION BLVD


  • Total voters
    28

JonUrban

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Please post your thoughts and comments on the SACD release, including where you found it. (y) :phones (n)
 
Recently moved in with my girlfriend. The space I have my equipment set-up in is rather tight and therefore I don't have a MC set-up right now. We'll be moving into a larger place in the summer and I'll be back in business then. I might have to do some kind of crude set-up though. Starting to go through a bit of MC withdrawl.

That being said, I picked up a copy of this yesterday and have obviously only listened in 2 channel, but wanted to report that I really like the songs and the music here. I'm on my third listen to the entire album in less than 24 hours. Grab a copy while you can. The packaging seems a bit misleading, but should have the SACD logo on it. It is a hybrid disc with multi channel SACD, 2 channel SACD and CD, plus a DVD with "high fidelity mp3s" and video. Can't report on either of those. A great package though.
 
I ordered what was referred to as the Deluxe Edition for $10.98. I looked at the list price, and it was indeed more expensive than the traditional CD. Hope I get the right version. There are only two versions, right? Thanks.
 
I was about to order it, then I noticed it was "religious" music. I'm not really into religion.
 
I was about to order it, then I noticed it was "religious" music. I'm not really into religion.
Hello,

The video content that you can view on Amazon scared me away. She seems strung out to me. Must be gettin' high on Jesus these days? The way the guy in the video describes her channeling, (or whatever he's trying to say) sounds like a trip of some sort???

I'll be content to just wait for Chuck E. to fall in love with the folks at becausesoundmatters and come out on DVD-A...
 
I was about to order it, then I noticed it was "religious" music. I'm not really into religion.

I was set to pass on this one as well, but I had a chance to preview it on the headphones at Lou’s in Encinitas (the last great record store in San Diego county) and was absolutely floored by a stew of rebellious spiritual stream-of-consciousness set against some fascinating garage-rock guitar drones and grooves; not at all what I was expecting.

The first musical comparison I thought of was Patti Smith’s Horses (feat. Lenny Kaye’s memorable guitar work). I’ve since read several comparisons to the Velvet Underground and Van’s Morrison’s Astral Weeks. Those influences are readily apparent as well, as is the lo-fi D-I-Y attitude of Pavement or the Modern Lovers.

The surround mix is quite nice - - thoughtfully discreet, but faithful to the live feeling of the sessions; giving a very intimate listening experience overall.

No way around the fact that this is a religious work, but I don’t expect the Christian right to embrace it - - in Rickie’s worldview Jesus is a simple boho not a TV pitchman, and much of lyrical content is about how organized religion has lost its way. So, while you won’t find another ‘Chuck E’s In Love” here, this is pretty compelling stuff on its own terms.
 
I rarely take any notice of the words - I never even noticed what it was about.

Musically I find track 3 very haunting, track 8 pretty good as well. Not so sure about the rest now.
 
I was set to pass on this one as well, but I had a chance to preview it on the headphones at Lou’s in Encinitas (the last great record store in San Diego county) and was absolutely floored by a stew of rebellious spiritual stream-of-consciousness set against some fascinating garage-rock guitar drones and grooves; not at all what I was expecting.

The first musical comparison I thought of was Patti Smith’s Horses (feat. Lenny Kaye’s memorable guitar work). I’ve since read several comparisons to the Velvet Underground and Van’s Morrison’s Astral Weeks. Those influences are readily apparent as well, as is the lo-fi D-I-Y attitude of Pavement or the Modern Lovers.

The surround mix is quite nice - - thoughtfully discreet, but faithful to the live feeling of the sessions; giving a very intimate listening experience overall.

No way around the fact that this is a religious work, but I don’t expect the Christian right to embrace it - - in Rickie’s worldview Jesus is a simple boho not a TV pitchman, and much of lyrical content is about how organized religion has lost its way. So, while you won’t find another ‘Chuck E’s In Love” here, this is pretty compelling stuff on its own terms.


bugdaddy has summed up this title perfectly. I like this one a lot, but then I have strange tastes, so perhaps that's not saying much. My wife likes it, so maybe that holds a little more credence. I think it's a very enjoyable listen. Some songs have more prominent surround content than others, but overall it sounds wonderful. I also thought that it had a bit of a Patti Smith sound going on.

My favorite tracks include;

01. Nobody Knows My Name
03. Falling Up
08. Circle In The Sand
11. Elvis Cadillac
12. Road To Emmaus
13. I Was There

The last two have a hauntingly beautiful flow to them.

The DVD is just fluff and adds very little IMHO. Kinda like (The Making Of) as a special feature on a movie. Yes, the recording has a religious theme, but it definitely walks on the fringe edges. Personally I think everyone can put away any apprehensions they may have, and enjoy this for what it is, a beautiful high resolution recording with a very nice surround mix. It's good to have a few new MC SACD releases again. I'm giving it a 9.

Dennis
 
I'll have to track this one down and see what's going on. AH... the days of going to Lou's Records (especially when it was cramped into the corner store) to see what new CDs were coming out, as imports especially.

My friend Ken's Spin Records in Carlsbad & Oceanside should get an honorable mention too.
 
It's beginning to grow on me... :)

You're right. The music on the album does grow on you.

As to the Surround Sound Mix, it's really excellent. Both sonically and the way they use the channels. Kudos to the 5.1 Surround Sound team and Gus Skinas over at Super Audio Center for this one. I give it a 9.
 
Better late than never but I finally picked up #1936 of the 35000 pressed (according to the packaging) ..... this is definitely a worthy buy, haunting stuff, and Rickie Lee's chops are still quite good, particularly on the up-tempo numbers which I preferred (Elvis Cadillac, Drawing Circles, etc.). The surround is good, as somneone said...reminds me of the David Crosby disc in its starkness also. I think it will grow on me with continued listens. John Oh yeah, I gave it a strong 8.
 
This production team went out of their way to get it right. Even the DVD was shot in 1080i and presented in wide format. The major music producers should follow in this example on how to respect the artist and the fan with high quality products.

Richard
 
This production team went out of their way to get it right. Even the DVD was shot in 1080i and presented in wide format. The major music producers should follow in this example on how to respect the artist and the fan with high quality products.

Richard

Yes and the DVD is an interesting look at the recording of the disc. A definite value add.
 
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