Listening to Now (In Surround) - Volume 2

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I was on line some time back and read about some of the victims that were Canadian artists at the Universal Barbeque ......and Joni Mitchell's albums that were in storage were apparently one of the major losses.
And that might very well include all of her Asylum/Geffen tapes , as her husband David Geffen stored his Geffen Records at that locale, including Asylum his former WEA label.


🥵💀

BTW, Joni Mitchell was never married to David Geffen but in doing some research I came across this fantastic article from 2005:

https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1373
 
Nine Inch Nails, Ghosts I-IV (2008), DVD-V. Quasi-professional fan mix (Dolby Digital 5.1) of the multi-track stems included on the DVD-ROM in the deluxe box set. Part ambient, part electronic, part industrial noise. 100% cool. (I think the raw multis for Ghosts, and possibly also for The Slip and Year Zero, are still available--with Trent Reznor's blessing?--at archive.org.)

1634681775318.png


https://www.nin.wiki/Multitracks
 
The Nite-Liters, Morning, Noon, & The Nite-Liters (1971, in a really impressive conversion from Q8). Like the cover says: the band that plays funk 'n' roll. Catchy, high-octane, mostly-instrumental funk (and soul, and boogaloo, and...a Carpenters cover) with a really good early RCA mix. Who knew Louisville, Kentucky could cook and groove like this? D-V, if you're listening: this would make for a natural two-fer with The New Birth!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Birth_(band)
1634685052177.png
 
Last edited:
Finally watched this exceptional 51 minute DVD 5.1 video of Arthur Lee and LOVE's 2003 Concert Video filmed live at London's Royal Festival Hall with Horn and String Section and can report 2 thumbs WAY up. The video was not the greatest but with my disc tweaks I managed to raise it up a few pegs but the sound was pretty darn amazing for DD 5.1 [much preferred over the stereo option]. The RBCD accompanying this set manufactured in the EU is likewise AMAZING and this set can be had for under $12 from either Deep Discount and/or Import CD. Highest Recommendation

71YWGYCo3oL._SL1200_.jpg
Is there a link to order this? I could only find it on CD and vinyl at Import and Deep Discount. Amazon has a version for $72. $12 sounds better to me, haha.
 
Norwegian Soloists Choir, et al., Lament: Works by Hagen, Asheim, & Nordheim (2020). I'm listening to a FLAC 5.0 download; it's also available on SACD. Wow! This is a program you'd expect to hear on Morten Lindberg's 2L label, and even though they didn't adopt the 2L sound, exactly, this is still much more immersive (and on the first piece, for choir, electronics, and percussion solo, more downright discrete) than anything else I can recall from the BIS catalogue. Lots of "extended technique" here--shouting/speaking/whispering, etc., in addition to singing and chanting--but it's always fascinating, never gimmicky or off-putting. If you like any of the Norske Jentekor stuff on 2L, or Nordic Affect's H (e) a r on Sono Luminus, this will be right up your alley. I'm keeping this one in rotation for awhile.
https://bis.se/performers/norwegian-soloists-choir-the/lament-norwegian-choral-works
1634691843938.png

 
Oregon, Distant Hills (1973), in a conversion from SQ LP. They sometimes leaned a little New Age-y for me, but individually, they were/are (RIP Colin Walcott) all amazing musicians, and I still like their early albums, when their sound was really new. "Canyon Song" reminds you how it's possible to swing in 7/8.

Rumors of other Oregon quads remain unsubstantiated, as far as I know. I'd like to hear that this one exists in quad reel format as a pre-release reviewer's copy, like a handful of other Vanguard titles that only saw a commercial release on LP.

1634703484456.png
 
Last edited:
After passing on Still Thick As A Brick by Reflection Club (a progressive rock project led by Lutz Meinert) released earlier this year, I ran across it on Amazon for a pretty reasonable price and decided to pick it up. It's a CD/DVD book set package similar to (but thinner) than the Jethro Tull booksets. I have to say it's a very fun album done in a style that sounds uncannily like classic JT from the early 70's, and specifically is an homage to TAAB (including a music magazine parody). The vocals, guitar and flute are spot on recreations without sounding like shallow copying. I found the 5.1 mix to be surprisingly strong - there are a few moments where the surround channels are used primarily for ambience to expand the sound stage, but most of the time they are very active and discrete (for vocals and individual instruments) and full range. The fidelity of the recording itself is excellent with deep, rich bass, crystalline highs and great channel separation. Normally I don't care for covers or cover bands, but this really isn't that. The music and lyrics are completely original and do not copy anything from TAAB. I'd recommend sampling some tracks on bandcamp or youtube - if you like what you hear the album is very consistent all the way through, with the 5.1 mix a real plus. The visuals on the DVD are very entertaining with an option to display the lyrics as the disc plays.
Still Thick As A Brick.jpg
 
I'm not proud of treating classical music as "background" music, but I've had Prokofiev on all day . . . in the background. Complete symphonies, Bergen Philharmonic under Andrew Litton. Standard "hall ambience" for the most part, although the rears are much more active on the 5th Symphony for some reason. I picked up the FLAC 5.0 downloads when the bundle was on promotion at eClassical a few weeks ago, but the SACD box set is on currently on special at Presto Music.
https://bis.se/conductors/litton-andrew/prokofiev-the-symphonieshttps://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9244007--prokofiev-the-symphonies
 
I'm not proud of treating classical music as "background" music, but I've had Prokofiev on all day . . . in the background. Complete symphonies, Bergen Philharmonic under Andrew Litton. Standard "hall ambience" for the most part, although the rears are much more active on the 5th Symphony for some reason. I picked up the FLAC 5.0 downloads when the bundle was on promotion at eClassical a few weeks ago, but the SACD box set is on currently on special at Presto Music.
https://bis.se/conductors/litton-andrew/prokofiev-the-symphonieshttps://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9244007--prokofiev-the-symphonies

Lately, humprof, you've been SO preoccupied with Conversions that I really thought you had abandoned THE CLASSICS.
 
Not an obvious way to unwind at the end of the day, but a friend lent me the 5.1 DVD from their Minotaur box, so I'm listening to Pixies before bed. Their bones got a little machine. Spare surround mixes, amazing on-screen artwork.
1634795216450.png
 
Back
Top