I've held off picking this up in the past as I'm barely familiar with Marley's music--the only songs on this compilation that I’d previously heard are “Buffalo Soldier” and the live version of “No Woman, No Cry"--but since it seems to be disappearing, I finally ordered a copy from Discogs that arrived yesterday morning.
There’s a lot going on in these songs and Clearmountain’s 5.1 mix doesn’t disappoint at all. The channel separation is so extreme that you might think you’re listening to a Columbia Q8! Individual guitar, organ, piano, and percussion parts are usually hard-panned into the corners. Backing vocals can be upfront with the lead (“Is This Love”, "Exodus") or isolated in the rears (“Three Little Birds”, "Jamming"). The center speaker gets heavy use as well - not just for vocals, but also steel drums and bass guitar. There's also some delay in the rears, giving the whole soundstage a very expansive and natural feel.
Overall sound quality is top-notch, and I'd be remiss to not mention the insane low end! Possibly the best bass I’ve ever heard on a surround disc. It almost--almost--becomes overbearing at times, and I don’t even have a sub.
“Exodus” is the standout track for me. It starts with a lone guitar in the front right channel, then organ enters from front left, piano from the center, and the horns from the rears. As it builds in intensity, the mix becomes more chaotic - talkbox parts sort of “sweep” up and down the sides and the "move!" vocal echoes bounce from the center into the rears. The song runs almost eight minutes, but the surround mix makes it so enthralling that it's over before you know it.
Needless to say, it's a "10". Every surround fan should have this disc in their collection.