Primus and the Chocolate Factory in 5.1

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Just listening right now, I'm only a couple songs in. Some initial thoughts and observations: As cheezmo already stated, only dolby digital. The sound quality seems quite clear, open, and dynamic. I have my receiver cranked a few notches higher than most surround discs I have. The surround fields are used extensively, and again as cheezmo stated, the mix is fun and rather playful. The mix does not seem to be nearly as bombastic or aggressive as the sailing the seas of cheese mix, which is completely wall shattering and just hits you in the face right from the get-go with "here come the bastards." And also, like Sailing, this has a visualizer, and is very well done on this release.

Some strange center channel usage. Initially, I thought this was maybe a straight quad release, as I didn't hear a single sound come from the center channel for the first few tracks, but then on the 4th channel some vocals pop up. Center channel is used quite sparingly though.

I would say for those on the fence about this release, you can buy with confidence. I'm not familiar with this album at all; this is my first time hearing any of these songs. It's very quirky, which is certainly to be expected. It will definitely take numerous listens to digest this material, but overall it seems to have a strong surround mix, good sound quality, and will probably be one I'll come back to many times.
 
Just an update after giving a thorough listen last night:

I have a slight amendment to make to my previous comment. Apparently, at some point during the past week I had accidentally hit the "night mode" button on my receiver, and hadn't realized it :mad:@: This explains the relatively dull sound (when compared to Sailing) that I was getting. I turned "night mode" off, and THERE was the big, wall shaking sound I was expecting. Much better. I had to turn my receiver down a few notches.

I had also said I'd never heard any of the songs before, which I guess isn't entirely true, as the whole album is essentially Les Claypool singing the musical numbers from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But, Primus' interpretations are certainly unique, and have a sort of creepy atmosphere that is very fitting of the source material.

So to sum up: After a much more attentive listen, I really have no outright complaints with the sound quality (wish it was lossless), or the music itself. If you're not a fan of Primus, this release probably won't make you one. If you don't like the film, this might not be for you either. If you've never heard Primus before, I might suggest Sailing the Seas of Cheese first, or any of their 90's albums (Frizzle Fry, Pork Soda, and so on...). As for me, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Hopefully, there's more 5.1 to come!
 
Just an update after giving a thorough listen last night:

I have a slight amendment to make to my previous comment. Apparently, at some point during the past week I had accidentally hit the "night mode" button on my receiver, and hadn't realized it :mad:@: This explains the relatively dull sound (when compared to Sailing) that I was getting. I turned "night mode" off, and THERE was the big, wall shaking sound I was expecting. Much better. I had to turn my receiver down a few notches.

I had also said I'd never heard any of the songs before, which I guess isn't entirely true, as the whole album is essentially Les Claypool singing the musical numbers from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But, Primus' interpretations are certainly unique, and have a sort of creepy atmosphere that is very fitting of the source material.

So to sum up: After a much more attentive listen, I really have no outright complaints with the sound quality (wish it was lossless), or the music itself. If you're not a fan of Primus, this release probably won't make you one. If you don't like the film, this might not be for you either. If you've never heard Primus before, I might suggest Sailing the Seas of Cheese first, or any of their 90's albums (Frizzle Fry, Pork Soda, and so on...). As for me, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Hopefully, there's more 5.1 to come!
 
Just listening right now, I'm only a couple songs in. Some initial thoughts and observations: As cheezmo already stated, only dolby digital. The sound quality seems quite clear, open, and dynamic. I have my receiver cranked a few notches higher than most surround discs I have. The surround fields are used extensively, and again as cheezmo stated, the mix is fun and rather playful. The mix does not seem to be nearly as bombastic or aggressive as the sailing the seas of cheese mix, which is completely wall shattering and just hits you in the face right from the get-go with "here come the bastards." And also, like Sailing, this has a visualizer, and is very well done on this release.

Some strange center channel usage. Initially, I thought this was maybe a straight quad release, as I didn't hear a single sound come from the center channel for the first few tracks, but then on the 4th channel some vocals pop up. Center channel is used quite sparingly though.

I would say for those on the fence about this release, you can buy with confidence. I'm not familiar with this album at all; this is my first time hearing any of these songs. It's very quirky, which is certainly to be expected. It will definitely take numerous listens to digest this material, but overall it seems to have a strong surround mix, good sound quality, and will probably be one I'll come back to many times.

As I mentioned a few days ago, this is the way Sailing The Seas Of Cheese is mixed...Quad, with a center effects channel. Can't wait to get this. Did Les do the mix? It would make sense since the center is done similarly...
 
As I mentioned a few days ago, this is the way Sailing The Seas Of Cheese is mixed...Quad, with a center effects channel. Can't wait to get this. Did Les do the mix? It would make sense since the center is done similarly...

I'm curious too, as nothing is listed on the album credits.

Also, something else I'd really like to know, what was the hold up on this? Could it have been some type of rights issue with Warner Bros (or whoever owns the rights to the original Wonka soundtrack)? Maybe they had been cleared for CD and Vinyl release originally, but hadn't been cleared for the DVD format and there were some hurdles to go through.

Lastly, my local Hastings had this on sale for $11.99 today. I guess that's what I get for pre-ordering... So anyone with a Hastings in their area, might be worth it to check there before you order.
 
I had ordered this way back when it was first announced (an order that was cancelled). Then I somehow managed to order it again (using a discount code they sent me after the cancellation) but when it was re-announced I checked with them and they said that order had actually be cancelled too. So, they honored the discounted price from my second order and placed a new order. I wasn't sure if I was going to get the box of chocolates since it wasn't mentioned during the original announcement or when they took my latest order. I did get the disc last Friday (I love it very fun!), and yesterday I got notice that my chocolates have shipped also. Really tough decision ahead as to whether or not to eat them, I probably will and save what I'm sure will be very cool wrappers (maybe for framing!).
 
I got my copy yesterday and had a listen and very enjoyable as the mix is very discreet and fun is the right word for this album.
I was wondering as well how much the band would have to pay for rights to do these songs on their own release and maybe thats what held up the release by a year.
I enjoy many of the quirky strange films that Tim Burton has done and Tim usually gets Danny Elfman to do his soundtracks but this Primus version would have been a good choice as well for Tim to have used for Charlie and Chocolate Factory.
 
Not sure how much repeat listening this one will get over time but was curious enough from yesterday's listen to give this one another spin today.
This thing sure is discreet in Flaming Lips territory as sounds ping pong in between speakers but that is exactly what makes this mix so much fun as its quirky and silly and remember to eat lots of chocolate and candy while listening :)
 
I have to say this a new reference disc for showing surround's capabilities. The Dolby sounds fine on my system, to the point that I will never base a surround decision on resolution ever again. I've had too many discs that had me wondering if there was a problem with my speaker setup. No such problem with this disc. I love an aggressive surround mix and this gave my speakers a workout. The mix is perfect.
 
Damn. This is wild. Lots of aggressive use of the surrounds, very twisted takes on familiar songs, and very trippy visuals. I think I can hear a bit of Dullby dullness at play, but that is tolerable. I look forward to other reviews. This is fun, but probably not for everyone.
 
Even though I started this thread, I never ordered this DVD until today. I was worried about the format (which turned out to be Dullby as I had feared) and I wasn't convinced the mix would be good despite great "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" mix. But... the great reviews have convinced me to go for it! Thanks to all the early reviewers!
 
Even though I started this thread, I never ordered this DVD until today. I was worried about the format (which turned out to be Dullby as I had feared) and I wasn't convinced the mix would be good despite great "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" mix. But... the great reviews have convinced me to go for it! Thanks to all the early reviewers!

I'm in the same boat as you (on the sea of cheese!), and I have ordered this too and am looking forward to it. The song and video for Candy Man on the link below are great, and crazy!

http://prog.teamrock.com/news/2015-11-21/primus-in-bonkers-candy-man-promo
 
I'm in the same boat as you (on the sea of cheese!), and I have ordered this too and am looking forward to it. The song and video for Candy Man on the link below are great, and crazy!

http://prog.teamrock.com/news/2015-11-21/primus-in-bonkers-candy-man-promo

Yeah, I saw that too. Great video!

However, I can't help but think of this "deluxe" DVD as a missed opportunity. They should've authored a bluray with the surround mix in hi-res, and include this great video as an extra. Oh well... perhaps bluray authoring and duplication is still to expensive.

For those interested, I saw/heard the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie with Primus' songs mixed in at the appropriate places. Very cool. Here is one version:

https://vimeo.com/113180815
 
This is a wonderfully bizarre, subversive and whimsical reinterpretation of the Willy Wonka soundtrack - although I suspect it may not be everyone's cup o' tea. For me it is reminiscent in style to the Residents and Oingo Boingo/Danny Elfman. The arrangements are fairly minimal yet highly percussive. It’s an excellent surround mix with sparse, but effective, use of center channel. There’s a fair amount of elements being bounced around or actively panned but it’s all done appropriately to serve the arrangements IMO so no ’surround fatigue’ for me. Dolby Digital - bah! The sound is somewhat muted and ‘dark’ but I couldn’t say how much of this is due to the recording choices & process vs the DD. Oh, and there is fun and trippy computer animation accompanying each song.
 
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