HiRez Poll Queen - THE GAME [DVD-A]

[sjcorne]

So, question for those who have heard both: how are the mixes of “Play The Game”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, and “Save Me” on here compared to the ones on the Greatest Video Hits DVD?

In other words, is it worth paying the $50 or so for The Game if I’m happy with the mixes on Greatest Video Hits? Would this be any kind of noticeable upgrade? (I really think the only other song on the album that I’m curious to hear the 5.1 of is “Dragon Attack”.)

I actually investigated this myself a few months back - they are essentially the same mixes, but the DVD-A has discrete center channel content (dry isolated vocals on "Play The Game", for instance) while the Greatest Hits DVD-V has nothing in the center channel at all I'm not sure why they tampered with the 5.1 mix to make it 4.1.

 

[haikubass]

It's a cool feature of the Yatse remote app for Kodi called 'Discover' that made me re-visit this album. Don't know why I haven't voted yet, but it's a strong 9 from me, no contest. Not a weak track on The Game, pretty varied stuff, great mix. Soon enough I'm gonna give a spin to my 'best of Queen' collection, that's for sure.

 

[GOS]

Definitely not up to the standard set by A Night at the Opera

WTF?? lmao.....and a vote of a 4 and gone.

 

[fredblue]

WTF?? lmao.....and a vote of a 4 and gone.

yeah there's been a fair few pillocks over the years pop up in a Poll, low vote a glaringly great title and bugger off back under their stone never to be seen again.. but we're assured the system allows for such anomalies so.. let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be!

 

[Owen Smith]

The Game was a strange choice of album for a multi channel mix. I'm sure it was done for commercial reasons because it was Queen's most successful album in the US. But the ethos of The Game recordings was a stripped back simpler sound compared to earlier years. One quote I heard was "why use two notes if one will do". So to me that means this should have stayed as stereo. Remix for mono perhaps?

A Night At The Opera was clearly a great choice for a multi channel mix. But instead of The Game they should in my view either have followed it with A Day At The Races (which is a companion piece to Opera really), or better still every fan of Queen's early years would dream of a multi channel mix of Queen II.

As for why mixes were changed to go to more 4.1, that's because as Brian May gained experience with multi channel mixes he realised the Centre channel is bad for music since it messes with the imaging. I'm surprised there's much left on the .1 channel, but since I don't have a sub I wouldn't notice if there was nothing.

Don't buy the HFPA blu ray of A Night At The Opera for multi channel, the mix has been ruined by loudness wars compression. It's the same ruined multi channel mix as the 30th anniversary DVD-V (DTS and DD multi channel). The only benefit of those disc for multi channel is God Save The Queen is a proper discreet mix, when they did the DVD-A they couldn't find the multi tracks (because they were stored with Queen II era stuff from when they started using it to close concerts) so the DVD-A has an upmix of God Save The Queen.

One thing that is good about the HFPA blu ray of Opera is the 24/96 LPCM transfer of the original stereo master tape. I sounds fantastic to me, cleanest stereo version I ever heard. I finally know what tape saturation sounds like, I can hear it in this transfer. It sounds like a completely flat transfer to me, and makes the blu ray worth the price.

 

[Owen Smith]

This is the only Queen I have in dirgital and I never regretted it. I still get shocked with the differing elements from the stereo LP I grew up with, but MAN the effects are effing stunning. Another One Bites The Dust is wild, but my fave has to be Dragon Atttack. I always pull it out for one or two songs to get me going and end up playing the whole damn thing, some songs twice!

Let me tell you what Dragon Attack is about. Brian went into a dressing room and walked in on Freddie having sex with a man. That's the Dragon Attack. You may never think about that song the same way again. But it's pure Freddie, bless him.

 

[kap'n krunch]

I LOVE Queen but I have NEVER have warmed up to this album..I GOT it when it came out but I always found that the bad vibes have always permeated the music....

Now, if they had done JAZZ in MCH the Multiverse would be a whole different place!!!!!

 

[ar surround]

The Game was a strange choice of album for a multi channel mix. I'm sure it was done for commercial reasons because it was Queen's most successful album in the US. But the ethos of The Game recordings was a stripped back simpler sound compared to earlier years. One quote I heard was "why use two notes if one will do". So to me that means this should have stayed as stereo. Remix for mono perhaps?

Oh please...please...please don't say that because we already have too many foes of issuing anything in surround sound out there.

 

[Owen Smith]

Oh please...please...please don't say that because we already have too many foes of issuing anything in surround sound out there.

There are plenty of other Queen albums that would have benefited more from the time and money that was spent on this. Sure if most other Queen albums had been done then this would have been sensible for completing the set. But to do this as number 2 made no sense musically, I'm sure it was driven entirely by the original album sales figures.