Styx - The Mission - coming to 5.1 surround Blu-Ray in July!

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amazon.com on 28th April, for $31.91 = $17.14 + $8.98 Shipping + $5.79 UK Import tax

So what you spent on shipping and the import tax is about the delivered price of it in the US if you used the promo discounts here....I just experienced some of "your pain"....I "tried" to purchase a SACD that is hard to find from a 3rd party seller on amazon UK and they sent me a CD instead....so I paid $58 for a used CD...so they wanted this CD back...and I knew it was going to be a PIA...first they sent me this strange contract form...which I didn't want to get involved in...so I contacted amazon UK and they sent me a form to attach to the package and another page with a barcode I had to put inside the package...so off to the Post Office...then a customs form to attach...so I had a choice to send this CD back...it only weighed 4.5 oz...I could send it first class mail...and the cost was $14...I asked if I could get tracking...and to get that.. I had to opt for international priority mail...which would be $50...and I knew I would never get reimbursed for that...

The 3rd party seller was MOMOX...I've purchased from them before and they have a good reputation...as long as something doesn't go wrong...I suspect if it was a cheaper product they would have told me not to bother sending it..even though it was just a used CD that wasn't even worth the price of shipping to the UK...you just never know when you go international what might happen...I order from individuals on discogs quite often and many of them have international destinations...and I've never had problems...but if you do...it's a PIA....so now that will always be in the back of my mind when I'm searching for these hard to find hi rez products and the only option is a 3rd party seller...I wonder if MOMOX(A German company)will have to pay an import tax on my return of this CD...I had to report the value on the customs form and I listed it as $58.00..
 
So all is well. I got the disk ripped. I successfully played the disk through on the system with no stutters or sluggish menus (the Oppo must have just been temperamental).

Im gonna alter my take on the music itself. I described it as.... "the best since DeYoung left, but not as good as anything with DeYoung. It is a bit better than as I like it more than the Roboto stuff. Musically you can tell its kin to masterpieces like Grand Illusion and Pieces.. At any rate it is the best Styx to be released in a long, long while and very much recommended.

And the mix? I don't know. I was never annoyed with some of the musical leads coming from the rear or the "vocals everywhere" effect, or the "sitting in the middle of the drum kit" effect. There are other titles mixed with some of those styles. I thought it was entertaining and enjoyable. No, its not believable as a live performance meant to provide an illusion of reality in my listening room, nor is most of the stuff I play. Above all, I thought it was a creative attempt to do something special. And I think they succeeded. Its a great disc, crank it, If I could find the poll id vote 9
 
So all is well. I got the disk ripped. I successfully played the disk through on the system with no stutters or sluggish menus (the Oppo must have just been temperamental).

Im gonna alter my take on the music itself. I described it as.... "the best since DeYoung left, but not as good as anything with DeYoung. It is a bit better than as I like it more than the Roboto stuff. Musically you can tell its kin to masterpieces like Grand Illusion and Pieces.. At any rate it is the best Styx to be released in a long, long while and very much recommended.

And the mix? I don't know. I was never annoyed with some of the musical leads coming from the rear or the "vocals everywhere" effect, or the "sitting in the middle of the drum kit" effect. There are other titles mixed with some of those styles. I thought it was entertaining and enjoyable. No, its not believable as a live performance meant to provide an illusion of reality in my listening room, nor is most of the stuff I play. Above all, I thought it was a creative attempt to do something special. And I think they succeeded. Its a great disc, crank it, If I could find the poll id vote 9

You just touched on something that has puzzled me for quite some time...I can never understand why some people get upset about instrument placement...and perhaps you have touched on the reason...they want to visualize themselves at a concert right in front of them...for me...as long as it sounds good...I don't care where the sounds come from...if it's vintage music that I'm familiar with... my only illusions are in the form of memories I had..back in the day...associated with the music..

As an observation of this "new" music on Mission...I think it will get better as time goes by....some of it isn't music that you just fall in love with right away:cool:
 
I’m just glad that I was wrong about this 5.1 Mix. I’m so used to a soundstage with lead vocals, drums and bass guitar all up front with other sound effects bouncing around me that anything else bothered me. An occasional guitar in the rear/side surrounds is okay. After all, when I watch a movie or see a live band, all the sound is up front, on a stage. This mix has opened my mind to a completely different type of mix. I still prefer that up front presence but now I welcome other more adventurous mixes like The Mission.

For me, Paradise Theater was hit and miss. Only half of that album had some really good songs on it with the remaining tunes being forgettable. It’s not one of my favorite Styx albums but I think it would make a really good 5.1 Mix. Their very best albums to me are both Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight. And really, Crystal Ball and Equinox are equally good too. I haven’t heard Cornerstone in a long time and don’t even remember it. So, I won’t comment on it. I’ll have to dig that one up. As a matter of fact, I think it’s going to be a great music listening weekend that will include lots of Styx. :)
 
After listening to The Mission 5.1 three times now, I'm liking the mix even more. One of the issues noted is with the non standard lead vocal placement. The lead vocals often seem to be projected to the middle of the room.

That quality reminded me of the Natalie Merchant Tigerlily DVD-A, so I played some of that following the last Mission re-play. Indeed the treatment given to the lead vocals is similar on both. I'm sure there is another one I'v heard that exhibits the same quality, but I cant quite recall the title. So if you have Tigerlily, play a track or two and see what you think. It is no where near as layered as Mission, and its a totally different genre of music. But like Mission I find it very immersive with some discreet elements. The content is top drawer IMO.

Incidentally, my recollection is Tigerlily did poorly in the polls. I always liked it quite a bit, content, mix and fidelity. I now wonder if the vocal treatment is a major reason why the mix seemed off to many listeners.

EDIT: I also wanted to say that the effect of projecting into the room is not limited to vocals on Mission. Instrumental leads sometimes do it as well,

and also

The extent of the effect may be significantly affected by what kind of surround placement you have. My surrounds are equidistant from the sweet spot, slightly behind it, and toed toward it, such that they are heard on-axis.
 
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Came across this tonight, not sure it's been posted here before:

Mettler: I totally agree with that. Now that the three of you — you, Jim, and Tommy, I mean — have made your mark with the 5.1 version of The Mission, how great would it be for you guys to do surround mixes for two of Styx’s most iconic ’70s albums, [1977’s] The Grand Illusion and [1978’s] Pieces of Eight, next?
Evankovich:
Oh God — that’s the Holy Grail right there, isn’t it? We’d love to do both of them, no doubt. Unfortunately, we can’t do them right now because we still need to locate the original masters, but if we ever do (slight pause) — well, just make sure your ears are ready for what we have planned.


:(
 
The new Styx album (Crash Of The Crown) coming June 18th is now up for pre-order on Amazon UK and more info is going to be revealed in a few hours here.

No word on a surround treatment yet.
On the previous album, they were "already" talking about surround pre-release. (IIRC)

The fact Amazon UK says vinyl and CD, well. :(
 
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