I've got the SACD, always thought it was the best available version. Perhaps I need to somehow get a copy of the blu ray now... 
The Who - TOMMY. So after 20/9 Years, what's the decision?
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“When Tommy came out on SACD in 2003, Townshend handled the 5.1 mix himself, deftly capturing the essence of The Who’s patented thrashing crunch by amplifying how the original recording’s dynamics unfolded all around you. But Pridden and Whittaker’s new 5.1 take on Tommy follows the much more adventurous animus of how they remixed eight tracks from Quadrophenia in surround for that album’s 2011 Director’s Cut box set. With their 5.1 Tommy, the listener is often placed in the position Daltrey would take onstage, and you instinctively feel yourself turning and facing each band mate depending on the song’s vibe. Once you accept literally becoming Tommy himself in the mix, you won’t be jarred by having Moon’s drums emanate mostly from the surround left like a recurring percussive devil perched just over your left shoulder.
And oh, the clarity! Each guitar string resonates during Townshend’s furious acoustic strumming that opens “Pinball Wizard” in the surround right before his signature electric riff kerrangs on through in the front right. During the elegiac denouement of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” all of the album’s seeded themes bear 5.1 fruit, starting with the seething whispers of the title phrase burrowing and then gnawing at you in the back stage. You’ll also marvel at Daltrey’s dramatic pause that turns the pivotal word touch into two syllables, leading right into the stacking, uplifting harmonies on the repeated choruses that rise to envelop you like a heavenly ascending bubble.
That’s but a peek at what awaits you underneath this 5.1 eyeshade. By pushing the surround envelope, Pridden and Whittaker have elevated Tommy’s brilliant palette to an even more divine experience. Tommy, can you hear me? You’ve just taken me on one hell of an amazing high-rez all-channel journey. Listening to you in 5.1, I truly get the music.”
“When Tommy came out on SACD in 2003, Townshend handled the 5.1 mix himself, deftly capturing the essence of The Who’s patented thrashing crunch by amplifying how the original recording’s dynamics unfolded all around you. But Pridden and Whittaker’s new 5.1 take on Tommy follows the much more adventurous animus of how they remixed eight tracks from Quadrophenia in surround for that album’s 2011 Director’s Cut box set. With their 5.1 Tommy, the listener is often placed in the position Daltrey would take onstage, and you instinctively feel yourself turning and facing each band mate depending on the song’s vibe. Once you accept literally becoming Tommy himself in the mix, you won’t be jarred by having Moon’s drums emanate mostly from the surround left like a recurring percussive devil perched just over your left shoulder.
And oh, the clarity! Each guitar string resonates during Townshend’s furious acoustic strumming that opens “Pinball Wizard” in the surround right before his signature electric riff kerrangs on through in the front right. During the elegiac denouement of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” all of the album’s seeded themes bear 5.1 fruit, starting with the seething whispers of the title phrase burrowing and then gnawing at you in the back stage. You’ll also marvel at Daltrey’s dramatic pause that turns the pivotal word touch into two syllables, leading right into the stacking, uplifting harmonies on the repeated choruses that rise to envelop you like a heavenly ascending bubble.
That’s but a peek at what awaits you underneath this 5.1 eyeshade. By pushing the surround envelope, Pridden and Whittaker have elevated Tommy’s brilliant palette to an even more divine experience. Tommy, can you hear me? You’ve just taken me on one hell of an amazing high-rez all-channel journey. Listening to you in 5.1, I truly get the music.”
You don't have to imagine it, there's already more than a few (and I'm sure I missed some).
2x Surround Mixes:
- Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic
- Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
- Allman Brothers - Eat A Peach
- The Band - Music From Big Pink
- Carly Simon - No Secrets
- Carole King - Tapestry
- Chicago - II
- Chicago - V
- Chicago - X
- Derek & The Dominos - Layla
- Doobie Brothers - The Captain & Me
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery
- Gentle Giant - Free Hand
- Jethro Tull - Aqualung
- Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery
- Jethro Tull - WarChild
- John Lennon - Imagine
- Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance
- King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
- Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On
- Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
- Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
- R.E.M. - Automatic For The People
- Rush - A Farewell To Kings
- Steely Dan - Gaucho
- Yes - Fragile
- Allman Brothers - Live At The Fillmore
- Deep Purple - Machine Head
- Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard
It’s hard for me to say which one I prefer. Each one has its Pros and Cons.
I have all versions (actually, Tommy was my second vinyl purchase with my parents' reduced pay, back in the 70's) and I need to ‘change’ from one to another to look for and listen to the “Pros”.
Not included in the multichannel versions, there are Stereo 1996 USA remix versions that sound much better than the original masters. Some voice and drums parts are completely “good restored”. For instance, “1921” now sound way better and looks totally different.
‘2003 DVD-A/SACD – Pete Townshend MCH mix
It has clearer sound. Good instrument separation.
Very nice Good Daltrey’s voice “inside your head”, BUT only if you are in the sweet spot (Central + Rears).
BUT, I don’t like the Daltrey’s voice lack of the reverb of previous masters that seems to be in an anechoic record chamber.
‘2013 – Blu-ray
More fidelity, dynamics and Daltrey’s reverb voice is here again. Not bad with DSU upmix, that send much content to my wide speakers (9.1.4).
BUT, this 70’s Quad mix style, either with channel swap error or not, makes me nervous, and I quite like discrete multichanels.
It is really annoying to hear the drums all the time in your left ear. This reminds me the album “Uninvisible” from the trio “Medesky Martin & Wood”, in which the drums are continuously coming from the right surround speaker. (This listening compensate my left saturated ear after listening the Keith Moon’s drums).
Final word:
“Underture is a religious experience” says @Larry Geller. I completely agree.
I have all versions (actually, Tommy was my second vinyl purchase with my parents' reduced pay, back in the 70's) and I need to ‘change’ from one to another to look for and listen to the “Pros”.
Not included in the multichannel versions, there are Stereo 1996 USA remix versions that sound much better than the original masters. Some voice and drums parts are completely “good restored”. For instance, “1921” now sound way better and looks totally different.
‘2003 DVD-A/SACD – Pete Townshend MCH mix
It has clearer sound. Good instrument separation.
Very nice Good Daltrey’s voice “inside your head”, BUT only if you are in the sweet spot (Central + Rears).
BUT, I don’t like the Daltrey’s voice lack of the reverb of previous masters that seems to be in an anechoic record chamber.
‘2013 – Blu-ray
More fidelity, dynamics and Daltrey’s reverb voice is here again. Not bad with DSU upmix, that send much content to my wide speakers (9.1.4).
BUT, this 70’s Quad mix style, either with channel swap error or not, makes me nervous, and I quite like discrete multichanels.
It is really annoying to hear the drums all the time in your left ear. This reminds me the album “Uninvisible” from the trio “Medesky Martin & Wood”, in which the drums are continuously coming from the right surround speaker. (This listening compensate my left saturated ear after listening the Keith Moon’s drums).
Final word:
“Underture is a religious experience” says @Larry Geller. I completely agree.
himey
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
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Nice list! Thanks.
himey
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2013
- Messages
- 3,484
This.
I hear the drums throughout Uninvisible as coming from both the front right and rear right speakers, whereas the drum kit on 2013 Tommy is completely isolated in the rear left speaker.
For 461, there's the quad mix and the SACD mix. What was the third?
The Elliot Scheiner 5.1 mix that was originally prepared for the 2004 SACD, but rejected and finally released on Blu-Ray in 2013 as part of the Give Me Strength deluxe set.
jefe1
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
This is a good thread I love reading reviews and comparisons like these. Sadly for me the bluray version is now beyond my price range. Hesitate now regret later....
Sure it is this way.
I remember that when I listen Uninvisible I hear the drums on the right with much fidelity and closing the eyes it really seems the drums are really there at the right of my room. Not too annoying.
Instead, the 2013 Tommy drums comes too isolated from one single speaker, beeing more annoying.
I have listened to this album more in the past few weeks than I have ever listened to it. In fact, I knew most of it from 'absorption', never really being a Tommy fan. I discovered that I like the drums 'in the back' in the car. And in 'Underture', it sounds like some of the large drum parts come from the Right Rear as well as the left rear. I have to verify that on the PC.
Anyway, I listened so much that I had to watch the movie, which I had never seen. It was $2.99 to watch on Amazon, so my wife and I watched it. We don't think we'd ever want to watch it again, but it was interesting. Anyway, my judgement on all of this is that the 2003 version is better for power (like everyone has said) and sounds great on my big home system, but in the car where the environment is fixed and no one moves around, the 2013 mix is king.
Your results of course may vary. No I will dig into that box set I bought 'just for the blu ray' and see what the heck else is in there! (These tunes are now trapped and rattlin' around in me head)
Anyway, I listened so much that I had to watch the movie, which I had never seen. It was $2.99 to watch on Amazon, so my wife and I watched it. We don't think we'd ever want to watch it again, but it was interesting. Anyway, my judgement on all of this is that the 2003 version is better for power (like everyone has said) and sounds great on my big home system, but in the car where the environment is fixed and no one moves around, the 2013 mix is king.
Your results of course may vary. No I will dig into that box set I bought 'just for the blu ray' and see what the heck else is in there!
(These tunes are now trapped and rattlin' around in me head)audiomaster
Well-known Member
Best version of Tommy ws the version on Ode records with Richard Harris and the London Symphony. Period! Two record set. Wish it could be redone in surround but sounds good anyway.
Well, I have a surround version of this.
It is a DVD-A with 4.0 MLP converted from quad QS encoded vinyl Catalogue: ODE QU 89001
It is interesting, but... Perhaps I prefer the Stereo version of this Symphonic Tommy. Even the stereo upmixed with the AVR DSU sounds better to me than the Quad.
No love for the original QS?
I think the QS version is fine, especially through the SM.
Any idea if any particular CD release has the QS encoding?
Not sure what you're referring to here, to my knowledge neither the studio album nor the movie soundtrack were released in quad. However, there was an experimental 'quintaphonic' mix of the movie soundtrack which was used for the 2010 Blu-Ray.
JediJoker
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
That was in reference to this recording.
I would guess the CD used the same master as the LP, so I'd say it's also encoded.
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