IMPORT SACD HELP NEEDED! Roxy Music, Groove Armada, Bryan Ferry...

Rich Malloy · 08-01-2003, 11:29 AM

Hi Friends and Neighbors,

I'd like to make a bulk purchase of import SACDs (at least a few titles to keep down shipping costs), and I'm wondering if anyone's found the following for a good price:

Roxy Music "BEST OF" (already have the wunnerful "AVALON")
Groove Armada "VERTIGO", "LOVEBOX"
Bryan Ferry "FRANTIC"

(Any other import recommendations?)

Danny Tse · 08-01-2003, 12:09 PM

Rich,

I ordered Spandau Ballet's "True" SACD through Amazon UK. Very quick turnaround; got the disc delivered within a week of placing order. The SACD of "True" is excellent....you can read about it here and at SACDinfo.com.

LanceJ · 08-02-2003, 12:23 AM

Rich:

Once you receive those Groove Armada discs, PLEASE post a review of them. I want to see if Jive (their label) has remastered them. All of three of my Armada CDs have a rather loud (over-compressed?) sound to them & the upper mids kind of shout at me, enough to where I usually have to turn down my treble control.

But especially, these are some of the first modern & non-obscure pop/chillout albums to be issued in MCH form and I want to see how they mixed them.

LJ

Michael_T · 08-02-2003, 11:17 AM

I just got the Groove Armada "Vertigo" delivered to me via www.Amazon.co.uk. I think that it might be anyone's best bet to get all the SACDs Rich mentions (with the exception of maybe "Frantic") from www.Amazon.co.uk. (It appears to me that "Frantic" isn't stocked at amazon.co.uk.)

I now have all 3 Groove Armada SACDs, and although I do not have the CDs for comparison, I would say that the MCH aspects of the Groove Armada albums are interesting and fairly aggressive.

The overall sound of the SACDs, in both MCH and stereo, is good but not stellar. It shows that these are "digital" recordings - so they aren't the best sounding SACDs I own. I wouldn't say that they, the SACD layers, are any where near over-compressed - so you might be happier with the way they sound. I haven't listened to the redbook layers on these hybrid SACDs, since I have no reason to personally.

Rachael B · 08-02-2003, 01:07 PM

Rich, King Crimson's IN THE COURT OF...is due ths month, The Human League (which I find to be inhumane to listen to, personally)has a release, as does Tangerine Dream, then there's the original Mike Oldfield TUBULAR BELLS. I don't know why Michael is discouraging you from getting FRANTIC. I think it's quite good myself. Best wishes!

**HTF Ads**

Michael_T · 08-02-2003, 01:28 PM

Quote:

I don't know why Michael is discouraging you from getting FRANTIC.

Rachel,

I have FRANTIC and recommend it highly. I am not discouraging Rich from purchasing this SACD, it is merely that he asked flat out where he could make a BULK order of the SACDs he listed. FRANTIC, as far as I know, is not stocked at www.amazon.co.uk so that would preclude anyone who wanted the Groove Armada, Roxy Music Best Of, and Frantic, etc. to arrive in one combined order, from one source, from obtaining that goal. That was all I meant. (I edited my original post to reflect that more clearly - thanks.)

Again the impersonal and detached nature of the internet stikes again.

"Frantic" is a great Bryan Ferry release, and a great MCH SACD to boot.

And thanks for the tip on the Crimson title. I have been waiting for that as long as I have been waiting for Roxy Music's Best Of (which just came out).

Rich Malloy · 08-02-2003, 01:33 PM

Thanks all! It seems amazon's the only real alternative right now (wish amazon.fr had these titles in, as they've often had better prices in the past).

And I appreciate the review of the Groove Armada discs. There are three, Michael? I was thinking "Vertigo" and "Lovebox" were out, but I seem to recall something about "Goodbye Country" maybe? Which would you recommend to the novice?

Good recommendations, Rachel! I've got "Tubular Bells", and I was considering picking up the King Crimson. Do we have a streetdate on that one? And I do want to get "Frantic", but it doesn't seem to be in-stock anywhere.

One last request for info/reviews: the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Anybody?

Michael_T · 08-02-2003, 01:46 PM

I like "Goodbye Country" a bit better than "Lovebox" - as "Goodbye Country" is seemingly less commercial sounding, and incorporates more ambient/dub excursions than "Lovebox". (I am a big fan or reggae and dub music, even when it isn't specifically performed by reggae artists.)

Seeing how I just got "Vertigo", and haven't listened to it yet, I can't comment. I was also a novice regarding Groove Armada when I bought "Goodbye Country" on SACD, basing my decision to purchase on word-of-mouth and internet reviews. I liked the album a lot, so when "Lovebox" was available I jumped on it. Now that "Vertigo" was just released (and supposed to be one of their best albums - maybe on par with "Goodbye Country") I jumped on that one also.

If you can't find "Goodbye Country" at amazon.co.uk, you can get it from www.superaudio-cd.com which is where I had to obtain my copy.

LanceJ · 08-02-2003, 03:49 PM

I like Vertigo the best. Then Goodbye....., then Love Box.

Vertigois the most "chilled" of these three albums. The other titles have their downtempo moments but (especially Love Box) are mostly danceable funkish stuff. It is good stuff, but I have to be in the right mood to listen to it.

This is another chill album I would love to hear in surround form.

LJ

Rachael B · 08-03-2003, 01:22 AM

Michael, oh.

Well, now for something completely different...

Rich, they promised me KC sometime this month. I'll have to go check the files for the day. This was Music Depot. I hope it's on time. Some of us have been waiting on this one for well over a year. Doesn't it seem like SACD releases have slowed down just lately? R they pressing Dylan everywhere, maybe? Go click on it at www.musicdepot.com

I'm pretty sure that's where I preordred it...? I think I got FRANTIC from either Acoustic Sounds or Elusive Disc. I'm sure one or both had it, even if they don't now. It could be out of print presently? You have to doubt that they pressed all that many for the first go? New format and all...? I hope you find it! Best wishes guyz!

Rich Malloy · 08-03-2003, 04:11 PM

Thanks everyone for your help, reviews, etc. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find Bryan Ferry's "FRANTIC" in stock anywhere (even acoustic sounds now has it backordered), and nor can I find Groove Armada's "Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub). Hopefully, in the next order of imports...

I ended up purchasing these from amazon.uk:
A Brief History [SACD] Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Lovebox [SACD] Groove Armada
Vertigo [SACD] Groove Armada
The Best Of Roxy Music [SACD] Roxy Music

I believe there's only a single copy of "Vertigo" left in stock!