Moody Blues coming to 5.1SACD (1 Viewer)

[Danny Tse]

As posted by Brian Moura on audioasylum, Moody Blues is coming to SACD, amongst others....

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/ne...umber=14731392

 

[Brian L]

Not that I am a big fan of the Moodies, but their music BEGS for 5.1 treatemnt. And I am interested to see what Clapton titles are released.

Putting that aside, did I mis-read the article or are these releases only for Europe?

BGL

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Thanks for the head up Danny. I also noticed that Matt Rowe's will have some reviews on Deep Purple over at Music Tap due up soon:

http://www.musictap.net/

 

[LanceJ]

BrianL, regarding Universal's releases (from HFR article linked above):


But make sure you read these threads at AA with the above quote in mind:

Better buy an sacd player!

then.......

Tim Renner leaves Universal Music Germany

LJ

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Interesting quotes in one of those threads:


Did Sony pay Universal a quarter of a billion dollars to postpone DVD-A support?

That amount would surprise even me.

Regardless, I'm sure we'll have the Moody Blues on both formats, at least in the USA, but maybe not day-and-date.

 

[LanceJ]

Since Universal owns(?) their music, I'll wait and see if the Moodys eventually make it to dvd-audio......and I WILL be buying them, especially the mid 60s to early 70s material. Yes, they are "old music" but this is some stuff that I like very much and as already mentioned, is perfect music for a surround presentation.

Just in case someone out there isn't aware of this, DTS Entertainment sells two 5.1 DTS-CDs of the Moody Blues. Best Buy usually sells both:

Seventh Sojourn I own this one and lossy format or not I think it sounds very good. Fully immersive mix & bass will give your sub a workout.

and

Days Of Future Passed

LJ

 

[Mike Broadman]

I don't even know who this artist is, but can we please have more single-inventory like this, Mr. Sony? Pretty please with a cherry on top? Thank you ever so much.

And what's the deal with the Deep Purple- isn't the SACD, which is supposed to be very good, only available from France or something? I have the DVD-A which is good and I'm not going through the expense and hassle of getting the SACD. And don't even get me started on the Miles Davis SACDs available only in Japan...

 

[Juan L]

I only hope that they don't overdo the surround mix. I'm not too fond of the DTS mixes, as they are IMO, way too aggresive. I do agree that while a bit on the "older" side, their music is perfectly suited for the surround sound treatment (if done right).

Juan

 

[Danny Tse]

From the below link comes....

http://www.moodies-magazine.com/moody_news.htm


An extreme makeover of the Moody Blues' Classic 7 albums is in the works for a September release in the United States and elsewhere.

The extensive re-do encompasses not only long-planned surround-sound mixes but also loads of previously unreleased material, including a 1969 concert that will be released separately.

Each of the albums--Days of Future Passed in deluxe packaging, as well as In Search of the Lost Chord, On the Threshold of a Dream, To Our Children's Children's Children, A Question of Balance, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and Seventh Sojourn--will be reissued as a two-disc set, said Andy Street, head of catalog development at Universal Music's UK offices.

Disc 1 will contain a remastered stereo mix of each album--except Lost Chord; see below--in standard CD format and a 5.1-surround mix in the SACD format, which is playable only on compatible players.

"With the advent of SACD and the possibilities afforded by 5.1 surround audio, the time is right for the Moody Blues' catalog to be considered for such treatment," Street said from his London office. "Always at the forefront of technology and groundbreaking recordings, the Moody Blues' albums were all mixed in Quadraphonic sound by [producer] Tony Clarke and [engineer] Derek Varnals in 1972 at Decca Studios in West Hampstead. These original multi-channel mixes were used utilizing Decca's unique reverberation chamber and equipment, which gave the Moody Blues' albums their distinctive quality. Therefore, these Quadraphonic mixes have been used for the 5.1 Surround masters.

" In Search of the Lost Chord was not mixed in Quadraphonic sound at the time due to the absence of all of the multitrack tapes, a situation verified by an exhaustive search through Decca vaults and at Threshold. Therefore this album will be presented as a high-quality SACD hybrid stereo disc mastered from the original Decca master tapes at 96kHz 24-bit. Finally, all of these SACDs will also be able to be played on conventional CD players in stereo."

Disc 2 will contains rarities, B-sides and previously unreleased BBC sessions, he said.

"The discovery of unreleased BBC sessions, including a December 1969 concert recorded for David Symonds, together with many 'work in progress' mixes and alternate final mixes, has resulted in the addition of these recordings as bonus material," he said.

He added: "Over the past decade, many important artists (notably the Beatles, with their 'Anthology' albums and the Who) have realized the value of satisfying their dedicated legions of fans by presenting recordings that show the evolution of classic material either in the form of demos or alternate mixes. With such an important act as the Moody Blues, the fan base is noted for its keen interest in the recording process of their many classic albums. Therefore, after searching Decca and Threshold archives, together with the BBC, notable recordings have been compiled as bonus tracks, including three previously unreleased songs."

Street said that the albums will be remixed by "our own engineer and project consultant, in conjunction with members of the band," but that Clarke and Varnals will not be involved.

 

[Rachael B]

Doctor Livingston I preume?

 

[LarryDavenport]

It may sound like a dumb question but ithe answer's not obvious from the press release. Is the second disc a SACD hybrid too?

 

[Danny Tse]

Actually this line had me confused....no stereo hi-rez mix??

 

[DanFe]

Yeeeehaaaa!!!!

 

[David Coleman]

I'd be curious to know what the Elton John titles announced at MIDEM coming out on SACD?

 

[StephenA]

I'm definitely gonna get these new editions of the MB albums.

 

[WillG]

"To Our Children's Children's Children" in 5.1? With a second disc as well? Hopefully my head won't explode while listening.

 

[Danny Tse]

From http://www.moodies-magazine.com/moody_news.htm

Classic 7 SACDs release delayed. We've just heard from the U.K. arm of Universal Music who matter-of-factly states that "...the Moody Blues reissue program has been put back until early next year, dates to be announced." The reissued discs -- which will include previously unreleased material as well as beefed-up sound -- were originally slated to debut last month.

 

[LarryDavenport]

I am starting to worry that all the labels are going to abandon hi-rez. There hasn't been a significant release in SACD or DVDA, to me, in months. Even Neil Young's Greatest Hits is only coming out in DVD video.

 

[Danny Tse]

I am not sure about DVD-A, but SACD is doing OK. As a niche format, that is. We have Clapton, Elton John, and the Carpenters coming. Mark Knopfler's new release was just issued on SACD as well. And that's just from Universal.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

I agree. Plus, DualDisc may help reignite hirez if the launch is done right and forefully.

There are lots of jazz and classical SACDs out now that I want.