SACD List of Upcoming Titles to get excited about! (1 Viewer)

[Lee Scoggins]

Rich,

I am really interested in your review of "So".

Please let us know what you think.

I used to live in Boston and was sad to see the Newbury store closed recently on a trip. They had some decent sales staff as well. Is Harvard Square decent?

I travel there often. Maybe we can grab a microbrew sometime.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Definitely let me know if you'll be in town, Lee!

I never really knew how much I'd miss the old Newbury St. Tower Records once it closed, but this Virgin Megastore shit is the pits. If you like big wide aisles, coffee bars, and flat screen TVs hanging everywhere, you'll love it. If you want a wide selection of music at fair prices, go elsewhere. I swear, I'd almost rather see that building boarded up and turned into a crack house.

(Not really, of course, but you get the point...)

The Harvard Sq. Tower Records isn't quite as big as the old Newbury St. location, it's just the best I've found for SACDs in town. Maybe someone could recommend another place? Is the Cambridgeside Gallery Best Buy any better than the Landmark Ctr one?

 

[Rich Malloy]

I had a chance to listen to two of the three Gabriel SACDs I was able to find yesterday: "Passion" and "So". Since Lee asked, let me address "So".

First, I don't have the remastered CD, which I understand is a nice improvement over the original release. This sorta cripples my review, as I imagine that's the standard against which most of you will compare these discs.... sorry! I'll do the best I can without it.

Gabriel's studio recordings have always been a step up from his contemporaries, but my impression of the original CD release of "So" is that it was overly-bright and suffered from that nasty CD "glare" that sent everyone running to vinyl. While I don't consider it to be dynamically compressed, at least not to the extent of most contemporary pop recordings, it was still somewhat congested and two dimensional in its soundstage.

The first thing I noticed on the SACD was that the inherent "brightness" was still a characteristic of the recording, but the digital glare that exacerbated this on the original releases is gone. More importantly, the congestion and two-dimensionality of the soundstage has been replaced by an openness and smoothness that the original CD never even hinted at. There's space and air around the individual instruments, the whipshots of the snare sound in Sledgehammer are fast and natural (or as natural as a synthesized sound gets), and the big round deep rolling bass tones are fully distinct, engaging, while still seeming almost transparent. No fuzz or wool at all! The midrange is opened up and the soundstage is much deeper, though not exceptionally wide.

It's a great improvement over the original CD, but I'm not sure how much over the remaster. Like the Police releases, these will never be "reference SACDs". I'm coming off long sessions with Telarc's "Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony" and Rounder's "Alison Krauss+Union Station Live", two of the finest sounding SACDs I've heard, and of course the Peter Gabriel SACDs simply cannot achieve these levels of fidelity. But compared to the original Gabriel CDs? There's simply no comparison.

A strong recommendation for this one, but manage your expectations: it's the best I've ever heard Peter Gabriel sound, but it's certainly not the best SACD I've heard. I know most of you are sophisticated and experienced enough to understand this, but I'm guessing a weekend spent with the two phenomenal discs mentioned above can significantly inflate anyone's expectations of what a good recording should sound like!

EDIT: I wanted to add a little note to this post--though my local BEST BUY didn't have a very good selection of Gabriel SACDs (only the three I purchased), "Shaking the Tree" rings up at only $11.99 (the others are $14.99). I don't mind paying more for the Chesky and Telarc discs, etc., but it's always nice to find a bargain now and again! Of course, I do think CD prices are too high, generally speaking, but it's nice not to have to pay more for SACDs.

 

[Danny Tse]

How about Elvis' 30 #1 Hits ??

 

[Evan S]

I'm coming off long sessions with Telarc's "Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony" and Rounder's "Alison Krauss+Union Station Live", two of the finest sounding SACDs I've heard, and of course the Peter Gabriel SACDs simply cannot achieve these levels of fidelity. But compared to the original Gabriel CDs? There's simply no comparison.

In terms of the Alison Krauss disc, I cannot agree more. After hearing all the raves on Audio Asylum about the Gabriel releases, I had high expectations. I listened to "So" a few times over the last few evenings and was very impressed...much better than my redbook counterpart (not sure which version I have...it's boxed up in the middle of a move). Anyway, put Alison back in last night and was astounded at how good it was to what I already feel is a very good sounding Gabriel disc. In fact, I agree...no contest.

 

[Rich Malloy]

How about Elvis' 30 #1 Hits ??

Do you know if that's an import-only, Danny? Obviously not a big deal, but I'm trying to include that info so folks know they'll have to go to the international retailers for purchase.

Evan, I only just got the AK+US "LIVE" disc this past weekend, and it's so very good that I'm having a hard time pulling those discs out of my player long enough to listen to the Gabriel!

 

[Danny Tse]

Rich,

I am not sure whether Elv1s - 30 #1 Hits will get a domestic release here in the US. I've e-mailed Elvis Presley Enterprises to get an answer and I will post the response if I get one. I am hoping BMG will go ahead with the SACD release here.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Danny, I'm gonna hold off adding that one to the list until we find some confirmation of this title. It seems that an SACD release of such relatively large magnitude would be accompanied by promos of some kind.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Updated with dates for the new Creedence SACDS (also from Analogue Productions and remastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray!), as well as the new live Heart release.

I wonder if anyone can comment on two recent SACD releases? Namely, Chick Corea, et al. "Rendezvous in New York: Live" and Carter, Cobb, Coleman and Stern "Four Generations of Miles". These both look very interesting to me, and I'd love to hear some feedback!

Chesky describes the "Miles" tribute thusly:

The night of May 12, 2002 may have just become another important milestone on the timeline of legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. Four musicians, each representing a different Miles Davis band from his ever-evolving career, came together at the club Makor in New York City to do what everybody said couldn't be done: to effectively fuse together elements of the radically different styles that Miles Davis embodied over his 45 years of professional performance. But after witnessing the masterful skills of drummer Jimmy Cobb, tenor saxophonist George Coleman, bassist Ron Carter and guitarist Mike Stern, it is clear they almost immediately established the kind of chemistry that pays tribute to every facet of Miles Davis' lifetime of work.

Four contrasting approaches to the jazz combo; four different perspectives on the improviser's art; one live set in New York City- and Chesky captured it all and is proud to offer this recording in Multi-Channel SACD format.

The CD release got "Stereophile Recording of the Month" last November, and you can read that review here: http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?713

Looks to be a fantastic performance, and I've never been disatisfied with a Chesky SACD. I'm pretty sure I'll be picking this one up, but I'd love to hear some feedback... and especially on the Chick Corea release, as I've heard very little about it.

 

[Evan S]

I wonder if anyone can comment on two recent SACD releases? Namely, Chick Corea, et al. "Rendezvous in New York: Live" and Carter, Cobb, Coleman and Stern "Four Generations of Miles". These both look very interesting to me, and I'd love to hear some feedback!

Rich, Elusive Disc confirmed shipment of my Chick Corea set yesterday so give me 3-5 days to receive it and I will post feedback.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Thanks, Evan!

 

[Lewis Besze]

The Deep Purple "Machine Head" SACD will not be released on April 28th after all. EMI are looking into the problems they've been experiencing with their SACD titles and hope to get to the bottom of it in the near future. No new release date has been set yet, either for this or other outstanding releases (eg. the Concerto SACD). They promise to keep us all informed as best they can

Bugger!

 

[Rich Malloy]

I picked up Peter Gabriel's "Us" and Carter, Cobb, Coleman and Stern's "4 Generations of Miles" this past weekend. The previous review applies to this Gabriel as well, and I was also very impressed by the "4 Generations" disc. The multichannel mix of "4 Generations" places you right smack in the middle of a small jazz club as these titans get loose with the Miles catalog. Yes, Stern is an odd choice for this combo; yes, he plays that digitally-delayed guitar tone that screams "this is the 80s!"; and, yes, Miles would still think he needs a long therapy session at "Notes Anonymous"... but I'll be damned if he doesn't burn up the stage! Excellent performances by all involved, and very much a combo effort (rather than four soloists waiting their turn). The crowd is very into it and occasionally taps out some polyrhythms on glasses, etc. An excellent disc.

I've been enjoying the new Alison Krauss+Union Station "LIVE" SACD so much, and particularly the wonderful dobro work by Jerry Douglas. I finally decided to pick up his "Skip, Hop and Wobble" CD with bassist Edgar Meyer and Sam Bush on mandolin, and was completely blown away. If you're as late to the Jerry Douglas party as I am, don't daddle any longer--this guy is an artist of the highest order, a true virtuoso. "S,H&W" is very highly recommended (though a CD-only release).

At any rate, I was looking up the Jerry Douglas catalog, and discovered that his Sugar Hill release "LOOKOUT FOR HOPE" is scheduled for release on SACD on 6/10/03-excellent news!!!

And I also ordered Jorma Kaukonen's "BLUE COUNTRY HEART" multichannel SACD that features Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck and Sam Bush along with Jorma. I've heard this is a fantastic sounding SACD, as well as a great (grammy nominated) set of performances. I also see that this title is out-of-print, so don't hesitate if you think it would appeal to you! I expedited my order and will post some remarks as soon as I get it.

I also noticed that Jerry Douglas plays with VM Bhatt on some kinda fusion hindustani/bluegrass SACD from Water Lily called "BOURBON AND ROSEWATER". I've got Water Lily's "INDIAN ARCHITECTURE" SACD, and it's fantastic. I didn't order B&R, but put on the ol' "To Buy" list for next week... or until I just can't wait any longer, whichever comes first!

 

[Al B. C]

Rich - this is an excellent disc!

Also, thanks for the tip on "4 Generations".

 

[Rachael B]

BLUE COUNTRY HEART is one of the best sounding SACD's that I've heard and I've heard a bunch!

 

[Rich Malloy]

Why didn't you folks tell me?!?

I can't wait to hear "Blue Country Heart"... and to think it nearly went OOP before I bought a copy!

Has anyone heard "Bourbon and Rosewater"? Or, for that matter, Jerry Douglas' latest, "Lookout for Hope", that's coming out on SACD in June?

 

[Lee Scoggins]

I also find Blue Country Heart to be superb.

Highly recommended!

 

[Rachael B]

Rich, if you did a search I bet you'd find a thread about BCH on SACD. I remember being involved in atleast one. There were not many negative comments as best I recall. One guy thought the vocals were harsh. I think these folks sing harsh, so what!?!? Even I liked the M/C mix! The stereo mix is as good or better too IMO. Odder dan nein hybread layher, muy muy muy bueno!

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Here's some news on the upcoming Dylan releases:

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/ne...umber=19366243

I am looking forward to these...

 

[Marc Colella]

Blonde on Blonde will have a MC track, but does anyone know if the stereo SACD track will be the same as the current release?