The Stranger Accessories
 Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition
52nd Street
Avalon
Slowhand
Brothers in Arms
Kind of Blue
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
Toys in the Attic
Time Out
Thriller
The Stranger Reviews
Hard to quantify, but there is -nothing- on the center channel except the vocals, no blending at all, and there is no reverb to match it to the rest of the music. Just bizarre. system is oppo through 6 monster analog cables to Yamaha 2400's analog in, multichannel input selected for playback. I would believe that I was doing something wrong, but the "Toys in the Attic" SACD that I bought at the same time sounds Very good, so the vocals in the center channel of this SACD being completely Off sounding was a big disappointment. Best comparison I can give is that the music is playing on "speakers" in a 40 foot room, and you're standing right next to Billy as he sings along, un-miked.
This is simply a "must-have" item in your SACD collection. Stunning in every respect. Kudos to the folks who handled this surround mix, they did a stellar job. This is the reference version of this album, whether you're a Joel fan or simply dig SACD/DVD-A hi-res surround albums. While the surround effects are certainly filling and satisfying, they are in no way overbearing.
the sound of the 5.1 mix is mindblowing. I can't believe what we've been missing for 30 years from this album. What I will add is that I recently became 5.1-capable (I bought the Yamaha RX-V3800BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black)) (also amazing) and this is the first 5.1 SACD that I've purchased that I also had the Redbook CD for. The alternate vocal take on "She's Always a Woman" is also a highlight. First of all, I'll echo what everyone before me has said. just buy it, seriously. What's incredible about this mix is how much information is on the master tapes from which this mix was made that simply has never been on any of the previous releases. than has ever been shown in any previous version that it makes me want to cry.
I understand why the well-known take was selected for the album, but I'm glad to hear this one. it shows a different dimension to the song. There is so much more depth to the horns, strings, background vocals, drum work, acoustic guitars, etc. Don't even hesitate. If you're properly set up for 5.1, and you already love this album, you'll definitely want this. I've had the 8-Track, the cassette, the original issue CD, and the remastered CD releases of it. And it makes me wonder how much is missing from every other album with more than guitar, bass, and drums on it that I own.
For anyone out there who owns an SACD player,and you are a casual Billy Joel fan,this album is a must.No doubt all the mad keen Billy fans(like myself)already own a copy.The 5.1 mix of 52nd Street on SACD would probably be the next album I would recommend and An Innocent Man is also available although only in DSD 2.1 Stereo it sounds pretty good too and is most definitely worth a search.Great music from one of the most talented singer/songwriter performers of our time. Anyway,enough of my ravings and on to the music.As has been written by many other reviewers on this page,this is what multi-channel SACD is all about.The man responsible for producing most of Billy's platinum selling albums in the 70's and 80's,the great Phil Ramone,has done a stellar job at spreading the music contained on this disc around your room.It's amazing how wonderful this 30 year old album sounds when it completely envelopes you.I won't bore you all with a track by track analysis because they all sound like they were recorded yesterday. As a footnote to this review,I have now had the opportunity to listen to the 30th Anniversary edition and on checking the liner notes,do not believe that the album has been remastered again in 2008.This leaves me to conclude that the reissue is still using the 1998 DSD stereo master.No problem with that edition and it's the same stereo here on the SACD.I still believe this sounds better than the cd version. With the recent release of the Legacy 30th Anniversary edition for The Stranger: 30th Anniversary [Limited Edition] (Deluxe Boxed Set - 2 CDs + 1 DVD),I thought it might be time to write a few words about this outstanding 5.1 SACD of one of Billy Joel's most successful albums.Despite the fact that Sony in partnership with Universal Music created this magnificent format for reproducing high resolution audio,they(Sony) have chosen to only include a standard cd with the aforementioned reissue.No doubt there is a wealth of bonus material contained on the second cd and dvd with the deluxe edition and this alone makes it an essential collectors purchase but why no hybrid SACD.This would most definitely be the final nail in the coffin of future Sony SACD releases.
Songs you thought you knew sound far better than the orignal recording. The 5.1 mix together with the sacd makes it a much better record. This sacd goes into my personal top ten together with: dark side of the moon, tubular bells, in the flesh, tommy, hour glass, brothers in arms, gaucho, slowhand and Jeff Wayne's musical version of the war of the worlds.
|
