Pink Floyd - DSOTM - SACD Review/Discussion Thread

Poor Steve.
This has been answered ad nausea.

 

Re: Not as good sounding as the Zombies SACD

I believe that I'll be passing on this one and hanging on to my UD1. Can ya tell I trust your ears FFF? Then again it could be that Steve likes his. Hmmm, sounds like I'm going to be spending a rather sizeable amount to obtain that 1983 Toshiba mastering.

Say does anyone have a copy of that Toshiba they would part with after obtaining the new SACD?

 

2 questions about DSOTM:

Who says "I think its nice" at the end of Brain Damage? Is it Syd Barrett?

And how did they get Claire Torry to sing the fabulous Great Gig In The Sky? That peice had no words and is essentially Claire riffing on her own it would seem. I 've always wondered who came up with that idea because it is unique in Rock History. Nothing like it by any other group.

JohnG

 

Re: Re: Not as good sounding as the Zombies SACD

Every time someone brings up this Toshiba DSOTM I kick myself really hard.
I traded it for $5 credit at a used CD store when I got the MFSL UDI back in 1988.


BC

 

But this Toshiba from 1989 is gold, it has to sound even better. Right?

Nice price...

I'd love to see the matrix number.

 

Alright, I just got done doing a really quick A/B......It's been so long since I've heard this album since today. I was amazed at the detail that came through on the SACD. I was like, this blows everything I've heard outta the water.....Then I decided to A/B the 20th anniversary, the mofi gold, and the SACD. I only compared with the last two tracks, Brain Damage and Eclipse.... The SACD and former edition seem to be pretty close in the EQ, maybe the SACD's a bit more beefed up. Both have more detail than the mofi......but..........The Mofi has a real smoothness to it that I love. I guess you can say "easier on the ears"..................Soooo, I guess it's a trade off. I love the overall lush sound of the mofi the most and like the extra bass probably because I listen on monitors........So I'm holding on to my dear gold plated Mofi just so I can trade off with the different flavors........If I want detail and really want to hear into the music than I'll grab the SACD, but the overall feel and sound that I like, I'll go with the MOFI

Keep in mind that I've only compared the last two tracks......Haven't compared the other songs yet.......


-Wes

 

Fab Four Fan's reaction is interesting and makes me want to listen to the 2ch SACD pronto. As I've said, though, it's hard to make myself do this when I know I have the splendors of that multichannel mix just a button push away. Hard to go back.

FWIW, I didn't notice any buzzy distortion of any kind in the Mch SACD mix. Perhaps this is unique to the 2ch SACD?

Steve, I see that you prefer the Toshiba-EMI DSOTM. I remember how blown away I was when I listened to it quite recently after a lapse of several years. A completely unforced transfer--effortless sounding, with great phasing effects and lovely timbres. I'll be very interested to compare it to the SACD 2ch in light of your remarks and FFF's.

Now a question for you, Steve. You've said that the Sax/Gray LP master sounds just like the master tape. Do you think Sax tried to match tonalities in the redbook and 2ch layers of the SACD, or are we looking at (or listening to) four deliberately and significantly different mastering paradigms at work here: LP, redbook, SACD 2ch, and SACD Mch (mastered by Guthrie, in this latter case)?

 

Yes, I believe so:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12999

Interesting that LPs' electromechanical limits increase the chance of fidelity to the master tape in a world where people can't resist the temptation to futz.

My other question about matched or deliberately different tonalities remains, although given what you're saying about the LP it sounds as if Sax might well have pursued the same mastering philosophy in this case across all three formats he worked on (LP, redbook, 2ch). Do you think that's the case, or are we looking at a significantly different mastering goal in the case of each format?

 

FabFourFan,
Any other helpful hints on identifying this 'gem'?
Is the info you gave, on the outside of the jewel box?
Thanks.

 

Ed,

I just pulled my disk out. The ends are yellow with black lettering. The hinge side is in English, the other in Japanese. CP35-3017 is on both ends. On back, the song titles are in large font Japanese, with smaller English text. Every copy that I have seen of this 83 disk is as described.

 

Is this just like the Abbey Road Toshiba CD? A flat transfer of a flat copy of the original tape?

 

Yes!!!

 

Well, I don't know if I can say too much that hasn't already been said, but here goes.

I was hesitant to even buy DSOTM on SACD (although prior reviews seemed favorable). Mostly because this album has been played "ad nauseum" on Classic Rock FM Radio for TOO LONG!!!

That said, I went to my local K-MART where I picked it up today for $11.99 (sticker price is $14.99).

This is one of the most enjoyable CDs that I've purchased in some time! This disc was done very well indeed. If the Beatles collection ever gets done with the same attention, we will be fortunate!

I hope this disc sells well and shows the critics that a well done product, at a good price will "wake up" the recording industry!!!

4 Thumbs Up!

 

One thing that is clearer on the SACD surround version is the opening statement "I've been mad for ****ing years, absolutely years" that is then followed by the famous statement " I've always been mad, I knowI've been mad, like most of us have".

Now I never knew that the statement "I've been mad for ****ing years" was on there. And I've had the lp, cd etc.... now its very clear.

Anyone else notice this? I presume it was always buried in the mix.

JohnG

 

I just picked up a 2nd copy at Best BUy for a friend. There was a sign saying "Go to the SACD/DVD-Audio section for DSotM in surround sound" but they had a bunch of the SACDs right there - next to the stereo CD, which seemed to be selling for $2 more!

 

I listened to the whole stereo SACD version in headphones and did not notice any buzzy distortion. The only oddity I heard was the little bit of crosstalked music, apparently from another session, at the very end (discussed already).

 

I've known it was on there for ****ing years, John! (Sorry!...)

 

I bought the SACD tonight and I am quite thrilled with this. I would have liked a little more for the 30th Anniversary issue in terms of content and packaging, however.

I've only listened to the hi-rez 2Ch mix and was quite impressed. The extra detail brought out all the nuances even the MoFi UDI couldn't produce. I have not compared the redbook layer to the MoFi, but I would reckon the MoFi holds its own for something mastered 16 years ago.

I probably won't get to listen to the 5.1 mix until the weekend.

My two wishes:

* Bonus tracks - live material from 72-75, the single edit of "Money", the Works mixes of "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse", and any other alternate mix rarities.

* Liner notes - pictures of previous releases of the album is what they give you with the obligatory lyrics. At least someone could have wrote an essay or given some background on the writing and recording.

Minor qualm: the printing on the disc itself is pretty blurry. Anyone else get a disc like this?

 

DSOTM is the first recording I ever received in my life (from my dad [via my uncle] on LP in the mid '70s) and even on the super-crappy turntable w/ its own speakers I had, I still heard that "mad for ****ing years" bit.

I just came home with my SACD and popped it in to listen to the 2ch version. I got to the "Great Gig..." when the disc froze up on me. No marks on the disc, so I tried again...it happened even earlier this time. It's happened in different spots three times since.

I just came here to see if it's happened to anyone else -- looks like not. I wonder if it's my player because I have a DVD video that trips up my (and a lot of other peoples') DVD machines the same way.

I'm 4 or 5 tracks into The Zombies SACD now (god, what a great disc!) with no problems. Looks like I'll have to exchange my disc tomorrow and hope for the best.

 

This disc is wonderful. I too, picked it up at BB for 11.99. Just superb. My poor speakers... they were wokin their tweeters and woofers off.

 

Well, I hate this SACD!.............

Why?........





Because it is SUCH a tremendous use of the 5.1 surround format (probably the best use to-date) that it has finally put me over the top to replace my 3-4 yr old side and rear pairs of Alon Centris surround bipoles (not $$ cheap). ARGH!

Seriously, this SACD is incredible, and uses the full-range discrete 5.1 channels to perfection, enveloping the listener in a brand new experience, which is a real statement since 1) I've heard DSOTM about a thousand times; and 2) I have close to 100 SACD/DVD-A/DTS Multichannel cd's in my collection. It's that good. It's not as personal as Lyle Lovett's Joshua Judges Ruth (DTS); it's not as interestingly eclectic as Beck's Sea Change (SACD) or as beautifully ambient as Paul Simon's You're The One (DVD-A), but it's as involving and enveloping as all of them put together. All surround remixers should go to school on James Guthrie's work here; he deserves as much credit as the band, frankly.

OK, so back to my hatred of this SACD. I have WAY too much invested in my Home Theater (heck, even got it written up in the Feb edition of Cleveland Magazine...ok, so it's not Architectural Digest, I'll give ya that). But since I know this work so well I was taken by the subtle tonal differences that the Alon's bipolar soundfield and slight timbre differences produce versus my VMPS towers and center speaker. (I've always known this, but for movies it doesn't matter that much, and for most MCH music it was close enough for me...I mean, heck, they're large full-range speakers with timbre qualities similar to VMPS.......until now).

So, buyer beware, you may just have to sell the car and go buy 5-7 Martin Logan speakers to REALLY get the full value of this little $11.99 disc.......

 

I bought this disc a few days ago at the local Wally World (Wal-Mart). I definately don't have to struggle to hear it with my 3.5 watt SET amps . Its detailed but like the Police SACD's its very loud.

 

I guess I have to retire my mofi. This SACD sounds great, but is this the last version of this great album? Or will we be buying the 35th anniversary with a remixed 8.1 super hi-rez?