5-3-10 New SACD’s
So, looks like the SACD format isn’t 100% dead! On the internet, I recently found a Universal Music
UCGU-9001 GETZ / GILBERTO *
UCGU-9002 JOHN COLTRANE & JOHNNY HARTMAN
UCGU-9003 JOHN COLTRANE – A Love Supreme *
UCGU-9004 ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS ARMSTRONG
UCGU-9005 SARAH VAUGHN – Sarah Vaughn
UIGY-9021 ROLLING STONES – Let It Bleed *
UIGY-9022 THE WHO – Who's Next
UIGY-9023 DEREK & THE DOMINOS – Layla *
UIGY-9024 ERIC CLAPTON –
UIGY-9025 MOODY BLUES – Every Good Boy... *
UIGY-9026 STEELY DAN – Aja
UIGY-9027 THE POLICE – Synchronicity
UIGY-9028 VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO
UIGY-9029 ALLMAN BROS. BAND – Fillmore East *
UIGY-9030 MARVIN GAYE – What's Going On
This is a very interesting set of releases – many of these have already been SACD’s in the
These are “single layer” SACD’s – so they are not compatible with regular CD players. They are SHM-SACD’s (SHM = Super High Materials) and cost a whopping 4,500 yen each (not sure if the Allman Bros one is 2CD’s, it’s
Looks to me that a few titles are making their SACD debuts: The Who “Who’s Next”, Steely Dan “Aja” and “The Velvet Underground & Nico”. I would imagine both The Who and Steely Dan are multi-channel SACD’s, but – the V.U. is probably “SACD stereo only”. I have already chomped at the bit and pre-ordered The Who from amazon.co.jp (who confirm this release).
These are the first new rock SACD’s I have seen that aren’t from Mobile Fidelity. Pretty good titles, too. Glad to see Universal Japan keeping the SACD flag waving. I suppose that if these are limited to 5,000 pieces, UMJ won’t burn their fingers on this release schedule. I can dream: Maybe we’ll get some more titles in a few months? How I would love to see a UMJ SHM-SACD of 10cc “The Original Soundtrack”!
Some of these titles have been re-issued a couple of times each in different formats.
2 comments:
I have a single hi-res audio disc in DVD-audio format and only because it differs radically in mix from the original format. [Simple Minds - New Gold Dream]. Otherwise I have no time for newer, better-sounding disc formats. Besides, 40+ year old classic rock master tapes have been shake and baked so many times now that they all virtually count as remixes for any new remasters. If the SM disc were SACD, there is zero chance that I would have bought it. At least I can listen to the DVD-Audio on my DVD player, albeit in stereo. Like you, I never got sucked into surround sound... and I never will! There is zero chance of springing for the requisite rig - my house is simply too small to have surround sound!
Besides, when I remaster from vinyl, I have tried all of the hi-res formats. The only difference my 46 years old ears (treated with care - most concerts attended were with earplugs) can hear is the difference between 16 and 24 bit depth. So I master from vinyl in 44.1/24. It sounds slightly richer than 44.1/16 [CD audio]. I am not capable of discerning the increased resolution from 44.1 to 96 KHz.
I have enjoyed picking up SACD's because of how the re-mastering sounds. Everything is now much clearer than on previous issues (such as The Moody Blues, for instance).
Can't really see setting up a 5.1 system at my house, unless all the perfect equipment was available: for instance, a combo DVD / SACD player, designed as an audio-only machine. Did such a machine ever exist?
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