Universal Japan must have had a good reaction to the SA-CD’s they scheduled for this month (I don’t have my SA-CD “Who’s Next” as yet – I will advise) – because a few more expensive SA-CD titles have been scheduled for an August 25 release!
UCGG-9003BOHM & VPO / MOZART: REQUIEM (SA-CD; SHM-CD)
UCGD-9004DAVIS & THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA / BERLIOZ: SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE (SA-CD; SHM-CD)
UCGD-9003KARAJAN & VPO / R. STRAUSS: ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA, Etc. (SA-CD; SHM-CD)
Jazz:
UCGO-9001BILL EVANS / PORTRAIT IN JAZZ +1 (SA-CD; SHM-CD)
UCGO-9002MILES DAVIS / RELAXIN' WITH THE MILES DAVIS QUINTET (SA-CD; SHM-CD)
UCGO-9003WES MONTGOMERY / THE INCREDIBLE JAZZ GUITAR OF WES MONTOGOMERY (SA-CD; SHM-CD)
Unlike the batch that was previously scheduled, I don’t think any of these titles have previously appeared as SA-CD’s!They retail for 4,500 yen – so – expect to pay around $60 each for any of these titles.Not only are they Super Audio CD’s, they are Super High Materials CD’s!
To be honest, I went for the 10CC and Black Sabbath titles – in both cases, I am replacing 80’s CD’s of each.The 10CC album is known for it’s “good sound” and the Black Sabbath is a decent album, and much in need of a better mastering – and, no, I do not want the Euro deluxe 2CD + DVD Black Sabbath re-mastering.Just the proper album sounding as good as it can sound.
So, looks like the SACD format isn’t 100% dead! On the internet, I recently found a Universal Music Japan ( = UMJ ) release schedule (for 6/23/10) for the below titles:
UCGU-9001GETZ / GILBERTO *
UCGU-9002JOHN COLTRANE & JOHNNY HARTMAN
UCGU-9003JOHN COLTRANE – A Love Supreme *
UCGU-9004ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS ARMSTRONG
UCGU-9005SARAH VAUGHN – Sarah Vaughn
UIGY-9021ROLLING STONES – Let It Bleed *
UIGY-9022THE WHO – Who's Next
UIGY-9023DEREK & THE DOMINOS – Layla *
UIGY-9024ERIC CLAPTON – 461 Ocean Blvd *
UIGY-9025MOODY BLUES – Every Good Boy... *
UIGY-9026STEELY DAN – Aja
UIGY-9027THE POLICE – Synchronicity
UIGY-9028VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO
UIGY-9029ALLMAN BROS. BAND – Fillmore East *
UIGY-9030MARVIN GAYE – What's Going On
This is a very interesting set of releases – many of these have already been SACD’s in the US.I have indicated which US / EU ones I already own with an asterisk (*).I believe that the Rolling Stones and Moody Blues titles have already been SACD’s in Japan.Not sure about the jazz titles.There are also a few UMJ classical titles being issued at this time, but I do not have the details.
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 US counterpart is).
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.
My interest in SACD’s continues unabated.Scouring the bins of CD stores in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, I have managed to find a fair few of them.
David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars
David Bowie – Scary Monsters
Can – Monster Movie
Can – Soundtracks
Can – Tago Mago
Can – Ege Bamyasi
Can – Future Days
Can – Soon Over Babaluma
Can – Landed
Can – Unlimited Edition
Can – Flow Motion
Can – Saw Delight
Can – Rite Time
Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard, bonus material
Eric Clapton – Slowhand
Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue (not a hybrid)
Derke & The Dominos – Layla
Bob Dylan – Another Side Of
Bob Dylan – Freewheelin’
Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde (2CD)
Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding
Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
Bob Dylan – Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan – Slow Train Coming
EmersonLake & Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery (3CD Deluxe) bonus material
Peter Gabriel – Security (not a hybrid)
Peter Gabriel – Passion(not a hybrid)
Herman’s Hermits – Retrospective
Elton John – Elton John (“Your Song” album), bonus material
Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection, bonus material
Elton John – Madman Across The Water
Elton John – Honky Chateau, bonus material
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (2CD Deluxe + DVD) bonus material
Elton John – Captain Fantastic, bonus material
Moody Blues – Days Of Future Passed (2CD Deluxe) bonus material
Moody Blues – In Search Of The Lost Chord (2CD Deluxe) bonus material
Moody Blues – To Our Children’s Children’s Children (2CD Deluxe) bonus material
Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon
Rolling Stones – 12 x 5
Rolling Stones – Now!
Rolling Stones – Out Of Our Heads (UK vers.)
Rolling Stones – Between The Buttons (US vers.)
Rolling Stones – Beggar’s Banquet
Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out
Rolling Stones – Through The Glass Darkly (Big Hits #2) (US vers.)
Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil (CD Single)
The Who – Tommy (2CD Deluxe) bonus material
Y.M.O. – UC Y.M.O. (Ultimate Collection) (2CD)
Yep, I’m listening to SACD’s via a 2 channel hook up.When I put the disc in my player, a light comes on, telling me what kind of disc it is.For instance, the Y.M.O. disc is a mere 2-channel disc, so I do not need to make any selections on my SACD player.But the Peter Gabriel titles I have…are not hybrid discs.They will not play in a CD player.When I put them in my SACD player, I must select “2-channel”, because otherwise, I will only hear the two front channels!Only other non-hybrid disc I have is by Miles Davis.All the other SACD’s play in any CD player!
So far, the best sounding re-masters have been on “Tommy” by The Who – who knew it could be that clear?And, for me, surprisingly – The Moody Blues “Days Of Future Passed”!What a crisp recording that is!Perhaps it was because they were allowed to use the big studio at Decca, where usually only classical music was being recorded?For a 1966 recording, it sounds fabulous.But, really, everything on this list just sparkles!
And a few more SACD’s are on their way, via mail-order.Alas, it doesn’t look like the format is being supported by anything other than the classical music field.I went into one store, and they had 200+ classical titles, and about 6 rock music titles!
So, my failed format maven status is assured!Betamax, Minidisc, SACD…
My CD player bit the big one, so I went and got a replacement.All I could find was a Sony "SACD" machine (SCD-CE595, approx. $150).
Then a light went on in my head: I have some SACD's already!All the Can re-masters, the 'good' Rolling Stones CD's, some of the Bob Dylan re-masters...and a Peter Gabriel "Security" that is not a hybrid disc (i.e. it won't play in a CD player, it wants a SACD player). SACD's are all multi-channel (?), which of course – I am not set up for.Surely not all SACD’s are multi-channel!?(Guess I haven’t seen any mono ones yet – they exist!).
So, I did a little research and I see that there are actually a few SACD titles I would like to find. Some were done a few years ago, some are newer.
I've already learned: I will buy the SACD version in addition to whatever other versions I deem necessary. As in, I won't be getting rid of any LP's or Japanese little album covers, in favor of SACD's!
So, in no particular order, I want to try and find SACD's for:
ANIMALS / ERIC BURDON – Retrospective (Abkco) in digipak
ART OF NOISE – Daft; Reconstructed (ZTT UK)
BAND, THE – Music From Big Pink (Mobile Fidelity)
BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING CO. – Cheap Thrills (Sony)
MOODY BLUES – A Question of Balance (Universal UK); Every Good Boy Deserves Favor (Universal UK); On The Threshold Of A Dream (Universal UK); Children’s Children… (2CD)
OLDFIELD, MIKE – Tubular Bells (Virgin UK)
PROPAGANDA – A Secret Wish (ZTT UK)
ROLLING STONES – #1; No. 2; Flowers; Aftermath (UK); Their Satanic Majesties Request (Abkco); More Hot Rocks (Big Hits and Fazed Cookies) 2CD in digipaks
ROXY MUSIC – Avalon; Best of (Virgin UK)
SANTANA – Abraxis; Caravanserai (Sony)
SIMPLE MINDS – Best Of; New Gold Dream; Once Upon A Time (Virgin UK)
T. REX – Electric Warrior (A&M UK)
TANGERINE DREAM – Rubycon (Virgin UK)
WHO, THE – My Generation (MCA)
ZOMBIES, THE – Greatest Hits
I didn't see a lot of jazz titles that I wanted, when researching SACD titles (Just “Kind of Blue”). Obviously, some of the above are from England – and won't be easy to find locally. I do not think all of them are "Multi-channel", but all of the above titles have versions designated as "SACD" (Super Audio CD).
I had some SACD titles already in my collection – and didn't even realize it! For instance, the 2CD + DVD Elton John "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" set is an SACD disc, as is the UK Moody Blues "In Search Of The Lost Chord" 2CD deluxe edition - which isn't even designated as an SACD, but...the little light comes on! It's an SACD!
Yes, I checked, and I have a ton of "DSD Mastering" CD's from Japan - I tried a few of those, but the SACD light won't come on. Drat!
