SACDs - Page 10 - Blu-ray Forum

Gremal · 05-18-2011, 01:59 AM

Quote:

do you have a list of favorites in your sacd collection that you would recommend to those of us who are new to the format?

Sure, but my list of favorites includes mostly out of print SACDs and imports that may be expensive or difficult/impossible to find. These include mostly jazz, classical and world music SACDs. I'll avoid recommending those and stick to rock recommendations, since that appears to be what you're into. But I'm using the term "rock" loosely. These recommendations run the gamut from domestic to imports, from recent releases to Sony's very first batches, from two-channel single layer to multichannel hybrid.

Beck - Sea Change
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Can - Tago Mago
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Pendulum
DJ Krush - Jaku
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Doobie Bros - Captain & Me
Bob Dylan - Planet Waves
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Earth Wind & Fire - That's the Way of the World
Earth Wind & Fire - Gratitude
Earth Wind & Fire - All'n All
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Grant-Lee Phillips - Mobilize
Groove Armada - Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)
Groove Armada - Lovebox
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
Isley Bros - 3+3
Jorma Kaukonen - Blue Country Heart
Carole King - Tapestry
Elton John - Tumbleweed Connection
Albert King - I'll Play the Blues for You
Willie Nelson - Stardust
O'Jays - Ship Ahoy
Police - Reggatta de Blanc
Police - Synchronicity
Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
Rolling Stones - Through the Past, Darkly
Santana - Abraxas
Santana - Caravanserai
Joe Satriani - Engines of Creation
Sopranos - Soundtrack
Steely Dan - Aja
James Taylor - JT
Various - Reggae in High-Fi
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand the Weather
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life

Some of these won't win audio awards, but I consider them favorites. If you're interested in other genres let me know.

Travis · 05-18-2011, 07:55 AM

Not a bad list. I am always looking for Archie Shepp SACDs when I wander into shops in Taipei. Hoping to get lucky.

Lots of Japanese releases for CDs and SACDs in stores here.

Seen XRCDs here too, never bought one. Are they similar to HDCDs?

Gremal · 05-18-2011, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travis

Not a bad list. I am always looking for Archie Shepp SACDs when I wander into shops in Taipei. Hoping to get lucky.

Lots of Japanese releases for CDs and SACDs in stores here.

Only two Archie Shepp titles on SACD, both on the interesting Venus label: True Ballads and Deja Vu. Very much worth getting. I prefer these to his classic Impulse recordings that I find too frenetic.

Quote:

Seen XRCDs here too, never bought one. Are they similar to HDCDs?

XRCDs are overall better than HDCDs--much better.

Travis · 05-18-2011, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gremal

Only two Archie Shepp titles on SACD, both on the interesting Venus label: True Ballads and Deja Vu. Very much worth getting. I prefer these to his classic Impulse recordings that I find too frenetic.

XRCDs are overall better than HDCDs--much better.

Have had Deja Vu for years, got it after buying a TAS sampler. Got True Ballads after I saw it in your gallery. Sadly, both just on CD.

Eddie Higgins Trio: Bewitched is another I have and love, will try to find the SACD. Venus has great covers too.

Premium label puts out some samplers called Audiophile Voices, love the first 2. See they have them on XRCD, may pick up one, not sure if there will be much difference over the CD.

dobyblue · 05-18-2011, 01:14 PM

Bob Dylan's "Oh Mercy" (stereo only) will blow your socks off too, an amazing recording, Lanois did a great job on production.

I can't believe how great The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan sounds also, the vocals are just stunning.

Better in Blu · 05-18-2011, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Bob Dylan's "Oh Mercy" (stereo only) will blow your socks off too, an amazing recording, Lanois did a great job on production.

I can't believe how great The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan sounds also, the vocals are just stunning.

Thank you,
I will check out your selections. I have a dozen or so in my collection since getting a Oppo player a couple months ago, and enjoying the renewed interest in some of my longtime favorite artists.

Better in Blu · 05-18-2011, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gremal

Only two Archie Shepp titles on SACD, both on the interesting Venus label: True Ballads and Deja Vu. Very much worth getting. I prefer these to his classic Impulse recordings that I find too frenetic.

XRCDs are overall better than HDCDs--much better.

Thank you Gremal for your list. I will look at several of these to add to my collection.
Ron

JamesN · 05-18-2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gremal

...
James Taylor - JT
...

Do you have the October Road SACD? I avoided picking it up for a long time due to negative reviews, but I finally relented and I'm glad I did. It's now one of my favorite SACDs, and I honestly can't hear what it's detractors don't like about it. The surrounds are used tastefully and moderately yet to great effect (isolated percussion, background vocals, etc.)

Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is another SACD that got mixed reviews but I find stunning.

dobyblue · 05-18-2011, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Better in Blu

Thank you,
I will check out your selections. I have a dozen or so in my collection since getting a Oppo player a couple months ago, and enjoying the renewed interest in some of my longtime favorite artists.

Best part is you can get Freewheelin' for $9.98 on SACD new from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000C8AVE

Can't go wrong with that price.

Oh Mercy is still under $20 from Amazon in the used section, well worth adding while it's still at a reasonable price.

Gremal · 05-18-2011, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Best part is you can get Freewheelin' for $9.98 on SACD new from Amazon
Can't go wrong with that price.

Ya, Freewheelin sounds amazing and it's a great album. Probably should have included it on my list but I like how his music evolved so I chose the later albums. Unfortunately Desire is not as good AQ.

Travis · 05-18-2011, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Best part is you can get Freewheelin' for $9.98 on SACD new from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000C8AVE

Can't go wrong with that price.

Oh Mercy is still under $20 from Amazon in the used section, well worth adding while it's still at a reasonable price.

Price fell to $6.99 for Freewheelin'

And John Wesley Harding is $5.99 http://www.amazon.com/John-Wesley-Ha...5761627&sr=1-3 Not great reviews though.

Love & Theft is $5.99 too, http://www.amazon.com/Love-Theft-Hyb...5761627&sr=1-5

dobyblue · 05-20-2011, 03:30 PM

Looks like Dire Straits - Love Over Gold is coming out on SHM-SACD in July.
First time ever on SACD for this one.

Pondosinatra · 05-20-2011, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Looks like Dire Straits - Love Over Gold is coming out on SHM-SACD in July.
First time ever on SACD for this one.

That's my issue with SACD. There hasn't been a modern release (at least in Rock) for what? A decade?

As much as I love the 80's it'd be nice to listen to something that wasn't recorded then.

JamesN · 05-20-2011, 04:03 PM

I just wish they would have finished out the early Elton John catalog. I would gladly have given up Captain Fantastic for either 11-17-70 or Don't Shoot Me.

Better in Blu · 05-20-2011, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesN

I just wish they would have finished out the early Elton John catalog. I would gladly have given up Captain Fantastic for either 11-17-70 or Don't Shoot Me.

Yes, I love don't shoot me by EJ, and would love to have Caribou and Rock of the Westies as well.

dobyblue · 05-20-2011, 05:34 PM

I would love to have SACD MCH releases of Reg Strikes Back, Sleeping With The Past and Jump Up! as well.

I'm tempted to hold off on the SHM-SACD of Love Over Gold simply because of the 2012 CES WB music Blu-ray announcement and because I have the new WB pressing by Bernie Grundman which sounds fantastic so far.

$50 is a lot of money for one disc + shipping = $60.

Gremal · 05-21-2011, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

That's my issue with SACD. There hasn't been a modern release (at least in Rock) for what? A decade?

If more people bought SACDs a decade ago, Sony et al would have kept releasing them.

PanaPlasma · 05-21-2011, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gremal

If more people bought SACDs a decade ago, Sony et al would have kept releasing them.

Many of the early "sacd" pop & rock releases were really bad (metallic) sounding.

MP3 was "new", "fresh", "easy" and "portable". SACD was just another disc with copy protection.

It wasn't the right moment to launch a new format.

ZoetMB · 05-21-2011, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanaPlasma

Many of the early "sacd" pop & rock releases were really bad (metallic) sounding.

MP3 was "new", "fresh", "easy" and "portable". SACD was just another disc with copy protection.

It wasn't the right moment to launch a new format.

While we like to think otherwise, consumers have always chosen convenience over quality. And MP3 is extremely convenient.

SACD and DVD-Audio were poorly marketed, had the problem of two competing formats and were relatively expensive. So it's not too hard to analyze why they failed.

And yet, when 5.1 music is properly demonstrated, even in (compressed) DVD-Audio format, it blows people away. I always felt that the music industry blew this because had they convinced people that at least when listening at home, 5.1 was the way to go, they could have deferred many people moving from CDs to downloads. And as I've posted before, it's downloads that moved the market from an album market to a singles market. It's the singles market that's killing the industry, which is now half the size of its peak.

anthonyls · 05-22-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobyblue

2012 CES WB music Blu-ray announcement...

What announcement? Did I miss something?

05-18-2011, 07:55 AM	#182
Travis Blu-ray King Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Recliner Home Theater Gallery:71 4K collection:126 Blu-ray collection:2055 DVD collection:241 iTunes collection:40 Blu-ray reviews:4 Trading Score:14	Not a bad list. I am always looking for Archie Shepp SACDs when I wander into shops in Taipei. Hoping to get lucky. Lots of Japanese releases for CDs and SACDs in stores here. Seen XRCDs here too, never bought one. Are they similar to HDCDs?

05-18-2011, 01:14 PM	#185
dobyblue Super Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jul 2006 Location:Ontario, Canada Home Theater Gallery:71 4K collection:55 Blu-ray collection:655 Blu-ray reviews: 15	Bob Dylan's "Oh Mercy" (stereo only) will blow your socks off too, an amazing recording, Lanois did a great job on production. I can't believe how great The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan sounds also, the vocals are just stunning.

05-20-2011, 03:30 PM	#192
dobyblue Super Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jul 2006 Location:Ontario, Canada Home Theater Gallery:71 4K collection:55 Blu-ray collection:655 Blu-ray reviews: 15	Looks like Dire Straits - Love Over Gold is coming out on SHM-SACD in July. First time ever on SACD for this one.

05-20-2011, 04:03 PM	#194
JamesN Expert Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2008 Home Theater Gallery:32 Blu-ray collection:193	I just wish they would have finished out the early Elton John catalog. I would gladly have given up Captain Fantastic for either 11-17-70 or Don't Shoot Me.

05-20-2011, 05:34 PM	#196
dobyblue Super Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jul 2006 Location:Ontario, Canada Home Theater Gallery:71 4K collection:55 Blu-ray collection:655 Blu-ray reviews: 15	I would love to have SACD MCH releases of Reg Strikes Back, Sleeping With The Past and Jump Up! as well. I'm tempted to hold off on the SHM-SACD of Love Over Gold simply because of the 2012 CES WB music Blu-ray announcement and because I have the new WB pressing by Bernie Grundman which sounds fantastic so far. $50 is a lot of money for one disc + shipping = $60.

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