Genesis SACD's?

[N. Abstentia]

Anybody have them yet? How are they and where did you get them?

[Javier]

I´m waiting eagerly for them to arrive ordered W&W; duke and ATTWT ( Trick backordered) from acoustic sound ( pricey at $30) i will comment on them as soon as i got my ear on them.

[N. Abstentia]

Yeah they're not cheap! $119 for all 5 is the best deal I've found.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Amazon is offering these two SACD Hybrids together for $58.
CD Universe price for the two is $53.

I think I'm going to point the gun at CDU and pull the trigger.

[Woochifer]

Amazon is offering these two SACD Hybrids together for $58.
CD Universe price for the two is $53.

I think I'm going to point the gun at CDU and pull the trigger.

You know if these are the European or Asian market versions? The European version would be the less desirable one because the DVD is encoded for the PAL standard rather than the North American NTSC standard (which Japan also uses).

[Rich-n-Texas]

Imports in NTSC format according to Cd Universe. It also shows EMI label (USA)

Sorry for the short response. I was eating cheese curls and had to type with my pinky finger.

Anyway, a reviewer indicated that the import can be had in PAL or region 0, and the one I spoke of has an NTSC bonus DVD so it's the right one for the US market.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinf...=7402260&BAB=A

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinf...=7402263&BAB=A

[Mr MidFi]

Anyone have a clue when the official 2-disc U.S. release is slated for? I've seen nothing but conflicting information.

[Mr MidFi]

Well, seems the U.S. releases did drop this past Tuesday. Kind of a quiet release if you ask me...I found out by accident. Just bought my 'Trick' ($16 at BB) but haven't had a chance to check it out yet. Looking forward to hearing the DTS mix on my main rig later tonight, and seeing the '76 show on DVD.

I'll chime back in when I have an opinion. But in the meantime, go get yours if you want one...they're out there.

[Woochifer]

Bit of an update. Seems that there are now multiple imported versions available for anyone looking to obtain the SACD hybrid disc for the Genesis remasters.

At Amoeba Music, I picked up an import of And Then There Were Three from Hong Kong for $25. The DVD is NTSC, and the audio disc says "Made In The EU." I've only listened to the CD layer in the car, but I'll put the SACD through the motions and compare it with the 5.1 DTS track when I get a chance.

Checking online at CDUniverse, it looks like there is a Japanese import with mini-LP cover sleeves going for $54 (!), while the Hong Kong imports are selling for $23 each. The Euro import is still selling for around $35, and it only includes a PAL DVD. Seems that the Hong Kong import is the way to go.

[Dave_G]

Best Buy has these for $16.99 each.

I bought A Trick of the Tail.

The sound is very different. I only have 2 channel so I just listened to it on regular stereo cd mix.

They have really changed this from the original. It ain't no remaster, it's a different mix. But it sounds very good.

The dvd side is okay, some old school video with Hackett and Bruford. It is weird seeing Bill Bruford playing Genesis music. Doesn't fit for me.

Anyway this is a very well done set and I will probably buy a few more. Really looking to hear what they do to Trespass.

Dave

[DPM]

I've just listened to the SACD surround mix for the second time, and I do think it's good--for the most part. My one nit to pick is that I would have kept the drums in the front three channels and just had some bleed through to the rear channels from the cymbals. Still, all-in-all this is an enjoyable mix. I also must add that Phil Collins' vocals are a revelation. He was actually a decent singer even back then. The original stereo mix hid this somewhat.

[Woochifer]

Best Buy has these for $16.99 each.

I bought A Trick of the Tail.

The sound is very different. I only have 2 channel so I just listened to it on regular stereo cd mix.

They have really changed this from the original. It ain't no remaster, it's a different mix. But it sounds very good.

The dvd side is okay, some old school video with Hackett and Bruford. It is weird seeing Bill Bruford playing Genesis music. Doesn't fit for me.

Anyway this is a very well done set and I will probably buy a few more. Really looking to hear what they do to Trespass.

Dave

What I've seen at BB is the U.S. version that does not include the SACD layer. The European and Asian releases all include CD/SACD hybrid discs. My understanding is that the SACD layer was excluded from the U.S. release because Warner Music does not officially support SACD. Too bad because the SACD layer on And Then There Were Three sounds really good, and to my ears is a notable improvement over the already substantially improved sound on the CD layer. This is why some of us here are trading info on the imports.

The two-channel mixes are a substantial improvement over previous CD versions I've heard, and you're right, these are brand new remixes done from the source, not just merely reEQ'd transfers from the two-channel mixdown. The imaging on these mixes sounds very lifelike. Might sound a tad bit processed, but it sure beats the overly thin and harsh sound from the early CD releases.

If you want a preview of how the two-channel mixes will sound on Trespass and the Peter Gabriel era releases, you could pick up a copy of the Genesis Platinum Collection. This 3-CD "best of" set from 2005 was the first release of the new Nick Davis remixes, which he has apparently been working on since 2002. The entire first CD is material with Peter Gabriel.

I've just listened to the SACD surround mix for the second time, and I do think it's good--for the most part. My one nit to pick is that I would have kept the drums in the front three channels and just had some bleed through to the rear channels from the cymbals. Still, all-in-all this is an enjoyable mix. I also must add that Phil Collins' vocals are a revelation. He was actually a decent singer even back then. The original stereo mix hid this somewhat.

You're right. I think that the best multichannel mixes tend to keep the primary drumbeats in the front soundstage. It's not ridiculously overdone in this case, but I agree that a different placement might have worked better.

The sound on the 5.1 SACD layer in general is more open and clearly differentiated -- seems to be the case with other well-done 5.1 mixes as well. It really demonstrates just how congested a two-channel mix can sound by comparison.

[PeruvianSkies]

This sounds like the same thing regarding the DEPECHE MODE catalog. They reissued the catalog this year in the US with a newly mastered CD/DVD set, but no SACD, unlike outside the US, which has a SACD/DVD set with the CD layer. The DVD is also in DTS on the non-US sets, which are a great comparison to the SACD 5.1 layer. The DVD's are not region 1, so you need an all region player to get playback on the DVD disc.

I prefer the SACD in terms of fidelity on the DM catalog, but I still like the thickness of bass on the DTS mixes.

[Mr MidFi]

Just a note to clarify Woochifer's post...
While the U.S. releases do not include an SACD layer, they do include a second disc with a 5.1 DTS mix (plus the concert video & extras, of course).

I, too, have a few nits to pick about both the 5.1 and 2C mixes on TotT, but overall they represent a substantial improvement over the craptacular original CD release I've been enduring for years.

My biggest nit to pick is with the director of the concert video, who obviously believed we would rather see cheesy "conceptual" video segments thrown in randomly, rather than staying on the musicians. But that's why they call it bonus material folks...and the parts that ARE good are really, really good.

[Woochifer]

Just a note to clarify Woochifer's post...
While the U.S. releases do not include an SACD layer, they do include a second disc with a 5.1 DTS mix (plus the concert video & extras, of course).

Yup, the DVD features are identical in all editions. These releases fortunately are not regionally coded, so the only thing to watch out for in ordering an imported version is whether the disc is NTSC (North America and part of Asia) or PAL (most of Europe).

I, too, have a few nits to pick about both the 5.1 and 2C mixes on TotT, but overall they represent a substantial improvement over the craptacular original CD release I've been enduring for years.

My biggest nit to pick is with the director of the concert video, who obviously believed we would rather see cheesy "conceptual" video segments thrown in randomly, rather than staying on the musicians. But that's why they call it bonus material folks...and the parts that ARE good are really, really good.

Oh my gawd, I've all these flashbacks to early music videos with the cheesy video effects (like the mirrored split screen effect or all those rainbow shadow effects).

I've yet to try out the DVD for And Then There Were Three, but it too seems to focus on concert footage from 1978. Scary because I remember how the directors used to insert all these bizarre optical effects into all these rockumentaries from that era. The more I think back to all that, the more ingenious This Is Spinal Tap becomes.

[BradH]

My biggest nit to pick is with the director of the concert video, who obviously believed we would rather see cheesy "conceptual" video segments thrown in randomly, rather than staying on the musicians.

That's the one /w the nuclear explosions and old time silent reels? I got the distinct impression they were sometimes covering for lack of camera footage on that one.

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

The new CD remixes are far too hot for my tastes. I prefer the original CD releases.

[Mr MidFi]

That's the one /w the nuclear explosions and old time silent reels? I got the distinct impression they were sometimes covering for lack of camera footage on that one.

Yes, and I got the same impression. But almost all of Cinema Show is taken up with that silent movie schlock...they had to have had more to work with than what they show. And the "hippy chick doing interpretive dance on the beach" just happens to coincide exactly with the all-instrumental portion of Entangled.

Some of this is the director's choice, methinks. But you did say "sometimes"...so yeah, I agree. Probably.

[BradH]

And the "hippy chick doing interpretive dance on the beach" just happens to coincide exactly with the all-instrumental portion of Entangled.

Yeah, I hate all that crap. Most video editors don't know how to step aside with their egos and let the footage come through. I've seen some amazing stuff from that era that's practically sabotaged by goofy effects. At least they caught the rest of "Entangled". It was great to see Banks playing acoustic guitar w/ Hackett & Rutherford, an essential part of the early Genesis sound going all the way back to Ant Phillips' days. They used to do it a lot but you rarely see pics of it, much less film footage w/ decent sound for the time.

I've got a great boot of that tour recorded by an FM station in Pittsburgh.