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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE FINEST SOUND IN SACD, June 23, 2004
After hearing some DVD Audios and SACD's, I have to say that by far, this record contains the finest sound of all. This is the very first opportunity to hear how well crafted is the sound of Roxy Music in this record.
Bob Clearmountain, one of the original engineers in charge, says it better in the booklet: "While the band, Rhett Davies and I were working on the original stereo mixes in 1982, I can recall imagining the sound image as being more than just "stereo". There was so many wonderful things going on, I'd wish I'd had more places to put them than just 2 speakers. I wanted to be totally immersed in the album's soundscapes". About the new mix he adds: "it is how I'd always imagined this album should be presented -the sorround experience actually drawing you inside the music". Maybe other people have said the same about other records being remixed for 5.1. But after hearing AVALON, you'll really understand what Mr. Bob's excitement is all about.
If you are a Roxy Music fan, and SACD Multi Channel amplifier owner, this is a must have. The SACD layer contains an additional song not included in the original version of AVALON, called ALWAYS UNKNOWING (take note that this song is not included in the stereo layer). It's funny, but for me, this song (which is a very good ballad far from being a simple and uninteresting extra) gives this album a completion that I've always missed from the original record...It's as if there was something missing. But now, it's complete.
Note: This record is not made in the USA, but imported from Europe. I'd wish Amazon would give us the opportunity of having more SACD's only available in UK by now. But this is also to tell you that maybe, just maybe, there aren't many copies in store.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It Improves What I Though Couldn't Be Improved, October 13, 2005
If there were any album that I thought would be impossible to improve with technology, it would be Roxy Music's Avalon. The sound stage of the original was rich and full, yet the separation and detail were amazingly accurate. Avalon's masterful engineering helped make it Roxy Music's magnum opus and one of the greatest recordings of all time. Improving on it would take more than just a new technology that utilized 3 more channels. In short, this is not an album that could be pimped.
That being said, it took less than 30 seconds of hearing track one, More Than This, to convince me of two things. First, Sony not only improved what I thought was impossible to improve-they greatly improved it. Second, all the money I spent upgrading my audio system to utilize SACD was money well spent.
SACD recordings often sound untrue to the original; the engineers seem to over exploit the technology and disrupt the feel of the original recording. Maybe it was in effort to avoid this that Sony sought the help of two people who were involved in the original mixing of the album, Rhett Davies and Bob Clearmountain. Two veteran mixers maximized the technology without interfering with the sound or feel of the original. Maybe it is the brilliant job these two did; maybe it is the richness of the music; or maybe it is both, but this new version doesn't seem to add as much as it seems to reveal. This recording of Avalon sounds like it was written to be played on SACD.
The original recording of Avalon probably spun more times in my CD player than any other CD, yet it seems brand new. Every song on the album benefits from the new recording, but track 6, The Main Thing, seems to make the most of the 3 extra channels and the increased sound spectrum. The vocals and percussions are so detailed and crisp that they truly fulfill all the audiophile clichés about "perfect clarity" or "being true to life." The title track, Avalon, seems to drop Brian Ferry just a few feet in front of the listener while over the listener's shoulders, Phil Manzanera plays guitar and background singers help fill the room with hauntingly sweet vocals. The experience is amazing. This track was the first SACD recording where I truly felt center-stage.
As an added bonus, this recording provides what every fan of the original recording wishes they had- more. The SACD has an additional track added on the end, Always Unknowing. It is definitely "A" quality, however it may have been better suited for RM's previous album, Flesh and Blood. It doesn't quite deliver the lush, ambient sound that the other Avalon tracks deliver. Plus, the original final track, Tara, was the perfect finale.
If you are still not sure why you spent money on a SACD player, this version of Avalon will eliminate all uncertainty. Even if you were unfamiliar with the original or not a fan of it, you will not be able to refrain from enjoying the experience provided by this disc. It is remarkable.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great CD Layer, June 11, 2006
I read the reviews for this hybrid SACD with great interest, wondering if the CD layer was as fantastic as the SACD layer was reported to be. I bought the standard CD remaster several years ago when it first came out, but even though it was a big improvement over the original CD release, it was still a little disappointing. I just finished my first listening of the CD layer on this hybrid, and I can whole heartedly, and without any reservations, say that this CD is everything I hoped it would be. Folks, if you have a critical ear for sound quality, this is the version you want to buy. It will play on any standard CD player or SACD player.
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