Customer Reviews

Brand New Day (Digital Theater System (DTS) version)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am here writing about the DTS version of Brand New Day.

Having enjoyed the original version of this album for two years now, I thought that the DTS version would simply rehash the original mixes and move a few things into the surround mode.

I was wrong. This is a complete deconstruction of the album, resulting in a completely different listening experience, an experience that is more demanding, more surprising, and more thought-provoking. I can see how this would be a bad thing for some people, who just want to hear the album the same way every time. If you are one of those folks, don't buy this version of the album.

But if you want to hear these songs in new ways, with sounds enveloping you and challenging your previous understanding of this album, then you are in for a treat.

The sound is rich, full, and yet still filled with subtleties. This disc reveals how much got buried in the mix when Sting mixed the original version of "Brand New Day". Those sounds are still buried, but they are more easily heard on this version.

Perhaps the most amazing moment in this cd is "Desert Rose", when the synthesized sounds and percussion start moving around the back of the room, while the bass and main drum kit are rooted firmly in the front. It's a great piece to show off your receiver with!

Once again, this cd is a bit of a challenge, and if you are just looking for a nice background listen, this won't do it for you. But if you want to be surrounded, and constantly going "Hey, I never noticed that before!", then this disc is for you.

From the opening note of A Thousand Years, coming exclusively through the .1 channel, you will be submerged in a dream like state.

This Sting dts CD is by far the most surreal sound I have ever heard. It's literally audio bliss. When the chorus comes in I shiver. i also have the Police greatest hits and Ten Summoner's Tales on DTS Entertainment's label. They are all thrilling but this is definitely the most wonderful 5.1 mix ever.

UPDATE - AUG 2010 - It has been quite a while since I revisited some older reviews, but some time ago I managed to acquire Brand New Day on Super Audio CD (SACD) and let me tell you, as good as the dts cd is the SACD knocks its socks clean off. Everything that was great about the dts CD is enhanced upon here. Fidelity, wide open soundstage, this recording aside from the wonderful 5.1 mix by Elliot Scheiner is just aural bliss.

If you can find a copy of the SACD before it skyrockets into the oblivion of SACD OOP prices (see Beck's Sea Change on SACD) then grab it. If you have to settle for the dts-cd, it's still very enjoyable.

4 stars for the dts cd
5 stars for the SACD version. Here is a link for the SACD.

Brand New Day (Hybr) (Ms)

I have to say, thank you so much DTS. This cd was the first album I tried in my new 5.1 system, and I have to say, the difference is incredible. I had originally intended to start with track 2, Desert Rose, but once I heard the opening to track one, A thousand years, I was hooked. The surround effects are incredible. The subwoofer is rarely this active, the sound is so incredibly rich and perfect I'm not sure I'll ever buy another standard cd again.

I already have the "normal" two-channel version of this disc, so I got this DTS disc to see how it compared. Listening to the two side-by-side is amazing... the range is greater, the sound far smoother, and the surround effects are very engaging. In fact, the more I listened to the DTS version, the less I could stand listening to the old version. It's that much better.

Had one of my friends who is a serious audiophile nut take a listen, and he was also very impressed.

The only downside of this disc is that I can't bring it with me in the car... but then again, my car system isn't good enough to do this disc justice.

The DTS version really brings out the music. Many of the tracks are very different and I like most all of the songs. It gets a lot of plays in my household! Watch out for the low bass on the first part of the CD, it can blow out your speakers.

I must respectfully disagree with the other reviews of this CD. I was apalled by the poor choices engineer Elliott Scheiner made in doing the 5.1 mix. On most tracks Sting's voice is presented absolutely dry, with no reverb whatsoever. He sounds as if the band is in one room, and he is alone in another.

Most disappointing was the way Scheiner somehow managed to take the dense, driving, locomotive whirlwind of sound in the stereo mix of "Desert Rose" and water it down to the point where it sounds like a Perry Como cover. My other favorite tune on the record, "After the Rain Has Fallen", is likewise rendered limp, gutless and unmoving. Half the instruments are submerged to the point of near inaudibility.

Maybe I was expecting too much after the wonderfully enhanced listening experience I had with Steely Dan's "Gaucho" in DTS, but this CD is a huge letdown to me. I'll stick with the plain old two-channel version, thanks.

One of the better DTS discs that I've added to my collection lately, but the center channel is underutilized. (In fact, there's barely any sound coming from it at all. They must have recorded the center channel at a ridiculously low level. At that point it just gets drowned out by the other 4 channels. Why even bother?).

Still a pleasant disc to listen to, but I wouldn't advertise it as a "5.1" disc. Maybe "4.1" would be more accurate...

After a lackluster performance of Mercury Falling, Sting ventured out with new producer Kipper for Brand New Day. The collaboration gave Sting a breath of fresh air as this album's production sound is quite different from his previous efforts. That being said Kipper's production style can be heard more clearly in DTS 5.1 rather than stereo.

Subjectively speaking, some songs sound great in DTS 5.1 while others do not. Songs like "Big Lie Small World" sound wonderful in surround while "Desert Rose" sounds more cohesive in stereo. And while the DTS mixing credits reads like an engineering dream team with Elliott Scheiner and Bob Ludwig the overall 5.1 surround sound is limited. I don't believe this is in part due to their efforts but rather Kipper's production style. His extensive use of samples and sound bytes seem detached from the songs in surround. However, in stereo they sound great.

The bonus here is the full version of "The End of the Game" rather than the original edited version. If you originally enjoyed "Brand New Day" then you would enjoy listening to the DTS version.

I always had a tape to start for this album. I loved the songs somuch i picked up the cd and when i saw the audio dvd.. i immediately picked it up. This album has stepped up a few notches with DTS recording quality. Perfect to demo ur hometheater .. ENJOY!!!

Jaykar

Sting seemed to be on a roll in the early 90s, with his masterpiece THE SOUL CAGES and the outstanding TEN SUMMONER'S TALES. Unfortunately, his winning streak ended with 1996's MERCURY FALLING, a pretentious, unextraodinary addition to Sting's musical portfolio. In 1999, however, Sting made his comeback in a big way with BRAND NEW DAY. It was the ex-Police frontman's first venture into techno music, which he would continue to explore on his subsequent release, SACRED LOVE. Along with the exotic "Desert Rose", a surprise smash hit for the 50-something musician, there's a variety of delightful songs, including the hyptonic "A Thousand Years", the irresistible "After The Rain Has Fallen", and the mega-upbeat title tune. The album has a few oddities - "Tomorrow We'll See", about a transvestite hooker, redeemed by its shady bass line, and the cringeworthy, pretentious "Fill Her Up", undoubtedly the worst song of Sting's entire career - but for the most part, it's a delightful melding of jazz, alt rock and techno. Over thirty years after a band called The Police burst on to the music scene, Sting still rocks.