Customer Reviews

Heathen (Multichannel/Stereo)

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

 

 

heathen on sacd is INCREDIBLE! okay, for those of you who don't know what an sacd is: instead of having 2 channels, left and right audio, it has 6. front left, front right, front center, back left, back right, and subwoofer. heathen is amazing because the CENTER SPEAKER PLAYS ONLY DAVID BOWIE'S VOCALS. you can hear his actual singing a LOT clearer, and it sounds like you're actually at a concert! (you can also try to turn down all the other speakers and listen to him a capella. interesting.)

the music opens up as well. instruments that hadn't been heard before can now be heard clearly. the music takes on a more rounded sound that's WAY more exciting to listen to. songs that benefit greatly from being put into sacd form are Sunday, 5:15 the Angels have Gone, and Took a Trip on A Gemini Spacecraft.

also, 4 extra songs are added into this sacd, all of them fabulous, but on the mellow side. my favorite is "wood jackson." listen to how david sings the word "sha-a-ame!" amazing, david bowie's vocals are getting better every year.

one downside to an sacd: you can't play it on a regular cd player. but don't let that stop you from getting your hands on this.

I bought this sacd because I just had to have some more rock in multichannel (you can only listen to Dark Side of the Moon so many times) and I was not just surprised but actually floored by it -- it is so good. The music all fits together and it is one of those records that draws you in and keeps you in Bowie's world to the last note. The surround mix is second only to DSOTM and is a strong argument for full-range surround speakers. Demonstration quality surround -- far superior, for example, to the Police "Every Breath You Take" album. Very highly recommended.

To really hear "Heathen" in its full glory, you really do need the SACD version--not only is it fuller sounding, but the little details are suddenly there, ones that got buried under the layer of harshness on the CD mix.

The PCM-encoding that CD sound is based upon is simply too crude for releases like "Heathen." Tony Visconiti's production became really intricate on Bowie albums like "Low", "Heroes", "Lodger" and most famously, "Scary Monsters", and this album is no exception.

With the exception of Slow Burn, none of these songs are very catchy at first listen. Instead they rope the listener in gradually, with each listen--and the extra details and richness of the SACD version really accelerates this appreciation of how good this music really is.

Add to the fact that you've got 4 bonus tracks that are also in super-high fidelity, and this becomes a must for anybody with a SACD-capable player and a good sound system.

I give it 4 stars because it's not one of the most immediate albums Bowie's ever done, but it's great for rainy days.

"Heathen" was a hard listen for me, initially; with it's over-sampled guitar work. However, when I acquired a system that decodes SACD's, this album completely changed in sound and dynamics. With surround sound and the exquisite remastering, you can truly hear the layers of music that Bowie intended you to hear. "Sunday" and "5:15" are especially breathtaking on this disc and "Everyone Says Hi" turns from silly and simple to fun and phenomenal. Also, this SACD contains four more songs that were only available on special discs or singles. The Fall of 2006 should allow Sony to release inexpensive SACD Surround Sound systems and this SACD should be your first purchase. The experience is simply spine tingling and ethereal. Bowie always was ahead of the game in music and styles.

When I first heard the CD, I didn't really like the album except for a couple of songs. Then I got the SACD just for fun, and boy what a difference. From the first 5 seconds of the first track, I could tell the SACD has space around all the instruments and synthesized effects, and this clarity is consistent with the rest of the album. It was quite revelatory. I think this is quite an enjoyable album, and the songs, like most of Bowie's songs, evoke a mood or atmosphere. If you like Bowie at all, avoid the CD and go straight to the SACD.

... fortunately for me, a silly guy left it in the nearest secondhand cd-shop for 7 Euro, here in Fuengirola (Spain)!
Bowie in Multichannel is just Super Bowie (but keep in mind the majority of the Sacd'ed albums are only stereo, apart from this one and Reality... For the luckiest ones who found Heathen in SACD, have fun!

This particular Super Audio CD (SACD) title has been notorious for "hanging" during the first 11 seconds of the first track (Sunday) on a few players - the OPPO 980H being one of them. As an owner of this player I contacted OPPO about the problem to find they were fully aware of it. The latest firmware upgrade (Nov. 2008) is now available for download from the OPPO website (I would post the link but Amazon would remove it). Once you upgrade the 980H's firmware with this beta-version, the SACD will work perfectly. I hope this helps all those who have thought they have a scratched disc.

Also, if you purchased this model after Nov. 2008 don't assume you have the latest firmware. This is often not the case. Hope this all helps. I feel I needn't review the actual disc. If you are a fan of Bowie and multi-channel music, you already now it's great and worth seeking out.

From OPPO's website:

Release Note (Nov. 2008)

The following improvement is included in this version:

1. Improved SACD Error Handling

When playing certain SACDs and the player encounters an encoding error on the disc, previous firmware versions skip to the next track. This version handles the situation more gracefully - it ignores the error and continues to play the track. So far only two such SACD titles are identified - "Heathen by David Bowie" and "All the Way ... A Decade of Song by Celine Dion". Our test indicated that when the error is ignored there is no audible glitch.

Than you will absolutely LOVE this SACD recording. Hear Mr. Bowie sing almost a capella out of the center of your surround system, all instruments clear and brilliant from the rest of the speakers. Even if you know or own the CD release you need this one, it's definetly a new dimension of enjoying music.

Buy it! Marsch Marsch! ;-)

What an amzing album, by David Bowie,a very inderrated piece of work. Every song pulls you more and more into Bowies world. Slow Burn, and Cactus are amazing. Sounds incredible on SACD.Even if you arent a bowie fan, buy this album! you wont regret it! what r you doig reading this review go order it now