

Standout Immersive Track: “Pure Narcotic” The 5.1 remix adds considerable spatial depth to the decades-old recording and enhances some of the more-psychedelic flourishes, like the harp rotating around-the-room in “Strawberry Fields Forever” and iconic eerie keys throughout “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” How exciting, then, that Giles Martin and Sam Okell were able to revisit the original multi-track tapes and remix the album into 5.1 surround for its 50th anniversary. In this period, The Fab Four were starting to experiment with more complex instrumentation, recording techniques, and song structures. Standout Immersive Track: “Strawberry Fields Forever” Guitar-based music often doesn’t need a huge stereo yield to sound good, but Electric Ladyland’s swirling effects are brought to the fore by iconic producer Eddie Kramer in this 5.1 mix. Standout Immersive Track: “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)” Violator has always been one of the pinnacles of this alternative sound, but the 5.1 mix brings out new and exciting details within this production masterclass. Sometimes the combination of synths and driving riffs just works. Standout Immersive Track: “Policy Of Truth” It sounds almost as if the album was deliberately designed this format, with each individual instrument and voice heard with pin-point precision. There’s a good reason why this SACD is frequently listed for three-figure-sums on the used market. Standout Immersive Track: “Take A Chance With Me”įor this classic album’s 25th anniversary, the original mixing team of producer Rhett Davies and legendary engineer Bob Clearmountain reunited to create a brand-new 5.1 surround remix. Parsons himself, showcasing the prog-rockers in a way they couldn’t have imagined when recording. The lush textures shine through in this 5.1 remix spearheaded by Mr. If you’ve got The Alan Parsons Project pegged as “dad-rock,” then it might be the time to alter your opinion. That being said, I’ll share mine anyway! Unfortunately, several of these titles are long out-of-print and can be difficult to obtain on the used market. There is always a matter of opinion, and no one can definitively say what the best 5.1 surround sound albums are with absolute certainty. I know, lists like this can be a little tough to swallow.
