Floyd, U2, Radiohead in surround. NOT!

It's getting tougher and tougher these days to cheerlead the cause of music in surround sound. No, we at S&V aren't giving up. But, coming so soon after hearing that we're getting the best of Led Zeppelin on stereo CD (again) as opposed to any of the studio albums in 5.1, we can only give a huge sigh at some recent announcements from titans of three different music generations.

First, there's the news that EMI is packaging the entire Pink Floyd studio catalog — from 1967's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn through 1994's The Division Bell — in a CD boxed set called Oh By the Way (shown above), to be released on December 11. Each of the albums is in a mini-LP-style jacket, complete with original dust sleeve and any inserts (posters, stickers, etc.). A 20" x 30" fabric poster is also included, and the box itself is designed by Storm Thorgerson. Any multichannel mixes? Nope! This despite the fact that, when I spoke with James Guthrie on the occasion of The Dark Side of the Moon being released on surround SACD, he was hoping to get the green light to start mixing the studio catalog.

Similarly, Parlophone/EMI is boxing up its Radiohead CDs — from 1993's Pablo Honey to 2003's Hail to the Thief plus 2001's I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings — in a set simply called Radiohead, available December 10. (No word if Capitol is releasing a U.S. version, but you can preorder the box via the band's Web-site store.) Any multichannel mixes? Nope!

Well, in both cases, I guess we shouldn't have expected any. After all, EMI was always the weakest link in the surround-sound chain. And these two boxed sets are clearly being put together (quickly) as Christmas presents, not sonic statements.

Anyway, who needs state-of-the-art surround sound when you can, instead, release a band's catalog on a USB stick? That's right! If you don't want the Radiohead CD boxed set, you can get the Radiohead Limited Edition USB Stick, shaped like the band's bear icon, also available December 10 (via the Web site exclusively).

Says Miles Leonard, managing director of Parlophone: "We are particularly excited about the USB stick, which gives fans an easy and portable way to carry the boxed set and provides another way of bridging the world between online and offline content." Yeah, that's how people want their music these days: easy and portable. Will EMI bother with the Beatles in surround? Maybe we should fuhgedaboudit. Instead, maybe we should expect The Beatles USB Stick, shaped like an apple!

But our third example is, really, inexcusable. I'm speaking of Island's fresh remaster of U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree, coming November 20. How would you like to buy it?

(1) Standard CD with new Bill Flanagan liner notes and unseen Anton Corbijn photos? Check!

(2) Deluxe Edition CD set with a second disc of B-sides and demos? Check!

(3) Limited Edition Super Deluxe boxed set with the two CDs plus a live DVD of the Joshua Tree tour from the Hippodrome in Paris? Check!

(4) Vinyl set (coming December 4) on two 180-gram audiophile LPs? Check!

(5) The entire album in audiophile surround sound? OF COURSE NOT!

Considering that the band and its parent label, Universal, are going to the trouble of doing a remaster, offering a DVD, and even offering vinyl, it's amazing that no one thought to bother with a surround mix for an album that's crying out for a surround mix. Especially since this is Universal, a onetime cheerleader of multichannel mixes on SACD. But alas, now that Universal's surround guru Paul Bishow is gone, and what with the Steely Dan and Elton John albums still lingering in limbo, what should we expect? Nothing.

The Joshua Tree. OK Computer. Wish You Were Here. Not to mention the entire catalogs for Pink Floyd and Radiohead. All wonderful opportunities for music in surround. All missed. —Ken Richardson

Comments

[Seb]

Those missed opportunities are really depressing...

5.1 music may await dark ages ; I can see it resurfacing only thanks to HD-DVD or BluRay, but who knows.

There is also a huge lack of commitment from the artists themselves. If any of the U2 members, for instance, had the slightest interest in surround and/or high-rez, I guess they would have made easily things happened for The Joshua Tree.

[Mike Mettler]

I'm with Ken all across the board here. If we get a chance to ask any of the above artists about their lack of the surround jones, we'll report back accordingly.

[sandv blog]

Seb: Trouble is, as I've noted before, there's no evidence so far that any record labels are interested in releasing music albums on Blu-ray or HD DVD. And besides, nothing is likely to happen until this format war is resolved. —KR

[Kazaam]

Music in high-resolution, surround sound is fantastic and I'm glad Ken and others at S&V continue to support it as best they can.

Indeed, it is unfortunate we have so few artists who are truly interested in surround sound. To make matters worse, it is also unfortunate when we have an artist who is interested in surround sound, but the label he/she is signed to has zero desire to release it.

We're lucky Porcupine Tree has the flexibility in their contract to continue releasing their music in surround sound. If only the same could be said for other somewhat "surround friendly" artists, such as Steely Dan. Doesn't Scheiner have at least one more of their albums ready to go, but the label has no desire to release it?

It's too bad. A boxed set of Radiohead albums in 5.1 would've been sweet!

--Kazaam

[sandv blog]

"It is unfortunate we have so few artists who are truly interested in surround sound." You said it. When DVD-A and SACD were getting off the ground, I remember how, time and time again, the labels were saying that surround sound had to be artist-driven. (They also kept saying that it had to be CAR-driven, but don't get me started on THAT.) It's too bad, for example, that Elton John — who loves to talk about everything — never talked about his surround releases. If he had, maybe we'd have gotten the other classic '70s albums that are already mixed but still, still in limbo. Speaking of which . . .

"To make matters worse, it is also unfortunate when we have an artist who is interested in surround sound, but the label he/she is signed to has zero desire to release it." Which is exactly the case with Steely Dan. Elliot Scheiner does indeed have at least one more title done and ready, with others just waiting for the surround-sound green light, but Universal has simply given up on multichannel music.

If only there were more Steven Wilsons in this world.

And as for the likes of Radiohead and Led Zeppelin . . . when, when, WHEN will somebody bang on the doors of Jimmy Page and Thom Yorke, sit them down in a kick-ass surround setup, and demonstrate how the likes of LZ4 and OKC would simply come alive in multichannel? Still hoping, still dreaming . . . —KR

[Mike Mettler]

Also, let us not forget that surround mixes for both Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album (the first with Buckingham & Nicks) AND 1979's Tusk have been done and in the can since at least 2004. Hmm, maybe S&V should start its own surround label... —MM

[Tim McDonnell]

Ahh those Fleetwood Mac 5.1 mixes languishing on the shelves with the other rock masterpieces were all but in our hands before the door closed and faded away. It's like it never happened, but amazing DVD-A & SACD releases came to be and I own some of the proof.

Last night as I enjoyed our first Blue Ray experience with the new Blade Runner discs, I flashed on this: Blu Ray is DVD-Audio with amazing video!

I'm really beginning to think someone should work to put the masters out with pictures or clips of the band. Everyone is expecting something visual to make them sit still and pay attention, so let's market BD music discs that give that bang to them... er, us.