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Review by DACooper February 26, 2004 (9 of 9 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Billy Joel needs no introduction to anyone who's followed pop music in the past 25 years. He's simply one of the most talented singer-songwriters of the past quarter century. With The Stranger, he reached the top of the charts and created one of his most enduring works at the same time. This Grammy award winning album contains "Just the Way You Are," one of the most honest and beautiful love songs of all time, but it also contains classics like "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Only the Good Die Young." Joel surrounds himself with talented, but unpretentious musicians who wonderfully interpret his music. And Phil Ramone's original production gave this material a thoughtful, clean mix that accentuated the songs and the musicians.
This is one of the original single-layer Sony SACDs, which pale in comparison to new hybrids that are starting to find their way into the market. For one thing, we've come to expect an upgrade in packaging, not the redbook CD booklet with 1 or 2 lines crediting the remastering team. It ships in a traditional jewel case, and is otherwise indistinguishable from a traditional CD; however, once you pop this baby into your SACD player, you'll find yourself dazzled by the sonics, in either stereo or 5.1.
I won't spend much time on the stereo mix, except to say that a friend loaned me the remastered redbook CD and, while this is definitely a step up, there's nothing jaw-droppingly better about the stereo mix. It sounds marginally better, but not enough of a leap in quality to suggest you should replace your redbook edition.
However, if you are 5.1-capable, you should really consider buying this CD. The multichannel mix is outstanding. The lead vocals stand out clearly at the top of the mix from the center channel, and the instruments are spread generously around the 4 front and surround speakers, with the piano positioned FL. The LFE is given a lot of data, and produces a strong amount of well-defined low-end. Also, the instrument placement around the mix seems logical, giving the overall band an authentic "live in the studio" feel, with a strong, but not overpowering amount of ambient echo from the surrounds.
Where this mix really shines, though, is in the small moments that you might otherwise miss. Take "Only the Good Die Young," for example. What I never REALLY noticed on that song before is Liberty DeVitto's terrific work on the brushes, but this mix gives you a great chance to hear every swipe of the drumskin. Another example is "Just Like A Woman," which has a terrific arpeggio line by the acoustic guitars of Hugh McCracken and Steve Burgh. On the multichannel mix they sing through the mix to give the song a brighter tone. There are many other examples I could site, but I think you get the idea.
Bottom line? If you are a fan of this album and you are set up for 5.1, you absolutely need to buy this SACD. You won't be sorry.
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