Billy Joel - 52nd Street
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Free Music Notes for 52nd Street
Free Music Review: Billy Joel 52nd Street SACD review
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a great SACD. I have not listened to it in stereo - only in surround, as that is why I got it. Who knew that Billy Joel has some awesome acoustic guitar parts on this album? I didn't, until I hear the SACD with the guitar in the left surround speaker. I am hearing many things I never picked up on the regular stereo recording. Albums like this are why SACD's exist.
Thumbs up!
Free Music Review: SACD mix is excellent
Hit: 5 Stars
Listening to the SACD version of this record is my first experience with true SACD 5.1 channel sound, and I am definitely hooked. This recording sounds great! I had the original vinyl record decades ago, so I know it's a great album. What is worth raving about is the superior quality of the SACD format.
I find it sad that with the pervasivness of MP3 players (and the MP3 format), we are in a time of degrading quality of music reproduction. People are choosing convenience of delivery over quality of the sound.
This record sounds terrific in SACD. I'm now going to purchase as many SACD formatted versions of CDs I want to get as I can find; either pure (SACD only) or Hybrid SACD. The Hybrid format does make more sense.
If you like Billy Joel and appreciate high quality recording and reproduction, this is a must have CD.
Free Music Review: Great SACD release, Mutli-channel is really well done.
Hit: 4 Stars
I would have to disagree with the reviews on the 5.1 multichannel not being as good as "The Stranger" SACD release. It's it's equal easily.
The real issue is that "The Stranger" is just a better album to listen to.
52nd Street loses it it's strength after the Stilleto track and Stranger on whole is stronger from start to finish. Hence my 4 star rating versus the 5 I gave to Stranger in SACD.
Differences here for 52nd to a normal cd:
1) entire album sounds better. I never really liked Zanzibar, but changed
my mind after hearing this.
2) stand out tracks: Honesty (Vocal is exceptional on this one), Zanzibar(you can hear all the instruments finally), Stilleto (still think the Kohlept version is best though, it's got more kick and he seems to nail the feeling right)
Definitely worth buying.
Not worth buying, "Innocent Man" on SACD.
(straight Stereo dump to SACD, no multichannel. Sounds like a regular CD)
Free Music Review: Better Sounds On DVD
Hit: 5 Stars
Let me start off by saying that I don't actually own the SACD version of this album (and I don't believe the first reviewer did either).
Now that we got that out the way. I'm a huge Billy Joel fan and this one of my favorite albums by him (Nylon Curtain still gets my #1 slot). But that's not why I'm writing this. I wanted to inform any of you out there that for the absolute best surround-sound job I've heard of Billy's work is The Essential Video Collection.
Even though you only get the greatest video hits (including some surprises), you get a phenominal surround sound mix of everything on here. I don't have any idea why the SACD of "An Innocent Man" is only done in stereo. The video contains all of the videos off that album remixed in true surround.
The video/audio that stands out in my mind the most was "Pressure". During the solo break, you will hear instruments omitted from the album release and panned all around your ears. It's pretty amazing, and of course, I would love if they did an entire SACD Surround for "The Nylon Curtain". Unfortunately, it doesn't look like SACD (or DVD-Audio for that matter) is really going to catch on as much as some of us audiophiles had hoped.
The Essential Video Collection is not to be taken as a greatest hits collection of early stuff (It has "Piano Man", not the video version but the live one from Yankee Stadium). It does not have any selections off of "The Stranger", but yet it has footage from "Turnstiles". It doesn't matter, the DVD is great and having the surround sound only adds more appeal.
The DVD is a must-have for every fan. Pick one up as soon as you can.
Free Music Review: Out On The Street
Hit: 5 Stars
After Billy Joel hit the big time with The Stranger, he had the unenviable task of following up that classic. While 52nd St. isn't as good as The Stranger, it is still a tremendous record. The album opens up with the venomous and hard "Big Shot" and then does a complete 180 with the quite "Honesty". "My Life" is the big hit off the album and it bounces along while "Zanzibar" is the best song on the album. It has a smoky, jazzy feel and is one of the most interesting songs Mr. Joel has ever done. "Stiletto" has some slick piano work and "Rosalinda's Eyes" employs a Latin sound. "Half A Mile Away" is full of horns and verve and "Until The Night" is a slower number in which Mr. Joel stretches his vocal muscle. The title track closes the album out on a jazzy note. 52nd St. proved that Billy Joel was no fluke, as the album became his first chart topper and won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
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