Skip to content

Category: Blu-Ray Audio

Published July 5, 2020

R.E.M. – Monster (Anniversary Edition) (1994/2019) Blu-ray 1080i AVC DTS-HD MA 5.1 + BDRip 1080p

Title: R.E.M. – Monster (Anniversary Edition)
Released: 1994/2019
Genre: Alternative Rock

Released: Craft Recordings
Duration: 00:48:59 + 01:55:55
Quality: Blu-ray
Container: BDMV
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio Codec: DTS-HD, PCM

Road Movie (Concert Film)
Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 19948 kbps / 1080i / 29.970 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio #1: English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Audio #2: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4890 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

Music Videos
Video : MPEG-4 AVC Video / 19996 kbps / 1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio #1:English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Audio #2: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4886 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Size: 32.38 GB

R.E.M.’s ninth album, Monster, was released at a time when the band were coming off the peak of their mainstream success, following Out of Time (1991) and Automatic For The People (1992). Coming from a long break in touring (the band famously didn’t tour with the two previous records), Monster represented an intentional shift in R.E.M.’s sound, a “return to rock” with guitar laden, simple arrangements. It was released to strong reviews and significant global success – reaching #1 on Billboard, and least 7 other countries. In 1995 the band promoted that album with their first concert tour since 1989 (although several band members suffered health problems). The album includes the singles; “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?,” “Crush with Eyeliner,” “Bang and Blame,” and “Strange Currencies.”

The 25th anniversary edition features the remastered original mix on CD 1, followed by a disc of 15 previously unreleased demos, with names like ‘Rocker With Vocal’ or ‘Mike’s Gtr’. The third CD is Scott Litt’s new 2019 stereo remix and this is followed by two further CDs that offer an unreleased live set from the 1995 Monster Tour. In terms of the new stereo mix, the idea was to pull the guitars back and push the vocals forward to create a more open sound and showcase the lyrics. You can get a taster by listening to ‘What’s The Frequency Kenneth?’, below.

The blu-ray is the sixth and final disc and it includes hi-res stereo (presumably the remastered original mix) and a 5.1 surround mix of Monster. No Dolby Atmos this time around, then. This disc also features the blu-ray debut of the 1996 Road Movie concert film as well as six music videos.

Continue readingR.E.M. – Monster (Anniversary Edition) (1994/2019) Blu-ray 1080i AVC DTS-HD MA 5.1 + BDRip 1080p

Comments closed
Published July 3, 2020

John Coltrane – Blue Train (1957/2015) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Artist: John Coltrane
Title: Blue Train
Genre: Jazz, Hard Bop, Saxophone Jazz
Label: © Blue Note Records/Universal Music Enterprises
Release Date: 1957 (BST 81577/BLP 1577)/2015
Recorded: September 15, 1957 at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey.
Mastered by Alan Yashida, alternate takes Mastered by Robert Vosgien at Capitol Mastering.
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Length: 01:15:51
Size: 14 GB
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 950 kbps / 1080i / 29,970 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 / 192 kHz / 6838 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 / 192 kHz / 9216 kbps / 24-bit
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 2.0 / 192 kHz / 6332 kbps / 24-bit (AC3 Embedded: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)

John Coltrane only recorded one album as a leader for Blue Note, but it was the turning point of his career and one of his greatest hours. 31 at the time of 1957’s Blue Train, Coltrane had been largely unknown just two years earlier. In 1955 he began a very important two-year stint with Miles Davis that gave him visibility and found him growing rapidly as an improviser.

By 1957 when he left Davis and became a member of the Thelonious Monk Quartet for a few historic months, Coltrane had his own innovative voice. He was at the top of the field along with Sonny Rollins and was considered a young giant. Coltrane’s style, which often featured him, grouping together an explosive series of notes that were called sheets of sound, was unprecedented and years ahead of his contemporaries.

Blue Train stands as proof of both Trane’s originality and his dazzling style. Heading an all-star hard bop sextet that included the 19-year old Lee Morgan (the brightest new trumpeter in jazz) and trombonist Curtis Fuller, Coltrane took an astounding solo on “Blue Train” (one in which every note in his long improvisation fits perfectly) and introduced what was arguably his greatest composition, “Moment’s Notice.”

All five performances on Blue Train (including a definitive rendition of “I’m Old Fashioned”) are filled with memorable and classic moments. While Coltrane only worked for Alfred Lion on this one occasion, this very stirring set is full of timeless magic. After Blue Train was recorded, there was never again any doubt that John Coltrane was a giant!

Continue readingJohn Coltrane – Blue Train (1957/2015) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
Published May 10, 2020

The Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky – 35th Anniversary (2017) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Artist: The Alan Parsons Project
Title: Eye In The Sky – 35th Anniversary
Genre: symphonic/art rock
Label: © Arista, UK
Release Date: 1982/2017
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Duration: 42:58

Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 12990 kbps / 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 96 kHz / 7873 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio: English / LPCM Audio / 5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit
Audio: English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 192 kHz / 9216 kbps / 24-bit

The 35th anniversary Eye in the Sky collector’s box set includes 3 CDs (CD1: Original Album Expanded + bonus tracks, CD2: Eric Woolfson’s Songwriting Diaries, CD3: Previously Unreleased Bonus Material and Disc 4: 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo HD version of the original album on Blu-ray). Also included are 2 vinyl LPs ( the original album newly struck at half speed on four sides at 45rpm at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell), a flexi-disc replica of an original 1982 promo, a 60-page hardback book featuring newly-written essays, previously unreleased images recently discovered in Eric Woolfson’s personal archive and new interviews with many of the musicians who recorded the tracks on the album, an Eye in the Sky 1982 replica poster and postcard, a gold-foil Eye of Horus stamp on the front of the box and more.
All of the newly discovered bonus material on Eye in the Sky has been lovingly and painstakingly restored to produce the best possible state-of-the-art listening experience for longtime fans and newcomers to the album.

Continue readingThe Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky – 35th Anniversary (2017) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
Published April 1, 2020

The Beatles – The Beatles (The White Album) (50th Anniversary) (1968/2018) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Artist: The Beatles
Title: The Beatles (The White Album) (50th Anniversary)
Genre: Rock
Label: © Capitol Records
Release Date: 1968 /2018
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Length: 05:26:25
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 0 kbps / 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 96 kHz / 4608 kbps / 24-bit
Audio: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 96 kHz / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio: English / Dolby TrueHD Audio / 5.1 / 96 kHz / 16-bit (AC3 Embedded: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)

This is the first time The BEATLES (‘White Album’) has been remixed and presented with additional demos and session recordings. The album’s sweeping new edition follows 2017’s universally acclaimed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition releases. To create the new stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes for ‘The White Album,’ Martin and Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios in London.

All the new ‘White Album’ releases include Martin’s new stereo album mix, sourced directly from the original four-track and eight-track session tapes. Martin’s new mix is guided by the album’s original stereo mix produced by his father, George Martin. “In remixing ‘The White Album,’ we’ve tried to bring you as close as possible to The Beatles in the studio,” explains Giles Martin in his written introduction for the new edition. “We’ve peeled back the layers of the ‘Glass Onion’ with the hope of immersing old and new listeners into one of the most diverse and inspiring albums ever made.”

Blu-ray: 

– 2018 album mix in high resolution PCM stereo

– 2018 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 album mix

– 2018 Dolby True HD 5.1 album mix

– 2018 direct transfer of the album’s original mono mix

Continue readingThe Beatles – The Beatles (The White Album) (50th Anniversary) (1968/2018) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
Published March 18, 2020

Pink Floyd ‎- The Later Years 1987-2019 (2019) [18-disc Box Set, 5xCD, 6xBlu-ray, 5xDVD]

Pink Floyd Records will release ‘Pink Floyd The Later Years’, an 18-disc set (5 x CDs, 6 x Blu-Rays, 5 x DVDs, 2 x 7″ plus exclusive photo book and memorabilia) covering the material created by David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright from 1987 onwards. The period generated record sales of over 40 million worldwide and included three studio albums: ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’, ‘The Division Bell’ and ‘The Endless River’ as well as two live albums: ‘Delicate Sound of Thunder’ and ‘Pulse’. With additional production from David Gilmour and Andy Jackson, over 13 hours of unreleased audio and audiovisual material, including the sought-after 1989 Venice and 1990 Knebworth concerts, ‘Pink Floyd The Later Years’ is a must for all fans.

Continue readingPink Floyd ‎- The Later Years 1987-2019 (2019) [18-disc Box Set, 5xCD, 6xBlu-ray, 5xDVD]

Comments closed
Published February 7, 2020

Pixies – Doolittle (2016) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Artist: Pixies
Title: Doolittle
Genre: Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Noise Pop
Label: © 4AD
Release Date: 1989/2016
Recorded: October 31 – November 23, 1988; Downtown Recorders, Boston, Massachusetts
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Duration: 00:38:56
Video: MPEG-4 AVC / 3004 kbps / 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio#1: English LPCM 2.0 / 96 kHz / 4608 kbps / 24-bit
Audio#2: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 / 96 kHz / 9351 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio#3: English LPCM 5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit

There’s a special treat for Pixies fans coming next month with the release of a limited Pure Audio Blu-Ray version of their classic album, Doolittle.

First released in 1989 and although their second album, Doolittle was the first Pixies record to be made commercially available in their native US. An instant hit with both critics and fans, its slow burn success has since helped it to sell close to a million copies in their homeland alone. Among the many plaudits thrown its way, Pitchfork ranked it at Number 4 in their Best Albums of the 80s poll, while NME writers in 2004 named it the second best album of all time. 2009 saw the band tour the album to celebrate its 20th birthday, and 5 years on in 2014, the band released a deluxe 25th Anniversary edition on triple CD & LP.

Now in a first for both band and 4AD, Doolittle is being released as a Pure Audio Blu-Ray which contains both the album in high definition (96 kHz / 24 bit) 5.1 surround sound – having been remixed by audio specialist Kevin Vanbergen (FX) from the original analogue multi-tracks – and a HD transfer of the original stereo mix by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. The results are a revelation, separating out elements from the recordings that are buried in the stereo mix and adding space, depth and a clarity to the performances without diluting their energy and impact.

Continue readingPixies – Doolittle (2016) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
Published January 31, 2020

Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland (50th Anniversary Edition) (1968/2018) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Artist: Jimi Hendrix
Title: Electric Ladyland (50th Anniversary Edition)
Genre: Rock
Label: © Experience Hendrix, Legacy
Release Date: 1968/2018
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Length: 02:42:39
Video: MPEG-2 Video / 6398 kbps / 480i / 29,970 fps / 4:3
Audio: English / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Audio: English / DTS Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit

This deluxe box set includes the original album, remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analogue tapes. For the LP set, Grundman prepared an all-analogue, direct-to-disc vinyl transfer of the album, preserving the authenticity. ‘Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes’ presents 20 demos and studio outtakes, including demos for song ideas Hendrix recorded himself on a reel-to-reel tape at the Drake Hotel, as well as early recording session studio takes featuring guest appearances from Buddy Miles, Stephen Stills and Al Kooper. ‘Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68’ is part of Experience Hendrix’s Dagger Records official bootleg series.

The live album documents the band’s Los Angeles concert held a few weeks before ‘Electric Ladyland’ was released. The two-track soundboard recording captures the energy that had the audience in such a frenzy that many concert-goers jumped into the reflecting pool that separated the bandstand from the seats. The Blu-ray features the full-length documentary ‘At Last… The Beginning: The Making of Electric Ladyland’, the first ever 5.1 surround sound mix of the original album overseen by Hendrix’s original engineer Eddie Kramer plus the original stereo mixes in uncompressed 24 bit/96 kz high resolution audio.

The box set features a full-colour, 48-page book containing Jimi’s handwritten lyrics, poem and instructions to his record label, as well as never-before-published photos from the recording sessions that were shot by Eddie Kramer himself. Also included are essays by celebrated journalist David Fricke and Hendrix authority John McDermott. All items are contained in a numbered luxe case-made-book for CD+Blu-ray release and case-made-lift-top-box for the LP+Blu-ray release, with new cover art which is true to Hendrix’s original vision of the album’s cover – a Linda (McCartney) Eastman photograph of the band and children at the statue of Alice in Wonderland in New York’s Central Park.

Continue readingJimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland (50th Anniversary Edition) (1968/2018) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
Published January 20, 2020

Steve Hackett – The Night Siren (2017) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Artist: Steve Hackett
Title: The Night Siren
Genre: Rock, Prog Rock, Art Rock
Label: © InsideOut Music
Release Date: 2017
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Duration: 00:57:46 + 00:23:27 (Documentary)
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 14968 kbps / 1920*1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio#1: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4588 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio#2: English LPCM 5.1 / 48 kHz / 6912 kbps / 24-bit
Audio#3: English LPCM 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit

Guitar virtuoso and rock legend, Steve Hackett (formerly of Genesis), releases his latest album The Night Siren on 24th March 2017 through InsideOut Music (Sony). As implied in the title, The Night Siren is a wake-up call… the warning of a siren sounding in this era of strife and division.

Continue readingSteve Hackett – The Night Siren (2017) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
Published December 12, 2019

Hoff Ensemble: Quiet Winter Night – An Acoustic Jazz Project (2011) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Album title: Quiet Winter Night – An Acoustic Jazz Project
Performer: Hoff Ensemble
Genre: jazz fusion
Label: 2L (Lindberg Lyd)
Location: Sofienberg Church, Norway
Release date: February 2012
Recording date: August 2011
Original source: Mastering in DXD (352.8kHz/24bit)
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Duration: 0:48:08
Video: MPEG-4 AVC 950 kbps / 1080i / 29,970 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio#1: DTS-HD MA 5.1 / 192 kHz / 13346 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio#2: LPCM 2.0 / 192 kHz / 9216 kbps / 24-bit

HOFF ENSEMBLE consists of some of Norway’s finest jazz and session musicians, fronted by trumpeter Mathias Eick, of ECM renown, who plays a leading role in several of the compositions. The ensemble’s basic quartet features legendary veteran bassist Arild Andersen and arranger Jan Gunnar Hoff on piano. Hoff has performed with his own group since 1993, collaborating with such artists as Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Maria Joao and Alex Acuna. This time in this great Norwegian band he mixes flavours in a “cross-over” setting. Eick, with whom Hoff has worked on earlier projects, was the obvious first choice for QUIET WINTER NIGHT, along with Andersen and the rest of the band, complemented by Rune Arnesen (ex N.P.Molvær) on percussion and Børge Petersen-Øverleir, Norway’s leading session guitarist.

Brilliant fiddle player Annbjørg Lien is an exciting addition to the HOFF ENSEMBLE, giving QUIET WINTER NIGHT a sound that is definitely Nordic with elements of jazz, folk and beyond, making this an interesting and original journey. On some of the instrumental tracks, like “Blågutten”, Eick and Petersen-Øverleir create an overall jazz/fusion sound, while the trio setting of “Redd Mamma” is reminiscent of the work of Sweden’s Jan Johansson. “Hva skal hende nå” bears comparison with Metheny’s ballad form, yet with a more rock-influenced guitar sound. This tune also includes a great bass solo by Andersen.

The music is created by film composers Geir Bøhren and Bent Åserud and among the vocalists are some of Norway’s top names (and Universal artists) in popular music: Helene Bøksle, Åsne Valland Nordli, Sondre Bratland, Unni Wilhelmsen, Tomine Harket, Bjørn Johan Muri, Cecilia Vennersten and Bjørn Eidsvåg.

Continue readingHoff Ensemble: Quiet Winter Night – An Acoustic Jazz Project (2011) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
Published December 9, 2019

Pink Floyd – The Division Bell: 20th Anniversary Edition (2014) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Pink Floyd – The Division Bell: 20th Anniversary (2014) Blu-ray Audio
Quality: Blu-ray Audio
Video: MPEG4 AVC 14997 kbps 1080p 24 fps 16:9
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 96 kHz 4608 kbps 24-bit
Audio2: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 / 96 kHz / 7986 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Audio3: English LPCM A 5.1 / 96 kHz / 13824 kbps / 24-bit
Size: 22.59 GB

Pink Floyd is releasing a 20th anniversary box set of The Division Bell , the band s 1994 multi-million selling album that included the Grammy Award winning track Marooned. Set for release on 1 July 2014, The Division Bell was the last studio album to be released by the band: David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. This 20th anniversary box set features six discs, including three replica coloured or clear vinyl discs, 5 collectors prints, a Blu-ray disc and for the first time Andy Jackson s 5.1 audio mix of The Division Bell .
The Division Bell 20th Anniversary collector s box set will feature a new 2-LP vinyl edition of the album, remastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab from the original analogue tapes, including all the full length tracks (originally edited to fit on a single LP) in a gatefold sleeve designed by Hipgnosis/StormStudios. Five other discs are included: a red 7 vinyl replica of single Take It Back, clear 7 vinyl replica of High Hopes, 12 blue vinyl replica of High Hopes with reverse laser etched design, the 2011 Discovery remaster of The Division Bell and a Blu-ray disc including The Division Bell album in HD Audio, plus the previously unreleased 5.1 surround sound audio mix of the album by Andy Jackson.
Another addition included on the Blu-ray disc is a new video for Marooned, the track that won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental in 1994. Filmed in Ukraine during the first week of April 2014, the video was directed by Aubrey Powell at Hipgnosis. It will appear on the disc with audio tracks in both PCM Stereo and a 5.1 mix by Andy Jackson.

Continue readingPink Floyd – The Division Bell: 20th Anniversary Edition (2014) [High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc]

Comments closed
%d bloggers like this: