2024 was yet another incredible year for immersive music, with dozens of great albums both vintage and modern given the 5.1 surround sound and/or Dolby Atmos treatment. These are IAA's picks for the top-25 best hi-res immersive releases of the year, available either via Blu-Ray disc or digital download.
Artist: The Pineapple Thief
Title: It Leads To This (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Bruce Soord (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 2/9/24
Following 2020’s acclaimed Versions Of The Truth, The Pineapple Thief continues to dominate Europe’s experimental rock scene. Recorded between September 2020 and July 2023, It Leads To This is the band’s 14th overall studio outing and fourth to feature Gavin Harrison behind the drum kit. The album is available in a variety of physical packages, including vinyl, CD, and an audio-only Blu-Ray disc containing high resolution 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixes from frontman Bruce Soord.
Soord remains one of the few mixers to really take advantage of all the possibilities that object-based immersive audio offers. Lead vocals seem to hover right in front of your face, suspended between the front, side, and front height speaker pairs. The main guitar riff throughout “The Frost” floats up in the front heights, while harmony vocals pop out of the rear heights and Steve Kitch’s keyboards swirl around the room.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Big Big Train
Title: The Likes of Us (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Bruce Soord (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 3/1/24
Originally founded by songwriter Greg Spawton in 1990, English progressive rock band Big Big Train have continued to endure more than three decades later. Now signed to InsideOut Music, the band released The Likes Of Us–their 16th(!) studio album, and the first to feature Alberto Bravin’s vocals–on March 1, 2024. The CD/Blu-Ray edition contains 5.1 surround sound & Dolby Atmos mixes from The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord, marking the first occasion that a Big Big Train studio release has been remixed in an immersive format.
Though Bravin and Rob Aubrey did a great job on the stereo mix of The Likes Of Us–it’s a propulsive, dynamic listening experience–Bruce Soord’s Dolby Atmos mix is definitely the best way to experience this amazing new record. Nick D’Virgilio’s drum kit takes up the front, front height, and side surround channels (there’s little-to-no drum sound in the rears or rear heights), forming an upside-down U-shape arc in front of the listener. The snare seems to favor the front heights at times, while the big tom-tom fills extend out towards the side speakers.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Spoon
Title: Lucifer on the Sofa (2022)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Jim Eno (Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 3/15/24
Austin-based rock outfit Spoon’s tenth studio album, Lucifer On The Sofa, was originally released through Matador Records in February 2022 to widespread critical acclaim. Rather than relying heavily on overdubbing and editing–as they did for its predecessor, 2017’s Hot Thoughts–the band instead opted to cut much of the album live at drummer Jim Eno’s Public Hi-Fi studio in Austin, Texas. The end result is simultaneously polished and raw, capturing all the unrefined energy of Spoon's live performances and presenting it with the sonic excellence of an expertly-crafted studio production.
Lucifer On The Sofa also marks the band’s inaugural foray into the realm of immersive audio, with drummer Jim Eno overseeing the Dolby Atmos mix. "Held” serves as a powerful opener, setting the tone for the album with its punchy guitars and relentless rhythm. The song actually begins with the sounds of the band tuning up, further immersing the listener in the album’s no-frills live-in-the-studio concept. Britt Daniel’s vocals are almost completely isolated in the center speaker, while Eno’s drums extend from the front channels up into the height array.
Read our full review here!
Purchase Lucifer on the Sofa in the IAA shop!
Artist: Gentle Giant
Title: The Missing Piece (1977)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Steven Wilson (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 3/29/24
Originally released in August 1977 through Capitol Records in the United States and Chrysalis Records in the United Kingdom, The Missing Piece was Gentle Giant’s ninth studio album and now the latest to be reissued in CD/Blu-Ray format part of an acclaimed reissue campaign from the band’s label Alucard Records.
Though The Missing Piece isn’t as densely layered as other Gentle Giant albums like 1975’s Free Hand or 1976’s Interview, the album nonetheless translates nicely to 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos. Steven Wilson's immersive mixes reveal hidden complexities to the production, often separating out ancillary elements such as keyboards, rhythm guitars, percussion, and double-tracked vocals into the additional speakers.
Artist: The Church
Title: The Hypnogogue (2023)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Darrell Thorp (Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 4/19/24
First released through Communicating Vessels Records in February 2023, The Church's The Hypnogogue pays homage to classic art rock concept albums like Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974) and Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1979). The album boasts a dystopia-tinged narrative about Eros Zeta, an aging rock star hailing from the dilapidated near-future world of 2054. He seeks out Sun Kim Jong, an occult Korean scientist with a machine that could supposedly revive his stalled career by 'pulling music straight out of dreams.'
The Hypnogogue is also the band’s first album to receive an immersive mix, created by Darrell Thorp and mastered by John Davis at Metropolis Studios in London. Though the Dolby Atmos mix has been available to stream on Apple Music and Tidal since February 2023, we at IAA are thrilled to now offer the album as an exclusive immersive digital download through our online shop! The Atmos mix is interesting in that it makes fairly-sporadic use of the center and side surround speakers, but the rear surrounds consistently feature ancillary elements like percussion and backing vocals.
Read our full review here!
Purchase The Hypnogogue in the IAA shop!
Artist: Joni Mitchell
Title: The Asylum Albums 1972-75 (Quadio) (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Ken Caillat & Claus Trelby (Dolby Atmos), Henry Lewy (Quadraphonic)
Release Date: 4/19/24
Joni Mitchell's The Asylum Albums 1972-75 (Quadio) boxed set houses four audio-only Blu-Ray discs–each containing not only the 2022 Dolby Atmos mixes from Ken Caillat and Claus Trelby, but also 192-khz/24-bit digital transfers of the rare 1970s quadraphonic mixes. This is the third ‘Quadio’ series Blu-Ray box set to come from Rhino in recent years, following 2016’s nine-disc Chicago Quadio and 2020’s four-disc Doobie Brothers Quadio.
Overall, for fans of Joni Mitchell’s music and immersive audio, it simply doesn’t get better than this. We'd have been thrilled if the set only included the Dolby Atmos mixes, but the addition of the ‘70s quadraphonic versions (especially the previously-unissued Miles of Aisles) puts it over the top.
Read our full review here!
Artist: The Doors
Title: The Best of The Doors (1985)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Bruce Botnick & John Densmore (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 4/19/24
Nearly two decades after the release of the band’s career-spanning Perception box set, which contained new stereo and 5.1 mixes of all six studio albums, original producer/engineer Bruce Botnick has remixed The Doors’ catalog once again–this time in Dolby Atmos. Though the full albums unfortunately remain exclusive to streaming services such as Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music, Warner/Rhino have additionally come through with an audio-only Blu-Ray release of The Best Of The Doors (the 1985 double-LP compilation, rather than the 1973 11-track album of the same name).
From an immersive standpoint, unsurprisingly "Riders On The Storm" would have to be the standout track on this compilation. The rain and thunder sound effects are given much more prominence, with the rain taking up residence behind the listener in the rear surrounds and the thunder moving through the height array to spine-tingling effect. Towards the end, some never-before-heard Morrison vocals and finger snaps appear from above as well.
Read our full review here!
Artist: A Bad Think
Title: Cottonwood (2024)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Dave Way (Dolby Atmos & Auro-3D)
Release Date: 5/3/24
Less than a year after the release of A Bad Think's last studio outing Short St. (2023), Marquart has impressively managed to write, record and produce an entirely new 10-track album. Much like the prior four immersive releases, Cottonwood covers a lot of ground genre-wise with elements of country/western, more mainstream ‘feel-good' pop/rock, progressive rock, and various other styles in between.
Whereas legendary mixer Bob Clearmountain sat behind the board for prior records The Savior (2019), Lifelike (2021), X (2022) and Short St. (2023), immersive mixing duties for Cottonwood have instead fallen to longtime Marquart collaborator and four-time Grammy award-winner Dave Way. Right from the first notes of opening track “10K Hours,” it’s clear that Way’s immersive mixing modus operandi is quite different from Clearmountain’s. Drum sound fills up the entire room, with the snare extending upwards from the center speaker into the front heights.
Read our full review here!
Purchase Cottonwood in the IAA shop!
Artist: Robin Trower
Title: Bridge of Sighs (1974)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Richard Whittaker (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 5/17/24
After a five-year stint in the acclaimed UK art-rock band Procol Harum, English guitarist Robin Trower joined forces with drummer Reg Isidore and singing bassist James Dewar to form his own blues-rock power trio. The newly-minted Robin Trower Band debuted on 1973’s Twice Removed From Yesterday, but it was the follow-up release–1974’s Bridge of Sighs–that cemented the group as a force to be reckoned with.
Bridge of Sighs is a relatively-sparse production, but Richard Whittaker’s Dolby Atmos mix manages to add newfound depth and dimension to the classic album without losing the familiar feel of the stereo mix. As one might expect, it’s the songs with more layers–such as the title track, “In This Place,” and “Too Rolling Stoned”–that offer the most satisfying immersive experience.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Crowded House
Title: Gravity Stairs (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Steven Schram (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 5/31/24
Produced by Steven Schram (Paul Kelly, Midlife) and released through BMG Rights Management on May 31, the Australian rock band’s latest album Gravity Stairs is their second to feature the current lineup of Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom and Neil’s sons Elroy and Liam Finn. Each of the 11 songs are overflowing with layers upon layers of multi-tracked vocals, guitars, keyboards, and percussion, making it a perfect candidate for the immersive format.
“Magic Piano” kicks off with a bit of studio chatter, before a synthesizer line drifting left-to-right overhead announces the arrival of the band. Neil Finn’s vocals and the rhythm section stay largely upfront, while harmonies envelop the listener from the side and rear channels. That said, perhaps the most impressive track from an immersive standpoint would have to be “Black Water, White Circle.” Percussion hovers directly overhead, while different sets of layered background vocals alternate between the side and rear surround speakers.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes
Title: Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) (2024)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Guy Fletcher (Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 3/15/24
In order to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America charities, Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler has assembled a who’s-who of rock royalty to re-record his debut solo single “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero).” Originally released in 1983, “Going Home” was featured in the 1983 film Local Hero starring Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster. Performed by Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes and produced by longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher, this very special new recording of the anthemic instrumental features an unprecedented line-up of some of the greatest guitarists and musicians in history.
In addition to the standard two-channel stereo version, Fletcher has also created a Dolby Atmos mix of the nearly 10-minute single. Immersive music fans may already be familiar with Fletcher’s work on the new Dolby Atmos mixes of Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms (1985) and Money For Nothing compilation (1988), as well as Mark Knopfler’s latest solo album One Deep River (2024). Though the Atmos mix has been available to stream since March 2024, we at IAA are thrilled to now offer the album as an exclusive immersive digital download through our online shop!
Read our full review here!
Purchase Going Home (Theme From Local Hero) in the IAA Shop!
Artist: Yes
Title: Fragile (1971)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Steven Wilson (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 6/28/24
Originally released in November 1971, less than a year after its predecessor The Yes Album, Yes’ fourth studio album Fragile proved another massive success for the band. Arguably best remembered for “Roundabout”–one of the group’s most popular and iconic songs–Fragile notably marked the debut of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who replaced founding member Tony Kaye. Though Steven Wilson previously remixed the album in stereo and 5.1 surround sound in 2015, he's gone back and created a brand-new Dolby Atmos rendition for the 2024 deluxe reissue.
The first reverse swell in “Roundabout” travels from back-to-front just like before, but the second one moves from the rear surrounds up to the front overheads–as if to say ‘that was 5.1, but this is Atmos.’ The rhythm section of Bill Bruford on drums and Chris Squire on bass appears woven into all seven ear-level speakers–though most prominent across the front stage–while Steve Howe’s acoustic guitar stays solidly anchored to the side left channel. Jon Anderson’s lead vocal comes in largely from the center, with it’s double-tracked counterpart now positioned up in the front height speakers.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Madeleine Peyroux
Title: Let's Walk (2024)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Elliot Scheiner (Dolby Atmos & Auro-3D)
Release Date: 6/28/24
In June 2024, acclaimed jazz singer and songwriter Madeleine Peyroux released Let’s Walk–her ninth studio album and first in nearly six years. The 10-track collection may be her most diverse, intimate, and eclectic work to date, as she shares thoughtful views on both personal and societal concerns. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by multi-Grammy laureate Elliot Scheiner (The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, etc).
Scheiner is well-known in this space for his acclaimed work on the 5.1 surround mixes of iconic albums like The Eagles’ Hotel California (1976), Steely Dan’s Gaucho (1980), and Beck’s Sea Change (2002), but–at least to our knowledge–this is the first time he’s worked in an immersive format using both surround and height channels. The immersive mix transports the listener into the rehearsal space with the band, revealing newfound details and intricacies in the arrangements. This is undoubtedly the definitive way to experience Let’s Walk, and demo material for listeners equipped with a multichannel speaker system.
Read our full review here!
Purchase Let’s Walk in Auro-3D or Dolby Atmos in the IAA Shop!
Artist: Fish
Title: Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors (1990)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Andy Bradfield & Avril Mackintosh (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 7/29/24
In the Fall of 1988, British neo-progressive rock band Marillion and their charismatic lead singer/songwriter Fish parted ways. Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors, Fish’s debut as a newly-minted solo act, arrived several months later in January 1990. Fast-forward to July 2024 and lavish new deluxe editions of both Vigil and its 1991 follow-up Internal Exile have arrived courtesy of Fish’s own Chocolate Frog Records. The CD/Blu-Ray sets contain brand-new stereo mixes drawn from the original multitrack tapes by Calum Malcolm, as well as 5.1 surround sound & Dolby Atmos versions created by Andy Bradfield and Avril Mackintosh.
The Dolby Atmos mix of Vigil makes full use of a 7.1.4 speaker setup, spreading out the various layers of keyboards, percussion, guitars, and strings out into the side, rear, and height speakers. Core elements like the rhythm section and Fish’s vocal tend to stay mostly locked to the front stage. Unlike prior releases, the lead vocal is panned primarily to the front ‘phantom’ center rather than isolated in the center speaker.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Ian Thomas
Title: How We Roll (2024)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Vic Florencia (Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 8/29/24
Best known for his 1973 international hit “Painted Ladies,” Ian Thomas is an award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter and composer that’s been making music for over five decades. How We Roll is Thomas’ fifteenth solo album and first new release in nearly a decade, following 2016’s A Life in Song. Throughout each of the nine tracks, his thoughtful lyrics touch on hot-button issues like climate change, human rights, and religion.
Vic Florencia’s Dolby Atmos mix provides a stellar listening experience on a 7.1.4 setup, with the various layers of guitar, vocal, synthesizer, and percussion dotted all around the room. The title track kicks off with keyboards floating overhead and behind, quickly giving way to electronic percussion in the side surrounds and Thomas’ vocal in the front ‘phantom’ center. Background vocal chants of “this is how we roll” during the chorus hover beside the listener.
Read our full review here!
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Artist: David Becker
Title: Gravitationally Bound (2024)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Claus Trelby (Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 8/30/24
For nearly four decades, Grammy and Emmy-nominated guitarist, composer, producer and educator David Becker has continued to define himself as a standout voice in the worlds of jazz and contemporary music. Over the years, Becker has shared the stage with celebrated jazz acts such as Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and Michael Brecker.
His latest studio release, Gravitationally Bound, arrived via ArtistMax in August 2024. The album was recorded and mixed especially for immersive audio by Claus Trelby at Marshmellow Skies LLC and mastered by Michael Romanowski at Coast Mastering.
Purchase Gravitationally Bound in the IAA shop!
Artist: Theo Travis
Title: Aeolus (2024)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Steven Wilson (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 9/6/24
Theo Travis is a UK-based multi-instrumentalist and producer who has collaborated with acts such as Robert Fripp, David Sylvian, Gong, Bill Nelson, Harold Budd, John Foxx, The Tangent, Porcupine Tree, and more. Aeolus is a one-hour composition for duduk (a woodwind instrument from Armenia sometimes described as ‘the saddest sounding instrument in the world’) composed by Travis and augmented by Steven Wilson's soundscapes. For the CD/Blu-Ray edition, Wilson mixed the piece in both 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos.
A stunning and utterly unique piece of work, Aeolus helps to define new possibilities for immersive audio without losing focus on the pure sound and inherent musicality of Travis' duduk improvisations. The Dolby Atmos mix effectively foregrounds the duduk largely in the center speaker, with the dense soundscapes wrapping all around and above the listener.
Artist: David Bowie
Title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Ken Scott & Emre Ramazanoglu (Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 9/6/24
Originally released through RCA Records in June 1972, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was David Bowie’s fifth studio album. Co-produced by Ken Scott–who’d already worked with The Beatles, Elton John, Procol Harum, Lou Reed, and other key British acts of the era–the album saw Bowie backed by Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey on drums, Trevor Bolder on bass, and Mick Ronson on guitar. To celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary in 2002, Ziggy was reissued on Super Audio CD with a new 5.1 surround sound mix created from the original multitrack tapes by original producer Ken Scott.
Now, in 2024, Scott and producer/engineer Emre Ramazanoglu (who also worked on the recent immersive remixes of Brian Eno's classic catalog) teamed up to create a brand-new Dolby Atmos mix for the standalone Blu-Ray Audio edition of the album. The Atmos mix has been approached in a completely different manner than the more-conservative 5.1 version, making heavy use of the side and rear surround speakers for key elements like acoustic guitars, keyboards, organ, and backing vocals. Davie Bowie’s voice appears suspended between the front and front height speakers, seemingly hovering directly in front of the listener’s face with startling clarity.
Read our full review here!
Artist: XTC
Title: Skylarking (1986)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Steven Wilson (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 9/27/24
Skylarking was XTC’s ninth studio album, released through Virgin Records in October 1986. Recorded at producer Todd Rundgren’s Utopia Sound Studio in Woodstock, New York, Skylarking continues the stylistic reinvention of XTC that began with the group’s retirement from touring in 1982. No longer burdened by the pressures and constraints of performing live, the band were now free to fully exploit the studio as an instrument in service of their artistic vision–much like The Beatles had done in the later half of their career.
Fans may recall that Skylarking was previously reissued in 2016 as the fourth entry in the band’s “Surround Sound Series” campaign, featuring new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes from Steven Wilson. For the 2024 Dolby Atmos presentation, Wilson has carefully and cleverly rearranged each musical puzzle piece to fill an even larger canvas. Much of the information that resided upfront in the 5.1 mix–such as the piano, rhythm guitars, and percussion–has now been relocated to the side surround speakers, while additional ‘sound design’ elements like the vocal harmonies and orchestration engage the overhead channels.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Ray Charles
Title: Genius Loves Company (2004)
Format: Digital Download
Immersive Mix By: Eric Schilling, Michael Romanowski, and Herbert Waltl (Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 9/30/24
Genius Loves Company was soul music pioneer Ray Charles’ final studio album, released posthumously a mere three months after his passing in June 2004. The album proved a massive success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and selling over 200,000 copies in its first week. It went on to sweep the 2005 Grammy Awards, with eight wins including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Record of the Year.
The Dolby Atmos mix fully-envelops the listener, often positioning key elements like rhythm guitars, keyboards, organ, background vocals, and orchestration forcefully in the side, rear, and height speakers. The treatment of the vocals is similar to the prior 5.1 release, with Ray Charles’ voice panned halfway to the left (in both the front left and center channels) and his duet partner anchored 50% right-of-center. The center speaker also features bass guitar, as well as other lead instruments like saxophone and electric guitar.
Read our full review here!
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Artist: King Crimson
Title: Red (1974)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Steven Wilson (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 10/11/24
King Crimson’s seventh studio album Red arrived in October 1974, just eight months after its predecessor Starless and Bible Black and two weeks after the band's unexpected dissolution. Recorded at London’s famous Olympic Studios between July and August 1974, Red features some of the heaviest music in the band's catalog–characterized by the vicious combination of Fripp’s crunchy electric guitar, Wetton’s growling bass, and Bruford’s ferocious drumming.
To celebrate the album’s 50th anniversary in 2024, Steven Wilson has revisited the original session recordings in order to craft a Dolby Atmos mix. This is the third King Crimson reissue to contain to Dolby Atmos audio, following 2020's The Complete 1969 Recordings box set and last year’s Larks four-disc deluxe edition. The height speakers are active participants throughout the album, spotlighting key musical elements such as Robert Fripp’s guitar, David Cross’ violin, and John Wetton's harmony vocals.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Title: Long After Dark (1982)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Ryan Ulyate (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 10/18/24
Long After Dark was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ fifth studio release, issued through MCA's Backstreet Records imprint in November 1982. More than four decades after its original release, Universal Music Group and the Tom Petty estate are celebrating Long After Dark with an expanded reissue produced by longtime collaborator Ryan Ulyate. The deluxe release augments the original album with 12 newly-rediscovered bonus tracks, including several previously-unreleased studio recordings from this period.
“One Story Town” sets the template for the immersive experience. The rhythm guitar parts played by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell are split in wide stereo across the front stage, spilling over into the side surround channels. Stan Lynch’s drums similarly appears mostly upfront, but the overhead mics seem to be mixed partially to the sides–giving the impression that the kit is wrapping around the listener. Benmont Tench’s organ is firmly rooted in the rear speakers, while the height array supplies lead guitar, percussion, and harmony vocals.
Read our full review here!
Artist: The Flaming Lips
Title: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Dave & Jon Fridmann (Dolby Atmos), Dave Fridmann & Elliot Scheiner (5.1 Surround)
Release Date: 11/1/24
Originally released in July 2002, The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots continues to be regarded as a creative high point for the band. It's also notable for being the band’s first true surround sound release, released in the high-resolution DVD-Audio format with a surround sound mix overseen by producer Dave Fridmann and 5.1 mix-master Elliot Scheiner. Now, to belatedly celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary, a new standalone Blu-Ray Audio edition of Yoshimi has arrived courtesy of Rhino Records.
The Blu-Ray disc not only contains the original 2003 5.1 mix–which has been out-of-print for years–but also a brand-new Dolby Atmos version mixed from the original multitracks by Dave and Jon Fridmann at Tarbox Road Studios. Much like the prior 5.1 surround release and some quadraphonic mixes of the early-1970s, the Dolby Atmos rendition of Yoshimi completely throws all immersive mixing conventions out the window. The 'gimmicky' 3-D panning and swirling effects that critics of immersive audio so often detest are on full display here, perfectly befitting the surreal nature of The Flaming Lips' music.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Talking Heads
Title: Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: Jerry Harrison & E.T. Thorngren (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 11/8/24
Often hailed as one of the most innovative rock acts of the 20th century, Talking Heads burst onto the scene in September 1977 with their aptly-titled debut Talking Heads: 77. To belatedly celebrate the album’s 45th anniversary, Rhino has compiled a lavish four-disc Super Deluxe Edition that charts the early development of the band. For immersive audio enthusiasts, the centerpiece of the set is certainly the audio-only Blu-Ray disc containing both the original 2005 DualDisc/DVD-Audio 5.1 surround mix and the 2022 Dolby Atmos mix that was previously exclusive to streaming services.
The rhythm section and lead vocal remain upfront, but have now been elevated halfway up the room–hovering between the front and front height speakers. The chugging rhythm guitars that were previously placed in both the front and rear speakers are now almost completely isolated in the side surrounds, giving those parts a startling new precision. Finally, the rear surround and rear height channels occasionally chime in with those few additional layers of background vocals, keyboards, and percussion.
Read our full review here!
Artist: Thompson Twins
Title: Into The Gap (1984)
Format: Blu-Ray
Immersive Mix By: David Kosten (5.1 Surround & Dolby Atmos)
Release Date: 12/6/24
Originally released in February 1984, Into the Gap was the Thompson Twins’ fourth studio album and a defining moment for the British pop trio. To celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024, Into the Gap was reissued on Blu-Ray Audio as the 29th entry in SuperDeluxeEdition.com’s ongoing ‘Surround Series.’ The Blu-Ray edition is essentially a box set housed within a single disc, containing brand-new 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos remixes from expert producer David Kosten alongside 30(!) stereo-only bonus tracks as well as a brand-new remaster of the original 1984 mix.
Into the Gap was always a great-sounding record, but this immersive presentation takes it to another level. Unlike in Kosten’s previous three Atmos mixes, the center channel is a very active participant in the proceedings–supplying not only Tom Bailey’s vocals, but also the bass guitar and some of the lead synth parts. Harmonies from Currie and Leeway are often placed directly behind the listener, while the height speakers are engaged for a variety of additional ‘sound design’ elements including percussion and keyboards.
Read our full review here!
