Beach Boys in 5.1 thread

[b00ts]

The Beach Boys' music lends itself nicely to surround sound. Pet Sounds DVD-Audio and the mixes on Endless Harmony DVD are breathtaking. Too bad the Surf's Up DVD-A was never released. Carl and the Passions: So Tough and Surfs Up also sound great when put through a matrix technology such as Desper's device or Dolby Pro Logic / DTS NEO:6.

The other day, I cracked my head really hard and passed out for several hours. In my mini-coma, I dreamed that there was a fan-made DVD-Audio of Surf's Up; it sounded excellent, and I am wondering if, in anyone elses' imaginations / delusions / severe psychotic episodes, they have seen any other unofficial 5.1 mixes of Beach Boys albums... because this is the only one that I have seen (in my mind.)

Speaking of imagination.. the album of the same name bothers me for the same reason it bothers nearly everybody else here - but there are a few great tracks on it that Joe Thomas' dopey, ham-fisted production and arrangement techniques can't ruin. I've found that the DTS CD has an excellent surround mix. The album's sterility is mitigated somewhat by a clean, well balanced surround mix, and most importantly, Brian's vocals sound insanely great in the beautiful "Cry."

I am wondering if anybody else has heard it, or owns it. Personally, I listen to the Imagination DTS CD in lieu of the regular CD most of the time.

[Roger Ryan]

Yeah, I have it and will listen to it on occasion. A few interesting changes from the standard CD issue: there's an extra bar of music in "She Says That She Needs Me" that is edited out on the CD and the final percussive sound effect that transitions "Cry" into "Lay Down Burden" is removed from the DTS surround mix (disappointing as I rather like those strange effects).

I agree that the surround mix tempers some of Thomas' indulgences by spreading everything around a bit more. I thought it was interesting that Brian reportedly flew to Chicago to oversee the surround mix, given that he can't hear surround any better than stereo. He said he would walk around the room listening to each monitor to gauge the balance of the mix.

[The Shift]

I've a surround mix of POB on a slipperlimb disc but haven't a clue about the source. Haven't played it in a while...

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I've a surround mix of POB on a slipperlimb disc but haven't a clue about the source. Haven't played it in a while...

Is this in a dream, or for real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[b00ts]

I've a surround mix of POB on a slipperlimb disc but haven't a clue about the source. Haven't played it in a while...

Is this in a dream, or for real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think he is referring to a version of POB he heard in a dream, because I had a very, very similar dream about a fan-made POB 5.1 up-mix. It sounded pretty good, but I only dreamed about it once, then I misplaced it at the end of the dream.

Surf's Up, however, I have dreamed about many times, most recently just a few days ago. The surround mix is excellent, probably because the source material was recorded the way it was - designed to be played through a matrix technology, such as DTS NEO:6 or Dolby Pro Logic II, or ideally Stephen Desper's device.

I have played my vinyl copy of Carl and the Passions and my CD version of Sunflower through both DTS NEO:6 and Pro Logic II, and while it is not discrete, the surround works very well. My understanding is that, depending on the matrix technology used, the channels will be configured a bit differently.

It's a shame that the Surf's Up DVD-Audio was never released. I assume that the mixes featured on Endless Harmony were prepared for the DVD-A. It is my understanding that the same is true of the menu music on the BWPS DVD - Mark Linnet had apparently begun remixing BWPS for a surround release, but couldn't get funding. Too bad, as BWPS would have been released on DVD-A if it had been a year or two sooner.

I have to say that my favorite mix of Pet Sounds, after the stereo mix, is the surround mix. A lot of people dislike it, though. I was reading a discussion about it over at the QuadraphonicQuad forums, and I stumbled upon this:

"I have heard, from someone who must remain nameless but was actually present and heard the original surround mixes right off the DAW in the Studio, that there has been an almighty cockup in the manufacturing process, as in the studio everything sounds simply stunning.
When the engineers heard the disc, they were almost in tears.
There is allegedly stuff out of phase, on the wrong channels, all manner of problems."

Does anyone know about this? Was it corrected on the Pet Sounds re-release? I will have to compare them...

And for the record, those two (Pacific Ocean Blue and Surfs Up) are the only two fan-made surround mixes that I have dreamed about. I'd love to know if there are any more out there, in other peoples' dreams.

- b00ts
"The right people never die" - George Carlin