Just earlier this week, I wrote a review of Morph the Cat by Donald Fagen. I was very pleased with the CD, but a bit disappointed that it hadn't been released on DVD-Audio. Then I discovered that, in fact, it was! You may have to search for the DVD/CD release, but it is worth it, even if you don't have a DVD-Audio player. Around here, only a Best Buy 45 minutes away had the set. There are three Best Buys closer to me that didn't have it. Newbury Comics didn't carry it, neither did Wal-Mart, FYE or Strawberries. Ah well, it's mine now.
The CD/DVD Package For about six dollars more than the individual CD, you can get Morph the Cat in a CD/DVD package. It is NOT a dual disc, the standard size CD case contains two discs inside. I have always liked this way of releasing albums better. Dual Discs don't play on all players, and it is difficult to handle them, and you have to read the small writing on the inner circle to identify them. I'd rather just have two discs. I can leave the CD player in my car, after I have ripped all the tracks onto my computer harddrive. I keep the DVD at home so I can listen to the Surround Sound on my DVD-Audio players. Most stores that do carry Fagen's new release in this package sell it for $19.99. Earlier I had picked up the CD on sale for $13.99, after being told that it wasn't available on DVD-Audio. Anyway, its a great purchase, you get to have a CD playable whereever you have a CD player, or you can rip the CD tracks for use in your computer and then your portable MP3 player AND you have an Advanced Resolution Stereo Mix or 5.1 Surround Sound mix for serious listening on a home theater / media center. Fear not, those without DVD-Audio players, there are also two Surround Sound mixes for regular DVD players as well, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital Mix, and a 5.1 DTS mix. The regular DVD also has a Dolby Digital Stereo mix.
But Mark,I already have the CD too, Why do I want to spend another 20 Bucks for the CD/DVD package?
Well, first of all, we all have friends right? What music friend wouldn't want a nice very slightly used almost brand new CD from Donald Fagen of Steely Dan? My first critical listening test was listening to the Advanced Resolution Stereo Mix. For this, I used a Pioneer Elite 47A Universal DVD player, a Yamaha 5280 Surround Sound Receiver (used in my stereo test as a preamp) and a Rotel RB 990 Power Amplifier (200 real watts per channel) hooked up to a pair of floor standing Polk Audio Monitor 70 speakers. You want to listen to speakers with good bass, because DVD-Audio (and SACD) in stereo do NOT deliver signals to subwoofers, so unless you have your sub set up with the speakers routed through the sub, you may miss some bass. I mention this because I have my Velodyne set up with the .1 connection as an LFE, (not line in) so pure stereo sources are not routed through the sub. However my Polk Monitors do a fine job of producing low audible bass, they just lack the living room shaking lows that the Velodyne delivers.
Get to the POINT!! The Advanced Resolution Stereo Mix
Pure sonic bliss! Heavy bass notes drop down from the left and right, sharp and precise. You can hear the guitar occasionally strum in and you can hear every hit of the high hat cymbal. You can also hear Fagen breath in before singing High above Manhattan town, what floats and has a shape like that, fans like us who watch the skies we know it's Morph the Cat!. As I've listened to this album quite a few times now, Morph the Cat I think is my favorite song, it just makes you feel like you heard an Arlen tune or bought yourself a crazy hat, like you had a Mango cooler, oohhh Morph the cat. The chorus is pure bliss, Fagen sings in a falsetto with backup singers It's kind of like an Artic mindbath, cool and sweet and slightly rough, liquid light on New York City, like Christmas without the chintzy stuff. Every sax, every horn, is just so clear and beautiful. Let me tell you, the CD sounded fantastic, so to let you know that the Advanced Resolution Stereo Mix sounded better says a lot. The instruments are just a bit more pronounced, and the sound stage is a bit wider than the CD. You get more of the sense that you are there. I really enjoyed cranking this up. My son (who always has the sub rumbling loudly on Saturday mornings as he slays demons, ninjas and monsters on the X-Box) told me I was playing it too loud! I replied that there is no sense in having an awesome stereo system if you can't turn it up from time to time and just enjoy the music. I had so much fun, that I popped in Fagen's Nightfly DVD-Audio afterwards! (but that's another review).
Dolby Digital Stereo
I was not a fan of the Dolby Digital Stereo track, listening to it as I did right after the Advanced Resolution Track. I felt like there was a layer of fine cotton in my ears. If you don't have a DVD-Audio player for the Advanced Resolution Stereo mix, just listen to the CD.
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Again, the sound on the Dolby Digital Surround mix, sounds a bit muffled, it wasn't pure and clean like the Advanced Resolution mix. The clean punch of the drums was a slight bit muddy, and Fagen's voice sounded a bit less clear. The saxes and horns aren't delivered to my ears quite as clearly either. However, keep in mind that I listened to this in direct comparison to the Advanced Resolution track, if you haven't heard the DVD-Audio mix, you don't know what you're missing.
DTS 5.1 Mix
Actually, the DTS mix, which usually rocks, wasn't a lot better here than the Dolby Digital mix. The DTS mix is sampled at 96 kHz though in 24 bit. It will give you a good example of the surround sound mix though. I am not sure that anyone would notice the slightly muddy sound without doing a direct comparison to the Advanced Resolution mix however, because when I say it sounds slightly muddy, it is ONLY in comparison to the Advanced Resolution tracks, because it doesn't sound muddy, it just doesn't have that clarity that DVD-Audio does. If you've never heard DVD-Audio, I would bet that you will be very happy with the Surround Sound mix if you play this on your home theater. I did prefer the DTS mix over the Dolby Digital mix.
DVD-Audio Advanced Resolution 5.1 Surround Sound Mix
Like Window Cleaner for your audio system, DVD-Audio just wipes away anything between you and the music.
Now the drums come from behind you, and the backing vocals are all spread out on Morph the Cat Fagen's voice sounds pure and mellow against a backdrop of drums, bass, jazz guitar, saxaphones and trumpet. The music just surrounds you.
H-Gang Piano trills start in the front and fade out to the rear in the instrumental beginning of this tune. Soon the guitar starts playing from the right, and you can hear the bass in front to the left. The saxaphone player was behind my head. Like previous Steely Dan / Donald Fagen DVD-Audio / SACD releases, this album uses the extra channels to exand the studio all around you. They don't have a gimmicky sound, it just allows all the instruments their own aural space, which in addition to the greater clarity offered by the advanced resolution, allows the listener to fully appreciate every subtle nuance in the recording. As any Steely Dan fan knows, Fagen fills albums with subtle nuances. I liked the way the horn section in this song was standing behind me. This song ends with some awesome jazz guitar playing that slowly fades out.
What I Do A tribute to a conversation of a younger Donald with the ghose of Ray Charles, this song begins with some funky bass riffs reminiscent of Charles early R&B hits. You can make out the distinct sound of the Whirly Piano in a way that wasn't quite as apparent on the CD. Having gone through a crash course in Ray Charles after seeing Ray last year, I could identify the subtle musical queues playing tribute to the late great genius. Trust me, none of them are as obvious as the blatant sampling by many of today's hip hop artists, it's just the slightly funky vibrant sound of the whirly piano, the honky tonk harmonica or the the bass riffs, or the way the backing vocals mimic the Raylettes in the rear surround channels. Really listen to this song, then listen to What'd I Say by Ray Charles. This is now my second favorite track on Morph the Cat.
Brite Nitegown This song is named after W.C. Fields description of Death. I never pictured the Grim Reaper wearing anything bright, I'm just letting you know what the liner notes said. A beautiful sounding Fender Piano gains new clarity on the Advanced Resolution surround sound mix, because it gets its own space right in the center channel. Again, this was a subtle detail that is almost lost on the CD.
The Great Pagoda of Funn (that's not a typo, fun is spelled with two n's in the title) This is a relaxing mellow tune about two lovers who ignore lifes harsh realities as they live their lives just to help maintain the state they're in, because when they fight, then those hungry wolves close in. I loved the use of vibes in this song that every so often sound across the front of the room. There's a lot of great sax in this song too.
Security Joan Who says heightened security at the airports makes traveling more difficult? A love song that only Fagen can write, this is the tale of a man smitten with the airport security guard who detains him. Girl, you won't find my name on your list, Honey you know I ain't no terrorist, confiscate my shoes, my cell phone, you know I love, love love you, Security Joan... search me now.
The Night Belongs to Mona I don't know why, but after listening to this song a few times, instead of picturing Mona all alone in her New York City apartment, I pictured Holly GoLighty with the mean reds, listening to jazz in her New York Apartment, and breaking in through her neighbors window just to chat in the middle of the night. sometimes she'll call at some unholy hour, she wants to talk all of this grim and funny stuff then she'll go all quiet in her Chelsea tower The gentle sax solo reminded me of Moon River even though it didn't play that tune, the mournfulness of the solo suggested the song. In any event, this song isn't about Breakfast at Tiffany's its about a lonely woman who copes with tragedy in her own way locked up in her apartment building.
Mary Shut the Garden Door All the vibes, Fender Piano and even Melodica can be clearly heard in the Surround sound mix in this song of paranoia and government control. Music just glides in and out of the channels in an almost mystical fashion. Different instruments flow from every channel. so if you ever see an automaton in a midprice luxury car, better roll the sidewalks up, switch on your lucky star, cause this zombie does impressions, but not really to amuse.
Morph the Cat (Reprise) Morph returns at the end of the album with a slightly more aggressive bass and drum intro. Then the familiar refrain chimes in blessed Yankees have an ally, when this feline comes to bat, bringing joy to old Manhattan, all watch the skies for Morph the Cat.
The surround sound mix is really excellent, and I really loved this new album by Donald Fagen. This is really reminiscent of the early Steely Dan, and it just flows so effortlessly from my home theater system to my ears. I would recommend this DVD/CD package over just the CD without hesitation. You still get the CD, and you get a DVD with surround sound mixes. If you have a DVD-Audio player, this album is a MUST HAVE. Steely Dan is just one of those groups made for Advanced Resolution and Surround sound. The meticulous recording sessions are really showcased with the DVD-Audio mixes in a way that is quite noticably superior to the Dolby Digital, DTS and original CD mixes.
Summary Are you still reading my review? Isn't it obvious you should be out there buying this? Go! GO buy it, or at least order it. You're online now, ORDER IT! stop reading my review and order it! Yes, of course its five stars, epinions doesn't have six.
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