Evanescence Fallen 1.5 a Super Audio CD exclusive Apr 01 '04    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line - Fallen 1.5 is a single layer SACD and will only play in equipment displaying the Super Audio CD logo The music industry at the moment The music industry is being pummeled by MP3 at the moment. Fans claim it’s because of high prices, but the RIAA seems to disagree whilst pointing their finger at the millions of MP3 pirates. And all the while, this gigantic key to helping turn things abound for fans, and improve the bottom line for the industry sat collecting dust. And the entire time I watched it happen, screaming with my microscopic voice and yet nobody could hear me, or maybe they just didn’t care. The industry has something special on their side, a secure way to sell their music, in a way that can’t be ripped, copied, or manipulated in its full form. Hell if anything, they could have used it for free publicity, the kind you could never buy. And while delivering the music goods securely, fans could reap music painted on a much larger canvas, with color more brilliant and varied than they ever thought possible. Things are about to change Well all of that is finally in the past. Someone finally figured it all out (it took them five years) and Wind-Up records will go down as being the first to make the bold move. The bone heads at Sony and Philips (co-inventors of the CD and Super Audio CD) are using a little band called Evanescence; to finally grab the collective masses and shake them till their necks are sore with the now five year old format (a likely successor to the CD) Super Audio CD. Wind-Up was approached by the two titans, and a very special version of the massive hit Fallen was or should I say is the result. Rather than take the new format Super Audio CD (SACD) and do what is currently being done (simply getting a hi-res version of an existing album’s master tapes in stereo or surround sound) extra value is finally being added. And I must admit, that extra value is the understatement of the year in this case. The small two page press release that accompanied my early copy of Fallen 1.5 gives a release date of April 27th. A follow up e-mail from Wind-up states that the release date is being pushed back one additional week to May 4th. The release also states that there are no immediate plans to release Fallen 1.5 on CD. There will also be several color schemes including purple, red and orange, my copy is green. To avoid confusion, there will be no copies with the blue theme from the original version of Fallen. Other than that info, most of what is on that release is of a technical nature and would probably bore everyone except audio nerds like myself. So first I should cover what fans already know about Fallen. What’s with the Super Audio CD mumbo jumbo? I’ll keep this short for everyone that doesn’t know what Super Audio CD (SACD) is. First forget the “surround sound” thing for a moment. TV vs. high definition TV, there’s no contest. CD vs. SACD, no contest, the definition of the sound is much higher. The “surround sound” thing is called the “gravy” the “cherry on top” the “clincher” the... oh you get the idea. FALLEN goes from 8-track to high-definition surround Forgive me for running really long, but there’s a lot to cover, eleven original tracks, two acoustic tracks, and four brand spanking new ones. All eleven original tracks are here, or course this time around high-resolution recordings are now being delivered in stereo and multi-channel (surround sound). The stereo version of Fallen has been untouched, only now in SACD guise the sound is much better, and probably more faithful to the original masters. It’s the multi-channel version that really shines here, definitely relegating the stereo version to headphone use and snobby audiophiles that refuse to embrace surround sound. What was the phrase that Mr. T was so fond of? “I pity the fool! ” My thoughts on Fallen 1.5 will focus mainly on the mix or differences between 1.5 and Fallen. Giving my thoughts again would be completely redundant, those can be found here. The surround sound version of Fallen leans more toward subtle, with the occasional bit of flair thrown in. If you ask me, that’s the best way to approach it. Albums like Beck’s wildly overrated Sea Change on SACD is a perfect example of how this works out so well. Never a big fan of the album itself, I’m a huge fan of the surround mix, and the amazing sound quality, and I feel the same way about 1.5. On Fallen tracks like Going Under and Bring Me to Life spread things around, and lift that constant chuga-chuga guitar work up and away from Amy’s lovely vocals. Now with Amy’s operatic vocals pouring from the center speaker sans instruments, the mood is just a little different. There are other changes as well, like the little taps on the piano keys on Going Under emanate from the rear speakers. Most of the action however still takes place up front in the left and right speakers. Everybody’s Fool is a very by-the-numbers track. Amy at the center, repetitive guitar work left and right, and some reverb at the back. My Immortal however is much sweeter in surround. Now that piano goes from flat to full and room filling. It’s a simple mix, but very effective at fleshing out My Immortal wonderfully. Haunted is another example of less is more. Things follow the same pattern, but the ‘System of a Down-ish’ guitars pour from all four corners just past the one minute mark. The choral arrangement also lights up every speaker for a brief time. Hello is one of my favorite sad songs, and the surround version is awesome (but still not better than the acoustic version at the end) and it doesn’t disappoint. Amy’s sorrow is strong at the center, but spills into the left and right more strongly. Again, the piano and lovely Cello fill the room with the help of the rear channels. And my favorite part, the opening sound of a string making a painful sigh now ‘washes’ over you, moving from the front to the back like a wave, how cool is that? All the technical stuff aside, there’s something really fun going on here, something really endearing. Example: My Last Breath has soft moments when Amy sings in a slightly hushed tone, and listening to Amy Lee pour her heart out from the center speaker; away from the rest of the music is the kind of water that grows goose bumps. When Amy sings “All I wanted to say was I love you, and I’m not afraid” I realize it was all worth it. Sitting in traffic, working for an asshole, busting my ass at work, getting robbed by uncle Sam, so that I could pay for all this gear, so that I could hear Amy sing those words. It’s all worth it. Two bonus acoustic tracks Two are sweet acoustic versions of Tourniquet and Hello. Tourniquet is an acoustic track with little bits thrown in that aren’t exactly from a small and intimate setting studio or otherwise. Tourniquet has been rearranged rather heavily here. Now Tourniquet opens with a dead silence, and a choral arrangement slowly fades in, it is haunting and all encompassing making use of all six speakers. After the choral arrangement falls, the music moves to the front three speakers. A piano comes to life with just a touch of reverb in the rear for a sense of space; and Amy’s vocals planted firmly in the center, leaking just a bit into the left and right. Without the chuga-chuga guitar work found on the original, the pain, and emotion seem to come through so crystal clear. Now when Amy sings “I’m pouring crimson regret” she grits the first part through her teeth as if it were difficult to push those words out, and she holds the note at the end, rather than cut it short as she did on the album. It’s almost painful listening to Amy, but it’s so amazing that I truly enjoy the hurt. Hello is one of my favorite ballads from Fallen and I made several giddy sounds, reminiscent of a school girl seeing this new version on the track listing. It’s almost too good to be true that someone actually gave me what I wanted for once. Here, Hello is almost a remix, but maybe that’s not entirely fitting, I’m on new ground so bear with me. The opening of Hello is that absolutely wonderful Cello naked and alone in the center speaker that made its appearance nearly two minutes into the original. At about the thirty second mark, the familiar piano work fires up and Amy isn’t heard from until nearly the two minute mark. The anticipation is wonderful, and when Amy finally comes in with her “Playground school bell rings again...” I have to say it’s a wonderful release. That opening Cello just makes me want to close my eyes and move my hands about, like a conductor on sweet, sweet heroin. The Brand New Songs It’s time to fall all over again with four tracks brand spankin’ new, never released in any shape or form. These four tracks were recorded during the Fallen sessions and for whatever reason didn’t make the cut. The four brand new tracks are Questioning Faith, I’m not broken, U are the light, and Tattooed Tears . With the release date for Fallen 1.5 so far away, do I spoil it with long-winded descriptions? Perhaps I should do the right thing and keep it light and allow everyone the joy of discovering the new tracks themselves. Maybe that's a moot point, being that most people reading this don’t have a Super Audio CD player, and probably don’t even know what SACD is. Either way, I don’t feel the need to drop 6,000 words on the new tracks, a lot less should do the job. Questioning Faith is heavy on the religious imagery, and being that Evanescence wanted to distance themselves from Christian Rock for fear of the bargain bin, I completely understand the decision to cut it. Questioning Faith has a dual personality, with Amy’s sleepy intro, accompanied by soft drums, and gentle guitars, things change before the halfway point. The other side finds Amy screaming, with distorted vocals, frenetic percussion and haunting samples thrown in. The laughing samples swirl around the room in a circle making the round about once every second. Amy’s dark, screaming performance is anchored up front however. I can almost picture Amy breaking several guitars on stage when she sings “My death, it’s your release, it has me questioning my faith.” Saving the best for last... literally The best track hands down is the last, Tattooed Tears it’s better than any track on the original, and it’s the best of the bunch of the new material. I know exactly why Tattooed Tears was cut. There are two reasons in my mind, the first being that it bears a strong resemblance to Hello. The second reason is that it’s gut wrenching, think Tori Amos’ Me and a Gun not exactly accessible or radio worthy. Tattooed Tears is very quiet, there’s no big production to hide behind. All of the sorrow that Amy lets slip is gut wrenching, and maybe even alarming. I don’t even want to put to text what I suspect, but Amy’s got something to share, that she probably never admitted to it before. When Amy sings “I gave you all my trust.... and I shed seven tears, in seven years, and you never wiped them away” I ache inside. Strangely enough, Tattooed Tears is a cappella for large chunks, with a piano that comes and goes away completely at odd times to leave us with the stark reality of Amy’s words. Looking at it, I know it sounds strange ‘on paper’ but it is, dare I say, brilliant? Bottom line a killer record, made immensely better. My rating: 5 stars Brilliant marketing, but very late to the show Giving the audiophiles and those early to adopt a new format a leg up is brilliant on so many levels. First, you pay dues to those that took a chance on the new format five years ago. Next, you give a little respect to the people that pay for, rather than steal their music. And finally, the BIG enchilada, everyone without a Super Audio CD player goes nuts, they lose their minds, they start to scream The bugs! The bugs! get them off me! while they scratch themselves profusely sitting in the corner. The next step is all those rabid fans now wanting to educate themselves, wanting to get a player, wanting to know what the hell is going on. I’ve got money that says all the MP3 babies that didn’t pay attention before, will now. To keep the ball rolling, Sony/Philips should continue locking up big names like Eminem and Outkast, and release their new albums on single layer SACDs a week or two before the CD. You run the risk of people copying the hi-res stereo version to low-res MP3, but someone still needs a SACD player, and some knowledge to actually get it done. The free publicity for the new format however is damn near priceless. I have to admit it’s nice not being treated like the red-headed step child for once. So while those of you that haven’t been keeping up scramble to figure out what’s going on, I’ll just kick back and take Fallen 1.5 for another spin. © Tony Flores 2004 StrangerSoundLabs.com

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