For the past two years, Genesis fans such as yours truly have heard about impending SACD surround releases of the entire Genesis catalog. As of this writing, the first set has been released, and in the hands of fans around the world who have now given it a listen. I was very anxious to hear the first installment of the set, and anticipating buying the set in the near future. However…

…why bother?

I’ve had a chance to listen to the SACD of Trick Of The Tail, which is in the first box set of releases. I was more than anxious to hear the tracks in surround, and also curious to hear how the new stereo mix compared to the original.

The good news first: the new stereo mix, balance-wise, is fairly close to the original album mix. So it’s nothing radical.

OK, so that ends the good news.

The bad news? Where do I begin? My overwhelming feeling is one of disappointment here. Here was a great chance to give us a high-resolution version of the original albums in stereo (why they were remixed, I do not know), and also a companion surround version. And yet, it’s botched. Big time.

First of all, I played the surround track. My comparison track is “Mad Man Moon”, which has numerous slow and fast sections, and soft and loud sections. A good test of how well the recording resolves through my system. The surround track was…interesting. For some reason, Phil’s voice was way too prominent in the mix, almost uncomfortably so. I’m only running in 4.1 channels vs. 5.1, but still: every other surround disc I have plays with the center information in perfect balance. Phil was just way too forward here. Also, I noticed the sound had a very brittle, “hard” quality to it…too much high end, in my opinion. And I’m usually not one to complain about brightness, as I have a forgiving system. I wasn’t too sure about the dynamics yet, as the sound was spread across all four corners of the room.

Next up was the stereo layer of the SACD. Here is where the whole deal fell apart. For comparison, I had the Mobile Fidelity (MoFi) vinyl copy, and the Definitive Edition Remaster (DE) on CD. As a reference point: the MoFi and DE versions are very similar sounding, where you’d almost call it a draw: I like both versions quite a bit.

In comparison, the SACD still had some of that “hard, brittle” quality. The stereo mix is only subtly different from the originals. However, the killer here is the compression. Not brick wall compression, but a compression/limiting applied in the mixing stage. The dynamics have all been shaved off here. “Hey man, I’m the sandman, and boy have I news for you,” marks the beginning of a faster part of the midsection, and on the MoFi and DE versions, you can feel this recording when this section kicks in. On the SACD, that impact is gone completely.

How sad–everything now sounds and feels crammed together. The kick is gone from the kick drum, and the bass is just sort of lost beneath the mess. It’s all one volume now, flat and lifeless. What a shame.

My advice: run out and get the original album mixes before they disappear. Word has it that these SACD remixes will become the only versions available. If you have to get the DE CDs, that’s fine…or find older pressings, which are plentiful for now. As for me, I’m holding onto mine, and I might get the set only if I find it at a fire sale price…or used. As is, though, I can’t justify spending so much to get something so disappointing.

A big “two thumbs down” on this one, I’m afraid. And I had high hopes, since the equivalent tracks on their Video Show DVD sounded pretty good (for DTS). Maybe it was too good to be true…

I’ll report back with impressions of other discs in this box set, although I don’t have high hopes for them at this point.

Late addition:  Sound & Vision Magazine posted a review of the U.S. version of the set, praising it.  I guess sound quality isn’t a factor over there: the brittle, glassy drums, too-forward vocals in the surround mix and (worst of all) the shaved dynamics are what killed the set for me.