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SACD

Henry Mancini, His Piano, Orchestra And Chorus – Mancini Country & Country Gentleman (2016) [SACD / Vocalion – CDLK 4603]

adminFebruary 19, 2026 50 Views

Title: Henry Mancini, His Piano, Orchestra And Chorus – Mancini Country & Country Gentleman (2016)
Genre: Country
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Enrico Nicola “Henry” Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, who is best remembered for his film and television scores. If the recognition of one’s peers is the true measure of success, then few men are as successful as composer, arranger, and conductor Henry Mancini. In a career that spanned 40 years, writing for film and television, Mancini won four Oscars and twenty Grammys, the all-time record for a pop artist. This SACD release combines 2 LP on 1 SACD – “Mancini Country” (1970) & “Country Gentleman” (1974).

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SACD

Henry Mancini – Hangin’ Out & Theme from Z (1974 & 1970) [Reissue 2019] [SACD / Vocalion – CDSML 8553]

adminFebruary 19, 2026 52 Views

Title: Henry Mancini – Hangin’ Out & Theme from Z (1974 & 1970) [Reissue 2019]
Genre: Easy Listening
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

This is easy listening Henry Mancini, not jazzy “Peter Gunn” Henry Mancini, but darn good easy listening. As with the other Vocalion surround Mancini releases, what really makes this worth the listen is the nicely balanced surround mix. There are no gimmicks. Surround is used here to spread out the music and give it depth, which makes it perfect for easy listening (and perhaps, an accompanying martini at the end of a hectic day).

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1 min read

SACD

Helmut Lotti – Pop Classics In Symphony (2003) [SACD / EMI Electrola – 5939632]

adminFebruary 19, 2026 58 Views

Title: Helmut Lotti – Pop Classics In Symphony (2003)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Helmut Lotti is a Flemish Belgian tenor and singer-songwriter. He is performs in several styles and languages, and he is a multi-million-selling artist worldwide. Once an Elvis impersonator, he has sung African, Latino and Russian hit records, and he crossed over into classical music in the 1990s.

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1 min read

SACD

Helen Reddy – Am I Woman & Long Hard Climb (1972,1973/2020) [SACD / Vocalion – CDLK 4627]

adminFebruary 19, 2026 52 Views

Title: Helen Reddy – Am I Woman & Long Hard Climb (1972,1973/2020)
Genre: Pop, Easy Listening
Format: MCH SACD ISO

I Am Woman/Long Hard Climb Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Raven’s two-fer release of Helen Reddy’s I Am Woman and Long Hard Climb is typically well-produced — well-annotated by Ian MacFarlane, remastered expertly, nicely designed, adorned by two bonus tracks, and — above all — focusing on two records that capture the artist at the peak of her career. All well and good, so the question is this: Is this solely for the diehards or will those who like “I Am Woman” and know nothing else also enjoy this two-fer? The answer is yes, they should enjoy I Am Woman/Long Hard Climb, but it’s a qualified “yes” because a little Helen Reddy can go a long way for some listeners — especially those who enjoy “I Am Woman” for either its camp value or its message. However, those who like the record for its sound — its layered, post-Glen Campbell, early-’70s soft rock, AM pop, MOR sound — this is quite enjoyable, particularly because the quality of the songs is quite consistent (apart from the odd stumble like a woeful cover of Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road, Jack” or the vaudevillian “The Last Blues Song”). Ironically enough for a singer so associated with a tale of empowerment, Reddy isn’t a particularly assertive vocalist; she tends to blend into the production of the records on both albums, which is not a bad thing, since it enhances the enjoyment of each as sheer sound and as period pieces, since they certainly stopped arranging and producing records like this a few years after these were released. And that’s also the reason why this disc may, in many ways, be preferable to a hits collection for listeners who like “I Am Woman” or “Delta Dawn,” the big single from Long Hard Climb, and want more in that vein instead of all the charting hits, which after a certain point were less endearing than the music captured here.

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2 min read

SACD

Helene Grimaud – Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 (1998) [Japan 2013] [SACD / Esoteric Company – ESSW-90083]

adminFebruary 19, 2026 51 Views

Title: Helene Grimaud – Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 (1998) [Japan 2013]
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Hélène Grimaud, who has lived with the early D minor Concerto for decades, has called Brahms’s Op 15 ‘a piece I need to survive’. Indeed, she recorded it with that kind of urgency for Erato back in 1997 with Kurt Sanderling and the Staatskapelle Berlin, her passion making up for the lack in sheer power you’d find in accounts by the likes of Brendel or Pollini. This reissue of classical music masterpieces by ESOTERIC has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound, and for using hybrid SACD technology to improve sound quality. These new audio versions feature ESOTERIC’s proprietary re-mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.

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SACD

Jascha Heifetz – Concertos: Sielius – Prokofiev – Glazunov (2005) [SACD / RCA Red Seal – 82876-66372-2]

adminFebruary 13, 2026 66 Views

Title: Jascha Heifetz – Concertos: Sielius – Prokofiev – Glazunov (2005)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

In reissuing its vintage stereo recordings, RCA either reproduces the original albums as they were released on LP or combines several recordings into much fuller programs. Fortunately, the 2nd option pertains to this album of Jascha Heifetz’s masterful performances of violin concertos by Sibelius, Prokofiev & Glazunov; listeners get well over an hour of great music. Heifetz recorded Sibelius’ concerto & Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 2 in 1959, & these were released on LP with Walter Hendl & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the former, & with Charles Münch & the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the latter; the Glazunov concerto was recorded in 1963, with Hendl leading the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra. As varied as the conductors, ensembles, & venues are, there is remarkable consistency in the excellence of the recordings. Heifetz is always in complete control, & his awe-inspiring playing binds these performances. In terms of reproduction, Heifetz is always distinctly separated from the orchestral accompaniment, & the 3 ensembles are reproduced with natural depth. For Heifetz fans who want to hear every astonishing detail, this is an ideal disc. ~~ Allmusic review

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SACD

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch – Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (1954) [SACD 2006] [SACD / RCA Red Seal – 82876 67899 2]

adminFebruary 13, 2026 74 Views

Title: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch – Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (1954) [SACD 2006]
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

His overwhelming natural affinity for French music made Charles Munch an ideal conductor for Berlioz’s swirling tour de force Symphonie Fantastique. Perfectly capturing the drama, romance & philosophical angst in which this masterpiece is marinated, Munch takes the Boston Symphony Orchestra on an epic journey of proportions only possible in the human heart & mind. A classic, reborn in vivid Living Stereo. ~acousticsounds.com

In listening to the Symphonie Fantastique we immediately sense the light & frothy, ineffably ‘French’ sound that Munch is able to draw forth from the Boston Symphony players. The rubato phrasing in the 1st movement is enchanting & we are amazed by the see-into transparency revealed by the shuffling of the instrumentalists during quiet passages. The phrasing of the 1st violins is exquisitely delicate. Forte passages are wall-to-wall, with the idee-fixe carried by the trumpet deep to the right. Munch has supple control of the crescendi & decrescendi. The listener is drawn into Boston Symphony Hall through space & time by the transparency of the details & the realism of the dynamics. In the 4th movement we note the superb layering & depth in the counterpoint of the tympani & clarinet. Berlioz pulls out all the stops in the finale & we are treated to the clanging gong, trombones, tubas & breathy flutes. Overall, the music is fluid & breathtakingly dynamic. …I have always heard good things about this recording. Yet, never owned it in any incarnation before. As a performance, the strongest parts have to be, to me any way, the 1st & last movements. I dare say, the march to the scaffold is less harrowing than many other recordings. Though, compared to the Paray SACD, this is quite a bit better. My benchmark, previous to this, has been the Chicago/Solti recording. Performance wise, I will always enjoy that one for the ferocity of the Scaffold movement & the woodwind/brass playing. Don’t hesitate to get this if you enjoy a good performance. Soundwise, not an amazing release, but from my knowledge of previous versions, it seems better. ~sa-cd.net

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2 min read

SACD

Heart – Magazine (1978) [Audio Fidelity 2014] [SACD / Audio Fidelity – AFZ 171]

adminFebruary 13, 2026 67 Views

Title: Heart – Magazine (1978) [Audio Fidelity 2014]
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Problems with the Mushroom label delayed the release of Magazine, which eventually went platinum and peaked at number 17 on the album charts. Only the hard-rocking “Heartless” made it into the Top 40, and the album didn’t really live up to Heart’s last few efforts. 1976’s Dreamboat Annie showed stronger songwriting, while Little Queen had a lot more bite to it. Magazine lacks in energy and, to a much greater extent, fluency. The songs sound careless and scrambled together, and while some of the blame can be placed on the label controversy, it’s apparent that the Wilsons seem unconcerned, for the most part. “Here Song,” “Just the Wine,” and the predictable “Without You” all have weak seams in both the writing and the articulateness of the tracks as a whole. 1978’s Dog & Butterfly shows more interest and rock & roll vitality than its predecessor, making Magazine an album even the band likes to forget about.

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SACD

Heart – Alive In Seattle (2x SACD, 2003) [SACD / Epic – E2H90287]

adminFebruary 13, 2026 71 Views

Title: Heart – Alive In Seattle (2x SACD, 2003)
Genre: Rock
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Recorded at the last stop on their 2002 tour, Alive in Seattle documents an impeccable performance and production, mixed for surround-sound playback on both regular and Super Audio CD formats. A warm artist/audience vibe permeates this set; it’s easy to imagine families sprawled out on an amphitheater lawn, taking in the music on an early summer evening. All that’s missing is any sense of urgency. The musicians hit every note flawlessly — too flawlessly, perhaps. Ann Wilson hints at the problem in the album notes, where she describes bandmember Ben Smith’s transformation from “studio cat to being a real rock & roll drummer.” In fact, some element of “studio cat” dispassion colors these performances; even the sisterly banter between tracks seems forced, if not, in their spoken prelude to “Magic Man,” slightly condescending. Ultimately it’s Ann Wilson who brings each track home, with a vocal delivery that never lacks soul. On their cover of “Black Dog” she even challenges Robert Plant’s original rendition, more than holding her own on high notes, power, and drama. On balance, that’s enough to recommend Alive in Seattle, lack of warts and all.

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2 min read

SACD

Harumi Nomoto Trio – Another Ordinary Day (2002) [Japan 2020] [SACD / Venus Records – VHGD 358]

adminFebruary 13, 2026 63 Views

Title: Harumi Nomoto Trio – Another Ordinary Day (2002) [Japan 2020]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Japanese pianist Harumi Nomoto’s 2002 release includes original compositions plus standards “My Shining Hour”, “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” and “Stardust”. The Trio features mostly Japanese musicians plus an american drummer, Tommy Campbell on some tracks.

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