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The Who / Who’s Next on SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio

#30 in the SDE Surround Series

By Paul Sinclair

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130

Standalone blu-ray only via SDE • Steven Wilson Atmos, 5.1 & Stereo Mixes of album & bonus tracks • Exclusive instrumentals • Quick pre-order

SDE is proud to announce that The Who’s classic 1971 album Who’s Next – “arguably their artistic pinnacle” in the words of Alexis Petridis – is now available to pre-order as an SDE-exclusive standalone blu-ray audio.

The band’s fifth studio long-player emerged from the ashes of a project called Lifehouse, an ambitious multi-media rock opera conceived by Pete Townshend in 1969, but ultimately aborted. Who’s Next features some of The Who’s best known songs, including ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’.

The blu-ray was previously only available as part of the excellent, but expensive, super deluxe edition of Who’s Next, which was released just over a year ago. It features Steven Wilson remixes of Who’s Next and 14 bonus tracks. Those bonus tracks are of the highest quality and include unedited versions of singles such as ‘The Seeker‘, ‘Let’s See Action‘ and ‘Join Together‘.

The SDE Who’s Next blu-ray features exclusive instrumental versions

Wilson has created Dolby Atmos Mixes, dedicated 5.1 mixes and new stereo mixes of all 23 tracks with the exception of ‘Bargain’, for which the multi-tracks unfortunately could not be found (a Penteo ‘upmix’ was created for that track for the spatial/surround mixes).

The SDE blu-ray exclusively features Steven Wilson instrumental mixes of the album and all the bonus tracks (except ‘Bargain’, for the reasons stated above). These instrumentals do not features on the blu-ray in the box set.

The audio streams of Who’s Next on the SDE-exclusive blu-ray are as follows:

  • Who’s Next – Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos mix (48/24)
  • Who’s Next – Steven Wilson 5.1 mix (96/24)
  • Who’s Next – Steven Wilson Stereo mix (96/24)
  • Who’s Next – Steven Wilson Stereo Instrumentals (96/24)*
  • Who’s Next – Original 1971 Stereo mix (96/24)

The following 14 bonus tracks are available in SW Atmos (48/24), SW 5.1 (96/24), SW New Stereo (96/24)and SW Stereo Instrumentals (96/24):

  • The Seeker (Unedited Version)
  • Here For More
  • Now I’m A Farmer
  • I Don’t Know Myself (Eel Pie Sound Version)
  • Water (IBC Version)
  • Naked Eye (Olympic Sound Version)
  • Pure And Easy
  • Too Much of Anything
  • Let’s See Action
  • When I Was a Boy
  • Join Together (Unedited Version)
  • Put The Money Down
  • Relay (Unedited Version)
  • Long Live Rock

Jonathan Cornell of Immersive Audio Album reviewed Steven’s Atmos Mix on the blu-ray in the box set last year and concluded “as far as surround sound mixes of classic albums go, it simply doesn’t get much better than this” and Wilson himself noted that “it’s almost a cliche with surround sound to say that it’s like you’re in the studio with the band, but that really is the way it feels on these iconic recordings. You can almost reach out and touch the music”.

This Who’s Next blu-ray audio is #30 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series and will be packaged similarly to previous editions and ships with a free, collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase.

Do not miss out. This product is a limited edition and has a 10 day pre-order window, which closes on Friday 1 November 2024. Availability cannot be guaranteed after that date. The blu-ray is available only via the SDE shop. You can pre-order via the shop website or by using the button below.

This Who’s Next blu-ray is released on 17 January 2025 via UMR.

Tracklisting

Who’s Next The Who / SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio

    • Who’s Next
      Steven Wilson Atmos Mix (48/24)
      Steven Wilson 5.1 Mix (96/24)
      Steven Wilson Stereo Mix (96/24)
      Steven Wilson Stereo Instrumentals (96/24)
      Original 1971 Stereo Mix (96/24)
      1. Baba O’Riley
      2. Bargain*
      3. Love Ain’t For Keeping
      4. My Wife
      5. The Song Is Over
      6. Getting In Tune
      7. Going Mobile
      8. Behind Blue Eyes
      9. Won’tGet Fooled Again
      *Atmos & 5.1 are upmixes. Missing from instrumentals & replaced with original stereo on SW Stereo Mix
    • 14 bonus tracks
      Steven Wilson Atmos Mix (48kHz 24-bit)
      Steven Wilson 5.1 Mix (96kHz 24-bit)
      Steven Wilson Stereo Mix (96kHz 24-bit)
      Steven Wilson Stereo Instrumentals (96kHz 24-bit)
      1. The Seeker (Unedited Version)
      2. Here For More
      3. Now I’m A Farmer
      4. I Don’t Know Myself (Eel Pie Sound Version)
      5. Water (IBC Version)
      6. Naked Eye (Olympic Sound Version)
      7. Pure And Easy
      8. Too Much of Anything
      9. Let’s See Action
      10. When I Was a Boy
      11. Join Together (Unedited Version)
      12. Put The Money Down
      13. Relay (Unedited Version)
      14. Long Live Rock**

1 Tears For Fears / The Tipping Point

2 xPropaganda / The Heart is Strange

3 Gilbert O’Sullivan / Driven

4 Shakespears Sister / Hormonally Yours

5 Brian Eno / ForeverAndEverNoMore

6. Orbital / Optical Delusion

6.5 Various Artists / Concert For George

7 Ten Years After / A Space in Time

8 Bob Dylan / Time Out Of Mind (2022 Remix)

9 Tears For Fears / The Hurting

10 Mike Oldfield / Tubular Bells

11 Suede

12 ABC / The Lexicon of Love

13 Duran Duran / Danse Macabre

13a Duran Duran / Danse Macabre De Luxe

14 Trevor Horn / Echoes – Ancient and Modern

15 Soft Cell / Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

16 Def Leppard / Diamond Star Halos

17 Paul Young / No Parlez

18 Mark Knopfler / One Deep River

19 Wham! / Fantastic

20 Wham! / Make It Big

21 Keane / Hopes and Fears

22 Luther Vandross / Never Too Much

23 Crowded House / Gravity Stairs

24 Ultravox / Lament

25 Tori Amos / Unrepentant Geraldines

26 Bronski Beat / The Age of Consent

27 Thin Lizzy / 1976

28 Tears For Fears / Songs For A Nervous Planet

29 Thompson Twins / Into The Gap

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130 Comments

130 thoughts on “The Who / Who’s Next on SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio”

  1. I already spent over $200 for the box set with the Blu-ray surround disc only to find it doesn’t have the instrumentals.
    So for an additional US $42 I have the whole enchilada. <grr> But it’s gonna be worth it!

  2. Well, my SDE Blu-ray virginity ends right here. Ordered. And NOW I’ll have to reinstall my 5.1 setup. (Which is also awaiting a host of Steven Wilson’s XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear Blu-rays!)

  3. Well Paul, You got me with this one. It’s my first SDE store BluRay purchase. Got the e-mail this morning and ordered the BluRay this afternoon. Couldn’t resist. Last year’s SDE was too much overkill for me to justify. It was one of those SDE’s where You lamented the lack of a standalone BluRay, because that’s all You really wanted. I satisfied myself with just the picture disc and left it at that. But now – lo and behold!
    I don’t have a surround or atmos system, but just for everything in 24/96 stereo + the instrumentals, I overcame my apprehension about overseas purchases and went for it!

  4. This is great news for folks who don’t have the big box. I’ve been hoping for the Atmos mix of ‘Quadrophenia’ to be released on physical media. I was thrilled to hear that via a streaming service and I personally think that it’s an excellent mix. As we all know, it would sound even better on physical media. Here’s hoping! I have the 2014 Blu Ray audio release and I am very underwhelmed with the 5.1 mix.

  5. Serious “First World” problem coming up. My SDE shelf is now full. When The Thompson Twins and this arrive I will have nowhere to put them… The perils of being a completist!!

  6. As far as these giant boxes go, the “Who’s Next” one from last year was worth every penny. The live stuff alone is almost worth the price of admission. And the book and other detritus just sweetens the deal.
    That said, I’m always happy to see the SW remix be made available separately. Personally, I don’t think Steven had that much to improve on sonically, but it’s nice to have a fresh version of this masterpiece out there without the prohibitive price tag.

  7. I just ordered this, had been thinking of getting the box but hadn’t yet (the blu-ray was the main draw – 11 cds I’ll never play cause they sound better on qobuz and there’s tons to read in that but it’s getting harder and harder to read paper vs. screens that you can zoom– if I sit in almost direct sunlight but in the shade so I don’t get burnt I can do that for a few hours on vacation but it’s pretty hard to at night by a lamp after a workday) — but what really made me pick this up is the unique instrumental mixes. Not sure how you pulled off that exclusive Paul but thank you very much this will be great and the best sound ever for this material.

    1. I prefer printed matter to screens, each to their own, I guess. Sound quality: Vinyl is better than Qobuz and CD. Yep, I’m an analogue bloke, ha ha.

  8. Wow Paul, congrats on another great exclusive! Wasn’t interested in the big box but was really hoping for a stand alone SDE BR release. Ordered as soon as the email hit my in box :) thx again Paul!

  9. I do like Who’s Next and was fortunate to see The Who play a set full of its songs as a child when the disaster in Cincinnati was still worrying my and my friends’ parents, so I was quite excited, as always, to read about Steven Wilson’s new mixes and then was sad to find them only in a box too big for my overflowing shelves, not even mentioning the price. (We are spoiled by Marillion, Jethro Tull, and Ultravox, among others, who make their remixed albums available outside of their boxes.) At the time, I contented myself with the double CD, ending with three stunning live versions recorded, somewhat unbelievably, at what has to be San Francisco’s worst sounding live venue, as I was reminded when I saw Pulp there last month. But a blu-ray, with extensive new and old 96/24 stereo content (audio does not get more spatial than 2.0 when I get back to my small flat) in a compact format is exactly what I need and has been duly ordered. I expect Who Are You – the newly Moonless tour I saw – will be next for reissue treatment, but I can only imagine what might be done for Quadrophenia, with 13 years now since its last boxing and a 51st anniversary (or, better, a one-year-late 50th anniversary) this year. It will be a treat to start the year with this one. Many thanks for making it available.

  11. Being an early buyer of the *very expensive* box set it is galling to see further hugely interesting material released exclusively on this new set. Alongside a lot of what I already have. Good for SDE, good for fans who don’t have or want the full box set but not exactly fair on the rest of us.

  13. Well, despite not owning a blu-ray, I’d better add this to my complete collection by the ‘Oo (if the many legendary mixing anomalies by that frustrating band can ever be complete). Then I’ll have two of your wonderful series! (I don’t know why I never ordered Keane, as I have more copies of that album than any other.)

    While we’re talking about instrumentals, I can’t express my frustration enough that the only band series of Steven Wilson remixes not to include instrumental versions are the one that needs it the most. There’s some really beautiful music on the first four Marillion albums – but the singer never shuts up for more than five seconds at a time :(

  14. Another person who bought the box set but will buy the SDE blu-ray as well. From what I’ve read Steven Wilson has mixed ‘Who Are You’ to surround so I expect that to be released next year.
    When it comes to expensive box sets containing Dolby Atmos mixes that could do with a stand alone release, the two artists that spring to my mind is Rush and Kiss. Surely, enough time has passed that the blu-ray could be released on its own.

      1. Agreed. Especially given that someone discovered some of the old master tapes a couple of years ago. We sort of know that a “Who Are You” SDE is in the works, but a “By Numbers” SDE would be awesome too.

      1. You should, It’s magnificent. You’ve really let yourself down there.
        Judging by the prices it sells for on discogs and ebay, surely there’s an argument for a repress.

  16. I have the big box that includes this and can highly recommend it even if you are only going to listen to the high res.About an hour and three quarters of some of the best music ever recorded.
    As for the instrumental mixes the box included a non Wilson instrumental mix of Song Is Over and it is wonderful.

    1. Yes the Blu Ray reissue prompted a revisit to the big box which I too would highly recommend, the demos etc are brilliant and are worthy of one of the worlds best rock albums!. Wish I had a Blu Ray player lol!

  17. Things have been on the up-and-up with SDE’s bluray releases lately. I don’t know who is suggesting which albums to go for, but they deserve a well earned pat on the head. Ultravox, Thin Lizzy, and now this. This is by far my favourite Who album. I can’t wait to hear the intro to Baba O’Reilly in surround sound.

  18. Another fantastic release in the SDE series. There’s been something for everyone so far but this is by far the best release yet! Can’t wait for the instrumental versions, sorry Roger! Keep up the good work Paul!

  19. Congrats Paul on another great release. Nice to see a Rock album get the “SDE Treatment” and 70s too….
    Someone mentioned below Supertramp’s Crime of The Century 50th anniversary this year. Now that would be music to my ears.
    “Dreamer, nothing but a dreamer!!!”

  21. If I don’t like a band, an era, the genre I don’t waste my time dissing it because I know there’s someone here who has the complete opposite taste to me and each to their own. Rather than telling everyone what music you hate, why not tell us what music you’d love to hear in Dolby Atmos, it’ll give Paul a better idea what the public want to hear.

  22. Surprised to see this and it will probably join the collection (diary note made for closing date!)
    I would echo those hoping for a Kimono/Propaganda double bill, and I’d say an Indiscreet exclusive for 2025 would also be welcome (Another double bill with Hippopotamus, it’s 21st Century descendant, would be the icing on the cake ;-)

    1. I don’t know if it’s been mentioned on here but sparks kimona my house/propaganda 50th anniversary 3cd set available to pre-order on Amazon uk it’s £28 due in early December.

      2. It seems very poor in the contest. Bonuses are only 4 b-sides, 7 demos and 1 live track and nothing else. No 5.1 or Atmos versions. They totally messed it up compared to SDE-deluxe versions.

  24. Wow, this is quite a surprise! I don’t buy much physical media these days. But the last disc I bought was last year’s superb Lexicon Of Love, and now here’s the next. I don’t know how you get these wonderful exclusives, but keep up the wonderful work! Looking forward to hearing the instrumental mixes on this one!

  25. An SDE Blu-ray of Who’s Next (my favorite LP from late summer 1971) and including, among other things, the excellent single “The Seeker” and its B-side “Here For More”? I want it, I need it… Here we go, Paul! Ship it now! Thanks a million!

  26. So Paul as mentioned below here’s my SDE wish list

    Duran Duran debut, Rio & SATRT
    Heaven 17 P&P and LG
    Visage debut & Anvil
    Terrence Trent D Hardline
    Bryan Ferry Let’s Stick Together
    ABC Zillionaire
    The The Infected
    Talk Talk The Party’s Over
    The Killers Hot Fuss
    The Killers Sam’s Town
    Hurts Happiness
    Suede Coming Up
    Feeder Pushing The Senses
    Bifffy Clyro Only Revolutions
    Pulp Different Class
    Prince Purple Rain
    Dire Straits Making Movies
    FGTH WTTPD
    Depeche Mode MFTM
    Hard Fi Stars Of CCTV
    Naked & Famous Passive Me Aggressive You
    NERD In Search Of
    The Black Kids Partie Traumatiic
    New Order Technique
    The XX xx
    White Lies To Lose My Life

    My interest in SDE Blu Ray is new dynamic stereo remixes in the SW vein and original mix remasters with sympathetic limiting only…..

    2. A Dolby Atmos mix of Purple Rain is coming to Blu-ray from Warners, but it has been awfully quiet on that front after it was announced half a year ago.

      1. Yes I was thinking the same, the announcement said Blu Ray before the end of 24……..

        I was lucky enough to get the 24/96 stereo downloads of 1999, Purple Rain and ATWIAD from HDTracks around 2013. All three have no limiting applied and they sound fantastic.

        I got Madonna’s first two albums around the same time in 24/96 and they also had no limiting.

  27. I already own Who’s Next boxset, but it is still unopened. I’m glad it was cheap when i bought it, because i probably buy also this just to hear the instrumental versions. Shame that number 30 wasn’t the Sparks double whammy Kimono My House/Propaganda albums on the same disc. I was expecting it, because they both are celebrating 50th Anniversary!

  28. Already got the box set so not going to double dip, too much of that recently. Plus I don’t get the big deal with instrumentals. To me they are just filler, surely it is just the same track with the vocals muted? I mean sometimes you can make an instrumental version a bit more interesting by adding a bit more where the vocals would be, but otherwise it’s just b-side fodder.

    1. I appreciate that the instrumentals may have little appeal to some but I find them a revelation. The instrumentals of Lexicon of Love shone a light on Trevor Horns incredible production skills and the instrumentals of No Parlez were great to listen to as they highlighted Pino Paladino’s amazing fretless bass skills. Keep ’em coming I say. You can always ignore the instrumentals button.

      1. I absolutely love the instrumentals. It really shows you a different layer of music that is hidden behind the vocals, especially the bass. When they made the extended remixes in the 80’s, the standard format was often to start with the instrumental verse and chorus. I still think that is the best way to extend a song.

        1. Totally agree. I love instrumental versions so I can hear what the vocals are covering up! So much gets obscured by vocals. One can also identify which artists are writing good music with vocals versus those who are just backing the vocals with sympathetic music.

          Love The Hurting instrumentals. 80s extended mixes were the best and I am glad to see that approach returning into favour versus the 90s approach of rebuilding a song from scratch and making it almost unrecognizable.

  31. Wow, I wish I knew an SDE stand-alone blu-ray of “Who’s Next” was coming out because it would have saved me all that money I spent last year for the humungous box set that’s now taking up so much room in my music collection cabinet. Anyway, instant buy for me because it’ll allow me to easily enjoy the atmos mix without having to go through all the trouble of dragging out that two ton “Who’s Next” super-duper box set. Paul, any chance of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life” being issued in SDE stand-alone atmos blu-ray next year?

    2. Seems unlikely. According to a Q&A Steven Wilson himself did in QuadrophonicQuad forum, 2011: The second question and from what I have read before if I remember correctly is that Aviv Geffen is not really a surround fan and that seems to be what is stopping Blackfield from coming out in surround. Again this is such a shame that the Blackfield albums haven’t been given the surround treatment. I absolutely love Blackfield 1 and 2, these would sound so good in lossless surround. One can dream………

      SW: Yes, see my answer above, Aviv has actively asked me not to mix any Blackfield music in surround, and I have to respect that. Some musicians simply don’t like it or get it, Mark Hollis from Talk Talk springs to mind, I really wanted to do the Talk Talk records, and EMI were keen, but Mark just didn’t want the music in any other form other than stereo.

      1. Mark Hollis passed away more than five years ago.
        If he has not forbidden surround mixes of his music through his will surely this possibility could be discussed with his estate.

  34. My ardor for The Who has waned over the years … but no denying this is an “important” album, so I’ll probably have to open the wallet again. I had been thinking of getting the updated vinyl, but this might be better … a lot of extras.

  36. Alright. I’m getting this begrudgingly. Only because I have the other 29 and I don’t want to break my streak. I’m more of a “Thompson Twins guy” than a 70’s rocker. Additionally, as a child sexual abuse survivor, I am not a fan of Pete Townshend. Glad you give something to all Paul, there will be plenty of people very happy with this. I always love to listen to the instrumentals so kudos for managing to get those again.

  37. Well, I have never ordered anything as quickly as this; from opening your notification email to completing the purchase took perhaps 90 seconds.

  38. FGTH and WTTPD would be great, no doubt about it. BUT after what Philip Oakey suggested in the last issue of “Classic Pop”, I´m not being ridiculous in predicting “Dare” as one of the next albums in the SDE Surround Series.

    1. Any album that has already been mixed to Atmos for streaming is essentially a prime candidate for an SDE Blu Ray because a lot of the pre-manufacturing costs are sunk such as locating the multitracks, digitalisation of multitracks, recreating the stereo mix and mixing to Atmos & 5.1

  39. To be honest, I saw this and just groaned, if you have seen my posts in the past, you know how much I’m NOT a fan of the Who & this album, how they went from Kinksish Britpop to overblown, overrated, terrible American “classic rock/stadium rock” with this album…I DO like some of the songs on here like “Going Mobile”, “Bargain”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” & “Behind Blue Eyes”…the album got killed to death on horrible “classic rock” radio & i can’t stand “Baba O’Riley”…so that’s my ire for the Who, where that came from…in a way, the Kinks did a similar shift from their mid-70s theatrical period to their “American classic rock” Arista period of “Misfits/Sleepwalker” but in a better way…anyhoo, I may have to reassess my stance…I’m keeping the series going & will preorder this BluRay…as I avoid regular rock radio, I may be able to hear this album with fresh ears, although I still will hate “Baba” with a passion though…I DO like “Join Together”… radio does kill music in people’s minds, the Who is a prime example…

    2. @Larry – not sure I can get my point across, but IMO, it’s not Pete Townshend’s fault that his 1970-71 compositions got sucked into the future commercial radio genre called “Classic Rock”. I too share your disdain for “Classic Rock” radio of today. They are cookie cutter clones spoiling the landscape of FM radio. They feature just 15 or 16 bands, and they play just 6 or 7 songs by each band, and that’s all you ever hear. However, that moniker/business model was created many years later and Pete didn’t write those songs specifically to fit into that mold. I well remember hearing this album when it first hit FM radio in 1971, and FM radio was a totally different thing in 1971 than it is today. In those days FM radio wasn’t yet full of sickening 7 minute commercial breaks and blabbermouth Disc Jockey “personalities” like it is today. Back then, it was low-key, soft spoken, intelligent people informing listeners of new music, upcoming area concerts, music news, and trends. Often they’d play entire LPs to introduce it to their listeners. The songs on “Who’s Next” were epic, hard-hitting, incredibly fresh and instantly appealing, cutting edge rock-n-roll, and it showed The Who in top form, well ahead of their peers. Just as they had done with Tommy 2 years before. When they played this album, you sat down and really paid attention to every detail and every emotion coming at you. The lesser known songs like “The Song is Over” and “Getting in Tune” were every bit as powerful as the “classic hits”. Pete and The Who were just going about their business creating the very best Rock-n-Roll being made at the time.

  41. Paul you’re a Godsend. This feature with added bonus track instrumentals sealed my current fate of not ponying up for the giant SDE box set; as I had bought the 2cd and 3LP (Pete’s demos) piece meal. The only way to get the actual remix of the album is the blu-ray; so this was a no brainer.

    I’ll still keep bugging you about a SDE Revolver 2022 remix on blu-ray. But it’s ok to dream once in a while.

  42. I’ll skip this one, nice to save the money for further releases. Keep doing your great work Paul!
    Was hoping for a 40th anniversary of Frankies WTTPD as Steven Wilson did an atmos mix earlier this year. Maybe a chance to get this in 2026 with the 40th anniversary of Liverpool???

  43. Great news. I’ve deliberated over the box set since it came out, only actually wanting the Blu-ray. Deliberation over….SDE version ordered and money saved! Thanks

  46. I have the box set – but what the hell, this is a great addition to the SDE series and not to be missed! Supertramp – Crime of the Century 50th Anniversary this year and Ken Scott has been working on it apparently, so make THAT No 31 please Paul!

  48. This series of Paul’s has included some interesting albums, some of which I’d very much like to hear in surround sound.

    My dream setup as a teenager was a quadrophonic system, but sadly that never happened. These days I often don’t even get to hear my music properly in stereo (speakers down one end of the room – computer down the other). The only time I hear things with true stereo separation is when listening to my MP3 through its earplugs. I would love to listen to all my favourite albums in Dolby Atmos, or at least basic surround, and maybe that’s a bucket list thing to experience, particularly as I own a number of such discs as part of box sets. However, it’s just not practicable to create a multi-speaker system in my house.

    I’ve seen that it’s technically possible to experience a sort of surround sound with decent headphones. Does anyone here have any experience of that? Does it work? Can you recommend any particular items of equipment to achieve that? Apologies for going ‘off piste’ slightly, although there may also be others in the same boat.

    1. I’m in a similar boat, having downsized to a pokey little living room, whilst having the best hifi setup with Dolby Atmos speakers that I’ll ever own! To add to your query about headphones – does Dolby Atmos really work through a “Dolby Atmos sound bar”? If yes, I might (sadly) bite the bullet and downgrade my equipment to suit the smaller room! Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

      1. I should state I have never had or heard a Soundbar, but have had a 5.1, 7.1, 7.1+2 (upper fronts), and now have a 7.1+4 system and I can’t believe that a Soundbar can effectively create the immersive experience of 6 (i.e., 5.1) or 12 (i.e., full Atmos) speakers. I am sure a soundbar will increase the feeling of presence of multichannel music over stereo, increase the sound field in the front, and maybe achieve some effects by bouncing off walls and ceiling. But it will neer be as good as separates

        My system evolved over time and each step was an improvement. Now, I am slowly upgrading my speakers and will hopefully one day upgrade my amplification. It’s not cheap and that’s why it has taken me 20 years to go from 5.1 to full Atmos. And I am loathed to move (downsize) from my spacious home because of my Atmos system which gives me do much joy. And if we do move, I will need a room in which I can have my Atmos setup.

        But everyone has to do what they have to do with what they can afford in the space they have while keeping peace in their household and with neighbours.

      2. Thanks all. Pretty much confirms what I feared, and pretty obvious I guess. Bouncing sounds of walls from a sound bar can’t be as eff3ctive as discreet rear or height speakers and it appears spatial audio headphones is a bit gimmicky.
        As you say, it depends on your budget – a Bose sound bar would be a compromise if you lack space or budget for a full system. But as I already HAVE a 5.1 system with 2 Atmos speakers added to the front for height, I really should opt to stick with those and sell the furniture instead!
        Its also interesting that so many people say how good the No Parlez Atmos mix is, I now feel I really missed out on that one!

      3. I bought a Samsung Q990C sound bar (the Q990D is the new model with the same sound). The prices are currently very good, compared to the regular price. Having never owned a surround system, my experience has been highly positive. The wireless set up is easy and clutter free. The rear speakers are a must to get any feeling of immersive sound. I’m not convinced of the overhead atmos effect, but the surround and overall listening experience is totally worthwhile, and the music sound quality is very good for a sound bar.

        I’m not sure if the limitations of the sound bar make some Blu-ray discs underwhelming for surround, or whether it is the mixes on the discs that are average? When it is good it is fabulous – Alan Parsons, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Tears For Fears, The Beatles, Steven Wilson all sound great. I’ve a whole library of surround sound discs that I’ve had for years, now unlocked and finally getting listened to.

        1. I just bought a Q990D. There are some updates to it compared to the C model. It had dropped about 30% in price recently around Amazon Prime Days.
          My first Atmos play was DSOTM. Came out very nicely in my opinion.
          I had to re-link the back left speaker initially.
          If not connected by Wi-Fi, updating it by USB is a pain because the USB port is under the bar!
          I also have my carousel CD player hooked to it by the digital audio cable. It uses at least 4 speakers for a CD duplicating them.

      4. According to the Dolby website as long as the devices are Atmos enabled, you can use headphones or a soundbar.

        https://www.dolby.com/experience/home-entertainment/articles/how-to-listen-to-music-in-dolby-atmos/

        So I believe you do not ‘need’ the ceiling speakers, I am sure they help, but its not essential. I upgraded to a new Denon amp with Atmos last year when I had to update the TV (as my plasma died) so I could enjoy 4K & HDR picture and Atmos sound. I have a 7.1 speaker setup and was able to hear the difference, but it is more processing of the sound in addition to the mix of music.

        I will also add, even though an Apple 4K TV box with Apple Atmos Music or a 4K stream of a film look and sound good, it is even better when playing a 4K disc as the image/sound is not as compressed and its just ‘stronger’ and most noticeable on the sound.

    2. Another very much in that same boat. No realistic hope of a surround system set up in my house. Did look into surround headphones a while back, but ended up reading numerous articles and was more confused than before I started.
      I do have the Who’s Next box, and likewise a few other boxes with surround sound discs.

    3. I have just purchased a Bose Atmos soundbar for my tv (and streaming Atmos from Apple Music) and also bought head phones (Beats Studio Pro) that accommodate spatial audio (Atmos). Additionally I have a 5.1 set up with proper speakers in my media room. To start with the headphones, I wouldn’t bother really. You only hear that it is Atmos when you move your head. At first it’s an interesting experience to hear part of the music move to the left or right depending on how you move your head but that’s all it is. It’s not like when you sit in your living room and listen to surround sound without having to move. I think no matter what you do, headphones will always be limited when it comes to Atmos unless we go thru some serious technical progress. The Beats Studio Pro are sweat resistant whereas the Apple Headphones are not, if you care about that.

      The Bose Atmos soundbar is pretty good but it doesn’t totally wow me like the 5.1 system does. The best listening experience I ever had was listening to No Parlez by Paul Young on my 5.1 system. The Atmos sound folded down to the 5.1 and it was incredible. That’s the best Atmos or 5.1 mix that I have heard (done by David Kosten who also did Thompson Twins’ Into The Gap) and I have many now. I can listen to Atmos streaming on my soundbar but it is not as good as a regular 5.1 system. My next purchase is to turn the 5.1 system into an Atmos system. That should be interesting. So for Atmos sound, the soundbar is good but not excellent. It makes the music sing around the room but it’s not like the regular 5.1 system where you hear very specific instruments in the back speakers. I wonder what a regular (non-bar) Atmos system sounds like versus a 5.1 system.

      1. I hope you know is that they recommend all the speakers in a system be the same model. So if you upgrade from 5.1 to [say] 11.1, you will need 11 new speakers!

    4. Thank you, everyone, for your responses. That’s very informative. It sounds, however, as though there’s no shortcut to surround, let alone Atmos, which is what I suspected. Certainly having to move your head around in order to hear different parts of the mix out of a pair of headphones sounds like a recipe for neckache, so I’ll give that a miss. The soundbar sounds more promising to some extent, although if it’s just bouncing sounds around a room for a fake surround effect and not revealing different instruments, then it too probably misses the point. For now, I think I’ll just have to keep this on my list of things I would do / buy if I won the lottery. Ah, well!

      1. I should say that I have a soundbar with only a separate woofer. If you get a soundbar with back speakers and a woofer, I imagine the Atmos sound will be enhanced. So even with soundbars there are variations.
        Last but not least, it really matters how good the Atmos or 5.1 mix is. I have many SACD’s and DVD’s from early 2000’s when surround sound of albums became a thing. Some of those mixes are terrible. I paid a lot of money for Propoganda’s Secret Wish but the surround sound mix is not good. Alternatively the Yazoo DVD with their two albums in surround is excellent. The recent Alphaville Forever Young Blu-Ray in Atmos is also terrible and I’m not even that picky. Live albums in surround I find generally disappointing. They move the audience sound to the back speakers and everything else seems the same. So I generally learnt to stay away from those. Good luck with your choices going forward.

      2. My soundbar with rear speakers certainly reveals different instrumentation. It’s very good. As Kauwgompie says, different soundbars will give different performance.

  50. I keep ordering Atmos blu-rays, but having got anything to play them on, does anybody have any recommendations on a standalone player in the UK?

    1. I am guessing you have a DVD player, and you would be looking to change it out ? I would certainly recommend you make sure it is a 4K / UHD player, as then you are future proofed for a while – it also is backwardly compatible with blu rays and DVDs.

      I would look to Sony, Panasonic, LG and Samsung. Then go depending on budget and functions that are important to you. You should be able to get something from John Lewis, Currys or Richer Sounds for 100-200 GBP.

      And depending on what you currently have and are connecting it to, a new 4/8K HDMI cable from Amazon Basics or Ugreen should be 10-20 GBP, will also future proof you.

    2. as Guy007 says a 4k/UHD would be the best to go for i would recommend the following Panasonic DPUB450 | UHD Blu-ray Player | Richer Sounds decent price and a good all round player also gives you the ability to take a separate HDMI lead from the player to an amp.

      once you get the bug you will inevitably upgrade but as a start you cant go wrong with this player you can also plug in a hard drive to play Hi-Def files if you want to start ripping your own music form CDs its also a very good 4K player and upscales DVDs very well

    4. Hi – I recently bought a Sonos beam 2 and a Panasonic (budget) HD blu ray player. Ive hooked it up to my TV and added two old sonos 1 players to create a surround sound system. Both Dolby atmos music and film bluerays sound great as does apple music

  55. This is a big hitter ; will be sold out quickly I’m sure ; one of the greatest albums ever. Great content; the audio Blu-rays for quadrophonia and Tommy go for silly money these days

  56. Great album for No. 30 of the SDE-only series!
    On top of that customers residing outside of the UK are not forced to pay in their respective home country currencies anymore.

    As far as ideas for future titles of the SDE-only Series are concerned, what about steering the interest at least a bit Down Under? ;-)
    Men At Work – Business As Usual
    Men At Work – Cargo

  57. I was just about to click “order” when I realised that I have the gargantuan box set sitting, unopened, in my library. I’m still seriously tempted by the instrumentals. Great stuff Paul, you seem to be single handedly keeping surround audio alive.

    1. I’m not that tempted by the instrumentals. But speaking of which, if fiddling with the original stereo mix to create an upmix of Bargain is OK, why is fiddling with the stereo mix to remove the vocals not OK? I’ve done that myself in Audacity, obviously with mediocre results but I’m sure state of the art software can do a decent enough job.

  58. Another instant preorder. We’re talking about the history! We’ve reached the number 30 together!!!! This is a very “SDE record ( atmos actually ) club”. :) Thanks Paul!

    1. Having listened to the Trevor Horn biography a few months age (it is excellent), I became enthused enough to listen to Pleasuredome for the first time in ?40 years. It has really aged well. 100% – FRANKIE SAYS ATMOS.

      1. Frankie Says Atmos! Agree!
        My secret desire is some Bee Gees or Robin Gibb Atmos treat.
        I hope so… one day… maybe… ( Paul listen to me pleaseeee )

  59. I might have the box, but this will be worth it partly for the instrumentals, but mostly for the fact that I don’t have to get the boxset out every time I want to play it. Keep up the good….. No, sorry. Keep up the great work and another vote for Frankie (or The Power Statation debut).

  63. I have the expensive (and expansive) Super Deluxe Box set so I do not really need to purchase this, but can only recommend to those folks that are maybe sitting on the fence about buying this stand-alone Blu-ray…. Do yourselves a big favour and get it as it really is superb (and you get the bonus of the instrumental mixes for good measure!!)

      2. Paul, genuine question (genuinely a genuine question, unlike most genuine questions) – is it helpful to you when you release an SDE and we all tell you what else we’d love as an SDE – for example because it helps you show the record companies that there would be a proper level of demand? Or is it annoying to you because you know full well that we’d love Rio, or Diamond Life, or every single Peter Gabriel album up to Up, or whatever – and you don’t need reminding?

        1. Haha! Good question… Of course I’m very interested but as you say, some suggestions are extremely unlikely, normally to do with the artist having zero interest (Sade) for example. But there’s never a downside to telling me what you’d love to see released so keep the suggestions coming!

          1. You could reach out to Trent Reznor’s management as he has stated on NIN website that atmos mixes were done for at least the first three Nine Inch Nails albums. But no indication of a physical release was ever made.. Good opportunity?

          2. I was pleased at your recent remark along the lines of ‘why should all the prog rock types have all the Atmos fun?’, in support of pop albums. I think there’s also a real paucity of immersive titles by great soul and R&B artists. I’d love to see an Atmos version of Songs In The Key Of Life. And I think some of the titans in that scene from the nineties and oughts can offer albums that would really take advantage of the format: D’Angelo, Maxwell, Erykah Badu, and Macy Gray. Some of that stuff might be in Atmos on Tidal now, but I get the feeling a lot of the streaming surround stuff is mixed by Rob Ott, where disc releases are not. And why is hip-hop seemingly left out of hi-res and surround music? I can recall just one rap title in this column: Ludacris’ Chicken-n-Beer, and I think that was high-res stereo only (not sure). Back at Old Rockers’ Ranch, I also would love to see the great Traffic albums, like Barleycorn and Low Spark released in Atmos. The better Winwood records would be welcome too.

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