Recent Dolby Atmos remixes of two albums by England’s legendary pop rock songsmiths, XTC, have emerged with fascinating results, adding to the joys of multi-channel surround sound listening experiences. Following is a quick overview of what you can expect.
Skylarking
In 2016, a wonderful CD+Blu-ray release celebrated XTC’s 1986 masterpiece, Skylarking, with a lush 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound mix by producer Steven Wilson. The jam-packed Blu-ray Disc also included new stereo and instrumental mixes, demos and even two promotional videos. Most importantly, it included the crucial “polarity corrected” original mix of the album (more on that in a moment). I thought this was about as good as we could expect Skylarking to get in the digital realm, especially as it was all presented in high resolution.
However, a new 2024 release offers Mr. Wilson’s brand new Dolby Atmos mix which brings additional sonic splendor to this amazing music. Pro tip: play it loud! It wasn’t until I really pumped up the volume that I really started to groove on the spatial Skylarking experience. From birdees tweeting and crickets chirping to guitars and vocals shimmering around, it is a lovely immersive listening experience, distinct from the more discrete 5.1.
Both the 2016 and 2024 Blu-rays feature a 24-bit, 96 kHz version of the “polarity corrected” original mix which will always be the definitive version of Skylarking. For those not in the know, it was discovered in 2010 that every prior LP and CD had been mastered improperly due to a wiring flub back in the 1980s!
Andy Partridge himself has said this fix improved the album sound by at least 30-percent. Personally I think it’s more! This version is also significant as it includes a magnificent unique production detail: a spine tingling segue from “Dear God” into “Dying. ”
Whichever version you buy is a personal choice but I suspect that serious XTC fans will want both versions as there are portions of each which don’t overlap. Now you know: you need both!
The Big Express
This 1984 release has always been a challenging listen for multiple reasons but thankfully producer Steven Wilson has fully reinvented The Big Express with fantastic new stereo and surround sound mixes — including Dolby Atmos. A very dense production, the new mixes bring newfound detailing, finesse, warmth and nuance to the listening experience, allowing listeners to hear all the ideas the band poured into this genuinely beautiful, complex and at times harder rocking record.
As with Skylarking, each mix has its strengths and weaknesses, so whichever way you listen, you’ll hear The Big Express in greater detail and fidelity than before. The final track, “Train Running Low On Soul Coal” is arguably the most dramatic surround mix moment. An epic production that not only opens up the complex layers of instrumentation and special effects, this new mix brings the listener way inside the music. Train sounds traverse the room while wild dissonant guitar stabs punctuate the underlying sturm und drang. Like so many “I’s” and “T’s” dotted in a bitter break up letter, it is a veiled coming to terms with music industry ageism.
One heads up: some Blu-ray players may experience a quirky challenge playing certain tracks due to a mastering issue. For some reason, the initial second of some songs can get clipped at points depending on your player. This nuisance can usually be rectified by hitting your reverse button and starting the track over. Unfortunately, it is unlikely this edition will ever get repressed, so this is one of those “it is what it is” type situations. If you love The Big Express you’ll want to get it regardless.
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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