Big Picture Big Sound

Expectations & Reactions:
Frederick "Toots" Hibbert's Trojan-label recordings of the 60's and 70's are typical of the company's productions, with big, thick, juicy rhythms and flourishes of lead guitar so poorly recorded that it sound as if the band were performing in a box. No audible highs or lows, just chaotic mixing and the sense that the engineering process was not a huge priority for the label.

Mind you, that never stops the music from reaching inside your nervous system, causing uncontrollable movement in time with the inverted boogie woogie that came to be known as ska before Hibbert coined the term "reggae" in the song, "Do the Reggay", released as a single in 1969.

Can you tell I love the stuff? Especially Toots and the Maytals. Like many a middle class white kid, I first heard Hibbert's songs in the perennial midnight flick, "The Harder They Come". The soundtrack album practically adhered itself to my turntable during senior year of high school, yet I never confused the captivating sound with anything approaching high fidelity audio.

So it was with trepidation that I first played Silverline's DVD-A spiff-up of the Maytals' popular album In the Dark, originally released by Trojan in 1976. What wonders of digital magic - or gimmickry - might this disc offer the dedicated reggae fan who is all too used to a cramped and mostly ignored soundstage?

Audio Quality:
For starters, volume. Each of the six channels is pumped up in an effort to compensate for the limited range. Loudness does not equal fidelity, but there's enough oomph behind the new master to give the impression that the final product is somehow better than the original.

And it is. Kind of. Silverline staff engineer Charlie Watts sticks to the same staging throughout, with mixed results that never sound worse than the original. Heck, in a few cases, it's even better than the original LP. Rhythm and bass guitars are flush left, vocals (expectedly) are fixed in the center, accompanied by lead guitar notes, with the front right channel reserved for backing vocals, lead guitar and as much bass as your body can hold.

Rear channels are reserved for a muted version of the main mix, intended, I assume, to give listeners the impression they are seated mid-orchestra. An aural design of this type may work for live recordings, but in the studio there is more leeway to put the audience in the center of the band instead of way out front. One of the benefits of multichannel audio is the freedom to challenge the way we traditionally experience music. In the Dark does not even come close to taking advantage of this new and creative option.

My initial reaction to the high-res. interpretation was resigned disappointment, but repeated listenings softened my earlier, harsh opinion. The DVD-A section is more than just a louder version of the earlier master. Watts managed to clear away some of the fog inherent in virtually all Trojan recordings, allowing more room at the top-end for guitars, high-hats, and snares to enjoy a more prominent role on stage. Unlike many of the early Trojan LPs, I can distinguish between different instruments whereas before it was a matter of moving to the rhythm without much focus on who played what. Though not exactly up to audiophile standards, Silverline's In the Dark is a marked improvement over previous versions.

"Time Tough", for example, exposes the lead guitar with a greater sense of presence than any previous version. Though the bottom end remains muffled, the twittering guitar notes take center stage next to Hibbert's vocal.

This track is one of the standouts on the sonic hit & miss collection, but, oddly, there is an alternate, multichannel take that is only hinted at when viewing the menu screen. Playing behind the song list, "Time Tough" is heard in a surround mix that places lead guitars in the rear speakers for a truly enveloping experience. Unfortunately, there is no full-blown version to be found on the DVD layer. (The sub-30 second menu clip is in Dolby Digital.) For an album that clocks in at a measly 38 minutes, Silverline should have included this as well as other variations, even if just for comparison.

As is the case with many Silverline reissues, the lower resolution Dolby Digital tracks faithfully recreate the same multichannel mix as the DVD-A layer, but with all the muddiness of the original Red Book CD.

Extras & Highlights:
Extras? We don't need no stinking extras! 'Cept for a few perfunctory pages of biographical info and the requisite Silverline DVD-A speaker setup guide, this disc offers nothing above and beyond the same multichannel mix in DVD-A and Dolby Digital, unless you consider photos of the band behind the song titles to be extras. I don't.

Soapbox Opinion: Extras are, by nature, something for nothing, and should not be considered a required element on any DVD or CD product. Still, even Sanctuary (Trojan's parent company in the U.S.) exhibits a strong grasp of the real world by stuffing its standard CDs with as many tracks and pieces of information that the package can hold. When paying a premium for a DVD-A, consumers deserve a few added incentives, if only to ensure enough market interest to sustain and, ideally, grow the format's sales and interest at the grass roots level.

Menus & Interface:
Aside from the frustrating hint of an intriguing alternate version of "Time Tough", the menu is a plain vanilla shopping list of songs and alleged extras.

Song & Tracklisting:
1. Got to Be There
2. In the Dark
3. Having a Party
4. Time Tough
5. See You
6. Take a Look in the Mirror
7. Take Me Home Country Roads
8. Fever
9. Love Gonna Walk Out on Me
10. Revolution
11. 54-36
12. Sailing On

Artists & Technicians:
Frederick "Toots" Hibbert: Lead Vocals
The Maytals: Instruments and Backing Vocals (Sorry, but Silverline did not think it was necessary to be more explicit.)
Warrick Lyn, Neville Hinds, and Carlton Lee: Original Album Producers
John Tricket and Ken Caillat: DVD executive producers
Charlie Watts: 5.1 mix and mastering


Conclusions & Afterthoughts:
At a time when record companies are showing signs of getting their high-res. acts together, I think it is important to support those that invest time and funds into taking heartfelt music to the next sonic level. Similarly, I suggest leaving behind products such as Silverline's In the Dark, since it does not improve on the original release. The album itself is worthy of any reggae-soaked collection, but as an entry in the ever-burgeoning DVD-A software category, this disc, with its mostly weak resolution and lack of extras, is best left on the retailer's shelf.

Audio Format: 5.1 96/24, Dolby Digital 5.1
DVD Format: DVD-5
Length: 38:49
Packaging: Super Jewel Box
Release Date: September 24, 2002
Region Code: 1
Label: Silverline
Catalog Number: 288070-9
UPC Code: 6 76628 80709 5