Disco de Paul McCartney: “Venus & Mars”

I won't address the songs themselves, but this DTS version is a novelty item at best. The instruments come through as half bright and half muddy and the DTS recording engineer, no doubt named Todd or Dave, seemed to think it was funny to move the voices around from speaker to speaker to speaker in classic "Hey, watch this; this is cool" mode. Bad call, Ripley. I just hope the remastered CD sounds better than this. I would not buy it again.

As with the DTS CD of "Band on the Run", the DTS CD version of "Venus and Mars" is a very early DTS attempt. It is presented in 4.0 quadraphonic sound (no center or LFE/SW channels) taken from a mid-70s quadraphonic mix. Everything that was wrong with the "Band on the Run" DTS CD is multiplied with this release.

Unlike the stable mix in "Band on the Run", the "Venus and Mars" DTS CD has instruments flying around all four of the active speakers. Even the background vocals make trips around all the speakers by the time the "ooohhhss" have finished in "Magneto and Titanium Man". You can almost get tired listening to all the movement - talk about a band on the run!

The equalization is even further off than the "Band on the Run" DTS CD attempt. Also, the DTS CD's song running order is different than any other version of the "Venus and Mars" album. It takes a while to get used to tracks running in different orders. I suspect that the different order had something to do with the original quad record mastering process but should have been reversed for a DTS CD.

I guess the different running order makes this CD a collectors item. However, if you want to listen to "Venus and Mars" music, stick with the regular CD until a newer multichannel SACD or DVD-Audio disc is available (sometime).

To me this is the concept album of the Wings era. Rock Show, a seventies song about performance like Sgt Pepper's opening track and You Gave Me The Answer, the vaudeville, When I'm 64. No where near as succinct as SPLHC Band but it is Macca at his grooviest.

My first finds of the "Venus & Mars" album were in the bargain-bins on its original Capitol label years ago."Venus & Mars" takes off perfectly where "Band on the Run" ended. "Love in Song" is among some of Paul's finest tunes. Songs like "Listen to What the Man Says" and "Treat Her Gently" show just where Paul's heart is and are only proof that he is always the realest of the members of the Beatles. "Rock Show" and "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" are among the most rocking tunes on this album. The disc version of "Venus & Mars" takes on a second life with the fabulous bonus tracks "Zoo Gang," "LunchBox/Odd Sox," & "My Carnival," which were only available as B-sides before. "Venus & Mars" is a must for those who love the tunes like "Helen Wheels" and "Let me Roll it" on the "Band on the Run" album.

When you listen to this with an open mind you'll find a dam good album.

Some of the lyrics are banal, the synthesizers sound dated and a few of the tracks should have been ditched completely but McCartneys melodic genius pulls it through. I don't know what Magneto and Titanium Man is about but I love that track. The driving rhythm combined with a marvellous melody and the lift when it goes to the middle section "Well there she were.." - just great.

I can easily imagine "Letting Go", "Call me back again" and perhaps the best track on the album "Listen to what the man said" being on an imaginary Beatles albums in the 70's if they had continued.

OK so overall its not as good, and critically not as important, as The Beatles albums, but without the input of John, George and Ringo this is better than anyone could expect. Listen with open ears!