SACD of the Week 03 – U.K.

Bet you didn’t know I was a total closet prog-head. It started with Yes, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer many years ago. Guilty as charged.

If you loved the auspicious debut (arguably their best and most pure effort) of this prog powerhouse consisting of John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson, and Alan Holdsworth, try and find this disc. Those in the know will remember the FM radio nugget “Dead of Night,” and perhaps you even saw them perform this record back in the late 70s.

This example was produced a few years ago on SHM-SACD and the sound quality is epic, now doing full justice to Wetton’s killer bass lines.

This column is sponsored by dCS, who’s Vivaldi ONE DAC/Streamer/Disc Player is my reference, and Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, producer of exceptional audiophile vinyl and SACD releases.

Our further thanks to Pass Labs, Clarisys Speakers, REL Subwoofers, Cardas Audio, and Quadraspire Racks for rounding out my reference system.