Audio Fidelity has announced their next batch of classic Rock and Roll albums bound for their growing library of SACDs. And the two on tap are great choices. The first is Presto, the 1989 album from Rush. Presto simply cast more light on an already bright and shining band that has done much in their years of existence. Their fans loved it. And while it doesn’t eclipse any albums of Rush before it, it certainly provides a compelling reason to own it. The SACD from Audio Fidelity has been remastered for the format by Kevin Gray, who has remastered quite a few in the past for growing label. Presto joins previous Audio Fidelity SACD reissues that include Hemispheres, and Counterparts. Hopefully, in time, AF will get to all available titles from Rush including the first four classics.
The other classic album joining the SACD string from AF is the unheralded Scheherazade and Other Stories by Renaissance. That album is their 1975 gem, their beautifully orchestrated sixth album from a nice collection of music. Featuring the angelic voice of Annie Haslam, Renaissance delivered an eclectic blend of progressive music and classical works. This SACD is remastered for the format by Kevin Gray. We hope that this inclusion will also look to the other gems from the Renaissance catalog!
Both SACDs are scheduled for…soon! (I’ll give dates in a bit!)
Man AF is really starting to become a crucial source of hi-res releases and a must visit (at least weekly) website. Another Rush album…. cool. If only they’d start doing some 5.1 mixes. Admittedly, Presto is my second least favorite (Roll The Bones being my least favorite) but still, it’s Rush!!! Pencil me in.
“We hope that this inclusion will also look to the other gems from the Renaissance catalog!”
I second that motion. I have often wondered what Steven Wilson would do if he chose to create a 5.1 mix of a Renaissance album. It will be nice to have some hi-res versions in any form. Some of the CD reissues of their albums must have been compressed with a sledgehammer.
When I saw the Presto announcement a few days ago I was seriously hoping it was a typo and they meant A Farewell To Kings!!!
I recommend an original issue (unremastered) Anthem CD (ANC-1 or AMND) for AFTK. It sounds terrific.