SACD - Just Starting Out

The Al Dimeola SACD "Live in San Francisco" is excellent if you like acoustic jazz guitar, a very dynamic performance. If you like James Taylor and have multi-channel SACD, the imaging on a couple of tracks lets you know what SACD is all about. Carol King"s Tapestry is not that much better than the CD. I hope and pray this format does not die like my sony beta vcr. They need more artists recording in SACD.

If you like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Kosmo's Factory and Willie and the Poor boys have just been released by acoustic sounds. Remastering done by steve hoffman.

Absolutely get 'New Favorite' by Alison Krause if you like bluegrass. It's a bit more pop than pure bluegrass, but the music and the recording is excellent. This is one where you can't believe that the CD layer and the SACD layer were taken from the same master. The SACD is that good.

So much great classic Jazz:
Miles Davis- Kind of Blue
Duke Ellington- Blues in Orbit
Dave Brubeck- Time Out
Thelonious Monk- Straight, No Chaser
Charles Mingus- Ah Um
McCoy Tyner- New York Reunion
Weather Report- Heavy Weather
Paquito D'Rivera- Tropicana Nights

Rock
Rolling Stones- Hot Rocks and.......
CCR- Willie and the Poor Boys and Cosmos Factory

Vocals
Dave's True Story- Unauthorized
Willie Nelson- Stardust
Alison Krauss- Forget About It, New Favorite and Now That I've Found You
Patricia Barber- Modern Cool and Café Blue

Classical
Nature's Realm- Philadelphia Orchestra

According to The Absolute Sound Oct/Nov 2002; the near future is very exciting for SACD. EMI who had supported DVD-A has agreed to release SACD's of Bob Belden, Bobby McFerrin, Norah Jones, Sarah Brightman, Cassandra Wilson and more Coltrane. Universal Music has chosen to support SACD with future releases of Andtea Bocelli, Bryn Terfel, John Coltrane, Ella & Louis, Steely Dan, Allman Brothers, Muddy Waters and Diana Krall. Delos Int'l is planning two releases per month, and the list of small labels continues to grow. As TAS states "Weather SACD is really superior to well-recorded and reproduced DVD-A, Sony and Philips' carefully orchestrated introduction of SACD......." it appears the SACD has "earned it sufficient support to suggest that it will not go the way of Betamax."

I made the plunge big time, I have bought more than 30 SACDs my favorites are Showcase by OPUS 3, it is a sampler and it has 14 cuts all very well recorded. this is the best. In addition to what the other recomended, I would also recommend "let's get lost" by Terence Blanchard. He is playing with Dian Krall, Jane Monhet, Dianne Reevs, and Cassandra Wilson.