I totally expected the surround mix to be extremely gimmicky, but it's not. If anything, I feel the surrounds are---on occasion---almost too quiet. That's not to say that you won't notice them. And that's also not to say the surrounds aren't discrete; they are. It's just that sometimes the surrounds are buried in the overall mix. Then, again, sometimes they're not. So it's a bit of a mixed bag. "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion", two of the hit songs from this album, sound pretty darn good, if that helps. In general, vocals and (for the most part) guitars stay up front. Vocals are spread evenly across the left/center/right channels. Surrounds channels often include horns and percussion. On the song "Walk This Way" surrounds also contain doubled-up guitar riffs that mirror the front channels. The actual recording quality is acceptable. It's not the best, but it gets the job done. Unfortunately, it would be hard to argue that this album on SACD is actually better than just regular stereo. Nevertheless, it does have its moments and might be worth adding to one's collection given the lack of choices available. Note: This is a single-layer disc, so there is no CD compatibility.
