Adapted to 5.1 channels from the original Quadraphonic mix, this 1970s album from The O'Jays is one of my favorites. In fact, it's good enough that I wish there were more hi-rez surround recordings available in the Philly Soul style. "Ship Ahoy" can be at times happy, solemn, and funky. Lyrically, the song "This Air I Breathe" focuses on the seriousness of air pollution; but, musically, it is very upbeat and sounds forward-looking---perhaps to a time when all the air is clean. Then there's the title track ("Ship Ahoy") which utilitzes the surround speakers to convey the sounds of a slave ship crossing the Atlantic. Finally, don't forget about the hit songs "Now That We've Found Love" and "For The Love of Money". Both are catchy tunes and the latter has probably been used as the soundtrack for numerous movies about 1980s financial excess. Recording quality is pretty darn good for something of this vintage. The surround mix is quite discrete. Perhaps, even more so than most mixes since often the surrounds contain information that really doesn't have much directly in common with the mains. Thankfully, it all sounds great when played together! (BTW... This is a single-layer SACD, so there isn't any CD compatibility.)
