After 20 years, i sort of forgot about Bryan Ferry, and it took my interest in finding good 5.1 SACDs to rediscover him. Now this is what multichannel audio is all about! This is great music that is absolutely stunning in SACD surround. Yes, it's a bit gimmicky, but with the purpose of enveloping you and involving you in the music.... It's not just panning things around the room for no reason. Equally wonderful is the Avalon SACD, of course, and it is mixed in similar fashion.

Being new to multichannel music, i'm finding that less than half of them are any more enjoyable than a good stereo mix. Often, the 5.1 mix is worse. They'll just throw various instruments into the rear channels, and the solidity of the mix gets lost. I also noticed that the lead vocal is often drier (less reverb) in many surround mixes. I don't know why this should be. But that's not the case with "Boys and Girls" and "Avalon". Both albums are gleaming examples of how fun and beautiful multichannel audio can be. I hope to hear more like these.