Surroundablog

Black Sabbath The Dio Years MVI

Before you too get too excited...it's a stereo release. Another "why not multichannel" especially considering the quadrophonic release of Paranoid some 35 years ago...

 

• 2-DISC RELEASE
• MVI + CD Featuring the Entire Dio Years CD, High Resolution PCM Stereo Mixes, and Digital Files
• Plus Videos for "Neon Knights," "Die Young," and "TV Crimes"
• Photo Gallery, Create Your Own Ringtones, Buddy Icons, Wallpapers & More

This first-ever Black Sabbath compilation spotlighting the legendary band's Ronnie James Dio-fronted era just got a whole lot heavier with its release as an enhanced Music Video Interactive (MVI) Disc. Spanning 1980-2006, the sixteen thundering tracks that appeared on the original CD release of this collection (which is included as a bonus disc) are now also presented in Advanced Resolution PCM Stereo mixes. Videos and other interactive bonus content make BLACK SABBATH - THE DIO YEARS (MVI) an experience that truly rules.

MVI is an innovative DVD-based music format that, in addition to offering all the benefits of an audio disc, delivers leading-edge video and interactive extras, plus a one-click capability to save digital music files onto a hard drive. Choice video content on BLACK SABBATH - THE DIO YEARS (MVI) includes footage of live performances of “Neon Nights” and “Die Young” from 1980 and a promo clip for 1992's “TV Crimes.” The MVI Disc also features the URTone ringtone application and ringtones for “Heaven And Hell” and “The Mob Rules,” plus a photo gallery, buddy icons, wallpapers, weblinks/ROM and a complete booklet PDF.   

When Ronnie James Dio took over lead vocals for Black Sabbath in 1979 after Ozzy Osbourne's departure, he'd already won fans worldwide as front man for Elf and Rainbow. The creative spark ignited by Dio's arrival - joining original Sabbath members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice - delivered the 1980 metal masterpiece Heaven And Hell. A Top 40 album considered one of group's finest, its title became the name of the reunited Dio-fronted Sabbath that toured internationally to sold out crowds throughout 2006. 1981's The Mob Rules followed, continuing Sabbath's resurgence before Dio left for solo superstardom. 

A decade later, Dio's one-off return to Sabbath, 1992's Dehumanizer, whetted fans' appetite for more, something not realized until THE DIO YEARS, featuring the best of Black Sabbath's past Dio incarnations, plus three tracks recorded in '06: "The Devil Cried," "Shadow Of The Wind," and "Ear In The Wall." Vintage classics include "Neon Nights," "Lady Evil," "Children Of The Sea," "The Mob Rules” and “Heaven And Hell.”

Rush Snakes & Arrows and Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight MVI Disc Special Edition

Editor's note: This piece of news comes to us from Patrick Roseberry who directed me to the rushisaband.com blog. It would appear that we are in for a surround-Rush AND upon further investigation...a stroll-around the Park. What is confusing is that this new MVI Disc format being discussed sounds like DVD-Audio....except that they have ringtones; and more importantly, you can throw it into your computer and copy the tracks for mp3 playback. Silverline already sort of offered the same thing with their DVD-A's where you could get the downloads by entering the barcode on their website. As for the exact resolution....you'll know when we know....or if you know let me know....now...

It appears that the MVI Disc rumors that Power Windows reported on Friday are true! The Rush preorder store store confirms it and Amazon has added a page for the Snakes & Arrows Limited Edition. Power Windows had reported that the rumor was that only 25,000 copies will be made. If this is the case you might want to order a copy sooner than later. As of this posting the MVI Disc version of Snakes and Arrows was ranked #19 in sales at Amazon - just 3 hrs ago it was at #45! Here's the blurb from the preorder store:

New, never before released MVI Disc format.

The Rush Snakes & Arrows MVI Disc comes in a deluxe box, and includes these 13 new songs in hi-resolution audio, the entire album in 5.1 surround sound, a video documentary on the making of the album, and more.

About MVI Discs: With a higher storage capacity than the standard CD, this Music Video Interactive Disc is loaded with exciting new features including superior sound quality plus a wide range of video features and interactive digital content combine to bring you closer to the artists and their music. It plays in all standard DVD players, computers, and game consoles with DVD drives. Digital music files are compatible with all MP3 devices.

Editor: This next bit was taken from Power Windows...

Rumor: Snakes & Arrows To Debut Warner Music's "MVI Disc" Format

Although nothing has been officially announced, exciting rumors are surfacing regarding the new album! The latest rumor is that besides the standard cd format, Snakes & Arrows, along with the new Linkin Park album, will be the first albums released on Warner Music's new "MVI Disc" format. This format will be a 25,000 copy limited edition, and will include a special 26 page booklet.

Announced by Warner Music last August, in an age where fans will spend $3.00 to buy a ring tone but won't spend $12 to buy a cd, record companies are trying to find new ways to entice fans to buy the album. Not to be confused with the DualDisc format, this will be a fully interactive DVD, and will include the album in 5.1 surround sound, as well as a ~43 minute "making of" video, cel-phone ringtones, wallpapers, text, and other digital extras that can only be accessed via computer, including the ability to extract the album tracks onto the users computer for use in mp3 players, etc. The limited edition will retail in the area of $24, while the cd version will be around $12.

The downside is, the limited edition may not be ready in time for the pre-announced May 1st release date. Accordingly, WEA is kicking around keeping the cd release on May 1st while releasing the special edition two weeks later (as some online retailers currently have it listed). The other option is to delay the release of both editions until May 15th, so fans who can't wait do not feel obligated to buy the cd version first, followed by the limited edition two weeks later. WEA would like to avoid this second option, however, as this is the same release date as the new Linkin Park album and would thus compete for sales. More details to follow.

Editor: This is a description of the new Linkin Park taken from lpassociation.com

  Minutes To Midnight is the third studio release from Linkin Park (Hybrid Theory; 2000, Meteora; 2003), scheduled for release internationally on May 14th, 2007, with the North American release one day later on May 15th. The album, co-produced by the legendary Rick Rubin and Linkin Park frontman Mike Shinoda, took 14 months to write and record. This intensive process resulted in the recording of over one hundred rough ideas for songs. As of February 22nd, the band were in the mixing stage, and had narrowed the number of songs to 17, with further cuts planned. The album's first single, "What I've Done" is set to be released to radio on April 2nd, 2007.

    The album title is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, a clock created in 1947 by scientists from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago. It's purpose is to portray how close (in imaginary "minutes") the world is to nuclear destruction ("midnight"). The clock's hand was originally set to seven minutes to midnight (11:53) at the start of the Cold War in 1947, and has been pushed forward or reversed several times since then. It currently stands at five minutes to midnight (11:55). History lessons aside, Mike Shinoda has commented about the title, saying "don't take that at face value. there are layers of meaning, most are metaphoric." and "It’s definitely a reference to the doomsday clock…the Apocalypse…a metaphor for death and rebirth, but it could also be applied to the music industry, sort of tongue-in-cheek."