I have been having a (nuclear) blast experiencing and re-evaluating these two Heaven 17 classics from the early Eighties. It is a joy finally hearing the new Dolby Atmos mixes from David Kosten, who has served up some of my spatial audio favourites over the past few years, delivered on Blu-ray exclusively from Paul Sinclair’s SuperDeluxeEdition.
Uptown in the penthouse or downtown with the mob
Penthouse And Pavement was up first. Sadly (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang is probably more relevant today than it was back in 1981. The bass and guitar of (whatever happened to) John Wilson shines bright on the Pavement side (my favourite part of the album), especially on the title track, with synths and percussion dashing in and out of the explosive spatial mix.
Soul Warfare is a revelation. David Kosten sounds like he had so much fun assembling this song from the original multi-track master tapes. I never fully appreciated the bass on Soul Warfare before hearing this new Atmos mix, now its the standout part of the song for me.
I love the way the bass escapes from the centre channel and goes widescreen for the stunning solo section. This is one of the best things about David Kosten (and also Steven Wilson’s) mixes, it shines a bright light on parts of the mix that maybe did not hit home initially, even after so many years of living with the music.
The Penthouse side dials in the electronic side of the band, dropping the guitar and live bass, with Heaven 17 doing a When Doves Cry on Geisha Boys And Temple Girls, by omitting a bass line. And they did it three years before Prince did.
Let’s All Make A Bomb has waspy synths buzzing from rear speakers, and David Kosten makes good use of Glenn Gregory’s powerful layered vocals.
The deep synth bass of The Height Of The Fighting takes me crashing back in time to 1981. He-la-hu!
Fun fact, We’re Going To Live For A Very Long Time, unlike the original groove-locked vinyl, does have an ending on all versions of the album on this disc.
The SDE blue-ray of Penthouse And Pavement also includes a Dolby Atmos instrumental mix, along with a 5.1 full and instrumental mix, plus David Kosten’s 2026 stereo and stereo instrumental mix along with a flat transfer of the original 1981 stereo mix (96KHZ/24BIT PCM Stereo or 192KHZ/24BIT PCM Stereo).
Once we were years ahead, but now those thoughts are dead
The Luxury Gap is a very different beast to Heaven 17’s debut, with lots of extra guests, including horns and a full orchestra. John Wilson also returns on guitar for 4 tracks.
The album screams ‘bigger budget’ and is definitely so much more luxurious (sorry) than its predecessor.
This is noticeable instantly, with a plethora of extra tracks available for opener, Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry. David Kosten explains in the booklet the many issues he encountered when piecing together the Dolby Atmos mixes. The man has patience and a clear love of the source material.
Let Me Go is my favourite Heaven 17 song, and the Dolby Atmos mix is a revelation. I love how Kosten has treated the vocals. They are crystal clear, well isolated and key lines spring out of the mix, with the rear speakers treated to the wonderful, rich harmonies that adorn the tail-end of the track.
“Found guilty of no crime,
They were the best years of our lives”
Key To The World sounds EXPENSIVE. I am talking dripping with gold expensive.
Temptation is surely carved into the (cupid &) psyche of everyone who lived through the 80s, but this new mix breathes fresh life into this pop behemoth. Karol Kenyon is the star of this movie.
Lady Ice And Mr Hex translates particularly well to Atmos, with the Nick Plytas jazz piano and powerful Simon Phillips live drums pushed to the fore.
The album ends on a high, with the atmospheric The Best Kept Secret, featuring Simon Phillips again and a full orchestra recorded at AIR studios. This is one of Glenn Gregory’s finest vocals, and it makes me yearn for the opportunity to hear Music of Quality and Distinction, Volume 1 (minus the ‘problematic’ track) given the Dolby Atmos treatment, if the master tapes still exist. Unlikely, but one can still dream.
The Luxury Gap SDE blue-ray also includes a Dolby Atmos instrumental mix, along with a 5.1 full and instrumental mix, plus David Kosten’s 2026 stereo and stereo instrumental mix and and a flat transfer of the original 1983 stereo mix (96KHZ/24BIT PCM Stereo or 192KHZ/24BIT PCM Stereo).
Both blu-rays contain detailed and fascinating album background notes from music writer Alexis Petridis and in-depth Dolby Atmos mixing notes from David Kosten, and this really adds to the immersive nature of the releases.
The SDE editions are available from https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/heaven-17-penthouse-and-pavement-the-luxury-gap-on-sde-exclusive-blu-ray/
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