OTHER TECH

NINE INCH NAILS: The Fragile In many ways, the music of Nine Inch Nails is the most appropriate of all for surround. Many of the albums that work best in 5.1 are those that aren't restrained by the need to reproduce the sound of a live rock band. Instead, you have musicians using the endless possibilities of the studio to create soundworlds that are unachievable in the live context. Trent Reznor uses modern digital recording devices as experimental tools, and The Fragile is a double album brimming with sonic adventure. Yet for some reason, despite having done the previous album, The Downward Spiral, Trent has yet to release a 5.1 mix of this masterwork.

PINK FLOYD: Animals Reportedly, there were recording troubles, as Pink Floyd - using its own newly built studio for the first time - struggled to match the sonics of its earlier albums. Meanwhile, the prevailing mood was moving from the world-weariness of those earlier albums to the Roger Waters-driven anger that would come out more fully on The Wall. But despite all that, I think this is some of the band's most incisive and beautifully realized music. It would be especially inspiring to hear the middle part of "Dogs" in surround, with its waves of lambent string synthesizer, drum loops, and electronically treated canine howls.

PRINCE: Sign o' the Times A true solo album, in the sense that almost everything is overdubbed by Prince himself. Rock, gospel, funk, hip-hop, soul: The range of styles explored here is breathtaking but still somehow always quintessentially Prince. To remix it all in surround would be an opportunity to highlight the many elements Prince tracked to build up each song.

RADIOHEAD: OK Computer Taking the architecture and artistry of the album format into the late 20th century, Radiohead adopted Pink Floyd's trademark theme - alienation from modern life - and redefined it for the post-Brit-rock generation. In doing so, the band created one of the most epic records of all time. Guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood's versatility especially transformed this record into not just a set of flawless songs, but also one with colorful and diverse arrangements, from chamberlike pieces to angsty rock. OK Computer is very much a sonic benchmark, and it's surprising to me that the band has never embraced 5.1 to complement the extraordinary ambition of its music.

RUSH: Moving Pictures One of my favorite bands at its very peak. Moving Pictures is that rare thing: a 40-minute album without a wasted note or even a weak moment. It was made with relative economy compared with some of the other albums on this list, yet the interplay between the three extraordinary musicians (and the tasteful integration of synthesizers) would be a blast in 5.1.

TALK TALK: Laughing Stock It has the sensibility of a great jazz album - instruments recorded with such clarity, detail, and meticulousness as to magnify every characteristic, so that even the flaws, creaks, buzzes, and hiss become part of the sonic texture. An album like this - which puts you almost inside the studio, and where every single sound is so perfectly considered and placed in the overall context - would be ideal for surround.

THE WHO: Quadrophenia Having done the fantastic 5.1 mix of Tommy, Pete Townshend started remixing this album, too, but got bored. That's a shame. As the definitive concept album or rock opera - and for me the high point of Townshend's writing, arranging, and production - Quadrophenia is the one Who album I'd like to hear in surround more than any other.

XTC: Skylarking Produced by Todd Rundgren, one of the preeminent vocal and music arrangers of our time, Skylarking was both his and XTC's masterpiece. Prime target for 5.1 would be the astounding opening of "Summer's Cauldron"/"Grass," where you can almost taste the balmy quality of a long hot summer day in England (and we don't get too many of those). Great opportunity for some surround panning with the buzzing bees, too.

YES: Close to the Edge Another pinnacle of progressive music, with equal emphasis on musicianship, melody, and lyricism. (How many modern progressive bands get the balance way wrong in favor of the first?) I once heard a 5.1 mix of the previous album, Fragile, but wasn't impressed. Yet it's a shame that many people have dismissed the idea of music in surround because of hearing some hastily executed early examples. You wouldn't dismiss stereo simply because you heard a badly mixed stereo album, now, would you?

FRANK ZAPPA: Joe's Garage, Acts I, II & III Zappa experimented with quad, and I'm sure he would have become one of the greatest advocates of 5.1, being someone who was always quick to embrace new developments in sound recording. Joe's Garage is perhaps the ultimate manifestation of his work: extraordinary musicianship, complex writing allied to great melodies, beautiful guitar solos, and laugh-out-loud lyrics. Also brilliantly recorded, and it would sound incredible in surround.