STEVE MILLER BAND. The enveloping effects of "Space Intro" and the title track do get things airborne, but Fly Like an Eagle (Capitol; Music •••••, DVD Mix ••••^½, Extras ••••^½) truly soars on Track 4, "Serenade." Here, for the first time, the vocals fully surround you - a perfect complement to lyrics that tell of lights falling, wind blowing, and the sun shining all around you. Ed Cherney's 5.1-channel mix on the bonus DVD of this 30th-anniversary edition does nod to the old quad version, but it's much better balanced and blended. And although the sound isn't high-resolution, it's high-energy and plenty rich, as you'll hear from the bass throb on "Serenade" and the palpable guitar that opens "Rock'n Me." A slow take on the latter song plus equally fascinating demos of the title track and "Take the Money and Run" are among the extras - not to mention a complete, two-hour, bluesy concert from last year. And how fitting that, as the album ends, we look through "The Window" to hear: "Think love, you're surrounded." Thanks, Steve, we are! (Read "30 Minutes with Steve Miller".) - Ken Richardson

DEPECHE MODE. The work of this pioneering electronic band has held up over time. And now it's getting the deluxe CD+DVD treatment, with 5.1 mixes. Batch 1 starts with the 1981 debut, Speak & Spell, and 1987's Music for the Masses (both Rhino; Music ••••, DVD Mix •••^½, Extras ••••). Even the primitive synthesizers used on the poppy Speak sound fine in Kevin Paul's mix. They sound even better on the moody Music, with its bottomless depth - so much so that furniture in other rooms began rattling until I turned down the subwoofer. But the reissue to get first in this initial group is the band's career album, 1990's sharp Violator (Music ddddf, DVD Mix dddd, Extras dddd). Paul's mix adds texture and dimensionality to tracks like "Enjoy the Silence" and "Personal Jesus," even if the center and surround channels are a bit underused (which is true of all three releases). Plentiful extras on each include B-sides, alternates, and an entertaining, album-specific documentary. Great value for the money. - Parke Puterbaugh

THE BRAND NEW OPRY. Led by guitarist/vocalist Jonathan McEuen and fiddler Phil Salazar, this collective plays new-country tunes with old-timey heart on Vol. 1: Another Time (AIX; Music ••••^½, DVD-Audio/Video Mixes ••••, Extras ••••). Everyone gets a turn in this round-robin acoustic sing-along, captured with keen attention to both sonic and visual detail. As is the custom of AIX president/mixer Mark Waldrep, he offers a "Stage" mix on both the DVD-A and DVD-V sides of the disc. I prefer his more theater-like "Audience" mix, available only on the DVD-V - which also has a video of the entire program plus interviews, bios, and much more. - Parke Puterbaugh

CINCINNATI POPS ORCHESTRA. It has been a demonstration-quality recording on stereo CD since 1987 - and now, Round-Up (Telarc; Performance ••••, SACD Mix ••••^½) has been given an excellent surround mix by Michael Bishop. Note the cover warning around the pair of six-shooters: "Caution! Digital Sound Effects." A very loud moo and other "Sounds of the West" set the sagebrush scene for the "Lone Ranger Theme" (alias William Tell Overture by Rossini). The rifles that announce (what else?) "The Rifleman" do raise a racket, but the subtler sounds of coyotes, crickets, and campfires are just as evocative. Led by Erich Kunzel, the Cincinnati Pops is the right band for this repertoire. Musical highlights include Franz Waxman's The Furies Suite, Elmer Bernstein's The Magnificent Seven, and Alfred Newman's How the West Was Won. - Robert Ripps

JOHN ABERCROMBIE AND EDDIE GOMEZ WITH GENE JACKSON. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Chesky launches The New York Sessions, a "High-Def Jazz" series of SACDs. Among the first titles is Structures (Chesky; Music •••^½, SACD Mix •••), coupling standards with originals by guitarist Abercrombie and bassist Gomez. And if this set hovers between prim and pristine, well, that's Chesky to a T. So is the sound, recorded in a Manhattan church by Nicholas Prout. It was captured with one mike, though, so the surround sound is just stereo with a bit of natural ambience. - Ken Richardson

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