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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Eric Clapton-Reptile (DVD-Audio) (2001)

Eric Clapton-Reptile (DVD-Audio) (2001) (NTSC)

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Released 24-May-2002

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Music Booklet
Biographies-Cast
Credits
Rating Rated G
Year Of Production 2001
Running Time 63:53
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By Eric Clapton
Simon Climie
Studio
Distributor

Warner Vision
Starring Billy Preston
Joe Sample
Paul Carrack
Tim Carmon
Andy Fairweather Low
Doyle Bramhall II
Nathan East
Paulinho da Costa
Steve Gadd
Case DVD-Audio Jewel
RPI $32.95 Music Eric Clapton


Video (NTSC) Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Full Frame English dts 5.1 (1536Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English MLP 88.2/24 5.1
English MLP 88.2/24 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 480i (NTSC)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    After the highly successful release of Riding with the King in 2000, an effort which was nominated for a Grammy Award, Eric Clapton brings us his first solo release in over three years. Unfortunately this album is not quite in the same class; but that said it isn't bad and will surely keep many Clapton fans happy. Inspired by and dedicated to his Uncle, who died early during its production, Reptile is a real mixed bag of styles which, whilst working well together, result in no one song or group particularly standing out. When this fact is coupled with a less-than-optimal DVD-Audio mastering, then I admit that I am somewhat disappointed in this whole production and feel that it may have been overly rushed. Frankly, I am very surprised that Eric Clapton, someone who usually is very careful to ensure proper mixing on his albums, would allow this material to be released with such obvious problems. All is not lost however, and there are some shining moments on this DVD-Audio.

    This album sees Clapton reunited with many of the same supporting performers that were involved in his Riding with the King release, including Billy Preston, Joe Sample, Paul Carrack and Tim Carmon on keyboards, Andy Fairweather Low and Doyle Bramhall II on guitars, Nathan East on bass, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, Steve Gadd on drums and The Impressions as backing vocals. Consisting of a mix of some new and original Clapton titles as well as some classic blues covers, Reptile represents an almost easy-listening Clapton who has definitely returned to one of his favourite genres, the blues.

    The album starts with the title track Reptile (3:26) which by Clapton's own definition is a "samba" styled instrumental with a hint of jazz style. This is a different but good introduction to the album as it helps you to settle back for what ultimately is a pleasant ride. Got You On My Mind (4:30) takes us fairly and squarely into laid-back blues territory, but don't let the slow tempo fool you - this is a deep and complex song that deserves full-volume playback. Moving up-tempo a little we are treated to a spectacular rendition of J.J. Cale's Travellin' Light (4:17) which in stereo sounds absolutely superb, and Eric Clapton's guitar work here is reminiscent of old Slowhand. Believe In Life (5:06) is a beautiful, mid-tempo but complex piece that clearly demonstrates Clapton's diversity in songwriting. Come Back Baby (3:54) by blues legend Ray Charles is the sort of material that I prefer with that classic slow-blues feel. This is followed by another classic blues song Broken Down (5:26) which has some of the best lyrics I have heard in a modern blues song in quite some time. The album is worth it for this song alone - it's just a pity about the surround mixing--my recommendation is to listen to it in stereo only.

    Find Myself (5:15) brings us back to jazzy style blues, which after the previous two tracks sounds very much out of place - such is the diversity on this album. Continuing along the variety theme, an up-tempo version of Stevie Wonder's I Ain't Gonna Stand For It (4:50) should have you clicking your fingers in time. If not, I suggest you check your pulse as the whole band is getting right into this one. I Want A Little Girl (2:58) returns us to a more relaxed, slow-tempo blues track and gives Eric Clapton a chance to show once more the versatility he has for vocalizing. That same, deep blues voice is back in the next track, Second Nature (4:48) which is a mid-tempo light blues song. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (4:46) is a slower, blues style song that is certainly one of the more interesting and enjoyable tracks on the album. Although a departure from the traditional blues style that I prefer, Clapton's Modern Girl (4:51) was one of the few songs that really grew on me, unlike the others which I either simply liked, disliked or was ambivalent to. Superman Inside (5:07) is a track for all those who like the pop-rock blues that Clapton so successfully popularized during his career. Personally, this is not to my liking but it remains catchy nonetheless. The final track, Son & Sylvia (4:44) is a very nice, slow-tempo, instrumental finish to what is otherwise an interesting, albeit fragmented, album.

    Given the wide style coverage present on Reptile I expect that there will be a little something for everyone here. Chances are if you like anything by Eric Clapton then songs on this album will appeal. Likewise, there are sure to be a few tracks which grate on various people who may wish that Eric had never moved in certain directions throughout his career. My only concern is that the album was poorly mixed and poorly mastered which, in my opinion, is unforgivable; as many of the errors were avoidable.

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Track Listing

1. Reptile
2. Got You On My Mind
3. Travelin' Light
4. Believe In Life
5. Come Back Baby
6. Broken Down
7. Find Myself
8. I Ain't Gonna Stand For It
9. I Want A Little Girl
10. Second Nature
11. Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
12. Modern Girl
13. Superman Inside
14. Son & Sylvia

Transfer Quality

Video

    Being primarily a high resolution audio disc, this presentation contains only the simplest video content, mostly restricted to static cover images which are displayed whilst each track is playing. Included with each image is the title of each song and credits for the various musicians. There is also a simple menu for selecting from stereo or surround mixes.

Audio

    I am very disappointed in the number of errors, glitches and problems present on this disc. In fact, I am really disappointed! Hypothetically, the best way to describe my disappointment is to liken the experience to scratching a brand new, dream sports car. Although the car is really fundamentally still perfect, you cannot easily gloss over the now permanent blemish that is present. This is how I feel about this album. If the errors were only confined to the surround mixes, then I would probably not be as upset as I find myself. However, I cannot even recommend just listening to the stereo mix, as even that contains some glaring and unforgivable mastering faults. At the end of the day this album is certainly listenable, even very good, but the errors tend to ruin any hope of full enjoyment. Read on for all the details.

    This disc includes Advanced Resolution (MLP) 96/24 5.1 multichannel audio, MLP 96/24 2.0 stereo audio, Digital Theatre Systems (DTS) 5.1 1.5Mbps audio and finally Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio. I listened to both the MLP 5.1 and 2.0 tracks in their entirety and sampled both the DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes. Unlike some other high resolution DVD-As I have listened to recently, this one has significant differences between the uncompressed, high resolution MLP tracks and the compressed, perceptual codecs of Dolby and DTS. Although the DTS and Dolby soundtracks are more than acceptable, the difference compared to the MLP tracks is very unsettling. Both the Dolby and DTS mixes suffer to various degrees from a loss of high frequency detail, which causes the audio to sound smothered and stale. I almost felt like I was wearing poor earplugs whilst listening to both mixes. In addition, the Dolby mix is a little boomy, or bass-heavy, even after adjusting the subwoofer level -10dB for music sources.

    The stereo soundstage is very precise and natural. Almost universally Eric Clapton himself is centre stage with his signature vocals and guitar; whilst the drum set stretches from the far left to the far right, with each percussive element being precisely focused. There is a surprising amount of ambience present in the stereo mix, which may be somewhat to blame for the average surround results. The surround stage is practically identical in front and introduces extensive ambience into the rear--unfortunately it suffers from several problems, introduced as a result of poor mastering, that often cause a de-stabilization of the soundstage, as various voices and instruments appear to drift and echo. This is not to say that all of the surround mixes are terrible; in fact some managed to provide an incredible sense of spaciousness and ambience, especially in Tracks 9, 10, and 11 where the soundstage becomes truly enveloping. And for a real treat, listeners are invited to sample Track 4, 4:00 where a vocalist sings "Whooaa" in the far right, providing a perfect textbook example of true depth in a recording. Track 9 in stereo is also very nice for this effect. In all the other cases though, I would recommend using the DTS NEO-6 or Dolby-II music matrix decoders for a more pleasurable surround simulation that does not negatively impact the frontal soundstage, rather than listening to the 5.1 mixes contained on this release.

    The resolution present in all the MLP recordings is extremely good and is likely to be partially to blame for the stark contrast when listening to the Dolby and DTS versions. In the 2.0 MLP mix, every single instrument is precise and clear, with every single performance nuance clearly audible. In fact, at times it can be a little too precise, amplifying some of the flaws in the recording. This is especially true in Track 12 where various fret slips can be heard as quite distinct squeaks, which border on distracting, such as at 1:04, and 1:24-1:30. The midrange vocals are incredibly clear, superbly tracking the full depth and emotion that is present in Eric Clapton's voice. Every nuance of Eric's voice from the deep, heaving breaths and powerful vocalizations to the almost silent whispers can be heard with total clarity; Track 4 is an excellent example of this vocal purity and range.

    Although some tracks are a little more restrained than others, in general this is a loud recording that demonstrates some huge dynamics across the entire frequency spectrum. The contrasts between the lulls and peaks on some of these tracks can be quite alarming, especially at normal listening volumes. Tracks 3 and 4 provide some good examples of dynamic and transient bass, whilst Eric Clapton's acoustic guitar plucking in Track 6, 3:05+, provides a good tweeter test (warning, if this isn't sounding natural on your system, then turn the volume down). There are some minor differences in the playback levels on some of the MLP 2.0 tracks but the difference is only a few dB and is only mentioned for completeness. There is only a single instance of a channel balance problem, affecting the centre channel in Track 14, which is +1dB too loud in my opinion. Whilst this is easily adjusted to prevent it from overpowering the frontal soundstage, it should have been detected during the mastering process.

    Eric Clapton knows a lot about mixing music but that knowledge seems to have performed a mild disappearing act on this disc, especially when it comes to the surround mixes. Natively recorded as a stereo recording, the mixes for multi-channel surround appear to have been derived using some very average, simulated matrix decoders, which ended up over-emphasizing the surround channel ambience and even introducing some time-alignment errors in the centre channel, an effect which is most obvious in Track 3, primarily affecting the various vocals and lower frequencies but generally present throughout. The rear surrounds are on occasion used deliberately for some panning effects (Tracks 1 and 9 for example), which sound pretty nice compared to the rest of the tracks. The subwoofer also finds a small home in these tracks, providing some well balanced weight behind the bass and bass drum. The integration of the subwoofer is practically perfect, providing a highly musical bass extension as opposed to some titles that aim to offer an overpowering bass undertow, which would have been entirely inappropriate here.

    In addition several tracks exhibited various forgivable and some unforgivable errors in the recording, mastering or reproduction. Starting with the relatively minor, there is a very slight background hiss present throughout Track 9, however it so slight it almost lends a little to the atmosphere of this very intimate song. Moving on there are some moments of reverberation between Eric's voice and the organ in the centre channel (of all mixes) in Track 4 at 2:30, 3:43, and 4:00, however such distortion is very difficult to avoid, short of re-recording. Track 12 contains several bass pops that can be heard from 1:54-1:57 which should never have been allowed into the recording. And finally there are some completely unforgivable drop-outs in the MLP 2.0 stereo mixes of Track 3 at 0:26 and Track 13 at 4:11 for example. How Eric Clapton or Warner could ever allow these last glitches onto this disc is totally beyond me, yet the proof is in the listening.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Main Menu

    The simple and static main menu provides access to the Stereo and Surround mix title lists and the Biography and Credits pages.

Booklet

    12 Pages. As a tribute to his dead Uncle, this booklet contains numerous photo montages in addition to the title list and production credits.

Biography

    13 pages of text. This is actually an interesting read and provides some detailed information behind both Eric Clapton's career, influences and problems as well as background on the production of this particular release. There is bound to be some piece of information here that is new to almost all but the most dedicated Clapton fan.

Credits

    5 pages of text. Complete (at least I hope they are) credits for all of the artists and crew involved in the production of Reptile. Also listed in the credits are the individual singers who make up The Impressions, the backing singers for many of the tracks. Also credited are Mick Guzauski, Simon Climie & Tom Beuder who brought us this very average surround mix--please, do not ever do this again.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    As far as we can tell this disc is the same worldwide.

    There is however a discrepancy between the track listings on the worldwide releases of this album. Specifically the Japanese CD version includes a very good bonus track "Losing Hand" which is absent on every other release.

Summary

    Eric Clapton's first solo album in three years, Reptile, covers such a wide variety of material that the album as a whole fails to cohere, but individually many songs at quite enjoyable. Sadly it is also let down by very poor audio mastering. I certainly enjoyed much of the material but I am very disappointed with the lack of quality control.

    The video quality is what we expect from DVD-Audio -- static.

    The 2.0 audio quality is very good, but let down a few times by various glitches. The multichannel mixes are, for the most part, average. Overall the quality is not what I expect from DVD-Audio.

    The extras, ignoring the credits, were absent; although a good biography for Eric Clapton is provided.

    Finally, for those of you who are interested, "Reptile" is slang for "Mate" effectively.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Michael S Cox (to bio, or not to bio?)
Monday, February 17, 2003
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV-S733A, using Component output
DisplayJVC Interiart Flat 68cm Display 16:9. Calibrated with AVIA Guide To Home Theatre. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with AVIA Guide To Home Theatre.
AmplificationDenon AVR-3802
SpeakersFront LR - NEAR MainMast, Center - NEAR 20M, Surround LR - NEAR Spinnaker DiPoles, Rear LR - NEAR MainMast-II, Subwoofer - NEAR PS-2 DiPole

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