Nothing Like The Sun is what a big-budget pop record should be. Highlighting the major star talent of Sting, Nothing Like The Sun also features an A-list producer and "studio" musicians who include Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Manu Katche’, Branford Marsalis, Andy Summers and more to create a pop record that musically will pass the test of time. You'll need a 5.1 surround sound processor and 5.1 speakers in your system to fully enjoy the disc, but what good AudioRevolution.com reader doesn’t have at least a happening 5.1 surround system at this point? Nothing Like The Sun is a pleasant mix of upbeat pop hits along with thought-provoking political statements. Compared to Sting’s more recent work, much of which has been remastered to 5.1 DTS CDs (read AudioRevolution.com reviews of Sting’s Brand New Day and Ten Summoner’s Tales, as well as The Police: Every Breath You Take - Greatest Hits in 5.1), Nothing Like The ...

Toy Matinee, a remarkable album, was originally released in stereo in 1990, but I was only introduced to it last summer, when a colleague used it as an aid in setting up a live sound system at an event where I was engineering. This DTS surround remix (by Elliot Scheiner) has been around for awhile, so much so that you may have difficulty obtaining it. I was first made aware of it at a recent Audio Engineering Society Convention, where someone, once again, was using it to set up a 5.1 system. Professionals are using this album for such purposes because it is a quintessentially well-produced, excellently recorded (by Bill Bottrell) and exquisitely performed rock tour-de-force, ideal for checking a system and blasting out at high levels so everyone else can enjoy it. To label Toy Matinee, in either form, the ultimate rock demonstration album is by no means doing it justice. Here we ...