I've been a Rush fan since 1981, and have attended every tour since 1984 -- a veteran of 25 live shows of the band -- leading up to the R40 tour last month. I just listened to the Blu-ray that landed in the mail yesterday, on 8/22/2015. That said, this recording deserves a fair and honest review.

I listened to it on a mid-range 5.1 system, and as a 5.1 recording it sounds decent. But the vinyl and original CD versions of this recording had heart, and much of that was found in Ged's vocal performance on the recording. With this Blu-ray release, I'm saddened that there are different vocal performances on "Subdivisions" & "The Analog Kid," and maybe one other track, but the revised first two tracks are what stand out. With these new vocal performances, the emotional edge from Ged's performance in the first two tracks (which set the tone for the entire recording) seems to be missing, which is heartbreaking for someone like myself who grew up with this recording and listened to Signals 1000 times like it was a religious experience.

I believe the Rush fans, who have lived and sworn by this recording for over 30 years, deserve an explanation for this change in vocal....why was it necessary to insert a new vocal performance into this release? Why would you change out the original performances like that? Why was that necessary? Was someone asleep at the switch? Did they think fans wouldn't notice? I can't help but feel a combination of a kick to the groin, an insult on my intelligence, and that my wallet has been hijacked $30.

What else....I'm not a fan of the astronaut voices being mixed out either....and some of the synths have been toned down, most notable in Subdivisions, Kid & Countdown. I'm undecided as to whether that was totally necessary either....the synths definitely date the recording, but that's also part of the appeal and what makes it special, setting it apart from their other recordings. It's a 1982 time capsule.

Otherwise, there are positives to this Blu-ray release....the "muddy" feel to the original recording (a charm for some purists) has been toned down since the room is more full of information through the expanded channels. I REALLY like how Alex's guitar is more isolated and stands out, and how you can hear the nuances in it. Ironically (per my earlier comments), I really like the new feel to "Digital Man" with it's added couple of bars and "The Weapon" with its slightly modified/extended guitar solo -- but, again, I'm left wondering why they'd do that. Mixing engineer's decision? Band decision?

I'm undecided as to whether or not to recommend this release. The sound quality is superb and improved from the remastered CD, and Al's more pronounced guitar sounds great, but Ged's new vocal performances in the two first tracks are going to be upsetting to purists....which would include any Rush fan who's been listening to this treasure recording since Nov 1982, including this (Analog) kid.
I've been a Rush fan since 1981, and have attended every tour since 1984 -- a veteran of 25 live shows of the band -- leading up to the R40 tour last month. I just listened to the Blu-ray that landed in the mail yesterday, on 8/22/2015. That said, this recording deserves a fair and honest review. I listened to it on a mid-range 5. 1 system, and as a 5. 1 recording it sounds decent. But the vinyl and original CD versions of this recording had heart, and much of that was found in Ged's vocal performance on the recording. With this Blu-ray release, I'm saddened that there are different vocal performances on "Subdivisions" & "The Analog Kid," and maybe one other track, but the revised first two tracks are what stand out. With these new vocal performances, the emotional edge from Ged's performance in the first two tracks (which set the tone for the entire recording) seems to be missing, which is heartbreaking for someone like myself who grew up with this recording and listened to Signals 1000 times like it was a religious experience. I believe the Rush fans, who have lived and sworn by this recording for over 30 years, deserve an explanation for this change in vocal.... why was it necessary to insert a new vocal performance into this release? Why would you change out the original performances like that? Why was that necessary? Was someone asleep at the switch? Did they think fans wouldn't notice? I can't help but feel a combination of a kick to the groin, an insult on my intelligence, and that my wallet has been hijacked $30. What else.... I'm not a fan of the astronaut voices being mixed out either.... and some of the synths have been toned down, most notable in Subdivisions, Kid & Countdown. I'm undecided as to whether that was totally necessary either.... the synths definitely date the recording, but that's also part of the appeal and what makes it special, setting it apart from their other recordings. It's a 1982 time capsule. Otherwise, there are positives to this Blu-ray release.... the "muddy" feel to the original recording (a charm for some purists) has been toned down since the room is more full of information through the expanded channels. I REALLY like how Alex's guitar is more isolated and stands out, and how you can hear the nuances in it. Ironically (per my earlier comments), I really like the new feel to "Digital Man" with it's added couple of bars and "The Weapon" with its slightly modified/extended guitar solo -- but, again, I'm left wondering why they'd do that. Mixing engineer's decision? Band decision? I'm undecided as to whether or not to recommend this release. The sound quality is superb and improved from the remastered CD, and Al's more pronounced guitar sounds great, but Ged's new vocal performances in the two first tracks are going to be upsetting to purists.... which would include any Rush fan who's been listening to this treasure recording since Nov 1982, including this (Analog) kid.