My daughter gave me an ipod for my birthday and I have been loading music to it slowly. As a perxon who listens to albums start to finish I have been loading albums I consider high quality beginning to end. Makes me wonder how many perfect albums there are out there. Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" is to me perfect. What I mean by perfect is not one sound needs to be added or subtracted to make it better. Funny thing is, "Pretzel Logic" is not my favorite Steely Dan album, but its sound is perfect. I can only come up with a few. Pink Floyd, "Wish You Were Here" Tears For Fears, "Songs From The Big Chair"
Simon & Garfunkel "Bookends", I know people are going to say, "Voices of old People"?, to me that is a piece that is setting the mood, I don't consider it a "song". I've never heard the mono version but I can guarantee thar if you have a clean Columbia 360 copy, it is one of the best rock albums ever!
Alan Parson's Project - I Robot Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food Dire Straits - Dire Straits Henryk Gorecki - Symphony No. 3 Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces Albert Collins/Robert Cray/Johnny Copeland - Showdown The Clash - Combat Rock + London Calling Yes - The Yes Album + Fragile + Close to the Edge Quincy Jones - Walking In Space Cowboy Junkies - Black Eyed Man Leonard Cohen - Songs From a Room + Live In London David Bowie - Man Who Sold the World + Lodger Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway Jeff Beck - Truth Beck - Odelay Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps Clint Black - No Time to Kill Camel - The Snow Goose Nirvana - Unplugged Joni Mitchel - Blue Doors - An American Prayer dc Talk - Jesus Freak Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left Chris Whitley - Living With the Law Manhattan Transfer - Vocalese Pizzarelli/Sims/Hinton/Rich - Nirvana Miles Davis - Kind of Blue M. Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent Allman Brothers - Live at Fillmore East Who - Live at Leeds + Who's Next Arrested Development - 3Years 5Months and 2Days American Music Club - Everclear Patricia Barber - Modern Cool SonnyBoy Williamson - Keep It to Ourselves Van Morrison - Poetic Champions Compose Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills - Super Session Adrian Belew - Lone Rhino White Stripes - Icky Thumb Shirley Horn - Here's to Life Marty Brown - High and Dry Morphine - Cure for Pain Cecilia Bartoli - Mozart Portraits Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat Willie Dixon/Memphis Slim - The Blues Every Which Way Butthole Surfers - Hairway to Steven Stanley Clarke - Journey to Love Dwight Yoakam - This Time Jean-Luc Ponty - A Taste for Passion Billy Cobham - Spectrum Bruce Hornsby & The Range - Scenes From the Southside Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days Grant-Lee Phillips - Mobilize Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey Marvin Gaye - What's Going On Eurythmics - Peace Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral Fugazi - 13 Songs + Steady Diet of Nothing Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace John Cale/Bob Neuwirth - Last Day on Earth Pixies - Surfer Rosa + Doolittle Everlast - Whitey Ford Sings the Blues Joh Prine - "John Prine" + "The Missing Years" Jimmie Dale Gilmore - After Awhile Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville Baerwald/Rickets - Boomtown A Tribute to Gram Parsons - Return of the Grevious Angel R.E.M. - Murmer + Reckoning Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed + Stickey Fingers Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea Buddy Guy/ Junior Wells - Going Back to Basics Eagles - Hotel California Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted Bonnie Raitt - Luck of the Draw Mellisa Manchester - Melissa Roxy Music - "Roxy Music" + "For Your Pleasure" Kings of LEon - Because of the Times Was (Was Not) - Are You Ok? Grateful Dead - American Beauty Jimmy d. Lane - Long Gone + It's Time Kitty Margolis - Straight Up With A Twist Patti Smith - Horses + Gone Again Joe Williams - Nothin' But the Blues Red House Painters - Songs For a Blue Guitar Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um Jimmy Smith - Midnight Special Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues Bill Evans Trio - Sunday at the Village Grand Funk Railroad - On Time Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely John Mayall - The Turning Point Tom Waits - Small Change S.R.Vaughan&DoubleTrouble-Texas Flood+Couldn'tStandTheWeathr Soundgarden - Superunknown Traffic - Low Spark of High Heeled Boys Guide by Voices - Bee Thousand Al Stewart - Past, Present and Future Prince - 1999 Leon Russel - Carney Steely Dan - Two Against Nature Porcupine Tree - The Incident Peter Green Splinter Group - Peter Green Splinter Group Smashing Pumpkins - Gish Johnossi - Johnossi Townsend/Lane - Rough Mix Townsend - Empty Glass Bruce Cockburn - Big Circumstance Lou Reed - New York Shawn Colvin - Steady On + Cover Girl Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign John Coltrane - Blue Train Dianna Krall - The Girl In the Other Room Cat Power - Moon Pix + You Are Free Bob James/Earl Klugh - One on One Frank Black - Teenager of the Year Adderley/Evans - Know What I Mean? Mary Gauthier - Drag Queens In Limousines Cesaria Evora - Cafe Atlantico Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks JJ Cale - Closer to You Sorry. Got carried away. There are so many more.
Audiofeil & Timrhu, Perfection is a concept and not an absolute. It's like defining beauty.
Timrhu, if your original question was about recorded sound quality then a fair number of those works I've listed would fall below the "perfect" threshold.
I read (or misread) your question as one that's more aligned with what my interests are, that the creative work itself is wonderfully satisfying through and through.
For instance, I probably have 60+ Neil Young recordings and likely most everything ever released by Yes, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, and Bill Bruford and I would not classify any of these as perfect from a reproduction point of view. That does not diminish my appreciation for the art presented because the bulk of it is just so darn terrific through and through.
Some of the Neil Young works are reproduced so badly that this does diminish my appreciation for the work. If, however, I really appreciate the creativity of what's been layed down then I will still want to absorb it.
What I posted are just a FEW of those works I frequently find in rotation at my home, my office, and in my car.
A couple of works I find perfect from both a creative and sound quality point of reference that come immediately to mind right now are Jennifer Warnes - "Famous Blue Raincoat" and Paul Simon - "Graceland".
Sit, point taken. Maybe I should have ended my post with one of these :) The way I see it is there are many recordings which can be enjoyed start to finish but few which over the years have maintained perfection. So many good recordings fall short by one or two songs. The Counting Crows "August And Everything After" is an example that for me is so close to perfect. Also, there are several selections on your list where I would not consider the particular album one of the artists stronger works. That shows how much this is simply a matter of taste. No wrong answers here.
Timru, This music hobby/obsession/passion is incredible, isn't it.
I find I need a music fix no less than several times a day. My ears and mind are always open to something new. Love it! Lots of fantastic recommendations on A'Gon I've picked up on. People who enjoy the muse as I do.
I'm fond of something that Abram Chasins once said, "The more you love music, The more music you love".
I was told I would grow out of this. That was 36 years ago.
There is no way in my heart to list as many "perfect" albums as sit did. A long list such as his simply diminishes the word and concept for that matter.
I have over 7,000 vinyl records now and could personally not apply the word "perfect" to more than 3 or 4.
The terms perfect and great are grossly overused in the forums and this thread is no different.
um ... i would have to begin with a few Beatle albums because that's where my listening began. "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" certainly qualify as perfect, as do the obvious, "Sgt. Pepper's" and ["Abbey Road" (agreed, Vegasears!)].
a fairly obscure album by today's measure, at least, is one by Steppenwolf --- "At Your Birthday Party." that vinyl got countless miles of airplay on my little Sear's portable stereo!
jump a couple of decades (missing *many* an album) to Paul Simon's "Graceland": genius from start to finish.
lasso in The Pretenders' "Pretenders II" (i mean, the cover art, alone, is perfection. >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretenders_II).
and finally, (although, i could stay here, listing several more that qualify!) i have to include an album by Neil Finn, "Try Whistling This".
Love that album. It was inspired by Big Star out of Memphis. Jim Dickerson's production was flawless--same studio where Alex Chilton recorded. The other under-rated Matts album is Let it Be!.
Although I have read all the responses at one time, not sure if I've seen Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." Revisited this a few times in the last week. It comes very close.
I surely appreciate Audiofeil's and Sit's responses, but music is such a very personal thing. I hope that everyone can understand that one man's or woman's perception of perfect, is, just that... their own perception. After all, how can one person define "perfect"?
hard one to get. the subdudes first one,great from beginning to end. if you ever have the chance to see them in concert,you have to go won`t be dissapointed. band is from new orleans al
Al, The Subdudes guitarist has a big brother named Dave Malone who plays guitar in The New Orleans Radiators. Their "Bucket of Fish" CD is SMOKIN' from beginning to end. It was recorded live in St. Paul, MN in 1992.
Tokyo Tapes DVD Somewhere in South America DVD Live Archives 70s/80s/90s Voyage of the Acolyte Please Don't Touch Spectral Mornings Guitar Noir Darktown There Are Many Sides to the Night Sketches of Satie
"Is it me, or does the mix on this recording get substantially better three or four songs into it?"
Not sure. I'll give it a listen again when I have a chance and see.
A couple things about Steve Hackett recordings I have found.
- He is one artist I tend to enjoy most performing live, be it on DVD or CD audio only. I find he tends to improve on his original studio recording mixes and productions live in general.
His studio CDs have some wonderful sound and lots of interesting things to listen to if you have a system capable of delivering it. If not, a lot is lost.
HE is a fantastic guitarist and a most talented composer. You never know quite what to expect on Hacket's albums. HE is also dabbling and experimenting.
He has a new studio recording "Out of the Tunnel's Mouth" out within the last couple months that I have not heard yet but need to pick up ASAP.
Learn to play an instrument- even a little music theory- and it will become readily apparent how cheesy some (but not all) of the aforementioned selections really are. Kindergarten chords, as they say lololol!
Learn to play an instrument- even a little music theory- and it will become readily apparent how cheesy some (but not all) of the aforementioned selections really are. Kindergarten chords, as they say lololol!
Pompous @s*
My first reply to this post did not fly so I'll try this one.
I understand what 6550c is getting at...but, it also takes imagination and creativity to put some of those simple notes/chords together to make "music".
I am continually in awe of good musicians regardless of their instruments or type of music. I wish I had a fraction of the talent that even average musicians that write their own music have....I guess that's why I spend so much time listening and not playing!
With that being said I am really liking Mary Chapin Carpenter's latest release...simple music yes, but well put together and well recorded.
I'm not even sure who that barb was aimed at...Steve Hackett? The first album that I listed(Neutral Milk Hotel-In The Aeroplane Over The Sea) is nothing but open chords and barre chords but to me it is inspired and perfect. The musicians must know music theory to make a perfect album?
Just saw Steve Hackett (and Renaissance) live here in Albany. Hackett had a great band that could turn on a dime, but I felt they had too much PA for the room (The Egg). I generally don't require earplugs at this venue, but now I know...Beyond that, a mostly fine evening of prog.
I haven't read through this thread so this one may already have been mentioned: Close to the Edge by Yes is the best example I can think of as a "perfect" album. Phenomenal playing/musciainship and singing, complex arrangements, excellent compositions and not a lame "cut" on the album. Fragile is close but there are a filler or two on that album that make it less than perfect for me. Same for Selling England by the Pound by Genesis.
I get dazzled now by great production values more than in the past, now that I can actually hear what is going on by having a quality system.
For instance I picked up an old Doobie Brothers album "Takin it to the Streets".
The album has immaculate production and is much more interesting to listen to than it was before hearing the recording on cheap stereos and radios.
The artists making music go through great lengths at times to bring you something special.. and now I really "get" what they were trying to do.. where as before I just heard the snapshot melodies.
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