Best Jazz and Rock & Roll HDCD CDs


Hi, Just checking to see if anyone can make some recommendations on the best HDCD CDs you've heard for Jazz and Rock & Roll? Thanks

- if you have any other genres (Classical, etc, etc.) on HDCD that you thing are particularly excellent, that's fine too. Thanks
hi_hifi
The Grateful Dead reissued American Beauty and Workingman's Dead on HDCD and they sounded amazing.
Here's what's in my (eccentric) collection:
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Lost Trident Sessions (HDCD)
Xtc - Apple Venus Vol 2 - Wasp Star (HDCD)
Isham, Mark - Miles Remembered: The Silent Way Project (HDCD)
Mitchell, Joni - The Hissing of Summer Lawns (Remastered - HDCD)
Sigur Ros - () (HDCD)
Camel - Rajaz (HDCD)

I also bought a couple of CDs recently by the Claudia Quintet - Semi-Formal and For - which both light up as being HDCD on my Rotel CDP, but aren't indicated anywhere in the packaging. Both are highly recommended!
Jazz-From the Age of Swing/Dick Hyman,on Reference Recordings.
excellent sound quality IMhO.'Rock'-Searchin for a Rainbow,Marshall Tucker Band,on Shout Factory.Decent sound quality.
Beck's Midnite Vultures is HDCD as well and it sounds excellent. I'm not a fan of his music at all but that one is a solid listen. I would also second the David Grisman catalog, great music and great recordings. I would also recommend Ron Sexmith-Blue Boy and Paul Simon-You're The One. Neil Young-Silver And Gold is quite good also come to think of it. It's neat to hear everyone's suggestions as there are quite a few discs that aren't labled HDCD. Just picked up an Arcam CD23T partially because I have a solid collection of HDCD's and couldn't bear to not have the proper encoding. Fortunately it turned out to be a great player overall and does some things nicely that my other digial rig was not as good at. Keep em' coming...
Don't forget "Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell" by The Flaming Lips. Love that one.
Rachel Z,the keyboardist with Wayne Shorter and Peter Gabriel's CD called GRACE on Chesky records.
"Mutations" and "Sea Change" are the only Beck albums encoded in HDCD. I highly recommend "Mutations". It's a fun and diverse album with excellent sound quality.

Other HDCD rock albums that I enjoy are: Tool "Lateralus" & Modest Mouse "Lonesome Crowded West"... But these albums will probably make most audiophiles cringe, so I can't recommend them for everyone.
Yes, I was tempted to purchase some of these supposed HDCDs from eBay, with the seller being from China. I decided not to bid.
As above the details are correct Steely Dan are not HDCD'S.

I may also be wrong but the HK/Jap. Coldplay (and I believe U2 also)may be elaborate pirates.Yes the HDCD light comes on with these (my mate has a Levinson and has loaned me A Rush Of Blood To The Head)but wouldn't it be possible to copy the HDCD signature on the disc without the actual recording process?
I've seen Floyd discs advertised as such also and those are pirates/fakes.
I have all the remastered Steely Dan CDs, they are not HDCD. Check out www.HDCD.com for a complete list.
Steely Dan on HDCD - I don't think so......
I checked to be sure, 'cause if they were I'd go get 'em this afternoon - couldn't find any. DVD-A and dts yes, but not HDCD.
I agree with Chris Isaak suggestion. Baja Sessions is awesome. Also try the soundtrack to Angels or mark Knopfler's soundtrack to CAL if you can find it.

-Dean
I'm not sure how many Chris Isaak CD's are HDCD but "Baja Sessions" sure is and the sound quality is excellent! If anyone knows of any other of his works in HDCD I'd appreciate your post.

Steve H
Brian Setzer's - "Vavoom" is another unmarked HDCD. A very cool New Grass / Blue Grass CD is Leftover Salmon -"The Nashville Sessions", not sure if it is marked or not. Del McCoury - "It's Just the Night", "Del and the Boys" - these are some of the best HDCDs I have heard. Steve Earle - "Transindental Blues", "The Mountain", "Jerusalem".
Hey, thanks for all the great suggestions. I went to a Barnes and Noble with the list to try to find some the suggested CDs. Sure enough, just as a number of you kind folks said, some of these CDs have no HDCD markings on the case or the CD, but they light up the HDCD indicator on my player. I guess that shows how strong the HDCD marketing effort must have been. "Hey, we've got a great product, see if you can tell which one is ours" :)

Anyway, I'm working my way through the ones I could find and so far two favorites are Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark and Dave Bruebeck's Timout. It seemed like almost all the Joni Mitchell CDs were available in HDCD - very cool if you are big JM fan with a HDCD player. And the third track on the Dave Bruebeck CD might have the best drum, cymbal, horn, and bass sounds I've heard on a hifi system in a long time. The snap and authority on the drums is pretty much world-class; not to mention the whole CD is pretty much classic music. (And if you happen to use headphones try those too - the music floats in the air.)

Thanks again to everyone for all the suggestions - please keep adding if you have any more.
I got Coldplay's Parachutes and also A Rush of Blood to the Head from Japan or Hong Kong, can't remember which, on ebay. I compared Parachutes with non HDCD US version and gave the US version to my sister.
The Doors huh? Will look into that.
The Doors back catalogue.
Van Halen remasters.
Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield
The Teardrop Explodes first two albums.
Great thread!
I bought Joni Mitchell, Blue with HDCD to compare to the original cd and the LP. Well my LP is too worn out to be fair but the HDCD beat the original cd without a doubt. This on I believe I could do in a blind test.
Some others in clude:
A Nod to Bob, a tribute album on Red House Records. Check their web site for this excellent and somewhat different tribute album. It's different because there are no big name stars just wonderful renditions of some great music.
Laura Love, You Ain't Got no Easter Clothes. This is a woman with a tale to tell.
A while back I also bought Manassas in HDCD so I could compare it to a pristine LP. Thanks for the reminder. I'll try it tonight.
Don't have HDCD on my Accuphase DP-75V, but redbook playback of Natalie Merchant's OPHELIA is pretty amazing. This is an HDCD disc.
Any of the HDCDs on David Grisman's Acoustic Disc label. I'd particularly recommend 'The Pizza Tapes'. It puts Grisman, Jerry Garcia, and Tony Rice IN your living room.
"Time Out" by Dave Brubreck, it is not marked on the outside jacket. Eric Clapton - "Reptile".
Can't tell you about jazz, since I don't listen to it, but for rock the standouts in my mind are:

Stephen Stills: "Manassas"
Buffalo Springfield: "Again"
Grateful Dead remasters
Cars: Candy-O
Roxy Music remasters
Neil Young: latter-day albums

My mind is mush this morning--the coffee machine is broken--so I'm afraid that's all I can come up with right now. Perhaps fellow 'Goners can help me out.