Name 3 songs where audio quality and song quality completely align


Lately I’ve found myself alternating between music I love (but sounds mediocre) and music I don’t know well or only like (but sounds incredible).

Occasionally, I stumble across a track where the song could both serve as a great show off piece for my gear and I love the music.

If you can, name up to 3 songs where the audio and song quality take you over the moon with pleasure.

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Pink Floyd - The Wall particularly the latest remaster on vinyl

Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams

Rush - Permanent Waves

Honorable Mention:

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball

Here ya go.

Bebop (Victor Feldman vibes, Scott LaFaro bass, Stan Levy drums 1958)

I Thought About You (Wesla Whitfield vocal)

La Vallee des Cloches (composed AND performed by Maurice Ravel 1922)

This last recording is special because it was originally recorded by Maurice Ravel on a Duo Art recording piano, which gets every nuance of the artist. Many of the great performers and composers of the day recorded on that system. What you are hearing is a Duo Art player piano recorded with modern equipment. You’re quite literally listening to one of the Great Composers performing his own music, in a fully modern playback system.

Visit Dal Segno Recordings to check out these amazing recordings from a half century before modern Hi-Fi.

And as an added extra bonus, take a listen to Donny's Harley.  Crank this one up a bit.

Lonely Boy from Andrew Gold really makes me and my rig smile.

Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty

Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs

 

 

 

 

@12many @mitch2 

 

Fink has a lot of really good stuff, especially a few of his acoustic session albums "Resurgam Acoustic Session" and "Bloom Innocent - Acoustic."

 

Trouble's What You're In is one of my original reference tracks when first getting into 2 channel.

Almost any release on the ECM jazz/new music, label.

From their earliest in the early 70’s, up through their current releases.

Even with their studio recordings, there is a very real sense of real musicians, all playing at the same time, in the same acoustic space.

Also, they used very high quality vinyl on their original releases, so they were dead quiet. I’ve also noticed with used copies I have bought recently, a very high percentage of them seem to be in very good condition.

On their CD releases, they never fell into any bad digital habits, like: excessive compression, noise gating, etc. Their CD’s are consistently very good.

And musically, extremely good. Creative without being on the extreme avant-garde side. They always seem to find lesser known musicians, with world class chops.

A very easy label to buy blind.

And let me add, they hardly ever sound like they are trying to be a 'jazz nostalgia' label. They always seem to artists with a fresh take on jazz. 

+ 1 on "Live in New York - Summer in the City" by Joe Jackson (seek out the hybrid SACD version). Lot's of great "cover songs" on it. Speaking of which:

Edie Brickell - Walk On the Wild Side

Indigo Girls - Down By the River

Rickie Lee Jones - Showbiz Kids

 

Joe Jackson - Live in New York - Summer in the City

Medeley and other songs. This is for real. Live and dynamic.

Richard & Linda Thompson: "Shoot Out The Lights", but the whole album of the same title is fantastic.

Daivid Lindley: "Mercury Blues", but the whole El Rayo-X album is fantastic.

Gordon Lightfoot: "Me And Bobby McGee".

The Beach Boys: "Don’t Worry Baby". Get it on the Analogue Productions reissue of the Surfer Girl album.

T Bone Burnett: "Driving Wheel". When looking for the Truth Decay LP, make sure you get one that says "Distributed by Chrysalis Records" under the Takoma Records logo on the bottom of the back cover. The later pressing---which reads "Distributed by Allegiance Records"---was mastered by an engineer who cut off the song after the band comes to a "false" ending! On the Chrysalis pressing, after the false ending the band comes back in and plays out as the song fades to silence.

 

Coltrane: Ballads

Columbia Hot 5s and 7s.

Getz/Gilberto

Freddie Hubbard: Blue Spirits

So many, I could fill pages...

I like the earlier recommendation of songs from the ELP album, Trilogy.

I also like the David Sylvian recommendations.

Here's a few off the top of my head, that I listened to recently:

Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior / Great dynamics and clarity. Lenny White's drums sound killer on this.

Oregon - Out of the Woods / Anything on the album. Sounds like real musicians, playing in a real acoustic space. Beautiful chamber-jazz. 'Waterwheel' is a standout.

Andy Milne and Dapp Theory - Trickle Down / Rhythmically complex jazz, but still kind of funky. The percussion is very accurate and detailed. Milne is one of the best current jazz pianists.

 

Hubert Sumlin - Sometimes I'm Right

Dominique Fils-Aime - Birds

Lady Blackbird - It'll Never Happen Again

@ratboysr   

@mitch2 

I am glad you liked that song.  Check out Warm Shadow by Fink as well if you have time -  the vocals are closer to the middle.  I like songs that don't have to rush into the vocals.    Good stuff.  If you ever find anything similar, please let me know.  Thanks.     

Jump Into the Fire - Harry Nilsson

Papa Was a Rolling Stone (long version) - The Temptations

Blue Jean Blues - ZZ Top

@audioman58 

Define audio quality, sound quality

Audio quality -- as you define it.

Sound quality -- as you define it.

The lack of a universal definition for these things has not kept dozens of people from weighing in, so the lesson here may ultimately be about definition, itself. (Paging Wittgenstein...)

The Eagles - Hotel California

Eva Cassidy - Wayfaring Stranger

Alison Krauss with Union Station - Dimming of the Day

Define audio quality, sound quality

for example Pavarotti may mean great in voice  sound quality which I do 

it’s a man’s world with JamesBrown 2 Goats in their respective categories.

Elvis Presley American Trilogy 

I Robot Alan Parsons which BTW mixed many Beatles Records which were Excellent !!

Early Stones.  Because they recorded on Decca in the golden period.

Plus most later Stones is crap.

But OP appears to posit the original recordings.  If you listen to LPs you have to look at MFSL (and some other reissues, very carefully chosen) for greatly improved SQ in many cases.  I would cite for instance Beatles for Sale and Revolver as astonishing, and the original EMIs were good.  Listen to I'm a Loser - Lennon is right there in front of you, his grainy voice perfectly reproduced.

"Playing With My Emotions" by Tedeschi Trucks hasn’t been mentioned and it’s pretty exceptional

...sometimes....the best mix is the ones that fall into your lap....

....have you?  

Iko Iko is fun....hang 'round there...;)

3 personal faves, which is how i interpret the question:

Beck - End of the day

Lucinda Williams - Something about what happens when we talk (2017)

Ween - You were the fool

 

Would love if Audiogon or someone else would put together a Qobuz or Spotify playlist of all the songs listed in this thread! 

Joni Mitchell, Night Ride Home

Weather Report, Birdland

Rhythmstick, Caribe (actually anything off this album)

Bonus track:

Ry Cooder, The Very Thing That Makes You Rich

Joan Baez - Suzanne - from album Ring Them Bells

Steve Earl - Me and the Eagle

Dire Straits - Six Blade Knife

Floyd “the wall”

Tull “thick as a brick”

Bowie “china girl”

now great songs recorded very bad

All Eagles

Led Zeppelin

Joe Bonamassa

 

One you might not expect.

Madonna - I'm breathless.

I ignored the album for years. Thought it was the soundtrack for the movie Dick Tracy.  Only, I think, one song from the movie.

Did some reading and found she was simply inspired by music from the 30's.

Two things...

Remarkably high quality recording. 

Madonna can sing! Who knew?

This album actually will make you grin from time to time.  Listen to the song "Hanky Panky" - it is Madonna at her best. Delightfully tawdry! It is easy to forget the fact that Madonna has a true sense of humor. It is all over this album.

Rarely do I say listen to the whole album. This one is a true exception. Start to finish it is a riot and a sonic delight. Btw.... This album ends with the most unexpected song- Vouge.  We ALL know that one. Funny after all these years I never thought about where that song came from. It was just ... there... and from that point forward, never went away.

I was surprised (sort of) that when I was looking up info on this album, quite a few people agree with me in regards to the high quality of the recording .

Anyway, I have enjoyed the crap out of this album! 

@ronboco The Bonfire and River Plate live versions of Shoot to Thrill sound just as good or maybe better than the studio version to me, somehow. I pretty much always prefer studio albums, but not with AC/DC.

Celeste has been mentioned. Her song "Hear My Voice (live From Abbey Road" needs a strong recommendation. A future standard. Also on a very nice youtube video.

 

@chocaholic 

Thanks. Not sure if it was bad eyes or fat fingers, but I’m listening now.😃

@curiousjim The album is called Blue Sun. The first track, Barcelona, is great too. Note, it’s Mark Isham. 

@chocaholic 

I could not find the Mark Islam tune.  What album is it on?

Listening to Kevin Mahogany now. Nice!

Dear God, Please Help Me (Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormenters)

Answer Me, My Love (Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now 2000)

Trailways Bus (Paul Simon - Songs from the Capeman)

 

I take this CD to shows...Exibitors go Nuts when they hear it....If you’re a Pink Floyd fan , You’ve NEVER heard "Wish you were here" like this....This makes SACD sound like an 8 track......Redbook CD .Album: SEGURIDAD SOCIAL........group: Furia Latina ...Song # 11.....If you are an audiophile....you must have this.

It's hard to keep it at 3 but here are a few that haven't been mentioned:

Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit (self titled live album) - Yield Not To Temptation

Lionel Hampton (For The Love of Music album) - Gossamer Wings (with Chaka Kahn)

Simply Red (Picture Book album) - Sad Old Red

Gravity - Alison Krauss & Union Station

Kind of Blue (entire album) - Miles Davis

Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

Some of my favorites. I can go on but as requested only three.  

1. Katja Werka, Music is the Only Language (I Know), Contact Myself 2.0, Stockfish Records. Virtuoso guitar work, phenomenal voice, excellent composition, and Stockfish recording engineering leaves nothing to want. 
2.  Neil Young, Helpless, Live at Massy Hall 1971, Reprise.  Intimate performance and interaction with audience and well engineered.  Listen to the hall acoustics, the body of the guitar vs the strings, and little gems like his breath before the vocal starts and the hall door slam mid piece on his most famous composition performed here with great emotion.  
3.  Magnificat, Jentekor and TrondheimSolistene, 2L Recordings  Exceptional choral, organ, and orchestra recording of an excellent work and articulate performance with 2Ls engineering. Listen for the acoustics of the cathedral.  


 

 

 

when i change any thing in my system i normally play a few songs to see how things have changed

 

Yello  Live in Berlin  song called "Magma"

 

if you watch the you tube video of this live performance you can see the left & right presentation of the horns  in your system you should be able to hear this in your soundstage you should be able to hear and visualize  the players in the left and right  on the stage, also the power in the drum beat at the end of the song should sound weightly  but not boomy.

2nd  song i use even though i dont care for Madonna is  her song Vogue, when played there should be a wide soundstage outside the outer edges of your left and right speakers  the finger clapping should be outside the left speaker and the drum beat should present itself on the outside of the right speaker  with her vocals directly centered.

 

3rd song  "Hey Now" from London Grammer, just for the overall presence of her voice, should be room filling without any harness

 

4th song Yello "vanishing of Peter Strong  great song to play loud   center presentation of voice should be erie sounding

 

 

 

Little Wing by Sting. The drum skins are pulled so tight they make an incredible popping sound on my Maggies.

Rhythm of the Rain by Dan Fogelberg. Sounds like you could hear a pin drop in the studio.

How Deep is Your Love by the Bee Gees. Their voices come so far forward into the room when they all sing this in harmony:

'Cause we're living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

King Crimson Live in Chicago: Lizard Suite; The Construkction of Light; Pictures of a City.

that's three, (of a perfect pair) from one live album. The musicianship is out of this world and the recording is tight.

Would love to throw in some Zappa, Watermelon in Easter Hay is fantastic off Joe's Garage.

Also some of the newer Rush recordings off Counterparts like "Leave that thing Alone" - super test for your equipment.

Madman across the water- Bruce Hornsby 

Private investigations - Dire Straits

Shoot to thrill - AC/DC 

Car Wash ii - Rose Royce 

 

 

“Liberty” - Anette Askvik

“Antiphone Blues” - Arne Domneros/Gustav Sjokvist

”We Never Win” - Nathaniel Rateliff

“When You’re Here - Nathaniel Rateliff

“S.O.B” - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

And these 3 by Natalie Merchant:

“The Peppery Man”

“The Janitor’s Boy”

“The Blind Men and the Elephant”
 

Carley Simon, “You’re So Vain” there should me no mistake who she’s singing with

James Taylor, Dad Loves His Work, “Her Town Too” it’s all about JD Souther

Al Dimeola, Kiss My Axe, “Southbound Traveler” Bass so low it’s scary.

This is a great list. Lady Blackbird is a recent discovery, and wow is she well recorded and musical.

I've found a number of great things on this list: 

 

Friday Night in San Francisco. First added because auf SOUND, but became a favorite. Ditto Steely Dan (did NOT know before standing in a vintage audio store and marvelled/wondered how well these old crappy speakers sounded). 

No trying trying the trifecta of sound, music and SACD.

@mrmb "It is as impossible to pick just 3-tracks, as it is meaningless to try. "

I’m not asking you to rank them. Just to name 3.

Others have not found it impossible. They have not found it meaningless. 

If I asked you to name three fruits, I bet you could do it.

It’s really that easy.

Perhaps have a drink first so you can relax into it. ;-)

Bruce Cockburn - Kit Carson from Nothing But A Burning Light

Norah Jones - I’ve Go To See You Again from Come Fly Away

Emmylou & Linda - For A Dancer from Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions

+1 on L & M - Pathway To Glory from Full Sail !

Freedy Johnston - Evi’s Tears

Dire Straits - Planet Of New Orleans

Ryan Adams - La Cienega Smiles