An album that I always take when I'm auditioning equipment is "Another Lifetime" by Simon Phillips. It's well written, well played, very well recorded and it's my favorite kind of music.
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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I agree with the early Pink Floyd comments in all regards. Maybe not the audience here...but I just bought Nevermind on Vinyl new pressing. It's front to back stellar SQ and songwriting. And finally, going Bowie. The level of detail he put into his art I chlenge you to name a poorly produced / mixed album. Blackstar is an under the radar statement piece. Put that on a high end system with lights off and a candle.
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Fun one, but streaming DSD should be a criteria for those who, well are truly dialed in 1..Paul McCartney III Imagined find my way with Beck. Midbass reference track. Dunno 2. ? Possibly Beth Orton Weather Alve track Lonely, or actually all tracks. 3. Not DSD but IMO best live recording or studio for that matter, Bob Weir Wolf bros Colorado live track West LA Fadeaway, but again you would Peace love and HiFi. Gotta think Bobby has spent stupid resources to get these legacy state of the art recordings...There will be many more. And those will be DSD! Thought about getting a turntable then I said not today. Enjoy! | ||
In no particular order and something for everyone: Van Morrison - "Into the Mystic" from "Moondance" on Direct Disk Labs Muddy Waters - "Long Distance" from "Folk Singer" on MFSL UltraDisc Dire Straights - "It Never Rains" from "Love Over Gold" on Warner Bros or MFSL Atlanta Symphony & Chorus, Robert Shaw, cond. - "O Fortuna" from "Carmina Burana" on Telarc LP or SACD Lyle Lovett - "Here I Am" from "Lyle Lovett & His Large Band" on MCA Lettuce - "The Lobbyist" from "Crush" on Lettuce Records
Cheers!
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Great responses! Played some music yesterday for friends visiting from UK and Finland. Played mixture of pop and other genres. Amazing how varied the quality can be. Amazed at how bad ABBA sounded, even in a recent re-release. We wondered if some music just wasn't well-recorded, initially or whether they just don't bother to release better sounding mixes (market too small for that trouble and expense)? | ||
May I suggest three - albums, not tunes. 1. Frank Sinatra & Jobim - Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim 2. Ralph McTell - Streets. The brilliant British singer-songwriter and first rate acoustic guitar player in a collection of his best tunes, all with great arrangements and high-end worthy sound. You’ll want to hear more of him after you listen to this album. 3. Al Stewart - Year of the Cat. Again, an ear-pleasing combination of great pop tunes, dynamic arrangements, and brilliant engineering. Check out my Pure silver interconnects at silversolids.com. | ||
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Stop purchasing audiophile rated music and buy what you like. You're saying that you can't do that? Sheesh!
Ah, but that's the great Catch 22 of audio! The more money you pour into this hobby the more better you expect your music to sound. Unfortunately most recordings do not scale up accordingly. So you pour even more money in as you swap and upgrade. Eventually you may succumb to the gravitation towards to audiophile recordings. The kind that we see everywhere from dealers demo material, to the musical fare at most shows, to online reviews and reviewers reference recordings in magazines. With average or poor recordings sonic differences tend to scale down disappointingly. As you suggest, we should disembark from our neverending search for sonic perfection but as the song said, "We are all just prisoners here Of our own device" "We are programmed to receive You can check out any time you like But you can never leave" | ||
One track comes immediately to mind: Steve Cardenas/ / Ben Allison / Ted Nash’s "Healing Power" from the recording of the same name. The music is poignant, performance inspired, and Ben Allison’s mix techniques put you in the room with them. There’s one section where guitar / bass duet is joined by saxophone; the sax is so immediate, so real, that I jump every time even though I know it’s coming. (BTW, it’s on Bandcamp) Had to think a little about the other two: | ||
Thanks all for the great lists to check out! I'll share: ---Lyle Lovett: If I Had a Boat ---Radiohead: Subterranean Homesick Alien ---Kraftwerk: Tour de France I agree most Pink Floyd is well recorded but unfortunately not (IMHO) their best work, Animals. I still haven't popped in the recent remix -still in package... | ||
@mrmb Well, I don't have 18 TB of music but 28,500 LPs and 11,000 CDs. I could not pick just 3. However, for non-vocal/instrumental works, I have titles which I keep in my main listening room for musical and sonic blockbuster enjoyment. I'll through out 3 choral vocals anyway from the same CD, the Alamo
Tennessee Babe (Oh Lisa) The Green Leaves Of Summer
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The Bros. Landreth, How Deep Is Your Love, from the Paul Yee-mixed album Undercover Bros. One of my favorite tracks and a great demo and test track. Available on Tidal - the one with the blue cover. Amber Rubarth, Losing My Religion, from the album Scribbled Folk Symphonies. Available on Tidal. A great rendition and wonderful sonics - huge open space, accompanying instruments very 3D. The definition increases and the space becomes clearer and more open with every system improvement. Dave's True Story, Like a Rock, from the album Dave's True Story [Version 2002] available on Tidal. Great song and performance, with incredible open and 3D sound stage; all sounds seem very real (how about those fingersnaps!).
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Too many to rank, but it’s fun to search for hidden gems amongst other’s choices. Here’s a few "perfect" songs with great audio... Too Much Rope - Roger Waters Your Own Sweet Way - Notting Hillbillies Brother Where You Bound - Supertramp Dark Eyed Cajun Woman - Doobie Brothers It’ll Shine When It Shines -Ozark Mountain Daredevils Madman Across The Water -Elton John (why does Yellow Brick sound so terrible compared to this? Mystery.)
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Level 42 Physical Presence is one of the best live performances and recordings. This live performance by Level 42 was recorded just prior to the band becoming a huge commercial success. Level 42 was originally a jazz funk band with extremely talented musicians and this live performance captured the band at their prime. | ||
I have some other choices of more very high quality sound and music. I recommend Steve Miller Band (Born to be Blue) Jazz classics here. Listen to Filthy Mc Nasty! Next I recommend for Percussion etc the First self titled Album by Hiroshima! 3rd track . And my last one is Clair Marlo, Album titled Let it Go! Track 2 or 3 can't remember! This is a Sheffield Direct to Disc! Whole Album is Great! Enjoy | ||
All on Vinyl; Humble Daisy - XTC from Nonsuch entire album John Abercrombie - Timeless, entire album David Grisman - Quintet '80, entire album Talk Talk, The Colour Of Spring Here Today, ST - Grisman, Gill, Petersen, Gordy, Jr., Buchanan Twilight Zone The Movie - OST Vertigo - 2019 vinyl pressing of the soundtrack B.Herrmann Bill Frisell - Guitar In The Space Age! Sonny Rollins - Way Out West Art Pepper - Meets The Rhythm Section Kraftwerk - Computer World
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Hey @hilde45 Rather surprised that you don't think that SD albums don't have top shelve recording, mixing and mastering. They certainly don't sound forward or harsh on my system, rather pin-point accurate. I say this partially due to the fact that I've been to Masterdisk and sat in the mastering chair and listened to Two Against Nature in several forms. My home system (in my opinion) sounds better than the mastering system. Which could very easily mean "less accurate". Mastering systems are for mastering. Regards, barts | ||
Obviously based on my avatar most anything Pink Floyd, but to play the game as described: Ultraviolet - Freya Ridings - Freya Ridings Carpet Crawlers (1999 version) - Genesis - Turn It On Again: The Hits Arlington - The Wailin' Jennys - 40 Days BTW, first post, so I thought I would pick something fun. | ||
Well to show off the system and love the music... Pretty much anything Dire Straits. In order top 3: You and you're friend, Brothers in Arms, Romeo and Juliet Pink Floyd again pretty much anything... In order top 3 Hey You, Comfortably numb, Brain Damage Voice: Frank Sinatra, Bewitched, Carpenters, I need to be in love (You will love how your system handles this) Blues: Big Mama Thorton, Ball and Chain, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the sky is crying.
OK that is enough...LOL | ||
It’s an interesting question, since prior to 20 years ago, recorded music took a ton of equipment and expertise to produce a sound. Some focused on that sound, often it was to be as expedient and profitable as possible. Nowadays with digital techniques, I’d say things sound like the musicians and producers want it to sound. Still, many recordings don’t fit everyone’s taste, but here’s 3
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