THE most sonically dissappointing (lp) you own of great music?

The Who - pick any album. They basically all suck, although my reissue Quadrophenia LP is better sounding than most. Cheers,
Spencer   

I feel your pain. I have a UK "Quadrophenia" (Track) that sounds very good.

I sold my Classic "Who's Next" years ago, mainly because of the noisy pressing.

I have a UK  (Track) pressing of "Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy" that sounds good on a (couple of tacks). Some are processed for stereo?

Given the 45 + years between, I stand firm on my initial post!

The Who BBC recordings CD is some nicely recorded live rock music recorded in an "intimate" setting featuring The Who in their prime.  Any Who fan needs this one.

Who's Next on Back to Black is not bad and of all the versions I have on vinyl, including a UK Track, this is the one that sounds accurate and has a full bass.

I agree with mapman! I recently picked one up at a yard sale, I was blown away with the quality. Inside the booklet revealed the secret, apparently King Biscuit recorded several live events using state of the art mobile studio gear, all I know is the quality jives with the explanation. I will be looking for more King Biscuit recordings! 

That's GREAT!

Although this kind of goes against the original post?

Cheers!

Todd Rundgren's "Nearly Human".  A unique album combining songs that are about as good as popular music gets with SQ that's  about as bad as modern recording gets.

Most studio albums by R.E.M.

Has to be Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run.  The all-time worst recording of otherwise great music, probably due to being overdubbed countless times.  I have tried probably 20 different versions of this record and apparently it is trying to put lipstick on a pig.

Hi Spencer, I haven't found a great copy of Who's Next(the MCA double LP  reissue with the live at the Vic is good except for surface noise), but most from the Decca, Track, and MCA periods sound good to great: Sell Out, Tommy, Leeds, By Numbers, Who Are You(particularly the half-speed master version). Nothing amiss with a US Track Quadrophenia either.    

Okay, any Red Hot Chili Peppers album sonically sucks because the mastering with those god awful limiters squash all dynamic life out of otherwise good music. How’s that?  And there are countless examples of death by the loudness wars.  Destroy those digital limiting amps!!!  Now!

Here's the Dynamic Range Database website link. It's surprising just how extensive the whole effort to overly compress music has been.

http://dr.loudness-war.info

The first couple of Jackson Browne LPs.

Madonna Bed Time Stories. Very very messy bass there. Extremely collectible vinyl tho.
"The Smiths" joins for poor mastering.

I'll tell you what category of LP's are dynamically compressed.  Half-speed masters.  What a total rip-off they are.  When I was young and dumb (I am now old and dumb) I collected these things basically without listening to them, and when my rig improved, I learned just how bad they are.  Except for a few A&M half-speeds, I sold almost all of mine and bought the originals of the titles I wanted.  I also bought a lot of great new hardware with the proceeds.

Brian Ellis Group- Escondido Sessions. Suffers from home brew DIY production but damn! 

Agree with op on War on Drugs

i have yet to pick up an original but I do have an A&M half speed, "audiophile" series of Jobim's Wave that I may have listed as a letdown, it wasn't exactly cheap either, but that wouldn't be totally fair till I hear the original. 

I have 2
1) don Henley I can't stand still. Record was too bright no bottom end whatsoever.
2) mgmt oracular spectacular seems as sthlugh the music was compressed not good!

Adele - 19. Amazing songs and a great voice. "Mastering" could've been more accurately described as practicing. 

Toscanini conducting Beethoven's 9th Symphony in a live recording from the 1950's. Great performance, dreadful sound quality.

remix 180g of "In thru the outdoor" is pretty rough just bought it 

Adele-25. Horrible compression. Sonds like mp3.

Yes' "Tales From Topographic Oceans"

Ditto on Yes "Tales"!  What great music, what terrible remastering.  Most of the old Yes (prior) to the nineties is really poor now.  The original record albums were fantastic.

Steely Dan Katy Lied.  Have a mid-80s reissue, a mid-90s CD and the MFSL.  They are all awful.  Flat, lifeless and totally disappointing.

Crosby and Nash - "One Stoney Evening".  My pressing is horrible, played once, never again.

Ditto Bruce's Born To Run. I went all out on that one & bought the half speed master. I could tell it was bad even on the Scott table I was using at the time. It doesn't sound like the original master was any better. What a shame. Within the last 10 years I've tried a couple of Flaming Lip albums which were also very disappointing. Another shame. 

Drive-By-Truckers "English Oceans"
The Shins "Live @ Third Man Records"

boxer12, I have a second pressing of "The Soft Bulletin" that still sounds good.

effischer, I agree with you on the MFSL "Katy Lied".

Beachwood Sparks "Desert Skies"
Cat Power "Sun"

uh, Bob, your best album, Modern Times, is way over compressed.  It sounds like a radio.  Hel-loooo!

funny...

JJ Cale "5".

Procol Harum  "Grand Hotel", (Sweet Thunder/p)

"Tales of Topographic Oceans" Warner Bros. 2013 remaster ? To me it sounds so lame that it must be digitally redone. The AcousTech "Fragile" is surprisingly good, it must be an analog remaster ? Of course, the original albums are the best. Jon Anderson & Co. achieved harmony & perfection in "Tales", 1973, it´s also the finest concept double album epic in Prog´s History. The highest achievement musically, featuring a classic stunning Roger Dean fold out cover. The original album is perfect in everything.

Mystery solved. Abysmal dynamic range for 2013 remaster, both Disc 1 and Disc 2. It doesn't get much worse than 07 07 08, all solidly in the red. 

Yes Tales From Topographic Oceans (2013 High Vibration SACD layer) (Disc 1) i 2013
07 06 08 lossless Unknown
Yes Tales From Topographic Oceans (2013 High Vibration SACD layer) (Disc 2) i 2013
07 07 08 lossless Unknown

Cheers

adding a CD:
  Agustin Barrios ‎– The Complete Guitar Recordings (1913-42)  3xCD box

These are remaster series from 78rpm records placed onto CD. The job was done sufficient enough to appreciate the great work of talented composer and maestro, but there are certainly limitation on clarity of these vintage recordings. All these distortions, imperfections, noise after all decay against an incredible spiritual performance of all pieces played.

McLaughlin/de Lucia/di Meola - Passion Grace&Fire. Digital recording and mastering from early 80s. It is listenable but still terrible. Original Japanese LP is best by far. If you can find pro - even better.

CSNY Deja Vu. I have the Classic Records 45 RPM which I paid ALL the money for- and it absolutely sucks. 

"Passion, Grace & Fire" was so dry and lame (no fire) back in the day that I sold it right away (in 1984) and never looked back.
"Friday Night in San Francisco" live is truly fire, sounds quite incredible even on a cheap German reissue. I wonder how ´s the Japanese original, Inna ?

harold-not-the-barrel324 posts08-22-2016 2:59pm"Passion, Grace & Fire" was so dry and lame (no fire) back in the day that I sold it right away (in 1984) and never looked back.

Yea sell that bad sounding crap and never buy again.
I should probably sell my 3xCD copy I’ve mentioned of Augustin Barrios, but for some reason I don’t...

I of course disagree about Passion Grace &Fire if you are talking about music. Sound is bad, very digital.
Friday Night sounds excellent on original Japanese pressing, I never compared it to anything else. I always go after original Japanese wherever possible. Not necessarily best in everything in all cases but so far I have never had a bad copy. And Japanese vinyl from 70s and 80s that I have is so quiet and looks as if it had been made recently.

VDGG album Live: totally awful both as CD and LP, such a shame! Bootled CDs of PF concerts sound better!

My UK pressing of Joe Cocker "Mad Dogs & Englishmen"

graham parker's stick to me is abysmally recorded, tho full of great tunes; likewise much of the smiths. marshall crenshaw's field day and iggy's raw power also come to mind

I run from almost any remaster unless I hear from a member otherwise .I have a thread here about there dismall performance. If i want a digital sounding lp i will buy a cd. Not to mention the compression and pumped up low end.reminds me of the loudness button on my ole pioneer lol

Hilarious, I saw the title of this posting and immediately thought of my 5 copies of Who's Next, wtf?  :))) 

David + David "Boomtown" too bright, digital,... uninvolving.

Loudness in my first yamaha amp was waste of space, but my friend lent me his LOUDNESS LP from a Japanese band, THAT was really horrible we both laughed out loud. Good ol ´days :)

Not LPs, but the two Ned's Atomic Dustbin CD's I own - "God Fodder" and "Are You Normal" are both fun early '90's alternative rock. I enjoy them both playing on my car system or earbuds, but they are horrible when played on my big rig. Flat, compressed, makes my head hurt..........