I just finished listening to some records. No surprises, just some usuals. But, I was thinking the whole time about how well some of these records were engineered and recorded. I thought I would write about them and ask for your favorites.
I finished with Thomas Dolby -- Aliens Ate My Buick. It is so well recorded! I am drawn in and must listen to the whole album. I lose myself in this one! Rickie Lee Jones -- Pop Pop. Spin her version of "Up From the Skies" and you will know what I am talking about. Pure recorded bliss. It is magical. I had to listen to the rest of the album and was not disappointed! Dire Straits -- Love Over Gold. Title track -- unbelievable. This album is so well recorded; no wonder I have known more than a few audiophiles who have recommended it. I listened to the whole damned wonderful album! Rickie Lee Jones -- Rickie Lee Jones. How can you miss with this one. If you need to test your set-up, go with this one. It is perfect. Oh, also, I listened to "Sunday in the Park with George" tonight. It is so well recorded with depth and width. I also enjoy the music. I also spun Dire Straits -- Communique. It is not as well recorded as Love Over Gold, but that is only by a "smidgen." It is truly a gem. I love the music, and it is very well recorded.
These are my picks for tonight. More to come, of course. I am wondering what are your favorites and why? This could be a nice exchange of information on well engineered and recorded records for all of us. And, we could all discover albums and their characteristics through each other's information.
Thanks All!!! Old thread, but new entry. I agree with Heart -- Dreamboat Annie.
It is one of my 10 desert island albums. Dream of Blue Turtles is also
in the 10. Joe Walsh -- The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get is also
in the 10. These are for the music and the recording quality; they
stand out. XTC -- Apple Venus vol. 1 is just too expensive. I don't
trust the reissue to sound good. My reissue of Nick Drake's first
release doesn't sound nearly as good as my copy of its original release.
The reissue is on 180g vinyl...A surprise I
got was how good the engineering and sound was of an original pressing
of the B52's album Wild Planet was. Through a good system I discovered
it is really well recorded! It's a fun album, too. Happy listening!
Men at Work: Business as Usual. Nothing fancy, just $6.00 at my local record shop. After that I played James Taylor: Sweet Baby James on Warner Green label. Sounded pretty awesome too.
Soundtrack to "where the wild things are" by Karen O and the Kids. Stunning recording, and it's obvious they mastered the vinyl version with great care and precision. Also a "new" record not plagued by bad pressing problems like so many others now a days.
In particular last track on side one: Hideaway. Beautiful song, & just perfect for showing off many vinyl virtues. There's a lot air in between sounds/instruments etc. so a system with very low background noise is a must. and for this, again, I'll state thank god it's pressed so well. My new reference song when swapping/changing components etc as there's just nothing your system can hide behind.
Greatfull Dead: American Beauty, an original or first I believe. Label is darker green. Stevie Wonder:Innervisons, I gave in on this one. It's one of the newer japanese pressings they sell for $50.00. IMO, it was money well spent. Cat Stevens: Teasers & the Firecat. This one is the MFSL Anadisc. May be hard to find, but this one is special IMO. Love this thread BTW.
David Bowie - 'Man Who Sold the World'. My UK RCA copy from '73 is quite good.
Badfinger - 'Straight Up' on Apple. The U.S. pressing is fine.
Tyrannosaurus Rex - 'Unicorn'. I have a 'Replay' UK re-issue that sounds marvelous. Pre-T. Rex, the record has more of a folk/Tolkien hippie-vibe than the later glam rock.
The Who - 'Sellout'. My Japanese pressing is quiet and sounds great. 'Tommy' is also good, the German pressing being quite remarkable.
Joe Walsh - 'Barnstorm'.
Jackson Browne - 'Running on Empty'. Some great live recordings - check out the cricket on stage.
Blue Nile - 'A Walk Across the Rooftops'. Clear synth music from the Linn label.
You want velvet-smooth vocals, crystal clear? You want him in your room, singing to you? Get Marvin Gaye -- Here My Dear. You won't believe the texture in his voice on this record. It is sublime.
Marvin wrote this album about his ex-wife Anna. His profits from this record went to her as part of their divorce settlement. It is interesting to follow his emotions as they develop through the course of the album. It tells the story of their love from beginning to end.
It is so well recorded, and so beautiful. It is ironic that this album did not do well in sales and ended up in cut-out bins. A true sleeper, and a masterpiece!
Cool! Good to know. Mine are Rickie Lee Jones, self titled album. The first song I play is Easy Money, then other cuts. The next album is Paganiniana, with Ruggiero Ricci, Water Lily Acoustics label. Finally I play Pat Metheny, As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls. September Fifteenth is the first song I'll play from that album. I'll usually follow up with some cuts from Pirates by Rickie Lee Jones. I'll have to check out Abraxas on vinyl! Thanks for the recommendation! Three albums worth checking out are from Chick Corea/Return to Forever -- Return to Forever, My Spanish Heart, and Tap Step. I often play them when I make adjustments system or mods to my amp or pre-amp. They feature interesting percussion, vocals, and soundstaging. They are well recorded, and very enjoyable jazz. My first year college roommate who was a jazz and classical guitar major turned me on to Return to Forever, and My Spanish Heart. He also introduced me to Bitches Brew -- Miles Davis, and quite a bit of Coltrane. I am indebted to him greatly! (He hated Pat Metheny, by the way, I could never get him to dig it. He finally appreciated Pat after a girlfriend introduced him to it.) Cheers.
Santana-- Abraxas is my test record as well as my test CD. The vinyl is limitless; any time I make an improvement in my system, I can hear it on that LP.
... By the way ... The album by XTC is "Mummer", not "Murmur." Murmur, is an excellent album by R.E.M. with greats like Radio Free Europe, Laughing, Talk About The Passion,Sitting Still, etc.
Hmmm, Mst, I will have to re-visit my lp's of Bauhaus, and Tone on Tail! I don't think it falls under the industrial genre, but Cocteau Twins albums are pretty well recorded, too.
Great input! I think I'll find the Nora Jones lp to purchase.
I listened to XTC -- Murmur tonight. So far, the three albums I have of their's, Black Sea, Murmur, and Skylarking are excellent. Truly enjoyable with complex, interesting music, and very well recorded. I am still looking for Apple Venus Volume 1. I know they have Volume 2 on cd ... must find the record ...
Have you listened to Band on the Run (Paul McCartney and Wings) lately? Really nicely recorded! Some really interesting arrangements and instrumentation. Very enjoyable experience!
Hey Clarets2, Thank you for your input and kind comment!
Why just two nights ago I was listening to Black Sea and Skylarking... (I hadn't seen your post yet.) If I didn't already post those XTC albums to this thread, I do so now. I am now in the market for an lp of Apple Venus Volume 1. I know almost all of the songs on it. I can only imagine how great this masterpiece must sound on vinyl!
I will also check out the Elvis album! This recommendation of yours has also made me want to re-visit the albums that I do have from him. I enjoy all of Elvis Costello's music (I am still not sure about "The Juliet Letters", though). I will re-visit the albums I do have to check the recording qualities. I may post them as recommendations.
Thomas Dolby -- The Flat Earth. Listen to "I Scare Myself" -- delicious!
One thing I wanted to glean from this question posted was information on "sleeper" records. Records that are not normally thought of as high fidelity, yet turn out to be very well recorded and engineered -- records right under our noses that are actually of great quality. Also, records that are normally known for their music, but not for their sound quality, yet turn out to be sublime in that respect.
Luka Bloom- the title is "Riverside". Incredibly well-recorded singer-songwriter! And the music is really good as well as the recording quality. It's on the Reprise label.--Mrmitch
Many thanks to all who have posted their picks in this thread!!!
With some clip and paste, one can make quite the listening list, or a list of records to look out for at swaps, used record shops, ebay, yard sales, and, of course, Audiogon! I have purchased some records from Audiogon, all with great success.
The mention of Heart, Dreamboat Annie, on the Mushroom label is a great pick, by the way. I have it, love it, and listen to it regularly.
I am assuming this is primarily a list of LPs, and most popular music (a little bit of jazz and blues). This is a pretty good list of good well recorded music that is strong on both sound and music content (No "Jazz at the Pawnshop"). The following are my additions, in no particular order:
Kraftwerk: "Electric Cafe" (almost any Kraftwerk album would qualify) Pink Floyd: "The Wall" Kate & Anna McGarigle: Self Titled (GREAT album) Warren Zevon: Self Titled (GREAT album) Van Morrison: "Alstral Weeks" (recent audiophile reissue) Bright Eyes: "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" Zappa: "Apostrophe" Grateful Dead: "American Beauty" (Rhino reissue) Ricki Lee Jones: "Girl at Her Volcano" Doors (limited edition box set, particularly "Strange Days" and "The Doors") Michael Hurley: "Have Moicy!" (incredible, off-beat folk/blue grass) David Peabody: "Americana" Claudia Gomez: "Salamandra"
Ella Fitzgerald/Marty Paich Ochestra: "Whisper Not" Ella Fitzgerald: "Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie" Armstrong/Ellington: "The Complete Louis Armstrong and Ellington Sessions" Bill Berry All Stars: "For Duke" Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard: "Alternate Blues" The Great Jazz Trio: "Direct from LA" Yamamoto Trio: "Midnight Sugar" Lester Bowie: "The Great Pretender"
Some recent releases (well, most are recent), all with excellent music and sound:
White Stripes - Icky Thump Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz Radiohead - In Rainbows (Discbox version, haven't heard the regular one) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Pavement - Brighten the Corners (original version - haven't heard the reissue) The Lemonheads (s/t) Architecture in Helsinki - Places The Breeders - Title TK Frank Black & the Catholics - Show Me Your Tears Belle & Sebastien - If You're Feeling Sinister Blonde Redhead - 23 Beirut - The Flying Club Cup 50' Wave - Power & Light Pixies - Doolittle (MoFi version)
These two Heart albums have to be some of the best mid-70's records made- both for the music and quality of recording. I remember Stereo stores back then liked to use those albums to demo equipment.
Heart:Dreamboat Annie on the Mushroom label. Find a clean copy with Kendun in the deadwax. Whether you're a Heart fan or not, you likely will play this all the way through. Little Queen on the Portait label rivals this but may not quite be there.
I recently picked up a mint "regular pressing" Sting: Dream of the Blue Turtles and after owning the CD for 20+ yrs, I was completely blown away. The 30th Anniversary of U2's "Joshua Tree" on 2-180g LP's. WOW!! Led Zep "Mothership" VERY GOOD!!
A few not mentioned, and if you are tired of the same old same old:
Black Sabbath: Paranoid (I recommend the white label German or British Vertigo label). This LP will bring most stereos to their respective knees. You have to have wide bandwidth, wide dynamic range and impervious/impeccable tracking to play this one right- its a superb recording.
Steve Tibbetts: Safe Journey (ECM import) Safe Journey is Steve's most accessible work. The recording is demonstration quality- I always have this one with me at shows, and people **always** ask what it is. This is how I met albertporter BTW... Steve has a lot of albums- Big Map Idea is another excellent choice.
King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon -immaculate recording, if you can find the Pink Island pressing, that's where you really hear it happen. The original Atlantic is quite good though. Also check out Islands- make sure you get the version with the white cover if you get the American pressing (side 1 with 'A Sailor's Tale' is quite a treat- lots of natural, jazzy sounds).
Emerson Lake and Palmer- S/T -the Pink Island press is amazing sound. The Cotillon press is a distant 2nd.
The Wand of Youth, EMI ASD 2356 A demonstration of depth.
The best sounding Pink Floyd ever is actually a bootleg, issued under the name The Pink Screaming Abdabs (an alternate name PF used in the old days), 'The BBC Sessions', recorded before a Decca stereo tree with no overdubs or extra anything. Amazing.
Vangelis: 1492 Soundtrack (LP-rare!). Side 2 contains his best work ever.
Mike Oldfield: Songs of Distant Earth (LP-rare-1994) By far Mike Oldfield's best work.
I haven't listened to Solitude Standing in years! Great mention!!!
Avalon is fantastic; have you heard Siren lately? I think Avalon is better recorded, but I also love every track on Siren. And, the recording seems acceptable.
I listened to Hotel California and Fleetwood Mac's first album tonight. While I love Hotel California, Fleetwood Mac's debut kicked HC's butt in recording quality.
Great picks, all! Thanks!!! This thread is turning out nicely into what I wanted -- an on-line place where we can comment and compare notes on albums we think worthy of mention. It is easy to recommend audiophile albums; you can count on them being very well recorded, but the music is not always so great. I wanted to share my experiences of what I think are well recorded non-audiophile albums, especially ones that may very well be overlooked as quality recordings and enjoyable music.
john mayall, jazz/blues fusion. i heard it at my brother-in-laws and the recording was incredible. on the other hand, my copy sucks, likely because i played it to death in the 70's and 80's.
The Hissing of Summer Lawns -- Joni Mitchell. Wow! Appropriate for the thick of Summer in NYC. Fantastic album -- great music, great recording!
Tvad, I also think Thriller is an excellent album. I will listen to it again and pay attention to the recording quality. My memory is that it is high quality.
I picked up a 180g version of Rickie Lee Jones' original album. My original pressing has a fair amount of surface noise; still listenable, but after hearing the new pressing, I realized that my old pressing is, well, old. I really enjoy the new 180g pressing. It is a Rhino Vinyl manufacture under Warner Music Group. I found it for $25 online. Ms. Jones' voice is not veiled on this pressing.
I wonder if anyone has compared it with the MFSL pressing.
Another pick of mine of late '70's music -- Foreigner -- Head Games. For music I listened to when I was a child, it is well recorded. I found a great condition original pressing at an NYC used record shop in the early '90's for $1. I still like the music, although a bit bubble gummy for rock.
Speaking of bubble gum rock, around the same time I found Get the Knack in mint condition for $1 in the same shop. Still cool stuff for me. And, also well recorded.
Two albums from earlier in the '70's that are in my "desert island 10" are Joe Walsh -- The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get, and Jackson Browne -- The Pretender. Both excellent recordings, and the music ... oh! ... takes me away! My apologies if I have already mentioned either of these records.
Also in my "desert island 10" is Chick Corea, either Return to Forever, or My Spanish Heart, varying from day-to-day. I don't want to put them both in because it is my hypothetical collection of 10 albums each from a different artist. Both great recordings. Again, the music is sublime on both albums. Tap Step by Chick Corea is fun, and a great recording, too!
Jennifer Warnes - FBR (45rpm) Jennifer Warnes - The Well (Cisco) Dave Brubeck - Time Out (45rpm) Ray Brown/Laurindo Almeida - Moonlight Serenade (Jeton) Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales (Korean pressing) Elvis Presley - Elvis Is Back (Speaker's Corner/RCA Living Stereo)
Along with "For Duke", Duke Ellington's Symphony in Black and Other Works, by The Smithsonian Jazz Repertory Ensemble, is excellent.
I listened to Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair last night. I forgot how wonderfully well recorded it is. I have been listening to some of the tracks from that album on their greatest hits cd. The sound -- fine, but not remarkable. The record, however, came alive and was truly captivating.
I'm surprised no one mentioned For Duke by M+K records. It is a direct to master recording and is fantastic music and as well as a fantastic recording. Each side of the record is a non-stop recording session because it is direct to master. I took me years to find a copy for myself. Until then I had to bum around with friends who had a copy to get a listen.
There are stacks of contemporary pop with a lot of these picks as I can see, that's fine, but how about some funked up jazz e.g. Hubert Laws: 'The Rite of Spring' with Gene Bertoncini, Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Friedman, Bob James, Airto -- and of all things produced by Creed Taylor... (not everyones recommendation I guess)
Interesting here, since we talk about 'well recorded records', if I play this one with a more average type of pick-up it can sound plain weird --- now I heard it with an Orpheus and this particular album is something else completely, since all the tonal-colours come out, that freaky jazzy stuff starts to make sense all of the sudden. It is quite fantastic actually...
This brings up the second point, the quality of the pressings themselves. A mediocre pressing, and even Ricky Lee Jones, so well recorded, can sound just like -- well mediocre.
Last one, and everyone knows it for sure - Dark Side.. P.F. Listening to a local SA pressing makes me realise why everyone in the early 80s thought CD was so marvellous. Some of these pressings must have been pressed on stampers that had exceeded their natural life by more then 10x, but it sold anyhow with the lowly standard prevailing at the time. Yet another reason we got CDs up to our eyeballs... lousy LP quality. Greetings, Axel
Joan Armatrading -- Me Myself I. Someone in my building was throwing it out. I picked it up. It is in excellent condition.
The music is great! The recording is great!
The quality of the recording supports my thought that the music industry recorded rock music very well until the early eighties. After that it seems to me that rock and other pop genres were not so well recorded. Of course, the exception is some artists who paid attention to how their albums were recorded, like Joe Jackson.
Incidentally, I haven't listened to Jumping Jive in a while. The music is fun and great. I forgot how the recording is -- I'll listen soon and report. But if the recording is as good as the music, it is definitely a "keeper."
Bondmanp, you are absolutely write about Body and Soul! I particularly like "Heart of Ice." I love how it builds up from a whisper into a melodic, dynamic crescendo.
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