Why no index to indicate proper listening level?


I recall that a well respected engineer said that there was only one correct listening level for any given recording. I believe that aside from the people who favour smallish bookshelf speakers fed by a high quality low power amp and therefore, through choice or need, stick to polite levels, the point of an audiophile quality system is to faithfully reproduce the musical event. This, invariably, means that the music gets to be loud at times, either because of the dynamics involved (such as orchestral music) or simply because modern amplified live events are loud all the time. Why is there not some kind of standardized reference built-in to a recording (would probably be quite simple with digital) indicating what is the optimal and realistic level at which the recording would sound right? This would certainly separate the grain from the chaff system-wise. I am certain that a lot of highly touted systems (at least by the salons selling them), mostly British but not all, that are demoed at such polite levels that a crescendo is the only thing waking the listener up from his stupor, would run out of breath real quick. On the other hand, Godzilla like classical guitars would be avoided. My question then, why no standardized level when somehow people fret over stereo imaging and timbre, that can only vary in accordance with the volume level, not to mention distortion and hard clipping.
pbb
The engineer could provide a peak db level for a specific passage on the recording. Then we, the listener, adjust or system to the "index" level in our listening area with one of those cheap db level monitors from Radio Shack. This would adjust for all the variables in speaker efficiency, room tunes ETC.

Would this work?

-Karl
To quote Art of noise: "how rapid is Rapid?".
For me the biggest challeng in this thread is a challenge that has plagued audio since the beginning, and this is a lack of standards. Standards w/ regard to polarity, 'levels' channel separation; in FM broadcast, Modulation, Compression etc. Ideally there would be adherence to the limits of a medium-tape~max db level for loud dynamic passages so as to prevent saturation(same w/ vinyl). These standards could be used in a manner similar to what Pbb, and Karl are suggesting. Of course the Chicken-Shack meter becomes a "week"? link, and this all beggs the question: have you heard distortion?; if so can you identify it in a stranger's system?
Happy Listening
I think the major problem is the hardware itself. Amplifiers simply cannot amplify the entire audio frequency spectrum equally - most will slightly favor the upper midrange/lower treble. Couple this with a tranducer's tendency to be flat in this range and roll off at the frequency extremes along with room peculiarities such as standing waves, etc.. That's why I believe orchestral crescendos, for example, may sound unnaturally loud when the volume level is set (correctly?) for softer passages. So it will probably be difficult to set a one-size-fits-all reference for the index. A very interesting post, indeed.