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Which records sound the best?


Dave Bryce

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Hey there...

 

I am in search of spectacular sounding recordings. You know, the ones that you would take with you if you wanted to really hear a pair of speakers pushed to the limits.

 

What recordings just blow you away with the clarity, punch, definition and overall stellar sonic quality?

 

I am VERY interested to hear your feedback on this one, kids.

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Professional Affiliations: Royer LabsMusic Player Network

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I have an 1812 Overture CD - don't remember which orchestra recorded it - complete w/ real cannon fire. This CD will push your speakers... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

Hey there...

 

I am in search of spectacular sounding recordings. You know, the ones that you would take with you if you wanted to really hear a pair of speakers pushed to the limits.

 

What recordings just blow you away with the clarity, punch, definition and overall stellar sonic quality?

 

I ma VERY interested to hear your feedback on this one, kids.

 

dB

I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist.

 

This ain't no track meet; this is football.

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Ditto on the Seal recordings. Also, anything recent by Steely Dan/Roger Nichols, and the first two Scritti Politti discs. Barbra Streisand's remake of Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere", off the Broadway album, is another killer.

Botch

"Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will

www.puddlestone.net

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Originally posted by botch@netutah.net:

Barbra Streisand's remake of Stephen Sondheim's "Somewhere", off the Broadway album, is another killer.

 

Right you are! I forgot about that one, and I actually have it - I bought it specifically for that exact tune!

 

Thanks, Botch!

 

dB

:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

Professional Affiliations: Royer LabsMusic Player Network

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Try this one: Gino Vanelli - Brother to Brother (or any other Vanelli album for that matter). Great keys, great vocals, PHAAT & punchy . . . Great Vanelli Brothers sound!!

 

Albert

Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand.

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For a very subdued richness and exquisite detail (not exactly what you were asking for) Shawn Colvin's A Few Small Repairs amazes me.

I always have hard time telling sound quality apart from other qualities of arrangement and performance, but this is a recording that has always struck me as stellar on the sonic level.

 

Magpel

Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp
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Oh yeah, I forgot the Gino Vanelli records. Another one I thought of over lunch: Quincy Jones released a 2-CD set of his best love songs, "From Q with Love". The clarity is spectacular and the bass, well, it rattles my front door. Maximum woof!

Botch

"Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will

www.puddlestone.net

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For their era, I liked the sound of many ECM records from the mid to late '70s including Keith Jarrett/Jan Garabarek "Belonging" and the early Pat Metheny Group albums (the white cover and "American Garage", also Pat's solo "New Chataugua").

 

The Mannheim Steamroller "Fresh Aire" albums from the late '70s/early '80s also sounded amazing.

 

k.d. Lang's "Shadowland" was interesting...produced by Owen Bradley, classic Nashville.

 

More recently, I love the recording on Julia Fordham's "Porcelain".

 

Ditto on Steely Dan (especially "Aja" and "Gaucho") and the Seal records. If fact, much of Trevor Horn's production is interesting. Yes' "90125", Art of Noise, even Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I remember working in a record store when Frankie Goes to Hollywood was big...hated the songs, but I remember how GOOD the record sounded. Who'd ever believe that guy with the big glasses in The Buggles would ever amount to anything?

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Supertramp - Breakfast In America

Steely Dan - Aja

Bob Mintzer Big Band - Incredible Journey

Prince - Diamonds and Pearls

Bob James/David Sanborn - Double Vision

Yellowjackets - Mirage a Trois

Tears For Fears - Seeds of Love

Chicago 17

Peter Cetera - Solitude/Solitaire

Michael Jackson - Bad

 

 

Shall I go on? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

------------------

Cheers!

 

Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor

www.mp3.com/llarion

Smooth Jazz

Cheers!

 

Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor

www.llarion.com

Smooth Jazz

- QUESTION AUTHORITY. Go ahead, ask me anything.

http://www.llarion.com/images/dichotomybanner.jpg

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Originally posted by botch@netutah.net:

Also, anything recent by Steely Dan/Roger Nichols, and the first two Scritti Politti discs

 

agree 100%...

also:

Level 42 - World Machine,

Extreme - III Sides to Every Story,

Peter Gabriel - So,

Peter Gabriel - Us,

Mick Karn - Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters,

Dali's Car - The Waking Hour,

Soundgarden - Superunknown...

 

and so on http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

 

 

------------------

Cheers,

Arseny

http://www.mp3.com/arseny

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Adding to the ones already mentioned:

 

Dire Straights - Money for Nothing, Love Over Gold

Toy Matinee

Yes - 90125

Seal (second album with "Prayer for the Dying")

Chick Corea - Akoustic Band

Sting - Ten Summoners Tales

 

I think Peter Gabriel's "So" is a much better sounding record than "Us", the latter is mushy and the vocal is dark. I hope that "Up" sounds more like "So" than "Us".

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Maybe this one will soun funny, but for me real smasher is "Album of the Year" by Faith no More, ltd release with "Sky" single added. Massive Attack`s "Protection" is not far behind. From the older records I would like to point out Jethro Tull`s "Thick as a Brick" album.

 

Faruk

Fat But Fast
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Originally posted by synthetic:

 

I think Peter Gabriel's "So" is a much better sounding record than "Us", the latter is mushy and the vocal is dark.

 

Yeah, true - the sound is different, but I can't say it's worse... It's just another vision of sound reality by Mr. Gabriel...

You don't compare early Beatles' sound to "Abbey Road", do U? They're way too different, but I'm not sure I'm able to say that "Revolver" for example is worse than "Abbey Road" - they're just different...

 

------------------

Cheers,

Arseny

http://www.mp3.com/arseny

 

This message has been edited by arsenius@hotmail.com on 06-13-2001 at 08:54 AM

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"Sittin' In" by Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina always sounded gorgeous to me, not a rump-shaker, just clean and precise. Michael W. Smith's "I'll Lead You Home" works that way, too.
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There's one guy on mp3.com by the name of Yaron Etkovitch. Listen to his recording of Chopin's Revolutionary Etude. The speed blows my mind and recording is of incredible quality considering that most classical artists on mp3.com have poor recordings. You can tell by the bass that the piano is at least a 9 footer.

 

As for more modern music, the Chemical Brothers "Setting Sun" is amazing. I remember I blew out the speakers on the stereo in my living room towards the middle/end of the song where a massive amount of distortion and bass collide. I've got to get me Klipsch Promedias (I do all my music listening on my computer now) and hear that song on a 400 watt system.

 

Mike

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The best fidelity I've heard on MP3.com are the following artists:

 

The Chris Geith Group

New York Horns

Stephen Paul

 

It'a all fantastic music top...

 

------------------

Cheers!

 

Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor

www.mp3.com/llarion

Smooth Jazz

Cheers!

 

Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor

www.llarion.com

Smooth Jazz

- QUESTION AUTHORITY. Go ahead, ask me anything.

http://www.llarion.com/images/dichotomybanner.jpg

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Yeah, Chicago was actually using a Simmons kit back then! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I was more takling about the broad-spectrum production values, the keys were clean, the brass was tight, the guitars crunchy and crisp, the sound was punchy and balanced. But yes, that 80's gated Simmons pad sound was apropos at the time. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

------------------

Cheers!

 

Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor

www.mp3.com/llarion

Smooth Jazz

Cheers!

 

Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor

www.llarion.com

Smooth Jazz

- QUESTION AUTHORITY. Go ahead, ask me anything.

http://www.llarion.com/images/dichotomybanner.jpg

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Radiohead: OK Computer

Radiohead: Kid A

Mogwai: Rock Action

Very well mixed and really give the woofers a workout but still have alot on the high end as well. Very sonically diverse.

"Lets test his powers!"

-Espresso Guy

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  • 11 months later...

James Newton Howard and Friends is pretty good for showing off a sound system. Lots of dynamics and full frequency range courtesy of Yamaha FM synths (GS/DX series) and a great sounding drumset.

 

Great musicianship and great tunes to boot!

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