ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION TO ANSWER ...


Hello to all...

Hypothetical question: You are going into an audio store to listen to a Cambridge Audio CDX81 Integrated amp and a CDX CD Transport thru speakers you are familiar with (or have at home in your system). You are allowed to bring only ONE CD TO LISTEN TO, by one group and/or one artist - WHAT IS IT AND WHY?

OF COURSE - there were those who will say I don't do CDs - so in that case you can only access ONE COMPLETE ALBUM OF MUSIC BY ONE GROUP OR ARTIST.

NO SINGLE SONGS PLEASE...

NO TWO CHOICES PLEASE - NO "... IF I COULDs PLEASE... "

My Choice: BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS  by Blood Sweat and Tears, 1962. Great tunes, fairly well recorded; lots of horns, drums and "odd sounds"; loud and soft levels throughout; different vocalists solo and in harmony - and lots of Toe-tappin' Music.

What would your choice be?
insearchofprat
I’m going to take disc 12 of the Sandy Denny 19 CD box set. It’s of early home demonstration tracks and the recordings are very basic and sometimes distorted but if handled well the importance of the recording quality fades behind the emotion that comes through from the performances, if that fails to come through the recording quality will dominate your impression of the CD. It would be an interesting test of a system’s music making abilities but does rather neglect the HiFi aspects. It’s nice to have both of course but if I have to choose...
Come On, Come On. Mary Chapin Carpenter. Been my test CD for many years. Title track and I am a Town tell me all I need to know. 
Gregory Porter “Take Me To The Alley” Great recording, music, and performance 
Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan

If for no other reason than it was my first demo disc when I was checking out my first turntable.

It's still a great recording today in any format.