Albertporter - here's a few more: Thomas Dolby - "The Flat Earth" - We know him from the novelty hit "Blinded Me with Science", but in that whole new wave mileu he was actually a good idiosyncratic composer. This, his second release, demonstrates that. Very good songs, very good production (even for the '80s!) And one of the first prominent uses of piezoelectric pickups on an electric bass to capture a very acoustic, liquid bass guitar timbre. Christopher Parkening - "Simple Gifts" - Arguably, one of the three best classical guitarists alive (IMHO, the others are Paco De Lucia, John Williams, Segovia passed away right?) Any of his solo work like the referenced title is stunning. Indigo Girls - "Swamp Ophelia" - some revealing close-mike guitar work. If you're into hearing fret articulation and string buzz, this one sometimes sounds like you're 12 inches away from the pick. Could use a little more ambience, but they never called me to their recording sessions :) Kiri Te Kanawa - "Ave Maria" - the REAL diva. Was the soprano at Princess Diana's wedding, (don't hold that against her) this collection of sacred songs (Bach, Mozart, Handel, Gounod, et. al.) is magnificent. Remember that old joke, "I listened to Black Sabbath at 78RPM and saw God"? Well, crank your system to full volume with this and you really will. Robert Fripp - "Pie Jesu" & "A Blessing of Tears" - Two of his Soundscapes (Frippertronics updated for the new millenium) releases, very emotive and poignant - composed upon the death of his mother. The cold, intellectual brainiac tin man of King Crimson gets a heart, and gives us musical insight into it all. P.M. Dawn - "Jesus Wept" - Fascinating hip-hop record. NOT your typical '89 Integra foisting 40hz at 120 DB on you at a Main Street stoplight. Intelligent, thoughtful ponderings on life and all that, provocative use of sampling. Very tasty...and I'm not a Run DMC kinda guy by any stretch. Joe Jackson - "Body and Soul" - From 1984, possibly his greatest opus, even considering his current foray into symphonic composition. Recorded in a big, reverberent Masonic Lodge normally used by Vanguard Studios for classical recordings. Two Neumann M-50 mikes were used 15 ft. away from the full band (horn section included) in this stone-and-wood room for an amazing, explosive mix. You won't be sorry with this one. Pat Metheny's "Imaginary Day" (if you don't already have) isn't his strongest compositional work, but some very surprising and interesting timbre and orchestration. I've found this catches some weaker loudspeakers with their pants down with regard to full range, full timbre integrity. As a novelty item, if you can find an old live release by an Italian prog rock group called Area, you'll have a chance to hear their lead singer (now deceased) demonstrate his ability to sing two notes at the same time! Speaking of singing, I know what you mean about Jarrett. But I detect more histronics in his live work than in the studio..."My Song" is brilliant and he keeps his trap shut, and he's pretty reserved on "Standards Live" as well. Finally, Deutsche Gramaphone has an old digital release of Emil Gilels performing Beethoven's Moonlight and Pathetique sonatas which is breathtaking, IMHO. I could go on for days. These discussion groups advocate talking about what you know. I don't know much about audiophile equipment (that's why I'm here to learn) but I've spent more money on vinyl and CD's (well, and keyboard instruments) than I care to think about, and am finally getting some real gear to listen to it all.
