Recommendations for really well-recorded music for high-end audio system demo
I’m using my system to give some local high-end audio demos for fun, and although I have a good selection of tracks I can always use more and am sure you guys have some great ones out there. First and foremost I’m looking for really well-recorded material that shows off what a good system can do — you know, the “wow your friends” tracks we all have, and if it happens to be good/fun music as well that’s a nice bonus although not necessarily a requirement. I’d recommend listing the artist, album, and track so it’s easier to find the right version, and if you feel like elaborating on anything notable that makes it particularly good for a demo that’d be helpful/interesting but not necessary. As an example…
Thanks for anything ya got!
Ray Brown - Soular Energy Janis Ian - Breaking Silence K. D. Lang - Ingénue Paul Simon - Graceland Patricia Barber - Companion GRP Artists - I Got No Kick Against Modern Jazz (Extremely rare on LP!!) Chuck Mangione - Everything For Love (Chesky) Rita Coolidge - Nice Feelin' (The title cut is stunning!) Joe Satriani - Self-Titled (Kick butt electric bass)
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Back in the '90s when I was being exposed to new stuff via a public radio station (91.3 WYEP) I bought Lloyd Cole's Love Story for Like Lovers Do (which is still my favorite track on that). (I probably enjoys vocals more than all else.) Anyway, a few years ago I broke it back out and was impressed with the sonic quality/presentation of the entire CD, but to suggest a specific track, I'd go with Like Lovers Do. |
soix, I was just talking about this on another thread. From the Hendrix "Blues" release, "Born Under A Bad Sign". Raw jamming with real studio highlights. A great system should portray the trio at their best (Jimmy was in his element), and the rawness of the sounds of the studio. Incredible listening experience through my system. My best, MrD. |
Here's a few of my favorites... Eric Clapton An Appreciation of JJ Cale (Sensitive Kind) (Magnolia) (Starbound) Joni Mitchell Blue (A Case of You) Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Towards Ecstacy Legacy Edition (Posession) (Hold On) Sheryl Crow (The First Cut is the Deepest Acoustic) Peter Gabriel Security (Shock the Monkey) Pat Metheny As Falls Witchita, So Falls Witchita (September Fifteenth) Eric Clapton The Definitive 24 Nights (Can't Find My Way Home Orchestral) |
May I suggest the following: Artist; Mary Fahl - On the Run Tracy Chapman - Give me one Reason
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@jastralfu , based on that, I may put The Immaculate Collection on my own list. |
@simao i agree, I was amazed at how deep and wide the soundstage is on that album. I’ve heard folks say they heard things from behind them when listening to that album. I don’t quite have that happening but it does sound like music is coming from the left and right of my chair. |
I like Prince and the Revolution’s “Baby I’m a Star” off the Purple Rain album. It’s the soundtrack to the movie by the same name. The Paisley Park remaster is the way to go. And any format is good. It shows off a system in a number of ways. And at that same note, it’s one we’re after hearing HiRez or a good vinyl setup you can’t go back. This short track is a funky grove with lots of fast symbols. Textured bass that creates a soundstage that expansive and controlled. His voice is strong and fun on this one. It’s super easy to find. Enjoy! |
IMO, Blu-Ray Audio discs are the best way to show off your your audio system; hi-def streaming is another way. If you can afford the $$$ box sets that hold hostage the blu-ray discs, you won't be disappointed. Sargent Pepper and Who's Next are but two that come to mind. Beck's "Guero" and the Led Zeppelin remasters on DVD audio are incredible. Regular CD's: It's a Beautiful Day, Miles Davis "In a Silent Way", and Peter Gabriel "i/o" are well recorded also. |
@jastralfu Madonna was completely dedicated and involved in the sound of her music. You listen to stuff off the Immaculate Collection and it just fills the room with detail and presence. |
Lionel Richie, Back to Front. Susana Baca: Eco De Sombras Diana Krall: Only Trust Your Heart, or any really Raphaella Smits: Johann Sebastion Bach, Sivius Leopold Weiss The Tony Rice Unit: Manzanita Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade (Wiener Philharmoniker Joni Mitchell: Blue Frank Vincent: Indigo Mark Isham: Vapor Drawings
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Music1/Edgar Knecht/Good Morning Lilofee (24-96)/04 - Maria.flac |
“Something Else” - Cannonball Adderley with Miles Davis and a great rhythm section of Hank Jones, Sam Jones and Art Blakey. QOBUZ Flac 96/24 or my preference, the vinyl reissue on Blue Note. Rudy van Gelder was the recording engineer and his work is highly respected. Look for other van Gelder albums on Blue Note and Verve by your favorite jazz artists for generally excellent sonics. Natural sound of the instruments, great placement in the soundstage and this album is simply among the best jazz albums I own. Sounds like they’re playing in your listening room. “Kind of Blue” - Miles Davis with John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and a rhythm section of Bill Evans or Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. 192/24 on Qobuz or my favorite, a Columbia Legacy vinyl reissue in the 2000’s. My rationale is the same as for Something Else. For well recorded timeless jazz these albums are hard to best in my opinion. |
I have Mofi, Reference Recordings, Shefield Labs, Impex, AP, Blue Note, Mercury Living Presence, and most of the other labels. In addition to standard 33&1/3, I have 45 rpm, 1/2 speed master, 1-Step, and even a single-sided 4-disc set from Classic (Nora Jones, Come Away With Me)
For straight SQ, the winner air my VTL LPs, a.) Doctor, b.) Josh. The best 'value' high SQ label is Windham Hill (1/2 speed master by Stan Ricker, Bernie G., etc.) I listen to one of them most evenings. Also, @ tubes4good mentioned 'anything on Chesky'. My Chesky LPs are excellent (~10, or so), but I would give the upper SQ-hand to Harmonia Mundi (the original French records, not the BASF French-German records, which are a step lower in SQ). You pick, and happy listening... |
For all us old white guys :) Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris - Western Wall - Sweet Spot For the under 18 crowd I haven't a clue... Maybe Tom Waits - Rain Dogs - Walking Spanish |
I always check these frequent threads on various forums (and magazines etc) looking for new tracks to check out. Frequently it's "the usual" but some great new (to me) ones on this thread. Thanks! In case they weren't already mentioned here, a couple back at you: Helplessly Hoping by Anna Nalick Bad Guy Billie Eilish Witches Cowboy Junkies Acid Tongue Jenny Lewis What's New Linda Ronstadt Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Sara Bareilles Hotter Colder This is the Kit
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Last night when I finished up I did some major speaker repositioning and I just got finished with six hours plus of delicious break-in/auditioning of those Revel speakers. Because of that, I thought of three more tracks that might meet your criteria. From that test disc I alluded to in a previous post ("My Disc" The Sheffield/A2TB Test Disc) is Dish Rag which was originally on I’ve Got The Music In Me/Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker. It never hit me until tonight how good it sounds, and particularly the sound of the trombone stuck with me tonight. (I listened to it twice.) The blurb on the CD insert says to pay attention to the voices of the two keyboards and the "vertical lift in the entire sound as the horns come in over the keys." Hmmm, and they also noted the "fat sound" of the trombone that I liked. On the Chesky CD The Raven by Rebecca Pigeon, she does what I would consider an almost ethereal cover of Spanish Harlem. That is one of those CDs that Chesky brags about the great job they did of micing it and not manipulating it any further. It struck me that Rebecca Pigeon played a non musical role in that movie with Al Pacino starring as Phil Spector. She played the role of an assistant to his defense team. Back sometime back in the ’90s I bought the self titled CD by a group called Once Blue (lead vocalist, Rebecca Martin) because I really liked the nuances and inflections of her vocals. The track I suggest is Trumansburg. (Which I believe is a town somewhere in NY.) Besides what I can pick up on her vocals, on that track I used to hear (I don’t know much about music, so bear with me) this distinct "shoomp" sound (I remember thinking that it sounded real) when whoever was playing the cymbals stepped on that pedal thing that made them compress real distinctly. I haven’t been able to hear that "distinct "shoomp" nearly as clearly for quite some time, and I tried it again tonight, but either it made a bigger impact on me back then because I was new to better-end stuff, or I have lost the frequency that I was hearing that so clearly on, or the room I moved all my stuff into several years ago is flawed to the point that the sound I remember is not reproduced as well. But regardless, the CD is probably what would be considered cut a bit hot and up front, and I find the stuff in her vocals subtle and neat to hear. |
@boxcarman Never. Keep’em coming! I’m enjoying them all and hoping others are benefitting from this as well. |
A few great albums… Loggins and Messina, Full Sail, the whole album, but check out Pathway to Glory. Janis Ian, Breaking Silence is remarkable, as is Hunger. The Mighty Sam McClain, Give it Up for Love, especially Too Proud.
And some tracks… Janelle Monae Make Me Feel Vienna Teng. 1BR/1BA Terse Isungset Fading Sun Chris Jones No Sanctuary Here |
@Troutstream I checked our Kit Walker and it's produced by Andy Narrell. He plays steel pans and his albums are some of the best sounding recordings I own. Highly recommend his Little Secrets album from 1989. It has the legendary Bernie Grundman as Mastering Engineer. Obviously, Andy took very good notes. Thanks for the recommendation. |
