Can Rock-N-Roll have great sound quality?

Silly question. Keep on listening to your lite jazz and leave the harder stuff to those who can handle it.

Silly Onhwy61, I like the music as hard as it comes, definitely harder, deeper and more menacing than the likes of most cookie-cutter, standard issue metal bands are capable of cranking out (read the utterly BORING Metallica, et al), but I want the heaviness/hardness to arise from musical concept and the way an electric is tuned and played vs. the hideous decimation wreaked by poor recording technique.
I defy anyone to find anything much harder or more intense than "On the Virg" by Serious Young Insects, yet the recording technique is pretty fair, so it is listenable. Same with Squadrophenia cited above, but still one wishes for even better. Buckethead has released some of the rawest most grating guitar tones ever recorded and yet some of it is recorded well enough to make it sweet sonic nectar to me.
I second the last 2 Steely Dan releases and would add vis-a-vis Robben Ford, the sonically rewarding "Jing Chi".
Good thread -- please keep adding.

Maich , try the Rammstein material. Start with the latest; Mutter then work backwards . . Its recorded well and they rock . See the shows when they hit the states the first of the year...... Most all heavy music is tame in the fidelity dept. The Wall Mofi was the early exception. I think that the sacd of ELP s Brain Salad Surgery is recordrd well as well though is not heavy metal of course. Actually now that i think about it ... Black Oak Arkanasa released a great heavy album about two years ago , name slips me but was good fidelity. I will keep thinking buty the list will be short as most hard rock is poorly treated .

Maich,
Buckethead is way post rock'n'roll and even new wave either. He's definitely genius and superb guitar player. I've never listened to his solo albums, but I heard him with Bill Laswell live and recorded. In both cases they sound fantastic. If you like Buckethead and further "heavy stuff not so boring as Metallica", you should definitely check out Magma and also solo albums of Christian and Maurice Vander that are band leaders. You'll be lucky if you get these albums (CDs or records) bellow $30, but this is like an investment to paintings: it'll never drop bellow unless the condition of media gets worse. Check the heavy noise stuff by Goz of Kermeur!

To classic Rock'n'Roll such as Led Zeppelin, Cream, Genesis, most of Jethro Tull, some of Supertramp I'd use tone controlls. King Crimson stuff seems to be in very good shape except their first two albums.
Almost all punk of 80's doesn't need tone controlls.

Why bother?