Best Recordings

Try anything from the Alan Parsons Project. He is the recording engineering for Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” .

Well, Ben, is there any good reason to get snotty with jlx?

I think he is correct about one thing, many of today's pop artists' producers do record with the end delivery system in mind..that would be the boom box and the car with the 4 30" woofers.

I don't think there is anything wrong with liking poorly recorded music for the musics' sake. Likewise, there is nothing wrong with seeking out well recorded music, is there? I think there are many young artists (pop) who wouldn't know how to make a good recording if they had the bucks. But, of course, their idea of 'good' could be different than mine, always a convenient cop-out.

And speaking of Miles Davis, which album is it that you thought was well recorded? Perhaps it's 'Kind of Blue'? With all the digits spilled over that poor cut-and-spliced analogue tape, I guess it only has to get better, huh? I really can't think of any other Miles' albums that sounds particularly well recorded, although they are certainly some of the best jazz music every laid down.

It really sounds like your definition of well recorded is different than mine. Guess I found my own different-than-yours way. On a more positive note, what new recording would you recommend that sounds good, since I think that was the original intent of the poster?

I'm in agreement that MANY recordings esp. newer (but definitely those from 70's thru 90's) are what I'd call over-engineered and often poorly recorded. Technology hasn’t necessarily been a good thing. …While it provided opportunity for creativity it is also what has lead us to some of the poor recording practices that are now readily accepted.

For years recording companies and engineers have engineered music to sound good on the radio - esp. car stereos and moderate hi-fi systems. We in the higher res. world haven't been considered for the most part. There ARE those established artists who have been both interested and able to have significant or ‘complete’ creative control of their work e.g. the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Harry Connick Jr., Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Sting, U-2… While there are others too these are a few that came to mind (popular music) from the 60's to now.

Just by listening to most modern recordings one can discern that ZERO consideration has been taken into recording the acoustic interaction of the performer/instruments with the recording environment and in the case of multiple musicians – each other. …On occasion a RAW recording turns out to be good i.e. Eric Clapton’s ‘Unplugged’ (which wasn’t ever supposed to see daylight). But for the most part it’s as though acoustic environment and proximity are complete non-issues or afterthoughts. I attribute this to the reality that most bands are recorded with each member in their own iso-booth on a dedicated voice track, and each instrument/sound effect on it’s own track.

By isolating each instrument and member the individual tracks can be tailored to FIT the sound the engineer wants, and to remove any errors. I’m certain many of us are all too aware the end result of this type of recording. Its a sound that could most correctly be described as a mélange – with overlapping images fighting to occupy the same space, or a space that is disproportionate – whether too small or too large. The lack of believable aural cues completely kills the illusion. …And while the music is still enjoyable one doesn't get the holographic experience one does when the recording is RIGHT.

IMO that the lack of concern for recording quality is most likely due to economic & political issues within the recording industry. Bands are paid to sell CD’s, and to produce them on time and on budget. If they want to be successful then they’ve got to play ball, and not sweat the details (until they’re important enough to get away with it). I suspect that this is why so many new artists first recordings are often less than great quality.

I'd love to see more artists and studios pursue realistic sound. …This isn't to say that I don't enjoy music that is heavily engineered or with many effects/multi-tracks. I merely prefer recordings that sound as though the performers are in front of me as opposed to those recordings, which sound as though everything is floating in space. Its almost as thought these recordings were made for headphones - so that the band is positioned between ones ears. …This is not a snub to those folks who like/desire and seek out this effect esp. when indulging in various ‘listening experience enhancing substances’.

I'd love to hear anyone’s comments/opinions re: companies such as Sheffield Labs who use only one set of stereo microphones and a single track to record. Sheffield recordings imbue an unmistakably organic quality. Few other recordings/companies come as close to recording the realism of the event. All the spatial cues etc. are just RIGHT.

While I know that the Sheffield approach is impractical or downright impossible for some artists/bands (for various reasons), I believe that we’d be much better off if other recording companies (that go the multi-track route) would aspire to the Sheffield sound.

Cheers,
Mike

Good points all above,I'd like to add the Dire Straights and anything that Knopfler recorded later!

Many interesting points have been brought to light about how we interpret the best recordings. As audiophiles sometimes we miss the forest, the forest being the music, while looking at the trees, the trees being the sound that is produced. I am as guilty of this as the next person involved in this hobby.

I have found that many of the reissues, the Grateful Dead box set being the best by far, are my favorite recordings of the year. One of the reasons why is because I have loved the music and hated the production. Technology has made it possible to hear what these recordings would sound like if they were introduced today as new. I believe this to be a great step forward. Some purists would disagree with me. My father believes that it all went downhill when stereo recordings were introduced and 78's were replaced by 331/3's.

Many of the best sounding recordings are being put out by Alt/Country, No Depression, artists. Many of these have been mentioned in previous posts. I would add Uncle Tupelo Anadyne, Wilco Summer Teeth, any Son Volt, and the new Jay Farrar album to the list of the best of that genre. In addition, Ben Harper puts out great albums that are hard to categorize but are great to listen to. Start with, "Fight For Your Mind". The best new album of last year, IMHO, is Ryan Adams "Gold".

Happy Listening.