Great Recordings, Sonically Speaking - and Why.


I think many of us would accept that artists such as Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, and Dire Straits have consistently put out music that was at least originally recorded to a high technical standard. [I'm not too sure what the loudness wars may have done to subsequent reissues, but even so, the tone and timbre thankfully tends to remain intact.]

However there must be plenty of lesser known recordings out there that could be said to be of a high sonic standard.

One such recording that I like to put on in the background whilst I'm doing other things is a piano recording that features wonderfully lush timbre and some delightful tunes.

This one is The Disney Piano Collection by Hirohashi Makiko and to me it makes a lot of other piano recordings sound a little washed out.
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Almost anything recorded by Rudy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Van_Gelder

When I weeded the 4,000 LP’s I inherited, often faced with 20 of the same primary artist, wanting to keep perhaps only 3, I flipped em over, checked who else was playing, where, when, and the engineers involved. I kept all that Rudy was involved with without hesitation.

Some feel differently, what I know is: I discovered him when I looked sideways at my friends and said "whoever recorded this knew what they were doing", grabbed the sleeve to find the answer, which was often Rudy.



OP! Interesting question.

DF’s Kamikiriad is a masterpiece for recording reproduction ... along with Brother’s In Arms, let’s see ...The Wall, perhaps another.

Some groups change through the years: Rush had a couple albums, Moving Pictures (probably the pinnacle of its recordings), Signals is commendable. Then its recordings went into an era that lack lower-end presence, ala Presto, Power Windows, Roll The Bones ... fortunately the live recordings of same work atoned for previous sins!

Have appreciated Miles Davis’ work ... some live! Good stuff!!

Perhaps the flip-side of your question might prove an interesting query


I agree most of Joe Jackson's live stuff is very well recorded.
If you are a vinylphile, Rickie Lee Jones' first five albums are wonderfully recorded.
On CD, Flim and the BB's were all live direct to disc (in the studio) and have fabulous dynamics.
The Eagles Live Hell Freezes Over is exceptionally well recorded.