Your Not-So-Obvious Best Fidelity LPs

Great sound AND good music do not often go together in a single record.  This is an example of one record having both:

Richard and Linda Thompson:  "Shoot Out the Lights" Hannibal Records.

If you want to immerse yourself in great controversy, google "hot stamper" or the company selling these records--Better Records   The claim is that, even within a particular issue of an album, there are certain stampers that are better than others and the resulting pressings are the ones to covet.  Some hot stampers go for thousands of dollars. 

I have not bought any of these hot stampers myself.  However, long before hot stampers became a thing, a friend played two very clean versions of a particular record--both original pressings, both with same covers, dead-wax markings, etc., yet one sounded much more alive and vibrant.  Were the two records from different pressing plants?  Was this an example of a "hot stamper" vs. an ordinary stamper?  I don't know, but, sort of thing adds more complications when hunting down versions of favorite albums.

Out of so many, just a very few of my favorites:

Any of the Sheffield Labs, Direct-to-Disc recordings of 3-4 decades ago. (they're all over the internet at ridiculously low prices)

Linda Ronstadt - "What's New" (with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra)

Jennifer Warnes - "Famous Blue Raincoat" (or anything else she's done)

Tower of power - "Live and in Living Color"

Stephan Grappelli / Barney Kessel - "I Remember Django"

Oscar Peterson - "We Get Requests"

Deep Purple--Made in Japan

Supertramp--Crime of the Century

Michael Franks--Passion Fruit

Loggins & Messina--Full Sail

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Eva Cassidy--Live At Blues Alley

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones--Girl At Her Volcano

Poco--Legend

Janis Ian--Breaking Silence

Tanika Tikaram--Sweet Keeper

Nylons--One Size Fits All

Chris Isaak--San Francisco Days

Neil Young--Live At Massey Hall

Elton John--Tumbleweed Connection

Chris Jones--Roadhouses & Automobiles

Basia--Time & Tide

Heart--Dreamboat Annie

Eagles--Hotel California

 

Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays--Wichita Falls

Marcus Miller--Free

Marcus Miller--Silver Rain

Stanley Clarke--East River Drive

Stanly Clarke

Gregory Porter--Be Good

George Benson--Bad Benson

Michael Hedges--Beyond Boundaries

Kenny G--New Standards

Herbie Hancock--River

Anne Bisson--Blue Mind

Josefine Cronholm--Wild Garden

Ozone Percussion Group--La Bamba

Manhattan Transfer--Extensions

Christian McBride--Gettin’ To It

Michael Franks--Time Together

Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass--Big Band Jazz

GRP Fusion

Weather Report--Heavy Weather

 

Alison Krauss--Forget About It

Sandi Patti--More Than Wonderful

Dianne Reeves--Never Too Far

Dianne Reeves--Quiet After the Storm

Vanessa Fernandez--Use Me

Sade--Promise

Mannheim Steamroller--Fresh Air (all albums)

Stevie Ray Vaughn--Double Trouble

Lyle Lovett--Joshua Judges Ruth

The Wallin’ Jennys--40 Days

Luther Vandross--Dance With My Father

 

Again, all albums good music in addition to the great sound.

Bob

 

 

 

itsjim, 

We agree on Sheffield D-to-D recordings, although I find some of the music to be so-so.  The same goes with other D-to-D recording companies, such as M & K Realtime.  I like the other non- D-to-D records you recommend, particularly the "What's New" suggestion.

I have a few more suggestions of records with both good sound and music:

Kate and Anna McGarrigle (self titled)

Hubert Sumlin: "Blues Party"

Cowboy Junkies: "Black-Eyed Man"