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Audiogon "RECORDINGS TO DIE FOR" list

I've been listening to some of my favorite recordings this weekend and was wondering what others on Audiogon felt were there favorites. We have all seen the Stereophile "Records to Die For", The Absolute Sounds recommended list, Music Directs' list, The Golden Ear, etc. now I'm hoping to assemble the Audiogon "Recordings To Die For". Please list your five favorite recordings, the ones you listen to over and over or play for friends. I would assume the sonic quality is excellent in that this is an audiophile site. The performance and enjoy ability should also be excellent. Please leave your top five, even if they are already chosen so we can discover the very top for the Audiogon listeners. ALSO PLEASE REFRAIN FROM CRITICIZING OTHERS OPINIONS AND JUST LEAVE YOUR FAVORITES!

August 2002: I have compiled a summary and a full printer-friendly list of all of the recommendations below.
click here to view summary
128x128jadem6
sharri
112 posts
 
Merry Christmas Everyone
Now for 5 favorites that aren't on the list already.
Kind of Blue has to be about tops, but already has been listed by a great many folks.

#1. Barbara Bonney - Fairest Isle. A voice from heaven, Dido's Lament will bring tears to your eyes.

#2. Lunasa - Merry Sisters of Fate. Irish tunes that you never get tired of playing over and over from a band that is really tops

#3. Chet Baker Trio - Someday My Prince Will Come. Out of print now, but a real gem

#4. Mahler Symphony 3 - Take your pick between Bernstein (DG), Rattle (CBSO/EMI), Litton (Delos VR2 sound is really the best sound).

#5. Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1 - Van Cliburn (RCA)
He got a ticker tape parade in NYC after winning in Moscow. Will a classical musician ever get that again?

The list could go on forever really................
trebleclef
73 posts
 
Tiny Grimes and Coleman Hawkins Blues Groove (Prestige)
Joni Mitchell Shadows and Light (Asylum)
Rolling Stones 12 X 5 (London)
Dinah Washington Sings Bessie Smith (Emarcy)
Michelle Shock Captain Swing (Mercury)
Outstanding all.
fujindemon
134 posts
 
i'm newly into hifi, not music, and i can't say these 5 are the best ever, but i can say they have been spinning in my system consistently for weeks with no signs of 'retirement'.
1)uncle tupelo-anodyne
2)neil young/crazy horse-broken arrow
3)wilco-am
4)bob dylan-time out of mind
5)tom waits-closing time
i listen to jazz quite often, but that would be a separate list.
while the recordings may not be audiophile quality, the music is evocative and moving for the genre. as others have said before, i'll happily sacrafice a bit of recording quality for a pinch of emotion in the musicianship.
my 2 cents
happy new year
cheers and happy hifi
fujindemon
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Since my last post here I've fallen in love with and rediscovered a few more "To Die Fors". Last year JVC finally released an old favorite of mine - Chet Atkins' In Hollywood on XRCD2. This was made from the original 1957 master and it sounds just great. It's not the 1961 recording which I had hoped for but still, Chet's guitar just sounds so smooth and real. I wish more of my CDs could be this good. A real favorite of mine is also the JVC XRCD release of Autumn Leaves by Jacintha. She sounds so romantic and sad, especially on the last track Here's To Life. I'm really becoming a fan of XRCDs. And last, I'm completely melted by Ana Caram's Blue Bossa. She does such a wonderful job of reinterpreting some of Bossa Nova's classics in her intimate and loving way. I honestly believe since getting a tube preamp the emotional experience of these recordings has been enhanced.
ljgj
955 posts
 
Jennifer Warnes - The Hunter - and everything by The Bodeans.
More to discover