Which Albums do you use for reference Listening ?


Which Albums do you use for reference Listening ? Which records are the Tour De Force Records you favor to get things opened up and stretched to the outer limits of what sounds good to YOU

I just installed a New Vintage Empire EDR.9 MM Cartridge. I guess MM's don't have break in time because this sounds so fine right oughta the box !

These albums are some of my favorites that can demonstrate my systems strengths and weaknesses, music that covers the whole frequency spectrum.

I.E ultra low frequencies Organ , Low frequency Cello, Baritone Sax Mid Frequencies etc. etc up to triangles, brushes and sopranno's gone wild

Some of these records do not isolate frequencies but make an the system components go through the full gamut all at once, from the top to bottom, over, under, and sideways down.

Ok this is my Bakers Dozen selections

1812 Overture *
Led Zeppilin II *
Captain Beefheart-Clearspot *
Side 2 - Abbey Road *
Pet Sounds-The Beach Boys *
Issac Hayes-Hot Buttered Soul
Herbi Mann - Push Push
Amsterdam Guitar Quartet- The Four Seasons
Elvis Costello-Imperial Bedroom *
Art Blakey-A Night at Birdland Vol 1 *
Aretha Franklin-Amazing Grace
Arthur Rubenstein - Chopin Collection
Bobby Soxx & the Blue Jeans -
Christmas Baby Please Come Home MONO *
Husker Du-Zen Arcade

It's nice that at least a few of the titles are still in print on wax or easily available.

You should be able to still buy these* without too much trouble.

Best Regards &
Merry Christmas

Groovey Records

Listening to The Phil Spector Christmas Album

Back To Mono !
just kidding;.)
128x128groovey
David Holland Quartet, Conference of the Birds (title cut) gives you serious response from acoustic bass to flutes and bells.

Art Ensemble of Chicago, Nice Guys: across the board brilliant, and beautiful reference disc.

For electronic stuff, Peter Gabriel's So offers a nice range.
My list of reference albums include:

Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon (EMI 30th Ann Edit Vinyl)
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat
Bonnie Raitt - Best of on Capitol
Norah Jones - Feels like home & Come away with me
Jack Johnson - Brushfire fairytales, Inbetween dreams
Fairground Attraction - The Collection
Neil Young - Harvest (Reprise Vinyl Ed)
Madelein Peyroux - Careless Love (MoFi Vinyl Ed)

I like 'organic' music - raw and neat...

Best regards,
Dewald
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
MFSL Ella and Louis, Again
Field of Dreams
Rob Roy
Holly Cole, Shade
Eric Bibb, River Road (Opus 3 label)
Doug MacLeod, Come to Find
Kodo, Mondo Head
Brian Bromberg, Wood
Michael Hedges, Taproot
MFSL John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman
Terje Rypdal, Waves
Between Heaven and Earth, Traditional Gamelan Music of Bali
Beefheart; clear spot german pressing

alan parsons; 12 " german singles of hyper gamma spaces and stereotomy.

Joy Division; 12" italian single atmosphere

Chemical Brothers; 12" english single out of control

Supertramp; Canadian pressing even in the quietest moments

Kraftwerk; german 12" singles of robots/radio activity

Kraftwerk; german pressing of trans europa express

Dream academy; english 12" single life in a northern town

gordon lighfoot; german pressing of gords gold

peter gabriel; 12" french pressing in your eyes.

Tangerine Dream; french pressing of tangram
Archie Shepp,Any oif his four beautifull ballad Lp's on Venus who use a 24 bit "Hyper Magnum" sound recording.CD's of course have more dynamic range but Venus has my vote for best contemporary recorders of jazz or anything.It proved to me that a great LP from a digital source.Less ranbge but more tactile and immediate than the CD's (which are also reference).And though a lesser recrtding than Shepp's LP's for superb performace if you rae a fan of great piano palying in post Bub and Bill Evans mopde the CD of Eddie Higgins Haunted Haert".A Venus version availible as well as cheaper(and inferior sounding) version availible on Sunnyside.My best "find" in 6 yesr of running stores jazz section.For older jazz the Classic and Absol;ute Analogue's are great especially 45 rpm pressings.
Chazzbo the jazzbo