Well recorded records ... what are your picks?


I just finished listening to some records. No surprises, just some usuals. But, I was thinking the whole time about how well some of these records were engineered and recorded. I thought I would write about them and ask for your favorites.

I finished with Thomas Dolby -- Aliens Ate My Buick. It is so well recorded! I am drawn in and must listen to the whole album. I lose myself in this one! Rickie Lee Jones -- Pop Pop. Spin her version of "Up From the Skies" and you will know what I am talking about. Pure recorded bliss. It is magical. I had to listen to the rest of the album and was not disappointed! Dire Straits -- Love Over Gold. Title track -- unbelievable. This album is so well recorded; no wonder I have known more than a few audiophiles who have recommended it. I listened to the whole damned wonderful album! Rickie Lee Jones -- Rickie Lee Jones. How can you miss with this one. If you need to test your set-up, go with this one. It is perfect. Oh, also, I listened to "Sunday in the Park with George" tonight. It is so well recorded with depth and width. I also enjoy the music. I also spun Dire Straits -- Communique. It is not as well recorded as Love Over Gold, but that is only by a "smidgen." It is truly a gem. I love the music, and it is very well recorded.

These are my picks for tonight. More to come, of course. I am wondering what are your favorites and why? This could be a nice exchange of information on well engineered and recorded records for all of us. And, we could all discover albums and their characteristics through each other's information.

Cheers!
bicycle_man
Hi Almandog, right on! Actually, I kick myself for not picking up a copy of Brothers in Arms when lp's were cheap and plentiful! The title track alone is excellent and I think must sound great on lp. I only have the cd, unfortunately.

Thanks for the pre-clean, then clean-the-good-ones suggestion; makes sense. What is your cleaner formula? Did you get it from an MSDS, or from audio folk lore?

I listened to a couple of Pat Metheny albums tonight, as well as Jackson Brown -- The Pretender, and Jimmy Buffet -- Son of a Son of a Sailor. They were all worthy of cleaning, and collecting. The Jackson Brown was somewhat disappointing in the first track. I love the song so much, but the recording was a bit flat (although, I must say it was satisfying). But then the rest of the album kicked into gear and the recording was very good. This Jimmy Buffet album is very well recorded. It is three-dimensional, and has a reasonably wide soundstage. The separation is very good on it! And, of course, I really enjoy the music on it.
Joe Jackson - "Body and Soul" - one of the best sounding pop recordings I've heard. Lots of varied instrumentation, including a well-recorded horn section. Good dynamics. A natural-sounding recording.
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What about current albums? Anyone here have picks that are relatively current (or back 5+ years)?

I'd pick Keep it Hid by Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys)-2009. I think it is very well recorded. I am new to vinyl, so my collection is very small. I know that the mastering is not on par with that of a few decades back but there must be some great ones out there.

Though varied, I listen to indie rock, electronica, R&B, rock, and blues, so it would be great to see some picks in those genres. List of my music

cheers, ed