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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
steam3642
124 posts
 
Roxy Music -Avalon
Crowded House-Woodface
mrmatt
29 posts
 
I dont know if these have already been mentioned:

Eric Clapton- Unplugged
Herbie Hancock-River, The Joni letters
Norah Jones-Come away with me
Suzanne Vega- Solitude standing

Try em, you'll like em.
bicycle_man OP
100 posts
 
I haven't listened to Solitude Standing in years! Great mention!!!

Avalon is fantastic; have you heard Siren lately? I think Avalon is better recorded, but I also love every track on Siren. And, the recording seems acceptable.

I listened to Hotel California and Fleetwood Mac's first album tonight. While I love Hotel California, Fleetwood Mac's debut kicked HC's butt in recording quality.

Great picks, all! Thanks!!! This thread is turning out nicely into what I wanted -- an on-line place where we can comment and compare notes on albums we think worthy of mention. It is easy to recommend audiophile albums; you can count on them being very well recorded, but the music is not always so great. I wanted to share my experiences of what I think are well recorded non-audiophile albums, especially ones that may very well be overlooked as quality recordings and enjoyable music.

Cheers!
mikeyc8
174 posts
 
Ghost Rider, I also second Bruford's One of a Kind. Great album!
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,055 posts
 
A few not mentioned, and if you are tired of the same old same old:

Black Sabbath: Paranoid (I recommend the white label German or British Vertigo label). This LP will bring most stereos to their respective knees. You have to have wide bandwidth, wide dynamic range and impervious/impeccable tracking to play this one right- its a superb recording.

Steve Tibbetts: Safe Journey (ECM import) Safe Journey is Steve's most accessible work. The recording is demonstration quality- I always have this one with me at shows, and people **always** ask what it is. This is how I met albertporter BTW... Steve has a lot of albums- Big Map Idea is another excellent choice.

King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon -immaculate recording, if you can find the Pink Island pressing, that's where you really hear it happen. The original Atlantic is quite good though. Also check out Islands- make sure you get the version with the white cover if you get the American pressing (side 1 with 'A Sailor's Tale' is quite a treat- lots of natural, jazzy sounds).

Emerson Lake and Palmer- S/T -the Pink Island press is amazing sound. The Cotillon press is a distant 2nd.

The Wand of Youth, EMI ASD 2356 A demonstration of depth.

The best sounding Pink Floyd ever is actually a bootleg, issued under the name The Pink Screaming Abdabs (an alternate name PF used in the old days), 'The BBC Sessions', recorded before a Decca stereo tree with no overdubs or extra anything. Amazing.

Vangelis: 1492 Soundtrack (LP-rare!). Side 2 contains his best work ever.

Mike Oldfield: Songs of Distant Earth (LP-rare-1994) By far Mike Oldfield's best work.
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