Ear Candy: Most startling recordings.

good topic, but i hope we can get more obscure stuff (like "dirt track date"- gotta get that one). Here's an eclectic sampling of my faves: kraftwerk: "numbers", track 3 from "computer world" stravinsky: "histoire du soldat" chesky cd122- the whole thing dead can dance: "yulanga" , track 1 from "into the labyrinth" chris rea: "the road to hell" , parts 1&2 phish: "rife" , tracks 3&4 james taylor: "gaia" , track 4 from "hourglass" frank zappa: "jewish princess", rhino 10577, "have i offended someone?" , track 14 eels: "susan's house" , radio records (nl) , "meter sessies, vol. 7" (may be available elsewhere-haven't looked but it's a real find) keep 'em comin'. i like these pieces of earcandy.

Startling? King Crimson's "Lark's Tongues in Aspic", Liquid Tension Experiment's "Vol. 1", Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music", Wendy Carlos' "Beauty in the Beast" & "Tales of Heaven and Hell".

Tracks #7 and #12 of Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On a Gravel Road"-- this is an HDCD recording though, and I don't know how important that is on non-HDCC players-- the rest of the CD is darn good too. I also agree with Treyhoss re: all of the Enigma CDs. Cheers. Craig.

The group Coil is famous for their spatial recordings, they use a process called Sidereal Sound, some of the sounds will literally sound like they are happening at the back of the room, it is espetially evident on their Solstice series of EPs. Another master of this is Robert Rich his recording with Alio Die called Fissures is amazing.

Bob Dylan "Time out of Mind" is good and strange - extremely closed mike vocals and lots of fuzz box and pedal guitars all over the soundstage. Fiona Apple's latest is weird too, alot of weird stuff - listen to that one in the dark!