Can you point me to CDs with awesome stage?

Amused To Death is recorded with Q sound, a process designed to expand the soundstage. The only cd I know of is with Q sound is "The Soul Cages" by Sting. There are threads here with lists of recordings made with this process.

As Timrhu points out, the Qsound recordings are rather unique. If you are looking for conventionally mixed music with amazing soundstage; Tom Waits "Swordfishtrombone", Trio Chemirani "Qalam Kar", The Beatles "Love", Cowboy Junkies "The Trinity Session" (more a spatial sense then a dynamic sense). These won't approach the surround-sound novelty of the digitally processed Qsound(see the link for a small list of other Qsound recordings), but they do offer a more conventional spatial WOW factor. Whether or not you enjoy the music is another story altogether. I happen to enjoy all of those I listed very much.

If you want a vista of space that contains an entire UNIVERSE of sound, dump this tin horn rock-pop crap and get Luigi Nono's "como una ola de fuerza y luz". This is one of the most explosive, unique, and wierdest pieces of music in existence.

My default choice for staging shenenigans is:

"Space Age Bachelor Pad Music" by Esquivel.

Now, be warned that no one will confuse this with Mozart, but the special effects are undeniable.

One other interesting choice is Lindsey Buckingham's "Under The Skin". This is about the polar oppposite of "Bachelor Pad" The songwriting is terrific (as is the playing). The staging is much subtler, but the tracks "Show You How" and "It Was You" feaure multiple vocal parts - each of which is captured with unusual ambience. It's a manufactured effect, and not purist audiophile by any means, but really striking with the right system.

Marty