albums that *sound* great

[earl grey]

as inspired by jesper!

two immediately come to mind for me:

the cowboy junkies - the trinity session
mia doi todd - come out of your mine

each recorded in a church w/ limited equipment, i believe, and they both sound it. the really open, kinda echoey sound is a huge part of each album's appeal IMO.

i also really love the hazy sound of spiritualized's 'lazer guided melodies.' (but i adore pretty much everything about that record, so nothing new there...)

[Paul]

Def Leppard's Hysteria.

Lock thread.

[Patrick]

Funny, Paul.

AC/DC - Back In Black (vinyl, 1st pressing with the silver/black labels)
James Gang - Rides Again
Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle

Patrick

[Futureman]

Funny, Paul.

AC/DC - Back In Black (vinyl, 1st pressing with the silver/black labels)


I had that LP; but I was one of those idiots that got rid of my turntable and replaced all my vinyls at the advent of the CD. Seeing a post like this makes me want to beat my head with a 2x4.

[Paul]

Funny, Paul. The "lock thead" part was a joke. The Hysteria part wasn't...at all!

[tinobeat]

production-wise, some of my favorites off the top of my head (I don't have the Amory Ear, or the stereo equipment for that matter, to *quite* discern pressings and whatnot, its about the recording, not pressing/sound in this list for me...):

Beatles - Abbey Road
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Safe as Milk
Guided By Voices - Under the Bushes, Under the Stars
Deerhoof - Apple O'
13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere


I'll add as I think of more

[Lukas]

Broadcast - Ha Ha Sounds [some of it was recorded in a church]
Animal Collective - Feels
Euros Childs - Chops
Ladybug Transistor - Argyle Heir

...and my favorite sounding album is a toss up with Nick Drake's Bryter Layter, which is just so easy going yet intricate, and to second Patrick's choice of Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief, which captures Sandy Denny's vocals so beautifully, as well as the fiddle and guitar work on the album.

[earl grey]

Broadcast - Ha Ha Sound

'ha ha sound' is a good call, though my biggest gripe about that album is that it sometimes feels more about the sound than the songs. all of broadcast's LP's sound pretty great though.

i'd put 'and then nothing turned itself inside-out' on my list as well.

[the Pawnbroker]

production-wise, some of my favorites off the top of my head (I don't have the Amory Ear, or the stereo equipment for that matter, to *quite* discern pressings and whatnot, its about the recording, not pressing/sound in this list for me...):

Guided By Voices - Under the Bushes, Under the Stars
13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere


I'll add as I think of more

No offense tino, but those are about two of the last albums I would nominate for sound. Two of my favorites, but it is in spite of (or because of) the "poor" sound.

I would nominate the following Matador albums:

Cat Power -- The Greatest
Yo La Tengo -- And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
Belle & Sebastian -- The Life Pursuit

On the other hand, although Steely Dan is a band that is viewed as having tremendous sound, I could never stand the production values.

[dola]

i like how unknown pleasures and in utero were produced and engineered, respectively.

[tinobeat]

No offense tino, but those are about two of the last albums I would nominate for sound. Two of my favorites, but it is in spite of (or because of) the "poor" sound.

I guess we'll agree to disagree! UTBUTS has a big range of production styles, what with it coming from a few different recording sources, but whoever mastered it is a hero among men, really bringing the whole thing together and making all of it sound so good (in its idiosyncratic way)

Easter Everywhere just shows that psychedelic rock sounded better when people didn't know how to record it right. My biggest complaint with modern recording is that people have gotten too good at recording drums, and too good at separating out all the pieces. It might have "poor" sound, but to my ears it has entirely "appropriate" sound, and I think more modern bands could stand to learn from it. Greg Ashley solved the puzzle to a certain degree with his recordings of the Gris Gris, Brian Glaze, and The Time Flys. They're not "lo-fi" as much as they forsake sonic accuracy for capturing a larger vibe.

[Dean]

Todd Rundgren-Something/Anything
Brightblack Morning Light--is the best sounding record I've heard in years
Neil Young-Zuma
Bob Dylan-Highway 61 Revisited
Pretty much any jazz record from about 1963-1968 or so.
Smog-Rain on Lens
Unlike some people around here, I really like how a couple Steely Dan records sound, especially Pretzel Logic, but on the other end of things I absolutely love how the Times New Viking record sounds.
Joel R. L. Phelps & The Downer Trio-Blackbird

[9000]

I would nominate the following Matador albums:


jsbx - orange

[Moon Pix]

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Safe as Milk

Id have to second that, Ive always found it to be a very full sounding record.

As for Chan's records Id have to say that the best sounding one to my ears would be Moon Pix. I don't know the whys and whats about why all the instruments sound so clear and distinct but Id like to understand why. Wasnt there so much reverb on that album or something or was it just all in the mastering? I honestly don't think she's been recorded so well before or since.

[Funk]

Id have to second that, Ive always found (Safe As Milk) to be a very full sounding record.

You and Tino have obviously never heard the original CD release of this album, or you'd never think so highly of its sound. Lucky you. It may be one of the worst digital transfer jobs ever. It makes them early Columbia discs sound like the greatest audiophile recordings.

Because I've now got Beefheart on my mind and can't think of any record's sound right now, I'll say Trout Mask Replica solely on the basis of all the different recording styles used on the album. Studio, hand held tape recorders, taped phonecalls, field recordings, they're all there.

[Moon Pix]

You and Tino have obviously never heard the original CD release of this album, or you'd never think so highly of its sound. Lucky you. It may be one of the worst digital transfer jobs ever. It makes them early Columbia discs sound like the greatest audiophile recordings.


What was so bad about it?

[Moon Pix]

Im just waiting for somebody to take the piss by posting something by GG Allin or Black Flag. :lol:

That Damaged CD on SST is one of the worst mixing jobs Ive ever heard. The drums practically diappear whenever Greg comes in.

[tinobeat]

You and Tino have obviously never heard the original CD release of this album, or you'd never think so highly of its sound. Lucky you. It may be one of the worst digital transfer jobs ever. It makes them early Columbia discs sound like the greatest audiophile recordings.

I'll happily say that no, I haven't heard it that way!

Moon Pix, early CD transfers, made in the 80's and even into the early 90's could sometimes be very dodgy propositions. Technology wasn't where it is now, and people didn't understand the different dynamics that compact discs had versus vinyl, and so certain albums (Sonic Youth's "Sister", Stooges "Fun House", etc. are notorious, apparently "Safe as Milk" too...) sound like absolute butt on CD. Drums sound flat, everything sounds thin, and all the dynamics of the vinyl pressing are gone. You don't even need audiophile ears to hear these differences.

Luckily, CD mastering has come very far. There's a reason Neil Young only finally agreed to have "On The Beach" released on CD in the last few years. I guess the original vinyl>CD conversion sounded horrible to his ears and he wouldn't allow them to go through with it..

[Moon Pix]

Talking about all this, does anybody know what those Beefheart reissues that came out last year are like?

I want to get one but since reading all this stuff about loudness wars Im worried about wasting the benjamins.

[tinobeat]

They probably sound pretty damn good. This "Loudness Wars" business, if I'm not wrong, tends towards new releases, and especially new releases that are meant to get radio play or be popular. With reissue work, the people in charge tend to be more delicate, as there's a precedent to meet. They want to restore the glory of the record onto CD, not make something that's gonna sound loudest next to the other hit singles on the radio.

The new Stooges reissues, for example, finally righted the wrongs of the original CD releases.

Its more for something like the new Fall Out Boy or something like that. Quality of music aside, its probably going to be compressed within an inch of its life so that it "pops" on the radio. The Flaming Lips, being in the hands of a company that, while respecting their creativity and giving them total creative control, probably still takes the mastering into their own hands.

[Moon Pix]

Thamks Tino, I knew I could really on you when it comes to audiophile stuff.

We get none of this in the Cat Power forum you know.

[tinobeat]

Thamks Tino, I knew I could really on you when it comes to audiophile stuff.

Haha, well, first off, compared to people like Patrick or Elijah, I might as well be deaf. My ears aren't nearly as tuned to that level of stuff. This is just the kiddie pool of audio talk we're wading in...


We get none of this in the Cat Power forum you know.

you're kidding me!

[Moon Pix]

you're kidding me!

Between obsession and sychophancy we barely get to even speak.

Im a massive massive massive fan but weirdos do find their way there and I like a safe haven where I can talk about the world beyongd Chan.

[the Pawnbroker]

so certain albums (Sonic Youth's "Sister", Stooges "Fun House", etc. are notorious, apparently "Safe as Milk" too...) sound like absolute butt on CD. Drums sound flat, everything sounds thin, and all the dynamics of the vinyl pressing are gone. You don't even need audiophile ears to hear these differences.

I would say one of the best examples of this is the first CD releases of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Lifeless, with almost non-existent bass. The remasters are better, but I'm holding out for the 200gm vinyl versions.

[bobbydj]

I guess the original vinyl>CD conversion sounded horrible to his ears and he wouldn't allow them to go through with it..

More likely, it was 1/4" master tape to cd.

[tinobeat]

More likely, it was 1/4" master tape to cd.

well, yeah, obviously.

Although apparently one of the CD versions of the first Silver Apples album was actually mastered to CD from a sealed, never before played copy of the LP, because the master tapes were missing, or something like that...

[Miss Tasty Princess]

well, yeah, obviously.

Although apparently one of the CD versions of the first Silver Apples album was actually mastered to CD from a sealed, never before played copy of the LP, because the master tapes were missing, or something like that...Well, there have been three versions of that on CD. The first was bootlegged by some place in Germany, I think. Next, the band themselves booted it then, finally, a legit reissue of both albums was done on one CD by MCA and it sounds mighty fine to my ears. I never heard the two booted CD versions, though, so I can't compare fairly. Plus, my copy of the original pressing of the first album is a bit crackly though I was lucky enough to score a fairly clean copy of Contact. Not that I can complain, really. IIRC, I paid $4.95 for the eponymous one sometime around 1985 or '86 and I'm pretty sure less than $10 for Contact a coupla years later.

[jef]

Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes

[Lukas]

Brightblack Morning Light--is the best sounding record I've heard in years


I would have said that, but I've begun to dislike it recently from over-listening.

[johansen smith]

M Ward Transfiguration of Vincent
Songs: Ohia Ghost Tropic-- played this on my new stereo last fall and nearly fainted at how crisp and vibrant it sounded

[earl grey]

I would have said that, but I've begun to dislike it recently from over-listening.

yeah, i hit the BBML album a little too hard over the summer and also burned out on it. but it still sounds great - i put it on every once in a while.

('ala.cali.tucky' might be my favorite brightblack record though.)

[Elijah]

Compared to people like Patrick or Elijah...Really?
...

[tinobeat]

well, you have discussed the merits of various mp3 encoding techniques (LAME vs. not, etc.) that I can essentially tell no difference between. Lower than 192K I can tell, but once its higher than that, I dunno.

I also remember you talking about some serious eary stuff, w/r/t the mix CDs if I recall. I could be crazy, though...

[Elijah]

well, you have discussed the merits of various mp3 encoding techniques (LAME vs. not, etc.) that I can essentially tell no difference between. Lower than 192K I can tell, but once its higher than that, I dunno.

I also remember you talking about some serious eary stuff, w/r/t the mix CDs if I recall. I could be crazy, though...Yeah, I know. It just sounded funny to me... while I can be anal about certain things, I've never considered myself an audiofile.

[clell tickle]

I heard through someone at Pitchfork that McEntire just recorded ilad back in December. I'm told that there is minimum tracking involved, which is different from how I understand McEntire to have worked in the past.

Either way, I can imagine that record is going to sound NICE.

[Lukas]

what are the merits of using LAME over the iTunes MP3 converter? I ripp all my cds to 320 using the iTunes converter, and it sounds somewhat close to the quality presented on the cd.

[johansen smith]

you are wasting space Lukas. I rip on iTunes at VBR 192-320 (ends up about 221 or so) and it sounds as good with less weight

[Lukas]

there must be some difference going from 221 to 320. I'm trying to get as close to loseless as possible using mp3 technology.

[Paul]

Don't be a lossless nerd. Unless you don't care if you never get laid or whatever.

[Patrick]

I'm far from a digital maven but the word on the audiophile boards is that EAC and LAME (at about 256) are the way to go if you need to stay MP3 (and have relatively workable file sizes). If you can handle larger files and slower rip times, the word is to go with FLAC (or Apple lossless).

Patrick

[Lukas]

My issue is that I don't have the space. I'm gonna try LAME to see there is a notable difference.

[Paul]

I encode everything I rip in LAME, but EAC takes about three times as long to rip cds as other reliable programs do. FLAC and other lossless formats are for the nerdiest of nerds and come out of the same asshole tradition the was always brewing in the live tape trading communities.

[Paul]

My issue is that I don't have the space. I'm gonna try LAME to see there is a notable difference. iTunes rips/M4A actually take up less room than mp3s because the compression is a tighter algorithm. However, M4A are totally Apple's proprietary baby and aren't really the norm for a lot of portable players that aren't iPods.

[Elijah]

iTunes rips/M4A actually take up less room than mp3s because the compression is a tighter algorithm. However, M4A are totally Apple's proprietary baby and aren't really the norm for a lot of portable players that aren't iPods.I've also ripped a few CDs in M4A (The Magnetic Fields' I, for one), to find that the resulting files contained distortion that wasn't on the original CD. When I ripped the CD again in LAME MP3, no distortion.

[Lukas]

I can't use M4A files, because I use a Creative Zen Vision M, which btw has such a better battery life and sound compared to an iPod.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

I had a couple of friends admit to me many years ago that they sometimes were attracted more to the production than the music on records. This would explain why one of them loved the INXS album Kick so fucking much. I heard it probably at least a couple dozen times that Christmas season, since I was working in a record store, yet I still could never remember what a single song sounded like as soon as it ended. That production, though, top notch! :rolleyes:

[bobbydj]

well, yeah, obviously.

Although apparently one of the CD versions of the first Silver Apples album was actually mastered to CD from a sealed, never before played copy of the LP, because the master tapes were missing, or something like that...

Yeah - I can totally believe that. Matter of fact, all the first cd releases of the Fall LPs (or the first 10 or more, i.e.) were mastered from vinyl.

It's mad really. And sad that the band or the label doesn't look after the master tapes properly. Although I think eventually the Castle label did do a proper job of the fall stuff and use the 1/4" tape not vinyl.

[Fiona]

Spiritualized - Pure Phase and Ladies and Gentlemen...
Lazer Guided Melodies has its moments (I'm thinking of "Take Your Time" and "Shine A Light" in particular), but sounds a bit thin at times. Pure Phase and Ladies and Gentlemen on the other hand sound amazing from start to finish, in every sense.

[redsox1207]

Funny, Paul.

AC/DC - Back In Black (vinyl, 1st pressing with the silver/black labels)
James Gang - Rides Again
Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle

Patrick

Just got a copy of Back in Black in a used record store last week. Sounds amazing.

[Moon Pix]

U2 - The Joshua Tree.

[Lukas]

dr. dog - we all belong - that 2" tape really does wonders.

[vesper]

fleetwood mac's tusk is one of the best-sounding records i've heard in quite awhile. at least the best i've heard since talk talk's spirit of eden and laughing stock.

[Paul]

fleetwood mac's tusk is one of the best-sounding records i've heard in quite awhile. Ain't that the truth. If you get a chance, pick up the remastered/expanded edition of Rumours too. It sounds like they're playing in your living room.

[Joel]

Almost a year after it was released, I still have not grown tired of the Brightblack Morning Light record. Sounds so good, especially loud so you can hear all the great details.

Also, it's almost 4:20, bros.

[lesleym]

fleetwood mac's tusk is one of the best-sounding records i've heard in quite awhile. at least the best i've heard since talk talk's spirit of eden and laughing stock.

when i saw this thread, these were all going to be my answer

[Moon Pix]

The Kills - Keep On Your Mean Side --- Has one of my favourite guitar sounds on it.

[.:.impossible]

Oddly enough, no mention of Pet Sounds or various other Beach Boys productions during that era. Production techniques that have since become classic and standard in some circles. Listen to the new Panda Bear for instance. Lots of production influence there, with no mention of the melodic influence.

I will also agree that the Brightback disc on Matador has impeccable sound. I didn't flip over the music the same way most everyone else did. Its cool, it is what it is, and it stays that way for the duration of the album, almost to a fault, but they do what they do well. I would have a hard time discerning one song from the other.

Almost everything on Erstwhile sounds un-fucking-believable at any volume.

Bill Evans Trio Sunday At The Village Vanguard SACD (CD layer) sounds gorgeous, as does the Columbia Millenium Edition of Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser. The first time you hear Charlie Rouse on that album, he just comes bursting right out of that speaker.

Larry Young Unity is a great sounding remaster as well. Big b-3 sound.

Most everything I have heard with Tchad Blake associated with it sounds fantastic to my ears, as do the Daniel Lanois produced sessions.

Shit, that new Deerhoof album is a series of good sounds.

Anyone heard the Exploding Star Orchestra release on Thrill? Pretty amazing sound on that one too. Complex blend of timbre (catch-all).

Then there's classical music...

[vesper]

Anyone heard the Exploding Star Orchestra release on Thrill? Pretty amazing sound on that one too. Complex blend of timbre (catch-all).

ah, yes you are right. i should pull this out again, i forgot that it does sound pretty great (and, hey, the songs are pretty awesome too!)

i anticipate that the new bjork album will make it on this thread, but who knows, maybe it won't. i'm just guessing based on what i know about her collaborators.

listing ambient albums is probably cheating, right? whatever. stars of the lid's and their refinement of the decline is totally engaging primarily because it is mixed so well, which in some sense makes it unqualified for the "ambient" tag.

[.:.impossible]

yeah, the sound really compliments the music nicely. Say what you will about McEntire, but he has become a hell of an engineer.

I don't think of Erstwhile as ambient, but some might because of , so no, I wouldn't say that listing ambient is cheating.

Listing King Tubby Dub Like Dirt, on the other hand, would be.

[jef]

Yeah pretty much every Beach Boys album from Today to Holland sounded great...

[Lukas]

I will also agree that the Brightback disc on Matador has impeccable sound. I didn't flip over the music the same way most everyone else did. Its cool, it is what it is, and it stays that way for the duration of the album, almost to a fault, but they do what they do well. I would have a hard time discerning one song from the other.


The same producer and studio is being used for the new Jicks album - I have extremely high expectations. :)

[Patrick]

re: Malkmus. I heard one song yesterday. It was great, featuring an extended guitar solo. And yes, the sound was fantastic.

latest on this album though - it's gonna be '08.

Patrick

[otto midnight]

on my turntable right now- shoes "black vinyl shoes". hard to believe this was recorded at home. it's so fucking good.

[Lukas]

re: Malkmus. I heard one song yesterday. It was great, featuring an extended guitar solo. And yes, the sound was fantastic.

latest on this album though - it's gonna be '08.

Patrick

sweet! I expected the last ablum to be really straight rock, seeing as how he mentioned during the interviews leading up to Face The Truth that it was going to be a real epic. I guess this album is going to be the straight-up kick ass rock album that I knew her was going to turn out someday.

[.:.impossible]

That is great news. I will look forward to that one. I think the last Malkmus I bought was Pig Lib. How's the next one?

The same producer and studio is being used for the new Jicks album - I have extremely high expectations. :)

[Miss Tasty Princess]

That is great news. I will look forward to that one. I think the last Malkmus I bought was Pig Lib. How's the next one?Just a few shades shy of being the equal of PL (i.e., excellent but ever so slightly less excellent)

[Lukas]

Just a few shades shy of being the equal of PL (i.e., excellent but ever so slightly less excellent)
Agreed, Face The Truth feels more like a collection of songs rather than a proper album. Most of the songs are amazing, but they don't hold together as well as the songs on Pig Lib.

[Salman]

I always thought Bitter Tea by the Fiery Furnaces sounded incredibly good. It sounds really clear and vibrant to me.

[tinobeat]

The production on that record (and similarly, the two Matthew Friedberger solo records) is SO weird.. I really love it, though!

[the Pawnbroker]

I'm realizing that there are sooo many factors that go into how the album sounds: production, mastering, your own system.

I've been kinda freaked out by articles I've recently read about the RVG remastered Blue Note albums. Basically, RVG is 80+, and he is remastering for people with 80+ ears. Scary.

[Patrick]

Rudy Van Gelder is still alive? :eek:

[.:.impossible]

Rudy Van Gelder is still alive? :eek:

Yeah dude. Still alive and at work. Blue Note has a very active reissues program considering the current state of EMI.

I wouldn't be freaked by what you read. Use your own ears instead of reading about someone else's. I think most of the RVG series sounds great.

Yeah, its true that your ears lose the ability to detect high frequencies around 20 years old, and your range continues to lessen as you age. Really, your ears are at their best as a teenager. Right around the time you start to aggressively attack them at high volumes with poorly recorded sound!

[Futureman]

This thread is worth reviving....

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'<---a must have
Portishead - Dummy <---I've been spinning this non-stop for over a week.
Steely Dan - Aja
UFO - Strangers in the Night<---For you, Mr. HCI!

[larry]

cardinal