Best sounding albums in your collection . .

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #40 on:** 13 Dec 2014, 12:04 am »

Quote from: rofo on 4 Dec 2014, 06:42 pm

I'll second the FM album. It is one of my all time favourites.

and I'll add.

Rough Trade Live! Direct to Disc
Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker ‎– I've Got The Music In Me (direct to disc)
Rob McConnell And The Boss Brass ‎– Big Band Jazz (direct to disc)

At the time this was one of the best live recordings.
The Tubes - What Do You Want from Live

I have a DTD Rough Trade one, too

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #41 on:** 6 Mar 2015, 03:16 pm »

WGH- Hi,

I'll see your Mehta "The Planets" and raise you Previn conducting same with the LSO on EMI (least I think I have that right cause it's misfiled so that's from memory);
Rendezvous- Richard Beirach, piano, and George Mraz, bass, on the IPI label. This duo and sound are to die for and I'm so glad to have it;
Howard Hanson's Sym no. 2 and Lament for Beowolf with the composer conducting the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra and Chorus (Mercury)*;
If Only I Could Remember My Name- David Crosby with members of Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Dead and Jefferson Airplane and Joni Mitchell for great sound and end of the 60's sentimentality;
Jazz at Longwharf- Mark Levinson on bass with brother Doug on piano in a trio on ML's label;
Tailspinnin (Columbia)- Early Weather Report and unsurpassed.
Old Time Feeling- Sheila Jordan/Harvie Swartz Duo (PAI). You just wouldn't believe two people could make this much music. Terrific sound, too.

*a brooding massive work for chorus and orchestra

.

Devil Doc · « **Reply #42 on:** 6 Mar 2015, 04:26 pm »

My best sounding records are my small collection of RCA "Shaded Dogs" that I spent peanuts on when my local NPR station switched to CDs. Alas, I almost never play them, unless I want to show off my system. I'm not that much of a Classical music fan.

Doc

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #43 on:** 8 Mar 2015, 03:31 am »

Quote from: BobM on 4 Dec 2014, 02:10 pm

Rock
Bridge of Sighs original was good, but the Friday Music re-release is better.
Alan Parsons - I Robot, Edgar Allen Poe, Turn of a Friendly Card
Cat Stevens - all of them + the re-releases
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Couldn't Stand the Weather
Dire Straits - all of them
Ambrosia - 1st 2 albums
Moody Blues - everything up to Every Good Boy Deserves Favor
Santana - Abraxas, Moonflower (reissue)
Traffic - most of them
Van Morrison - Moondance
CSNY - So Far, CSN,
Simon & Garfunkel - all of them
Steely Dan - all of them
James Taylor - all of them
Robert Plant - Raising Sand
Pink Floyd - all of them
The Who - Who's Next
Joni Mitchell - all the early & mid-period ones

Jazz - there seems to be more consistently fine recordings in this category, almost all jazz from the 50's - 60's will sound damn good, just pick your guy and go with it
Oregon - all of them (Damn near everything on the ECM label sounds awesome)
Andreas Vollenweider - all of them
Eberhard Weber - all of them
Pat Metheny - all of them
Acoustic Alchemy - most of them
Count Basie - most of them, but especially 88 Basie Street
Oscar Peterson - anything on the Pablo label (most Pablo recordings are awesome)
Ray Charles - Ray Sings Basie Swings
The Rippingtons - consistently good "studio" sound
David Benoit - all of them
Lee Ritenour - all of them
Dave Gruisin - all of them (anything on the GRP label is good)
Getz/Gilberto - s/t
Chet Baker - most of them
Jimmy Smith - most of them

Blues
hell, they all seem to sound good

Maestro . . I share your enthusiasm for the ECM catalog. Love what the Europeans and Scandinavians were playing during this time period, the 80's.

brooklyn · « **Reply #44 on:** 8 Mar 2015, 07:20 am »

Fleetwood Mac Rumors 2LP 45 Speed

richard_crl032 · « **Reply #45 on:** 5 Apr 2015, 08:45 am »

For pure live recording and what dynamics entails especially to demo your vinyl playback and make it sound as good as it can get, it has to be the "Flamenco Fever" but it is USD500 a pop

Quite rare Japanese Drum Session from Philip especially the 45 rpm is also great at a more earthly cost but always love Way Out West's Cowhand track from Sonny Rollins !

Garbage in Garbage out and this is a great thread to share this wonderful hobby.

VinBob · « **Reply #46 on:** 15 Apr 2015, 02:05 am »

Quote from: hifi12002 on 27 Oct 2014, 01:42 am

Eric Clapton – Unplugged
Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense
10,000 Maniacs – In My Tribe
Sting – Nothing but the Sun

And not the best sounding album in my collection, but what I’m listening to now – Paul McCartney, Red Rose Speedway

+1 for Nothing Like The Sun!

wgallupe · « **Reply #47 on:** 25 Jun 2015, 12:24 pm »

Some of my favorites...

Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms (2 LP 33 RPM reissue), Love Over Gold (WEA reissue)

Supertramp: Brother Where you Bound

Heart: Dreamboat Annie (Nautilus half speed mastered), Dog & Butterfly

Kansas: Leftoverture

Jeff Beck: Blow by Blow

Alan Parsons: Eye in the Sky

Beatles: Love

Christine McVie: s/t

John Cougar: American Fool

Phil_S · « **Reply #48 on:** 25 Jun 2015, 01:04 pm »

Joni Mitchell - Court & Spark - White Label Promo - Flawless!

MIke2015 · « **Reply #49 on:** 13 Jul 2015, 09:38 pm »

David Crosby-If I Could Only Remember My Name-Probably one of the best recorded albums of the time period and genre.http://ecx.images-

toddc2 · « **Reply #50 on:** 30 Jul 2015, 11:58 am »

Jazz: Joe Sample/Ray Brown/Shelly Manne - The Three. This one puts the trio in your listening room, really exceptional.

SteveRB · « **Reply #51 on:** 30 Jul 2015, 04:50 pm »

This is the best hifi I've heard.

gene9p · « **Reply #52 on:** 23 Sep 2015, 02:03 pm »

Santana ........"Amigos"

jonoaustin · « **Reply #53 on:** 9 Oct 2015, 05:55 pm »

Quote from: Phil_S on 25 Jun 2015, 01:04 pm

Joni Mitchell - Court & Spark - White Label Promo - Flawless!

audio.bill · « **Reply #54 on:** 9 Oct 2015, 05:59 pm »

Quote from: toddc2 on 30 Jul 2015, 11:58 am

Jazz: Joe Sample/Ray Brown/Shelly Manne - The Three. This one puts the trio in your listening room, really exceptional.

+1 > Highly recommended if you can find a clean copy!!!

gene9p · « **Reply #55 on:** 14 Oct 2015, 01:46 pm »

an original pressing of "Bookends" by Simon and Garfunkel.

findog3103 · « **Reply #56 on:** 14 Oct 2015, 02:58 pm »

Though it is not my favorite album of all time, Michael Jackson's Thriller, original pressing, sounds amazing.

STEREOmole · « **Reply #57 on:** 30 Dec 2015, 07:29 am »

Quote from: Johlke on 4 Dec 2014, 03:11 am

My copy of Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" sounds tremendous.

Robin Trower records are a good example of vinyl vs CD w/ vinyl winning. I'm not sure what's up (deteriorated master tapes?) but my old Trower vinyl sounds much better, and more hi-res than the CD releases.

Stvr · « **Reply #58 on:** 7 Jan 2016, 03:30 am »

Allman Brothers Band Live at the Fillmore East.

md92468 · « **Reply #59 on:** 7 Jan 2016, 04:28 am »

ECM seems to consistently get most recordings right (some of the Tord Gustavsen and Dino Saluzzi recordings are particularly beautiful), as does Blue Coast (I especially love their Keith Greeninger stuff); Nonesuch is usually excellent as well (most Brad Mehldau recordings are very good, as is the recent Chris Thile / Edgar Meyer album Bass & Mandolin).

In jazz, Boom Jackie Boom Chick (Japanese pressing) by Paul Gonsalves is wonderful, as are the 45 rpm releases of Dear John C. (Elvin Jones) and Sachmo plays King Oliver (Armstrong). Another more recent discovery that I've been loving is a simple duet album by Houston Person and Ron Carter called Just Between Friends. Exquisite performance, wonderfully recorded.

In vocals, anything by Norah Jones, Lizz Wright, or Jack Johnson is generally pretty well done;

In rock, surprisingly, Nirvana Unplugged is quite well recorded;

In classical, one of my favorites is a Chandos recording of Vaughan Williams' Symphony #5, which also includes The Lark Ascending....beautiful piece, wonderfully recorded. Another great one is the recent Hybrid SACD recording of Beethoven's Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II by the San Francisco Symphony.