Nothing better than listening to a fantastic recording. What are some of the best sounding records you have heard?
Must admit I have a lot of 12" singles from the 80's which sound amazing, and of course because they are often only several minutes long the dynamics can be staggering.
[Couldn't agree more, but I'll throw a few others in
1, Famous Blue Raincoat by Jennifer Warnes
2, AJA by Steely Dan (both original and new 180g release)
3, Ricki Lee Jones, album of the same name also recently rereleased if you cant get hold of a good original.
4, Kings Record shop by Rosanne Cash
I could go on but obviously musical taste comes into the equation so let us know what you like and we can all point you in the right direction
I have the Steely Dan Aja album too (the new 180g release), it is very good and let's face it some of the best music you will find. I have both the Jennifer Warnes and the Rickie Lee Jones one's too but on cd, love the music so I will look out for those on on vinyl.
There is an album by David Sanborn & Bob James called Double Vision which is fantastic on vinyl (cd very disappointing in comparism) The same can be said for the Nightfly album by Donald Fagen, even my other half can hear how superior they sound on vinyl!! Also check out an album by Stanley Clarke called Hideaway which is both musically and sonically superb.
There are lots, but here are a few....
Band on the run - Paul McCartney & Wings (Practical Hi-Fi Nimbus pressing)
Love over Gold - Dire Straits
Hot august Night - Neil Diamond (Mobile Fidelity)
Jagged little pill - Alanis Morrisette
Beauty - Ryuchi Sakamoto (Some amazing slam & dynamics)
Best sounding record? The Sheffield Drum Record!
The difference between the vinyl version of famous Blue raincoat and the original CD is like chalk and cheese, infact I would go as far as to say that in my experience it's the widest I've ever come across.
Another top tip vinyl wise is an album on the Sheffield Lab label called I've got the music in me by Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker.
It's a direst to disc cut, long long out of print but well worth seeking out, ebay etc although it seems pretty easy to pick up in the USA if you ever travel or happen to live there.
I bought a copy from my Hi-Fi dealer in 1978 for what was then a massive amount of money and I still play it regularly, over the years I've bought about 6 copies when in the states just for friends who are blown away by the sound quality, dynamics being the most impressive. I think I'm right in saying that it's the biggest selling direct to disc album ever.
I can't recommend this record highly enough, a brilliant recording, fantastic choice of tracks and truly outstanding musicianship. a real A***** recording.
Let me know if you get a copy
I always used to discover a couple of LPs or 45s that were super impressive, but after an upgrade, they wouldn't be quite as stunning and something else would take their place. As my system has got msucally better, I notice less and less 'impressive' recordings, but notice the music more over hi-fi. I'm now more impressed by LPs that are particularly tuneful and just sound 'right' somehow. And in that way, I also enjoy the previously mentioned Ricki Lee Jones debut LP very much - the music has a lovely natural and flowing quality.
I also enjoy '461 Ocean Boulevard' by Eric Clapton and the first couple of Paul Simon LPs - 'Paul Simon' and 'There Goes Rymin Simon'. 'Tapestry' by Carol King is also quite nice I think. No doubt there are loads I have forgotten, but these spring to mind. Oh, and 'Hungry Heart' from 'The River' LP always strikes me with its flowing piano driving the song forward - great stuff!
Talking of Steely Dan, I've an original of 'Pretzel Logic' which is very tuneful and musical, but I'm not so keen of the Cisco reissue of Aja which sounds a bit clinical to me - although I don't have the original, so maybe that's just down to the recording.
Must admit I have a lot of 12" singles from the 80's which sound amazing
Yes, I agree - great dynamic range. If you want deep electronic bass then the 12" of 'Relax' is always a good one. 12" of 'She Sells Santuary' by The Cult and 'Waterfront' by Simple Minds also sound great on an LP12, but that's the music from when I was a teenager, so maybe I'm just biased.
I always thought that most music from the 80's sounded very bad.... for a few reasons.....
A) Most bands got onto the electronic band wagon using synthesized drums & electronic piano. Hardly a natural instrument in sight.
B) The birth of digital recording took place & therefore was in it's infancy.
C) The recording engineers had no or little experience of how to utilise the digital technology.
The Sweet Freedom 12" from Michael MacDonald was awesome. As was Level 42's "Something About You" remix on the 12".
A few other great 12" singles include:
1. Paul Hardcastle - 19, my copy is amazing, and even after all these years is totally free of surface noise and scratches, if only all records were made like this.
2. China Crisis - Best Kept Secret
3. Grace Jones - Slave to the rhythm
4. Heaven 17 - Sunset now, a very bright recording but the amazing Linn drum intro will give your system a great workout.