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Best Recordings on CD?

N

ninetynine

Active Member
What are some of the best recordings ( audio quality wise ) that are on CD? I've recently come accross Muddy Waters' - folk singer album which sounds just phenomenal. Another similar album like folk singer is "blues singer" from Buddy Guy which is also acoustic, his voice on that recording blew me away!!
Other's that I can think of are
Depeche Mode - violator
and
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco De Lucia - friday night in San Fransico

lets hear about more!
 
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If you like jazz you could try

Here's To Ben -- Jacintha -- Groove Note GRV1001-2

It was recorded direct to 2 tracks. There is no Eq'ing, overdubbing or studio sweetening. It sounds like real musicians playing in a large room behind your speakers. She can sing quite well. :smoke:
 
The recent remasters from Peter Gabriel have some of the blackest backgrounds I've ever heard. Ditto the recent Rupert Hine/Thinkman remasters.
 
i personally can recommend ANY Mobile Fidelity release...24K gold or otherwise. these are usually top notch half-speed remasters. Any Steve Hoffman is worth picking up and he did lots of good stuff on the DCC label. I was also surprised by the commercial release of A Decade Of Steely Dan, which actually had some top-notch mastering. Those are in addition to my own 24-bit vinyl transfers.
 
One of my favorite demo's is Lyle Lovette - Pontiac. It's a full Digital recording with a low noise floor. It just sounds dang good and the songs are kind of cool. I have a few others of his recordings as well. Kind of an interesting character but has some listenable music. And that coming from someone who grew up in the late 70's and early 80's and loves hair band rock and the "heavy metal" of those days! haha. I've come a long way thru the years!
 
Pontiac is a good digital...but it's not something I'd use to benchmark full digital recording..and saying it has low noise floor is like saying all analog tape has extremely high noise floor...it's DIGITAL...the only noise you'll get is from the ADC and mic pre-amps...I'm not knocking your choice, but, i'm just saying...digital in and of itself has a low floor at 16 bits...but I mean...personally..I'm an analog guy who only uses digital because it's wedged itself in to the mainstream world and my studio.
 
I'm with you, Dew. I just like it as far as a CD goes and it was one of the choices we used to use in the early 90's for demo-ing equipment at a shop I was at in Tulsa. Plus, it turned me on th Lyle's music. I know there is quieter stuff out there (which I own) but it's one of my favorites that I know how it sounds. I have quite a few Chesky and Telarc CD's and/or SACD's that I like listening to on my living room system. And I do like vinyl myself having about 600 albums or so.
 
ninetynine said:
What are some of the best recordings ( audio quality wise ) that are on CD? I've recently come accross Muddy Waters' - folk singer album which sounds just phenomenal. Another similar album like folk singer is "blues singer" from Buddy Guy which is also acoustic, his voice on that recording blew me away!!
Other's that I can think of are
Depeche Mode - violator
and
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco De Lucia - friday night in San Fransico

lets hear about more!
Click to expand...

You've stumbled upon a Steve Hoffman Mastered CD with that Muddy Waters Folk Singer disc. He may be uncredited on that one but it's in his discography. He worked on more than just the DCC label CDs (see stevehoffman.tv ) All his masterings are superb and many are still available cheap. Try The Mamas and The Papas 16 Greatest Hits cd. Stunning sonics. Still available on Amazon for pennies:
http://www.amazon.com/Mamas-Papas-1...ef=sr_1_1/002-2839680-2402406?ie=UTF8&s=music

Definitely pick this up (and the others in the series. Not vol.1 with the guitar cover, that's not Steve's):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000019K/ref=m_art_li_1/002-2839680-2402406

His Night Move series cds can be had cheap:
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Moves-(Series)/artist/B000APV9UA/002-2839680-2402406
I made a good compilation cd out of them Also good for making a compilation disc are his Rock The First series (cheap!):

http://www.amazon.com/Rock-The-First-(Series)/artist/B000APW6UC/002-2839680-2402406

Some Blues?:
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Blues-Br...f=sr_1_72/002-2839680-2402406?ie=UTF8&s=music

http://www.amazon.com/Jaunita-Hall-...f=sr_1_58/002-2839680-2402406?ie=UTF8&s=music

Ray Charles:
http://www.amazon.com/Ray-Charles-G...f=sr_1_61/002-2839680-2402406?ie=UTF8&s=music

Toga Rock:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000000197/ref=m_art_li_1/002-2839680-2402406

I ignored the review on this one, the sound is fantastic. I highly reccomend it:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Tragedy-...=sr_1_119/002-2839680-2402406?ie=UTF8&s=music
I love the song "Last Kiss"

And on and on... good source material to make your system sound it's best
 
Any of the CDs I have by Diana Krall...very well recorded...Hell Freezes Over Tour CD Eagles...Any Cowboy Junkies CDs...
Bill
 
Shpongle - Tales of the inexspressable. There so much going on this recording,it brings out the best in any system.
John Renbourn-Travelers Prayer. John is a renowned acoustical guitar player. Most his work is old English music. For those who like acoustic instruments it's a great sounding disc.Exstrodinarily clean.
Mallidoria-Auga de Maio.This group from the North Coastal of Spain is a unique style of Spanish music.This area had the influence of Scottish music as well. Rich music that comes naturaly.
Juno Reactor-Shango, Fast and Furious, clean and powerful. A great sounding CD
As I am a rocker by heart, wish any of my rock library could measure up to those above.
 
I have 2 mannheim steamroller christmas album from the 80's that sound really good. :music:

Many of the classic rock cd's that i have that i like so much sound really bad though. :sigh:
 
theblackknight said:
I have 2 mannheim steamroller christmas album from the 80's that sound really good. :music:

Many of the classic rock cd's that i have that i like so much sound really bad though. :sigh:
Click to expand...

Manhhheim Steamroller ,l've been trying to convince myself to buy their latest DVD-A release.Never known them to not put out good clean sounding recordings. It was their albums back in the 70's that I used to audition speakers.
 
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