Best produced albums in your collection?

[gregvet]

One down side to having a higher quality HiFi system at long last is that some of the music I have so enjoyed listening to previously now sounds a little rubbish! A good example being early Blur, (lots of Indie actually!). Conversely I find myself listening to whole albums that I previously ignored if they are well produced, such as a couple of Tori Amos's more obscure works, and both Gorillaz albums.

Its a shame that more bands do not show more concern regarding the production values in their recorded work. I guess thats life though, and as long as it sounds good on the radio (or I suppose nowadays off the computer at 128 kbit) they will sell the record anyway. Shame for those of us who care about Hi Fidelity though!

I would love it if people could name the best produced albums in their collection, as I have been enjoying listening to all sorts on my setup, and would like to start buying artists/styles of music I have previously ignored if they are well produced. I would also like some classical suggestions, as I am a complete classical newbie and wouldnt know where to start, but would love to try.

Thanks in advance for our suggestions everyone.

ps setup referred to is the living room part of my sig ;-)

 

[Anonymous]

I have recently been reading / researching to see what is regarded as very good produced albums ... here are a few of my favourites (dont have all on cd, but these are all on spotify)

Eric Clapton - Unplugged

B B King - Blues on the Bayou

Leonard Cohen - 10 new songs

Beck - Sea Change

Bernard Reeb - Calligraphy

Brian Eno - Another Green World

Buena Vista Social club at Carnegie hall

Cassandra Wilson - A tribute to Joni Mitchell

Damien Rice - Live from Union Chapel

Diana Krall - Love Scenes

Diana Reeves - In The moment

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

Etta James - Blues to the Bone

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Frank Sinatra - Come Dance with me

George Winston - Plains

have loads more on my list, but hopefully you will find a few that you enjoy from the above list

 

[Big Chris]

Devin Townsend - Terria.

Opeth - Ghost Reveries.

Metallica - St Anger......... Not!

 

[the record spot]

The best thing I can add here is to point the OP (and anyone else who may be interested) towards the forum on renowned mastering engineer Steve Hoffman's site. That is a treasure trove waiting to be found. There's a ton of resource both in terms of the existing (and often lengthy) threads as well as knowledgeable people to be found there. You'll also find regular contributions to the forums from the occasional passing mastering engineer including Steve himself, the legendary Barry Diament, also Dennie Drake and occasionally, Zal Schreiber.

Many of these names may not mean a whole lot, but if you - to use Barry Diament as an example - own a few first edition CDs on the Atlantic label, so pre-remastered we're talking here, check out the booklet, Barry is often credited. He did the first runs of Led Zep discs, some Genesis, and a whole stack of others. Zal Schreiber did ELP's Tarkus album, a brilliant Drifters double disc compilation...the list goes on and on.

In short, the reason why a lot of discs sound rubbish these days is depresseingly because some producers and labels think we want it LOUD man. The reality is these guys I mention know more about dynamic range and fidelity to the recording in their little fingers than a whole bunch of the current crop will manage in their entire combined careers.

If you want an example to try out, get a hold of the latest Genesis remaster for A Trick of the Tail. Then get a hold of a first edition disc. I favour the US Atco version (either the one made in the US or the one made for the US Market in Japan - cat. no. is US Atco 38101-2) and compare. The 2007 remaster/remix is a botch job. Crushed by compression in a way the original disc isn't. Drums way too loud, cymbals ear splittingly sharp - awful. The Atco on the other hand was a revelation (ho ho, genesis to revelation...see what I did there?), a huge soundstage, depth, instruments sound real, there is colour and texture to the music.

Nick Davis (who did the 2007 remaster) (and is a good guy - see his work with XTC in the 90s for one thing) was pilloried for these. My gut feeling is the band had too big a hand on the tiller. Whatever. It's a fine example of how to get it right (and oh so wrong).

 

[Anonymous]

Floyd - Final Cut (Remaster)

Waters - Amused to Death

Gilmour - Live in Gdansk (for live selection)

Rush - Moving Pictures/Permanent Waves (take your pick)

It's not just about production, for me, it's a combination of production, editing, sequencing, mixing, engineering and mastering.

Oh, and the songs are very important too! some of the worst 'produced' releases have the best songs!

 

[Anonymous]

Balance 014 Mixed by Joris Voorn. Masterfully compiled and sounds the absolute nuts!

 

[Anonymous]

All the Radiohead and Gomez albums I Have are superb.

 

[Thaiman]

Big Chris:

Devin Townsend - Terria.

Awesome reproduction, great music too.

 

[Anonymous]

Big Chris:

Opeth - Ghost Reveries.

I second that!

 

[Anonymous]

Trying to think of unusual suggestions...

If you're talking about production, spare a thought for Trevor Horn, who in sonic terms is something of a genius. Try the Grace Jones album "Slave to the Rhythm' - awesome production. And, I kid you not, it's a patchy album but there's some production stuff on Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' that beggars belief.

Also:

- Radiohead, Kid A

- If you can handle it musically, a lot of Aphex Twin sounds fabulous on a great hi-fi.

- Sufjan Stvens, Illinoise

- and, the famous 'if-you-only-ever-buy-one-jazz-album-make-it-this-one' record, Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, also sounds utterly incredible. Shows you how much a producer can achieve by getting a good mic and putting it in exactly the right spot. Beautiful sonically, and on a great hi-fi will make the hairs on your hairs stand up.

 

[Anonymous]

here are a few more from my list which I enjoy

Graham Nash - songs for beginners

Jackson Browne - solo acoustic volume 1

Jamie Cullum - twentysomething

Jean Michel Jarre - Aero

Joan Baez - Diamonds and rust

Joe Jackson - Body and soul

John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton - Best of friends

k. d. lang - Hymns of the 49th Parallel

Keb'Mo' - suitcase

Korn - Korn

Muddy Waters - Folk Singer

Nickelback - Dark Horse

there are loads more, but I'm too lazy to type ... also have a list with Jazz aswell as Classical

 

[DIB]

I'll second the earlier mention of the Gomez recordings. At the Sound and Vision show in Manchester last year, I think it was in the Marantz room, but they were using a lot of Gomez to highlight their systems.

More recently, last years 40yr aniversary re-mastering of King Crimson's "In The Court of The Crimson King" by Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp is absolutely wonderful and a perfect example of what remastering should be all about.

.

 

[Anonymous]

ABC "The lexicon of love" produced by the great Trevor Horn sounds great,as does the 1st Seal album (also produced by TH)

I always use "The seduction of Claude Debussy" by Art of Noise for its eclectic mix of classical,drum & bass as a demo disc.

Thriller still sounds incredible and I can only praise any recording by Porcupine Tree,as they always sound lovingly produced.

 

[Anonymous]

Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals

Linkin Park- Meteora

Marillion- Marbles

Foo Fighters- in your honour acoustic disc

 

[Anonymous]

And all of Radiohead

 

[MattSPL]

Kelis 'Tasty' has to be one of the best produced album's ive heard.
The sheer power in the bass is as good as it gets yet you are still able to hear right into the mix with all the different sounds and textures.

Photek, is an ambiant drum & bass artist/producer. All his albums are top notch quality and contain plenty of sub 20hz bass and rapid beats and shifts in dynamics that will put any system to the test.

Any of the series of Cafe del mar chill out cd's. Ive about 12 of these and they are all very well put together.

Dire straights 'Sultans of swing' is also a very nice recording

 

[Anonymous]

MattSPL:

Dire straights 'Sultans of swing' is also a very nice recording

Brothers in Arms is the one that many favour

 

[Anonymous]

if you enjoy blues ... one of my favourite new cd's that is regarded as being very well produced/recorded, and which I have been listening to a lot lately is:

Robert Lucas - Luke and the Locomotives

no cd stores in my area had this so had to buy from the USA on ebay ... is however on spotify

 

[DIB]

IanMac:
ABC "The lexicon of love" produced by the great Trevor Horn sounds great,as does the 1st Seal album (also produced by TH)

I always use "The seduction of Claude Debussy" by Art of Noise for its eclectic mix of classical,drum & bass as a demo disc.

Thriller still sounds incredible and I can only praise any recording by Porcupine Tree,as they always sound lovingly produced.

It's that man Steven Wilson again. He's a genius, whether it be Porcupine Tree, Blackfield, No Man, Bass Communion et al.

.

 

[Anonymous]

Good: Sub Focus, anything by Leftfield, Gomez

Bad: Duffy, Led Zeppelin remasters

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Lotïs of good suggestions here. By the way, does anyone else think that almost ALL U2 cdïs are poorly produced/mixed?

 

[Anonymous]

Another shout for Leftfield. Leftism is awesome. Song of life anyone?! Spine tingling!

 

[jc1972]

Defo gorrillaz, (new album should be good too)

Off the wall and thriller, blinding.

dr dre/ n.w.a

phantom of the opera, (the wife's, but it does sound good!)

and for a greatest hits, earth wind and fire, o.m.d or fleetwood mac,(haven't got last one but heard it in a demo session last week)

and yes, most indie is bad, all me old charlatans, blur, shed7 aren't much cop. remember menswear anyone?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

The obvious, the new Beatles remasters. All Radiohead albums. Bob Marley's Natty Dread. Also the new Joss Stone album and Arctic Monkeys' Humbug.

 

[Anonymous]

Well i thought that Lilly Allen's 'Its not me, Its you' sounds pretty good to me. Her voice comes through very well sometimes.
And The Cinematic Orchestra seems very well produced. Lush cymbals in 'Everyday's' Horizon.
I love some of the older music too. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman's 'They Say It's Wonderful' sounds pretty good - His voice sounds huge.
Star Trek's The Best Of Star Trek 'Fever' sounds awesome. And the theme from Deep Space Nine sounds well produced too.