What is your best recorded standard CD?

[davlee]

As I have only just set up a great sounding Hi-Fi, I am keen to know what well recorded CDs to purchase. So far my favorite is Nitin Sawhney - Beyond Skin

 

[drummerman]

Probably an Opus 3 sampler ... but there are others. BBC Jazz Awards, through the years, are very good too etc.

http://www.opus3records.com/phil.html

regards

 

[FennerMachine]

I don't think I could narrow down my CD collection to 1 best recorded CD as some have deliberate audio quirks while others are very smooth, clear but to some may sound sterile.

I find some 80's CD's sound very good and you can crank up the volume as they have less 'dynamic range compression'

A few examples from my collection:

Billy Joel – Greatest Hits

Roy Orbison – in Dreams the Greatest Hits

Texas – Southside

80's CD's can be picked up cheaply from charity shops so you won't loose too much money if you don't like them!

If I had to recommend something from my collection based purely on recording quality it would be:

The Best of Dire Straight & Mark Knopfler. Standard or special edition.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Plays the Music of - REM

 

[GSB]

One of the best sq cd's i have is a deluxe version of rumours by Fleetwood Mac(2disk).I was thinking of getting the sacd version too but the standard cd is so clear defined and full i'm not sure now. Emeli Sande sounds pretty good too. I have a give away disk called carling cool cut's....Gary Newman's cars is awsome and must be played very load...that is the law.

Pink Floyd's One foot in the Door is a realy good remaster,very full,even on See Emily play

 

[Macspur]

I can name a few, but don't know what kind of music you are into, so no matter how good the recording, you may not like the content...

Megan Henwood, Making Waves

Melody Gardot, My one and only thrill

Sting, Nothing like the sun

Civil Wars, Barton Hollow

or if you like a bit of electronic- VCMG, SSS

 

[BigH]

Steely Dan - Aja

Pink Floyd - DSOTM, WYWH.

 

[DocG]

My very best would be Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin', with the title track being my favourite. It's a very dynamic recording, with an excellently recorded voice, a taut, deep bass guitar, sparkling cymbals and a gorgeous Hammond organ.

Do you use Spotify? http://open.spotify.com/track/4aw3fSvZdrmapQvPTklwqw

 

[Sospri]

My very best would be Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin', with the title track being my favourite. It's a very dynamic recording, with an excellently recorded voice, a taut, deep bass guitar, sparkling cymbals and a gorgeous Hammond organ.

Do you use Spotify? http://open.spotify.com/track/4aw3fSvZdrmapQvPTklwqw

Concur with you on this, very well recorded.

Excellent CD with shades of Dusty..............

 

[BigH]

Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin' is a good one.

Check out Patricia Barber's cds as well, esp. Cafe Blue. MAny other similar jazz singers are well recorded also like Anne Bisson - Blue Mind.

For Dynamic Range try Steve Earle Copperhead Road.

Other good ones inc. Dire Straits, maybe Love Over Gold is my pick.

Joe Jackson - Body and Soul.

Kraftwerk - Autobahm.

Lyle Lovett - Joshua Judges Ruth.

Ray Montford - Many Roads.

Lisa Gerrard - The Silver Tree.

Many Jazz recording are well done, to many to mention maybe ECM recordings are the best, try Collin Walcott Cloud Dance.

Best world music I hav eheard is a rare cd by He Xun-Tain - Tathagata you can hear samples on Amazon.

 

[matt49]

A few of the CDs I use for demoing kit:

Nick Drake, Bryter Layter (not my spelling!)

Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Sessions (spaced out C&W recorded over one night in a hugely atmospheric church)

Pearl Jam, Ten (especially 'Jeremy': great recording of the texture and dynamics of electric guitars and basses)

Elvis Costello, This Year's Model (the punk era never sounded this good)

Anita O'Day, Anita Sings the Most (the vocals are nicely recorded, the Oscar Peterson trio perhaps a bit too far back though)

 

[DIB]

It's difficult to say, my minds gone blank. Possibly Nils Lofgrens Acoustic Live maybe?

However, if you want to test your system try something like this..

I bought some cables and stuff from MCRU and they threw in this demo disc for free. Top notch quaility, and if you ever wonder what all these terms that get bandied about on these forums willy nilly, then take a listen and see if your system passes muster.

There's a quite spectacularly good version of Spanish Harlem by a singer called Rebecca Pidgeon on there that's just sublime.

.

 

[p_m_brown]

Give by The Bad Plus sounds rather good as does Pablo Honey by Radiohead.

Enjoy your new gear!

 

[BigH]

Yes Nils Lofren Live is very good, also Alison Krauss Live is excellent as most of her albums are.

 

[tomlinscote]

+1 for Alison Krauss especially track 7 "It doesn't matter" from the "So long so wrong" album the voice is so clear and there is some great guitar and bass too

I always take this to demos and even had the dealer asking what it was so they could get one for the shop!

Tommo

 

[BigH]

If you like more electronic music, you could try William Orbit, Leftfield and Massive Attack.

Reggae, Bob Marley Exodus.

Blues, Eric Bibb - Deeper In the Well.

 

[seemorebtts]

what about barry white hes like a fat james brown hes bad mother f**ker

 

[BigH]

Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rofftops, a Linn demo record.

 

[Macspur]

what about barry white hes like a fat james brown hes bad mother f**ker

and what's that got to do with the subject?

 

[MajorFubar]

Bryan Ferry, More Than This

Hall & Oats The Singles

Depeche Mode The Best Of Volume 1

Genesis Turn It On Again

Peter Gabriel Shaking The Tree

Squeeze Greatest Hits

Steely Dan The Very Best Of

Supertramp Retrospectacle (bit compressd in places)

The Beatles Abbey Road

 

[GSB]

Just out of interest,and slightly of topic,does anyone look for the ADD...or AAD thing on the back of the disk case anymore?

This was my first insight into hifi if you like,local music store guy told me the best recordings were ADD

 

[BigH]

Just out of interest,and slightly of topic,does anyone look for the ADD...or AAD thing on the back of the disk case anymore?

This was my first insight into hifi if you like,local music store guy told me the best recordings were ADD

No I don't think you can go just by that, there are good and bad in each, some DDDs are excellent. But many recent recordings have been compressed to make them sound louder which is not a good thing, look up "loudness wars" if you want to know more.

 

[Singslinger]

Either Chris Rea's "Road to Hell'' or Dave Grusin's "Migration''.

Both sound fantastic in their original forms without any remastering hocus-pocus.

 

[Sospri]

Eva Cassidy - Live at Blues Alley, is very well recorded..............

 

[davlee]

I just listened to a "Dali test CD". It was magic. Does anyone know where I can buy/obtain these?

 

[chebby]

Just out of interest,and slightly of topic,does anyone look for the ADD...or AAD thing on the back of the disk case anymore?

No. I would look for the artist and album name.

You couldn't go into shop and ask for the ADD version rather than the AAD because It all depended on whether the recording and mixing were done digitally or not. No point in worrying about something you couldn't control.

Any given album was recorded how it was recorded and that was that. It was up to the customer whether they chose their music on the basis of those letters or because they liked the artist and the music.

That was nothing new really. It happened (still happens) with vinyl. Most people chose an LP because they liked it whereas a few people would choose their music based on reviews in hi-fi mags or because it was a half-speed re-master or pressed by Linn Records or whatever.

I never got into that nor understood it either. I rarely even knew the artists on some of these 'boutique' labels in the sad little rack next to the counter in a hi-fi shop. (Music put in it's place as an upgrade accessory for your hi-fi.)