...and now, the 5 best recorded CDs of all time

Posted by: Andrew Randle on 18 June 2001

Now we've had a laugh at the five worst recordings in your collection, it's time to look at the five best recorded CDs in your collection.

Here's mine:

T-Bone Burnett "Proof through the Night". Not only the best sounding recording, but also has my favourite track ever - The Sixties.
Barenaked Ladies "Gordon". Wow, what intimacy.
Possum Dixon "Possom Dixon". Preserves the energy and drive.
Peace Orchestra "Peace Orchestra". One of the finest balance of musical strands.
Leggo Beast "From Here to G". Immense bass extension that doesn't swamp the recording. Excellent at portraying the meaning and atmosphere.

The T-Bone Burnett album is the best for quality and is just about capable of matching a Linn Basik playing the album against an LP12 playing a mediocre recording.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Posted on: 18 June 2001 by Cheese

Hi Andrew,

You must have overseen this recent thread.

Cheese - may all beings be happy

Posted on: 18 June 2001 by Andrew Randle

Ooops, nope. I've been away last week.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Posted on: 18 June 2001 by Cheese

Right, I remember now. Great food in Singapore, eh ?

Cheese - may all beings be happy

Posted on: 18 June 2001 by Andrew Randle

Oh yes, cheap too! I could get a great healthy meal for S$5.80 (that's about £4).

...and as for the women!

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Posted on: 21 June 2001 by Jay

Andrew

What's Peace Orchestra like? I gather it's related to K&D, Tosca, etc...is it similar?

I recall seeing it on vinyl locally but I can't quite recall where!!

Jay

Posted on: 21 June 2001 by Andrew Randle

Jay,

BUY IT. I really mean... buy it! Peace Orchestra is an order of magnitude better than anything Tosca has come out with.

Peace Orchestra is Peter Kruder's solo project. This is a STRONG album, well put together and the music is "on the ball" all the time.

While you are at it, buy Leggo Beast's "From Here to G". Also, an order of magnitude better than Tosca. This is an absolute must buy.

If you get these, let me know what you think.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Posted on: 26 June 2001 by Rico

I reckon

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures would have to be on the podium. Awesome recording - clean, dynamic, fast, imaginative micing techniques.

The Rite of Strings - Al DiMeola, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Stanley Clarke I've never heard double bass sound like this on a recording... and, sadly, it sounds even better live!

Massive Attack - Mezzanine Yeah I know everybody's got it - but I think the recording is fab.

Gomez - Liquid Skin Dyanmics again, but great rock recording, great guitar miking/amping, did I say dynamics? If you don't own this for the music, you should own it for the recording alone. I think it is (or was, not so long ago) SOTA.

Talk Talk - The colour of spring IMHO their best album.

Other great recordings that spring to mind in no particular order:
REM - New adventures in hifi Top sounds. The start to 'Wakeup bomb' is great, even if you don't like Stipe's vocal style.

King Crimson - THRAK ...another one that has your jaw on the floor; another that has you amazed at still how much better it is live.

The Police - Outlandos d'Amour - probably a bit raw and edgy these days, but it's at the forefront of my frontal lobe (or summat') so I reckon that counts.

The Hulamen - Beer and Skittles Nigel Stone, engineer. Top sounds from a top small town band in the old days, from a small town in NZ. Vinyl, 33 and 45 rpm copies are around. Sounds truely magical - sax overdubs, bass, vocals... I think 'fry-up' which was recorded 'in a big room' really gets it right. Sadly these ravings won't get too far, as this is largely unavailable. Sorry.

Stewart Copeland - Rumblefish We're talking about the recording here, not the music. At least in the 80's this was a shitload more tolerable than any of that crap audiophile ldross from Sheffield Labs (anyone remember the Drum Record? I'd rather listen to this. And anyway, Stewy hits the skins fast and hard.

Yeah there's loads, I just can't recall right now. Anyone else?

Rico - all your base are belong to us.

[This message was edited by Rico on TUESDAY 26 June 2001 at 18:07.]

Posted on: 26 June 2001 by P

Vocals?

Ben Harper?

Influential?

I think so.

Posted on: 26 June 2001 by Sproggle

quote:
The Police - Outlandos d'Amour - probably a bit raw and edgy these days, but it's at the forefront of my frontal lobe (or summat') so I reckon that counts.

It's strange how a group's first LP [or CD] is often the best produced. Probably because they couldn't afford to hire the kind of studio and producer capable of really messing up the sound.

Listen to Level 42 by Level 42, and then any other album by the group. Production-wise hardly anything even comes close.

--Jeremy

Posted on: 27 June 2001 by Rico

I've got Level 42 on CD - bought it in 1990. I suspect the vinyl's a country mile better. Read in a guitar mag last year that Mr King had been working on re-master and re-release of all the L42 back-catalogue... anyone heard these, and are they way better?

PS - down Tony, surely it's not that much of a sin to slap one's bass?

Rico - all your base are belong to us.

Posted on: 27 June 2001 by Hammerhead

Got this on vinyl (and probably one of my all time fave albums) - the only thing that scares my CDX in terms of realism (and that's on a P3/K9!) CD version has a big dropout in it though hasn't it?

Steve

Posted on: 27 June 2001 by Rico

I have that police CD box set thing (message in a box?) - that sounds pretty good to me. No drop outs there.

Police live is worth getting.

Rico - all your base are belong to us.

Posted on: 27 June 2001 by Former member

Sent the HiCap and 250 for recapping on the Friday before leaving, come back 2 weeks later to an answer phone message saying that they are done. Way to go, Naim service.

5 best recordings....

Freebie CD sent out when WordPerfect released WP6.0 for Windows. (Great recording, OK music, not bad for a freebie)

I love the Carol Kidd "All my tomorrows" vinyl record.

I'd have to agree on the Gomez, and Talk Talk recordings. Colour of Spring was a great recording during the pop/rock recording blight of mid to late eighties.

Frank Zappa's "Cheep Thrills" has some well recorded moments.

Queen made a lot of well recorded albums ("Kind of Magic" on vinyl was terrible though - 80's recording blight strikes again)

I've also got the Police "Message in a Box" - What is the name of the track that is on the set in both mono and stereo versions? (The mono is far better BTW!)

Posted on: 29 June 2001 by Former member

Gordon!!!!!

another BNL fan?

this album is one that I always go back to and there's always something more.

Here's my other 4

Jellyfish - Bellybutton

Jackie Leven - The Mystery of Love is Greater than the Mystery of Death

Francis Dunnery - Let's Go Do What Happens (this one really sorts the wheat from the chaff - the album is very densly recorded and yet reveals so much when things are working as they can)

Isaac Guillory (bless him) - Live - A truly oustanding record of a couple of nights in Harrogate solo accoustic and bluesy as hell

And bubbling under

Monty Alexander Live at Montreaux - Jazz piano trio - cooking!

Although I've just realised that as the system gets better more and more recorings start to give up their gems and the performance becomes more and more important than the recording of it!

Posted on: 01 July 2001 by JohnS

but I love the rhythm of Joni Mitchell's Blue album and the way the music flows. You can easily follow the melodies and also hear her breath control and enjoy the piano and guitar control... all this on a measly CD3.5!

I also like the Kinsey Sicks acapella CD, four mikes and minimal production makes them sound right in the room and their pitch and timing is impeccable.

Back in the 80s people used to demo with Simply Red's album and Grace Jones on vinyl, also Peter Gabriel IV on CD. That just doesn't turn me on anymore.

Posted on: 02 July 2001 by Jay

Andrew

I picked up Peace Orchestra on vinyl last week. You were right, it's very very good!

Any more tips, I can't find Leggo Beast. No shops here have heard about it.

Jay

Posted on: 02 July 2001 by Martin M

John S,

get the DCC Gold CD. It is a class apart from the other Blue CDs (HDCD included) it really is stonking.

Posted on: 04 July 2001 by bdnyc

I'm not easy to pin down on these sorts of lists, but speaking for all music lovers, here are five or so that at this moment finish high enough that they would always deserve mention. (Just don't tempt me with the other fifty eight titles that were so unjustly overlooked...)

1) Roseanne Cash- "Interiors" 1990 CBS

Wonderful, literate acoustic based
American folk/country/rock recording.
This was a self produced album by a
mature artist examining her own failed
marriage. This is extremely personal
songwriting, and a brilliant, subtle
recording. I go back again and again.

2)Jerry Garcia & David Grisman- "Garcia/Gisman"- Acoustic Disc 1991
This is the first of the 90's
collaborations between these two Bay Area
musicians who got together just for the
love of the music. This naturally
recorded session was done straight to
analogue reel to reel tape with minimal
retouching. The music they played
ranges from superb covers like B.B. King's
"The Thrill Is Gone", a few staples of
Garcia's live playlist, and some wonderful
acoustic improvisations. This may be the
music closest to Garcia's heart. He is in
fine voice throughout, and Grisman's duets
with Jerry on their various instruments
are superb. Even though he was primarily
an electric guitarist, Garcia's swinging
melodicism comes through beautifully.

3)Emmylou Harris- "Wrecking Ball" 1995
Elektra.
This Daniel Lanois production is anything
but natural, but nonetheless creates an
aural tapestry that is a perfect setting
for Emmylou's soaring, emotive vocals. I
could hear "Goin' Back To Harlan",
"Deeper Well" ,"Orphan Girl" and the rest
of this masterpiece a hundred more times
and still marvel at the artistry of it.

4)Van Moorison- "No Guru, No Method, No
Teacher"- Polydor 1986
Yes I mainly listen to the LP of this one,
but I still would include it. Van's
recordings from the late 70's on such as
"Beautiful Vision", "Common One" and on
up to and including his recent "Back On
Top", all share certain qualities-
Vanness,if you will. I love this one as
an embodiment of that rich, soulful,
furtile valley that he has been uniquely
farming for so many years. These are very
textured CD's that welcome a high
resolution system, and reward repeat
listening. He and Joni Mitchell are
similar in that they keep making great
"albums" that no one else would or could.
Joni's "Turbulent Indigo" could have been
this choice very easily...(# 4.5?)

5)Robbie Robertson & The Red Road Ensemble-
"Music For the Native Americans"- Capitol
1994
This haunting music weaves an hypnotic
spell that is a good deal less direct
than his work with "The Band", but it
remains one of my favorite 'world music'
recordings. If you like Loreena
McKennit' brilliant "The Book Of
Secrets", or Dead Can Dance, or David
Sylvian, put your Naim clamp down on
this recording late one night with
the lights down low and let yourself
be drawn into another world.

Happy listening, and thanks for your
suggestions. It is always good to check
out what music fanatics really love.

[This message was edited by bdnyc on THURSDAY 05 July 2001 at 05:38.]

Posted on: 10 July 2001 by Former member

Hey Andrew,

Here's my vote for some well recorded cds
with some great music from my collection:

1)"Sweet Tea" by Buddy Guy/Circa 2001/
Silvertone Records 01241-41751-2/
This is an incredible sounding dynamic
acoustic blues CD with a scary and great
performance.
2)"Greatest Hits" by The Band/Circa 2000/
Capitol Records 72435-24941-2-5
If all CD's had sounded as good as this
in the 1980's,life would have been much
easier with very little audio angst.
3)"Little Lights" by Kate Rusby/Circa 2001/
Compass Records 7 4310 2/
Dare I say,this traditional singer-songwriter
from England could inherit the crown from
Sandy Denny,Maddy Prior.She plays a very
quirky self taught guitar style.She writes
wonderful songs and delivers the old traditional
ballads in a new vital way.And by the way
the recording is stunning!
4)"Just Harp" by Laoise Kelly/Circa 1999/
Laoise Kelly Records LK001/
For those of you like myself who hate new
age Irish and Scottish "tinkly" harp music,
this is the Anti version of it.She is an
incredible player who gives forth with an
extremely synchopated style which defies
boredom.This CD once again proves that
superior musicianship is indeed in the hands
of the beholder.The CD is extremely well
recorded.It's worth struggling to get hold
of.
5)"Black Mountains Revisited" by Julie Murphy/
Circa 1999/Beautiful Jo Records BEJOCD-26/
This comes from a tiny label in England which
puts out very tasteful trad. music.Ms.Murphy
is one of my Celtic vocal finds of the decade.
She has an incredible voice as she proceeds
to sing in England and in her native Welsh.
I leave this CD on repeat for hours on end.
Though a little closely miked for my taste,
the sound is near borderline audiophile quality
done by an extremely talented young engineer.
Ms.Murphy also sings in a medieval Welsh band
named Fernhill on the same label.She has also
just appeared on "Vol.3:Further in Time" by
Afro Celt Sound System on track # 7 where
she supposedly steals the entire album away
from all the other guest musicians.I however
have not heard this CD yet but given the depth
of her talent as a vocalist,I do not find this
suprising.She is someone to watch for in the
future.

I hope the above CD's bring you as much
pleasure as they did me.Have a great summer,
all of you.

Posted on: 11 July 2001 by Former member

I have that one

Played it once and decided it was a little too folky for me.

I'll try it again though - my folky guru at the Wall of Sound in Halifax also raves about it.

Dave