What track really made you sit up?

Two tracks at the moment that make my spine tingle when I listen to them are 'Into The Mystic' and 'Stranded' by Van Morrison from his greatest hits CD, 'Still on Top'. On my system, in my room, they come over amazingly clear with great horns, piano and saxophone. 

Ken

"Into The Mystic" is one of those tracks I use for checking my system. I've found that the CD mix (both on the WB original "Moondance" CD and the "Still on Top" compilation) have removed or buried the tambourine (R channel just before the chorus) in the mix. It is there on the reissued vinyl and on the HDTracks download.

sjbabbey,

I also use 'Into The Mystic' as a reference track. I have just listened to it and I can hear what I thought sounded more like like a scratchboard but guess it could be a tambourine (being tapped not shaken) in the right channel in the song where you mentioned. Just wondered if you could clarify the sound you are referring to, is it a tambourine being shaken or tapped? Just out of interest.

Regards,

Ken

Last night I put on powerless by Nelly Furtado as I hadn't listened to it on the new system, there's a quiet section in the middle where the stereo image suddenly broadens to the point where it not only fills the whole room but seems to transcend the walls themselves, I actually said "wow" out loud.

I cant believe how much difference the little "qute" has made to my listening, even with the well below par speakers I have at present.

Robert plant.   Lullaby and...... ' little Maggie '.   Always gets me hard!

Here is a playlist to test if any system;

Joe Loius Walker - Do you wanna be with me?

Lou Reed - walk on the wild side

Peter Green with Splinter group live version - Green Manalishi

Kenny Burrell - Chitlins Con Carne

Victor Wotton - bass tribute 

Hugh Maskela - Stimela

Cassandra Wilson - Tupelo Honey

Friend n Fellow - what a wonderful world

Plenty of standing hairs and a few chokers there!

Boz Scaggs (live album) Spare a dime. 13 mins of pure bliss with some of the best rhythm changes and best musicIan's you we'll ever hear in one place. If this doesn't smoke your system nothing will.

it makes a great 'end of evening' song if you've got your mates round. Always leave them wanting more Is what I say!

Hi Ken,

It is definitely being shaken. In fact it initially sounds like it's being picked up in readiness just before the first chorus (at about 1:10) and then it is shaken during the chorus itself. Once you know to listen for it, it becomes really obvious or at least it is on the vinyl and HDTracks download.

There's different kinds of "sit up and listen". Some are tracks you hear for the first time and others are tracks that you thought you knew before hearing on a decent hi-fi.

Tracks that made me sit up on first hearing ....

Coney Island - Van Morrison

Tom's Diner  -  Suzanne Vega

7 O'Clock News/Silent Night - Simon & Garfunkel

Stop! - Sam Brown

Pluto - Clare & The Reasons

Last Rendez-Vous: "Ron's Piece - Jean Michel Jarre

Facing West - The Staves

I remember clearly many years ago when I got my first real hi-fi, I heard the track "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni. WOW - it's got percussion. I had heard it many times before on the radio but it was such a shock.

Other songs include

1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) - Jimi Hendrix

Riders on the Storm  - The Doors

Something - The Beatles (just love that bass line)

There are dozens more but they're the ones that spring to mind first.

Cheeky. First your system is cool.   Naim/neat synergy love it. 

Tracks es that make the hairs stand - where to start?!

Vinyl:

Sleeps Dark and Silent Gate - Jackson Browne

Follow the Lights - Ryan Adams (from the Everybody Knows EP

Telegraph Road - Dire Straits

Double Trouble -Eric Clapton (from the Live at Budokan LP)

flamenco Sketches -Miles Davis

CD:

Beethoven III Symphony LSO Tennsdet

Handel Messiah English Concert/Pinnock

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat-Brush with The Blues - Jeff Beck performing this week at Ronnie Scott's. 

I've just recently discovered Fleetwood Mac's self titled album (a little late to the party here) 24-192 version from HD tracks... incredible album... better than Rumours I'd say. And the track "Say You Love Me" is a holy s&%t hifi moment for sure. Layers upon layer of aural goodness.

That album was recorded at Sound City as was "Never Going Back Again" from Rumours.

'nuff said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_City_Studios

At face value this may seem like a useful thread........but.

i have been obsessed with upgrades for many years.  Over 10 years my system has gone from a NAD/ Marantz DVD player/receiver setup worth about $6k to a DAC and tube amp setup worth 10 times the dosh.  Every upgrade brought sonic changes that i perceived as improvements.  

Every upgrade highlighted different tracks in my collection.  Its always interesting pressing the shuffle button on itunes and hearing random tracks, many of which may have been unplayed in years.  I find this clearly shows the improvements or otherwise in the system. ( note, in my system Audirvana sounds better with itunes integration off)

6 months ago i did a home demo on the Chord Hugo.  Its a very different sounding device to my nDAC XPS2 DR. There is a tendency to think that the new device is more neutral than the old, but to be honest i don't know how the two would compare if i ran a test set of tones.  By neutral i am referring to a flat frequency response.  I strongly suspect that alot of the time you just get a different "flawed" result and not necessarily a more flat response.  Different tracks will respond better or worse to the hot frequencies. This is not the only factor but i'm sure its these shiny bits that grabs your attention.  That is how our senses are designed to work.  Its our survival mechanism.

note:  i believe that everything from your hearing and how you are feeling to your room, the power from your wall and the interconnects impact on that frequency response aspect of what you hear.  I think its a big part of why the holy grail of sound is so elusive.  

Most of the time you are impressed by unfamiliar systems with unfamiliar hot freqencies ( on top of any other charactereistics where the system might excel).  Problem is, you get used to the colouration in every system and that starts to get boring.  It gets samey.  Then you want to "upgrade".

Right now The Waifs Crazy Train off their live CD Is playing in the next room.  When she says "0h look you" in response to the audience you would swear she was in the next room.  That is the sort of thing that will grab my attention.  9 times out if ten its a live recording because it is less messed with.  Messing being alterations to the frequency response and compression by whoever did the mix.

thats my 50 cents worth.  Beware the upgrade monster.

Claire Martin - The Man Who Sold the World.

Downloaded from the Linn 24bits of Christmas thing in 24/192.  Love the track, but the quality of the recording, and the way my system delivered it, left me very impressed.  Even wonder if I am finally hearing the benefits of this 24bit stuff, though couldn't be bothered to do a comparison and download the lesser version; I liked the track, it sounded great, no need to worry further into it...for now ;-)

So was "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvara and "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer" by Queens of the Stone Age, both were tracks that made me sit up when I first heard them.

Dave Grohl produced an excellent documentary film on Sound City in 2013; he bought the famed Neve 8028 analogue mixing desk when the studio closed in 2011.

There are many tracks that stop me dead and are spine tingling, but I guess my top two:

Allegri: Miserere mei, Deus (being an ex chorister this just completely chokes me - I have several recordings)

Sandy Denny: The North Star Grassman and the Ravens (specifically the live version on the BBC 71-73 Sessions.. Recording quality not great.. but the emotion, intensity, and interplay with the audience.. phenominal stuff)

Simon

My track would be 'Song Song' from Brad Mehldau's 'The Art of the Trio Volume 3: Songs'.  An amazing recording that floods out of the speakers into the room.

sjbabbey,

I have just checked again and on red book CD I cannot hear the tambourine that you refer to. I don't understand why they would want to fade or bury it from one music format to another.

Thanks,

Ken

I think these kinds of tracks have much more to do with the music and much less to do with the system on which they are heard.  While a fine system adds to the experience in large quantity, it is the music itself that creates the sensation.

I recall hearing Copeland's "Rodeo" in my car driving home late one night in the 1980's...by the time it was done I discovered I was 20 mph over the speed limit, having been swept away by the piece, even though it was heard on a stock, very pedestrian car audio system.

Black Magic Woman by Patricia Barber. When the drums kick in, you will know why we love Naim so much...........! 

I find 'The Chain' and 'Second Hand News' from Rumours equally beguiling.

Ken

Simon,

which version of Allegri's Miserere would you recommend? I used to have a copy, but it has since been lost, so would like to buy one replacement. I'd be interested to learn of your top recommendation.

Thanks, CB