Tracks that best show PRaT

Dreadzone - Return Of The Dread

To those who know me and suffered at my hands, this has been my ultimate PRaT test for the last 14 years (they plan to remaster the album this year). Quite apart from its principal attribute, i.e. it's a fantastic piece of music) it has everything you need to test out the PRaTishness of your system.

Pace & Rhythm: from a slow start the thing explodes from about 1:00 - 1:10 where the driving drums and bass kick in (Greg Roberts, Leo Williams), but also check out from about 4:15 where the pace and rhythm start to fall apart only to knock your socks off at about the 5:00 mark.

If you're not off your feet cavorting round the room like a loon with his (or her) underwear on fire at this point you've either got a bad back or your system isn't doing something right.

Timing: The drumming's quite complex and is always propelling the track forward but on a system that isn't timing properly, the bass can lag out of synch - particularly evident at those two kick-off points at 1:10 and 5:00.

P.S. Check out Dread'pon Sound from the same album, another great deep bass workout that is a check to see if the detail on your system's in fine fettle, the bass gathers a fine fuzz/buzz texture as the track progresses.

For me, The Beatles "I Saw Her Standing There" oozes raw, energetic PRaT and is as tight and rhythmic a rock song as has ever been recorded. The bass-line drives the song to the hilt, and McCartney was a relative tenderfoot on the instrument at that time. A band recording an entire album in a day? No longer happens. Maybe therein lies the energy, the PRaT.

Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll - Ian Dury and the Blockheads

Norwegian Wood - Patricia Barber  - A Fortnight in Paris

Starts unassuming but the end of the track everything from voice, bass, piano and guitar come together in a great crescendo. Obscenely well recorded. Magic!

Off hand...Grant Green - Airegin (alt. take) from the Nigeria album.

Bruce katz from the record Transformation 

second track :Boppin' Out Of The Abyss

For something a few years newer -- For You Blue.  I think I like the 'Naked' version best.

Picked up the first Dire Straits LP for £1 last week; cleaned it up on the RCM and played it at the week-end.  Bags of PRAT if you like - but in non hifi speak it 'boogied' like hell.  I'd forgotten how good the album was (lost my previous copy in divorce)

You know when you're lost in music...

ACDC  -Stiff upper lip

I prefer "Strength Courage & Wisdom" from India.Arie´s first album "Acoustic Soul":

I'll start with the negatives - a few I was hoping would display awesome PRaT on my NAIM system when I got it, where the recording quality just doesn't stand up:

- all of Led Zep (all releases)

- Radiohead, before In Rainbows

- Jamiroquai

- Hendrix, even vinyl re-release of Are you Experienced

Albums that rock:

- Radiohead, In Rainbows (especially the 45 rpm vinyl)

- AOXOMOXOA (Rhino vinyl re release)

- Wilco, Sky Blue Sky (on CD)

- Du Pre / Barbirolli Elgar Cello Concerto (on CD)

- Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio 

Wishbone Ash - The King Will Come, although the entire Argus album qualifies.

Kansas - Carry On My Wayward Son.

Lots of Rush, especially the older stuff. Cloudbusting, Kate Bush, most of Led Zep 1 and 2

Rory Gallagher "Secret Agent"

Almost anything from Brit bands within late seventies and early eighties for me.

the cure ,the smiths, elvis costello, the chameleons , the stranglers ,Dr feelgood,. Any thing that has that agitated pop vibe.

not so audiophile in its recording but great anyway is My Bloody Valentines'  Loveless' album. The density of noise needs good PRaT from a system to get all the music out of it.

I agree, that's a good one for PRaT. Well recorded and the band plays very tight on the entire album.

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Funnily enough it was hearing a Jamiroquai track through a 5i-2 combo that hooked me.  I can't recall the track off hand but there was a background sonic detail that I always just took for ornamentation but the 5i-2 set up connected it to the rest of the rhythm track and it was a light bulb moment for me.

I remember reading up on PRaT at the time and came across a very good article that suggested the original definition may have been Pitch, Rhythm & Timing; which made a lot if sense to me.    

Yes, that one's rather well recorded, isn't it? Great record.

Let me know if you come across the Jamiroquai track you like... I'll go back and play through their work again.  Would be great to find a track that lives up to the potential.

For me his 'Scam' is the one I use often.

It's pretty long and the middle part can get a bit monotonous but there is a tempo change around 5 min. in from funk to acid jazz mode and a beautiful horn solo and Stuart Zander's mean bass start. That's usually where I start a needle drop.

Thanks!  Do you have the Music on Vinyl edition?

Yes I have MOV and Simply Vinyl pressing as well as original CD release. ( US pressing, tho )