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  1. #1
    Forum Regular jim goulding's Avatar
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    Popular music with great sound production?

    Pop recordings with exemplary sound production or imaging to remind you of the worth of your system or to impress and why you think so. Don't forget the part about good music, tho. Entiende cabrones?

    Here's one that I think pretty well meets the criteria up and down the scale . . Crime Of The Century- Supertramp (A&M) cause it personifies the saying that rock&roll is all about mid bass and it images it's ass off (i.e. the kids in the schoolyard on the opening track, etc.) plus on the tracks where there are strings, they are positively sumptuous.

    Help me out here cabrones (dat mean colleagues, well, sorta). What you got?
    Last edited by jim goulding; 09-13-2007 at 10:48 PM.

  2. #2
    _ Luvin Da Blues's Avatar
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    Good call Jim. To truly experience the Supertramp feel, one has to of seen them live. One of the best concerts I've been to. Just short of a Floyd show.

    My two cents (and I said this recently in the "What's Spinning" thread)

    Robert Plant-Shakin and Stirred
    Last edited by Luvin Da Blues; 09-14-2007 at 04:13 AM.
    Back in my day, we had nine planets.

  3. #3
    _ Luvin Da Blues's Avatar
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    And of course (tho not really POP) anything by Alan Parsons
    Back in my day, we had nine planets.

  4. #4
    Musicaholic Forums Moderator ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Colin James consistently puts out CDs with top notch sound. I can't think of any disks in my collection that sound better. And the best part is, it's not just one or two that sound great, his entire catologue is very well produced.

  5. #5
    _ Luvin Da Blues's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
    Colin James consistently puts out CDs with top notch sound. I can't think of any disks in my collection that sound better. And the best part is, it's not just one or two that sound great, his entire catologue is very well produced.

    for Colin James...not only well produced but consistently strong on the music end on things, a very versatile musician.
    Back in my day, we had nine planets.

  6. #6
    Suspended 3-LockBox's Avatar
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    Boy is this going to be an old list. Not much that comes out anymore that isn't compressed as hell.

    Dire Straits - On Every Street
    Lindsey Buckingham - Out Of The Cradle
    Steely Dan - Aja
    Donald Faygan - The Nightfly
    Alan Parsons Project - Turn Of A Friendly Card
    Thomas Dolby - Aliens Ate My Buick

  7. #7
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    William Hung
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  8. #8
    very clever with maracas Davey's Avatar
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    I don't listen to much to popular music, so don't have anything from that angle. And like 3lock said, compression followed by maximizing and limiting has ruined most of it in modern times anyway. My same old rant, but a lot of the music produced and/or remastered in the last 15 years just doesn't invite you in like it used to. Too harsh, and garish, and in your face. No nuance when everything is driven to the limit. No space to unfold within. So ... some of my favorites from the last 10 years ... most have been talked up a lot around here already ... not a lot of audiophile sparkle, but good honest sounding recordings without all the typical punched up aggressive sound you typically hear these days. You can actually hear metal cymbals shimmering on that latest Electrelane record. On most pop stuff these days all you hear are splashes of white noise. But remember, both music and sound quality are highly subjective ...

    Howe Gelb - 'Sno Angel Like You (lush and fun if you like that Howe wit and charm and don't mind his singing "limitations" (kind of like Lou Reed), recorded with gospel choir backing, nice modern sounding production, bit too loud but still nice)

    Wayne Robbins & the Hellsayers - The Lonesome Sea (nice and dynamic HDCD debut along the lines of the Built To Spill take on Neil Young, sometimes the little studios and bands don't feel the pressure to compete with all of the terrible sounding pop music these days, that has all of the life squeezed from it, and you get an honest music recording, new one out soon)

    Electrelane - The Power Out/No Shouts No Calls (Steve Albini recording/Steve Rooke mastering, quiet and dynamic, latest recorded by Bill Skibbe at the Keyclub, the guy who put together Albini's studio)

    Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard (Nice CD with lots of Beatles and Yo La Tengo and hints of ELO and My Bloody Valentine and much more. Some very novel production too, kind of like what Jim O'Rourke did with the Aluminum Group or some of those other modern Chicago pop bands that attended the school of Burt Bacharach (Stereolab, High Llamas, Edith Frost, etc). This Swedish duo are real studio wizards from the sound of it, and maintaining good fidelity at the same time with some nice low bass and overall warm sound.)

    Black Mountain (Kind of a mix of Led Zeppelin and Exile era Stones with some Lou Reed and the VU thrown in, meaning it's got a dirty, bluesy, foggy sound, but recorded and mastered pretty nicely for a modern rock release. Just on a tiny Indiana indie label named Jagjaguwar, and recorded at the Argyle Hotel and at the Hive by Colin Stewart and the band. Mastered by Doug Van Sloun. No idea who any of these people or places are, but I can tell you that it's got a refreshing sound to it. Not highly compressed and with some nice dynamics. Not perfect by any stretch, but the cymbals at least sound like shimmering metal instead of the splashes of white noise you hear on most modern rock CDs due to all the heavy compression. No boomy bass either. Sounds kind of like a vintage recording.)

    Over The Rhine - Ohio (Beautiful 2-disc set, one of the best of 2003. Karin Bergquist has such a wonderfully expressive voice and you won't find music and lyrics much more compelling than this. Think maybe something along the lines of Fleetwood Mac meets Gram Parsons [or maybe Whiskeytown covering Gram Parsons like on that "mastered too loud but great anyway" tribute Emmylou Harris put togther in '99]. The lush sound is a little reminiscent of the Cowboy Junkies or Blue Rodeo, or a bit like a modern day Tusk. Nicely recorded by Paul Mahern at Echo Park in Bloomington, Indiana on 2" analog tape. Even available in a gatefold vinyl set too.)

    Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out of Season (some of the same scratchy effects as on the Portishead records, but nice recording)

    Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (bit too much bass, but very nice and dynamic)

    Nina Nastasia - The Blackened Air (another Albini girl, work of love, the debut Dogs even sounds better)

    Califone - Roomsound (Brian Deck and the Chicago sound, love it)

    The Notwist - Neon Golden (Mastered by Steve Rooke at Abbey Road - still one of the good guys, Albini uses him too)

    Gillian Welch - Time (the Revelator) (Not really quite what I call country, more folk-rock, but recorded simply, live in the studio with just a couple of Neumann mikes, Gillian and David, banjo and vintage acoustic guitars, and a lot of good music. Has become kind of an audiophile classic.)

    Sixteen Horsepower - Folklore (very lush, a bit loud, but still wraps around you nicely with a tangible image, Ferbrache does some nice recording up in Elktooth)

    Sue Garner & Rick Brown - Still (Very diverse and eclectic mix of trip hop, indie pop/rock, avant-folk, Tortoise-like loopy electro-organica, and maybe even a couple nods to the Fall. Another nice uncompressed HDCD recorded in their basement studio)

    Arto Lindsay - Mundo Civilizado/Noon Chill/Prize (very interesting and playfully experimental, bossa-nova music, somewhat reminiscent of Beck's exploration on the Mutations album. Think maybe Caetano Veloso with some drum 'n' bass rhythms added and played by a very tight jazz band.)

    Cul de Sac - Crashes to Light, Minutes to Its Fall (Surf rock meets post-rock in a guitar drawn, synth enhanced, middle eastern desert, albeit one that might not be on our planet. 1999 release on Thirsty Ear. Brilliant music and one of my favorites of the last few years. Kind of like a merging of the souls of John Fahey and Brian Eno, but these guys will take you on a real magic carpet ride. All instrumental and a nice HDCD recording.)

    Robert Rich - Seven Veils (This is a 1998 instrumental release on the Hearts of Space label that I have seen described as "ancient music from another planet", which may not be far off. A blend of Middle Eastern percussion and constanly changing ambient atmospheres, textured with his lap steel guitar and bamboo flute, along with others contributing cello, violin, bass and the occasional searing electric guitar. A very high level of melodic and rhythmic sophistication on this album will keep you exploring it for a long time. Soothing and captivating at the same time, and easy to get lost in. Topped off with incredible sound quality to make it even more atmospheric.)

    Silver Jews - American Water (another very nice liquid recording done at the tiny Rare Book Room in Brooklyn and mastered at Abbey Road, just sounds natural, no fake pizazz)

    Paul K & The Weathermen - Love Is A Gas (Scott Schinder wrote in 1997, "Criminally under-exposed cult figure Paul Kopasz writes seething, noirishly literate songs that underline his punk roots while demonstrating his innate grasp of more traditional musical idioms. This, his eighth album (produced by ex-Velvet Undergrounder Maureen Tucker), is perhaps his most eloquent effort yet, surveying emotional, moral, and cultural wreckage with an astringent intensity that marks K. as one of his generation's most compelling songwriting voices." Still available on low cost vinyl from Alias Records too.)

    OP8 - Slush (Lisa Germano, Giant Sand and Calexico - very nice mix and pretty nice sonics too, as usual from Craig Schumacher down at Wavelab in Tuscon)

    Lots more, but that's enough for now.

  9. #9
    Forum Regular BradH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Davey
    And like 3lock said, compression followed by maximizing and limiting has ruined most of it in modern times anyway.
    I think that's why a lot of people don't listen to an entire cd anymore. Their ears get fatigued and they lose interest. They probably don't realize it's happening either.

    The MoFi gold disc version of Crime of the Century is to die for. Ken Scott is my fave producer anywyay. And I can vouch for their live sound too, it's immaculate. I compared it to a Genesis gig but I can see the Floyd comparison too.

    Aja is a toss-up between the MoFi gold and Hoffman's master for MCA.

  10. #10
    Man of the People Forums Moderator bobsticks's Avatar
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    Lots of good suggestions thus far. I'm most partial to Over The Rhine and Califone but several of the above make it into at least semi-regular rotation around these parts.

    You could add just about any Mark Knopfler disc.

    If you wanna go ultra-poppy, of the radio assortment, G-Love & The Special Sauce's "Lemonade" is a very solid recording with some smooth tunes.

    Rhino Records has rereleased some of their catalogue with an updated 96khz/24bit stereo layer. Yah, the dreaded Dual-Disc, but my universal loves 'em. Talking Heads' Remain In Light is a significant improvement, as is The Jesus and Mary Chain's Stoned & Dethroned of which I am partaking right now...

  11. #11
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    Any of the three Nickel Creek cd's. If you like extremely well recorded acoustic instruments (guitar, mandolin, "fiddle" and acoustic bass), you've got give this group a listen.

    They also have heartbreakingly beautiful 3-part harmonies. If you've got a system with life-like midrange I think you'll be as entranced as I am.

  12. #12
    Forum Regular jim goulding's Avatar
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    Kudos for your responses

    Very nice, fellas. The copy of Supertramp that I have is the Mobile Fidelity version, also, and it's awefully good. Very complex. A lot of thinking went into this release.

    Davey- Wow! What a fantastic reply.

    And Roy- I've read good things about Nickle Creek and will check out some samples at Amazon for musical content. It's always a huge bonus when the recording is good.

    From the sophisticated arrangements and production of Supertramp, going the other way to simplicity, I like the garage band sound of PJ Harvey's first produced by Steve Albini and for the same kind of take only with more microphones and a closer perspective, Up Up Up and Away by Ana DiFranco. I suppose these don't really qualify as popular music but for those of us who like them they get a lot of play in our rooms. And Cowboy Junkies whose music I'm not crazy about but whose production is highly thought of albeit the setting is too reverberent for my tastes.

    Bruce Cockburn's recording In The Falling Dark is excellent all around. And a personal favorite for both music and production (really excellent bass with more timbre than I bet you're used to) is David Crosby's If Only I Could Remember My Name on Classic Records. This record has guest artists from the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, et all. If I had one record to demonstrate the west coast music of the day this would be it. It's a bloody anthem!

    Think I'll start the same kind of thread for jazz. Here's a hint . . Mapleshade. Everybody should have at least one for the most direct, least processed sound around.

  13. #13
    very clever with maracas Davey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jim goulding
    From the sophisticated arrangements and production of Supertramp, going the other way to simplicity, I like the garage band sound of PJ Harvey's first produced by Steve Albini...
    Love that first PJ Harvey record, and it does sound like a Steve Albini engineering job to me, the way sounds explode, great drum miking, lots of splash, almost like you are in the garage with them. Really quiet average level with big peaks. Very dynamic for a rock record. Albini didn't get involved until the second one, though. He did that great Wedding Present Seamonsters record around that time too. Love that sound. The drums are so powerful, almost a sensual sound. Can't believe I just called drum sound sensual. Ewww....

  14. #14
    Forum Regular BradH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jim goulding
    And a personal favorite for both music and production (really excellent bass with more timbre than I bet you're used to) is David Crosby's If Only I Could Remember My Name on Classic Records.
    I think Neil Young is on there somewhere, too. Great album. Sounds more San Francisco than L.A. to me. Almost like a missing Dead album.

    Is that avatar the curve in your listening room? Was that from pure room treatment alone?

  15. #15
    Forum Regular jim goulding's Avatar
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    Yes, Brad, Neil Young is on the date. Obviously I, too, think it's great album. The frequency response graph was made by Danny of GR Research at his studio. He was measuring the influence on frequency response using the tweeter surrounds I make on his monitors before and after. It's hard to see at this size that there are actually two lines. Using my surrounds there is a smoothing of two peaks near the crossover*. He also provided me with a 30 degree off axis response graph that showed a fuller and more gradual roll off using my surrounds. This is certainly cool but the real improvement is in the time domain with the elimination of early reflection mixing in with the primary signal at our listening positions. You'll know it when you don't hear it. Most obvious, as you might imagine, on really good recordings. My website address is in my blog if you would like to know more and listen to a little interesting music if you have speakers with your computer while your at it.


    *Robert Greene, the technical editor of The Absolute Sound, said in a 2001 article on digital room correction that 1/2db change is audible. I believe him.
    Last edited by jim goulding; 09-20-2007 at 11:32 AM.

  16. #16
    Forum Regular BradH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jim goulding
    It's hard to see at this size that there are actually two lines.
    Yeah, I thought it might be the L and R responses in red and blue or something. Okay, I gotcha.

    Quote Originally Posted by jim goulding
    Robert Greene, the technical editor of The Absolute Sound, said in a 2001 article on digital room correction that 1/2db change is audible. I believe him.
    I used to a work for a guy who could put in a curve in a 1/3 octave eq using pink noise that engineers would swear was done with an RTA. We had an Ivey but sometimes it would be at another site and going by ear was good enough for sound masking in an office space. I was walking that floor with an engineer and handed him the curve on a paper. He almost accused us of stealing it because it looked so similar to his! I was just the video guy waiting for my boss w/ the freak ears to show up and prove I wasn't crazy.
    Last edited by BradH; 09-20-2007 at 12:31 PM.

  17. #17
    Forum Regular jim goulding's Avatar
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    That's hilarious! In my development phase (no pun intended), I've talked to guys that don't seem to function without measuring tools. I'm all ears myself and they're actually pretty accurate, too.

    Seeing how this thread is kinda veering more into esoteric stuff I think Patti Smith's first release, the Pretenders first, and a San Francico new wave band Romeo Void all have fine engineering, too, and all three are consistently good clean through. Love those drum hits on Private Lives (Pretenders).

  18. #18
    Forum Regular BradH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jim goulding
    Love those drum hits on Private Lives (Pretenders).
    During the new wave era, I was fascinated by Nigel Grey, a doctor in Surrey who decided to build his own studio at home. He recorded the first 3 Police albums there. The first one sounds to me like the tape is a little saturated but by Zenyatta Mondatta he was getting the most amazing drum tracks. It's partly due to Stewart Copeland's distinctive style but it's captured so perfectly and drums aren't that easy to record anyway. I don't know what he did after that, maybe he went back to medicine. Not a bad three years work.

  19. #19
    stuck on vintage dingus's Avatar
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    of the Steely Dan albums i think "Pretzel Logic" is criminally overlooked in this area. i dont think "Aja" or "Gaucho" have anything on this album in terms of sound or quality of production.
    AR MGC-1, AR C225 PS, M&K V-1B, Pioneer VSX 47TX, Oppo BDP-83, Squeezebox v3, Vortexbox Appliance.

  20. #20
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
    Colin James consistently puts out CDs with top notch sound. I can't think of any disks in my collection that sound better. And the best part is, it's not just one or two that sound great, his entire catologue is very well produced.
    Speak of the devil...we're going to see him Sunday night - he's playing Freddy Beach with a special guest - Craig Northey of The Odds, I guess.

    Never seen him live before...looking forward to it.

  21. #21
    Musicaholic Forums Moderator ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
    Speak of the devil...we're going to see him Sunday night - he's playing Freddy Beach with a special guest - Craig Northey of The Odds, I guess.

    Never seen him live before...looking forward to it.
    I saw him live once. I was up in North Bay on business and noticed that he was playing. I mentioned it to one of my customers and he got us tickets and took me to the show.

    James was promoting his Little Big Band II disk, but he played a lot of his older rock tunes also. It was a great show! I'd like to see him again now. He's put out some great CDs since then.

    Enjoy the show. I'll look forward to some post-show comments from you.

  22. #22
    Forum Regular jim goulding's Avatar
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    dingus

    Pretzel Logic I wish that track in particular went on another ten choruses. AR9's huh? I remember them well.

  23. #23
    stuck on vintage dingus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jim goulding
    Pretzel Logic I wish that track in particular went on another ten choruses. AR9's huh? I remember them well.
    not long after i posted Pretzel Logic i put on "Countdown to Ecstasy", it may be just a good. i do like the 9's, they've turned me into a bit of a bass head.
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  24. #24
    stuck on vintage dingus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dingus
    of the Steely Dan albums i think "Pretzel Logic" is criminally overlooked in this area. i dont think "Aja" or "Gaucho" have anything on this album in terms of sound or quality of production.
    ok, when i posted this i was in the middle of listening to "Pretzel Logic" and i was enjoying it immensely. this thread mustve caught me in an unguarded moment because the above post is me talking out my ass. as good as "Pretzel Logic" sounds, it doesnt hold a candle to "Aja" or "Gaucho" in terms of production quality. the same can be said for all Steely Dan albums pre "Aja".
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  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
    Speak of the devil...we're going to see him Sunday night - he's playing Freddy Beach with a special guest - Craig Northey of The Odds, I guess.

    Never seen him live before...looking forward to it.
    Hey man

    Hope you enjoy the show,I have seen him 3 times and enjoyed him every time,he will be in Halifax very soon,hoping to go.One show was on the same bill as The Chieftans,Los Lobos and Great Big Sea,that was a little big band show.BTW how was Govt Mule?

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