Reference CD's (1 Viewer)

[chrisden]

Just wanted to ask what you guys think are some of the best recorded CD's out there. I like all types of music including jazz, rock, pop, etc. Just wanted to get some opinions on some really outstanding recordings.

I need some new material to listen to.

Thanks

 

[Ben_wood]

Two very clean cds:
1) "The Nightfly" Donald Fagen
2) "Brothers in Arms" Dire Straits

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

Dave Mathews Band: Crash

One of the best "main stream" recordings I have heard.

 

[John Garcia]

I agree on Crash.
Try a search, this has been discussed a few times, both for movies and music.

 

[chrisden]

Thanks for the replies so far. I already have Brothers in Arms and Crash. Will check out Donald Fagen, though I really like his "other" band, Steely Dan.

 

[BrianT]

Holly Cole Trio - "Don't Smoke in Bed" (female jazz vocals)

 

[wayne p]

Jesse Cook "Vertigo". Acoustic guitar music that will have you cranking your system way up. One of the cleanest recordings I have ever heard. There is one vocal track where Holly Cole does Fragile. Wonderful rendition.

This is an essential album IMHO.

Edited Nov. 10/02. I had posted the name of the album as Fragile (being the name of track 10) when it is actually Vertigo. My apologies to those who has attempted to find the incorrectly identified album.

Wayne P

 

[KeithH]

I agree with the suggestion of Brothers in Arms. A few others that I really like:

* Rebecca Pidgeon The Raven
* Several Alison Krauss albums (try Now That I've Found You: A Collection and New Favorite)
* Several Steely Dan albums (try Aja and Two Against Nature)

 

[GarySI]

All of these are five star recordings:
XTC Apple Venus Vol 1
Peter Gabriel So
Toy Matinee (This one deserves six if I could push it)
David Johannsen and the Harry Smiths
1812 Overture on Telarc

There are many others I could list but there's not enough room. Though if you can find a copy(maybe on EBay) you must get Flim and the BB's "Tricycle" n Tom Jung's DMP label. This is an absolutely killer recording, direct to digital. This one is up there with the Sheffield test CD's.

 

[Anny Chien]

Nora Jones - Come Away with me
Enya
Film and the BBs
Jewel

 

[KeithH]

Gary, everyone has their opinion, and I respect yours. However, I don't find So to be a reference-quality CD, and I am considering the remastered CD here. I have the original version and remastered disc, and the remastered disc is definitely better. However, there are parts that sound digital and compressed to me. I find this to be true on "Sledgehammer", for example. Still, the remastered CD is a definite improvement over the old version.
There is talk about Peter Gabriel's catalog coming out on SACD and DVD-Audio. I would love to hear So on both formats.

 

[Tim Ranger]

Here's a link to some good ones with descriptions of what to listen for:
http://www.audioc.com/information/recordings.htm

 

[Cire]

Some cds I like for its content and recording quality..

Enya - The Celts
Enya - A Day without Rain
The Cult - Pure Cult
Pearl Jam - Ten
Live - Secret Samadhi
Live - Mental Jewelry
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Soundtrack from "Conquest"
10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe
Pantera - Cowboys from Hell (killer bass guitars!)
Stone Roses - The Complete Stone Roses (from track 9 up)
Alanis Morisette - MTV Unplugged
Hooverphonic - Blue Wonder Power Milk

The list could be much longer but I can't remember some, and of course, we're talking about recording here as well.

 

[GarySI]

Thanks for the reply Keith. You do have a point that I can't argue. There is one more CD that I consider a killer. The self-titled Nylons on DMP CD's. This is great for testing the reproduction of voice. This is an accapella recording, again direct to digital. It is out of print so take a look on Ebay. You won't be sorry.

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

I didn't list it because it is on the odd side, but my semi-new discovery for an aboslutely increadible recording is:

Americal Beauty: Original Score Sound Track
(NOT the music from CD)

 

[Angelo.M]

Try the following female vocalists:

1. Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat, out of print in the US but available as an import (Amazon.com has it). An immaculate recording.

2. Any of Rebecca Pidgeon's stuff on the Chesky label, particularly The Raven.

3. Holly Cole's Temptation, on Blue Note.

4. Patricia Barber's Cafe Blue, on Blue Note.

At least two of these (The Raven and Cafe Blue) are available as SACDs as well.

Enjoy...

--AM

 

[Evan S]

If you are looking for a normal CD, I have to second Jewel. I find her "Spirit" CD to be complete crap musically, but the recording is impeccable. I use it often to show off my system.

For SACD, it's a toss up between Alison Krauss' "New Favorite" and the recently released Diana Krall's "The Look of Love"

 

[Steve_Ma]

I know there are cleaner recordings out there, but these are pretty darn good and are some of my favorites.

* Dire Starits - Dire straits
* Sara Maclachlan - Mirrorball (live)
* Led Zeppelin - Remasters CDs
* Rush - Moving Pictures
* Diana Krall - Great Jazz Vocalist
* Fantasia 2000 - The DVD is also a pretty clean classical mix

 

[Charles Elliot]

I didn't see these mentioned above...

Lyle Lovett - Joshua Judges Ruth
Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Sessions
Tool - Schizm (actually has _some_ dynamic range in a rock recording)

Let me know what you think of them if they are new to you and you pick them up.

 

[Greg_R]

If classical is an option, check out the Reference Recordings label. Excellent recordings, some excellent performances as well...