[neilvg]

You guys are funny. All this talk about DSOTM... and there are SO many different remasters out there, but hardly any mention of which one people are listening to. Personally, who cares, there are better albums. If you want to hear a well recorded album with a similar tonal library as DSOTM, check out Camel's Moonmadness. Make sure you get the Decca 2002 Remaster.

Another amazing recording in ALL its remastered formats is Craftyhands by Happy the Man. Amazing. Whenever I hear it, I feel it is the recording quality King Crimson always wanted to go for.

If you want to hear a well mastered and recording modern masterpiece, check out Apple Venus Volume I by XTC

The Japanese Mini-LP Remaster of Fragile & Close to the Edge by YES are amazing for their time.

Tarkus by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer sounds killer in its Japenese Remaster.

If you consider Mark Knophler Rock (guitarist and singer for Dire Straits), check out the DVD-A/CD Double discs for Sailing to Philadelpia and Shangri-La. Amazing sound quality, beautifully recorded vocals and guitar, deep impactful bass. And Golden Heart on CD (HDCD Remaster; American). Very nice as well.

If you like progressive rock, Steve Hackett's Voyage of the Acolyte 2005 Remaster is great. It previously didn't sound very good, and it is a nice example of how a remaster can unlock an otherwise good recording with horrible mastering/digital transferring.

A more modern day production that is quite nice with a sonic palet ranging from Radiohead's OK Computer (but with a three-piece) to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, to various IDM, Jazz, D&B, Electronica Artists, but wrapped in the indelible aesthetic of prog, check out Tomas Bodin's Pinup Guru. He is the chairman of the board (keyboard player) for the Flower Kings.

That's good enough for now.

If I was to choose one recording to check out, Moonmadness by Camel would be on my shortlist. It's an excellent recording, but with my Orpheus System it absolutely knocks me out! Pink Floyd beware! This album can be a DSOTM killer! Not that I literally 'compare' these records... heh heh heh !!!

 

[Skrying]

Isis - Oceanic

I love this album's sound. Not even my type of music for the most part, it just sounds so amazingly good, one of the few albums that IMO get drums properly done. Its extremely well balanced, and it has tons of life to it. Everything sounds so there, I can close my eyes and see it being played for me like a person concert.

 

[boss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg Tarkus by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer sounds killer in its Japenese Remaster.

Does that remaster compare to the MFSL remaster?

Back on topic, I think The Mendoza Line's Poems To A Pawnshop deserves a mention. When the guitar kicks in on I Never Had A Chance, I'm always blown away.

 

[neilvg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boss Does that remaster compare to the MFSL remaster? Back on topic, I think The Mendoza Line's Poems To A Pawnshop deserves a mention. When the guitar kicks in on I Never Had A Chance, I'm always blown away.

Both versions have their virtues. Japanese Remasters tend to emphasize the dynamics of the bass and treble registers greatly. With certain recordings, especially those done in the late 60's to early 70's, Japenese Remasters really tend to bring the energy and life back to the recordings. It does an amazing job on Pink Floyd's Meddle Japanese remaster. I like it better than the MFSL version.

But as one gets later and later into the 70's, I've tended to notice that the American Label remasters along with MFSL got a lot better. Their mastering enhancement techniques work well with the way these records are recorded it seems.

MFSL remasters in my opinion try to add the dynamics back to the recording by reducing the noise floor and reducing compression to a bare minimum (as compared to most 'traditional modern masters in the rock genre). With good systems, this can sound good, but it can be hit or miss.

Neil

 

[swifttal]

Just found this jem-
Dream Theater- awake

Be sure to check out "Voices" on that album if you get the chance to hear it

 

[neilvg]

Oh yeah, 'Voices', part of the three song suite known as "A Mind Beside Itself"; Erotomania->Voices->The Silent Man.

Seeing DT this Sat in SF.

Neil

 

[slinger1182]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg If you consider Mark Knophler Rock (guitarist and singer for Dire Straits), check out the DVD-A/CD Double discs for Sailing to Philadelpia and Shangri-La. Amazing sound quality, beautifully recorded vocals and guitar, deep impactful bass. And Golden Heart on CD (HDCD Remaster; American). Very nice as well.

Amen! The sheer dynamic range of the albums stands out. The rawness of the fiddle in Darling Pretty and A Night in Summer Long Ago in the album Golden Heart make my heart ache.

BTW, I also think Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow is quite well recorded. I know it is more jazzy and rock but I couldn't help throwing that in. :-D

Edit: Sorry to keep on editing, but I was just wondering if any of you guys get quite a bit of sibilance (and quite a bit of it too) on ALL of White Stripes' albums or is it just my computer's CD drive? It gets worse when I rip it (obviously!). I don't have any problems with my other cds.

 

[redshifter]

five pages and nobody has mentioned wilco yet?

 

[neilvg]

I consider Wilco albums anywhere from OK to Good. Nothing great. I do enjoy Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as an album, and the recording serves the feel of the record. But in general, most wilco albums have an uneven recording quality to me. Kicking Television however has Great sound quality for a live recording. Being There sounds good in a lot of parts and has a consistent production. I just wouldn't call it 'audiophile' by any means.

Neil

BTW - Musically I love Wilco! Not just the new 'indie friendly' stuff but even back to Uncle Tupelo.

 

[neilvg]

Here's an album that sounds very very fun, and I often get lost in the textural aspect of the actual sound reproduction as Skye's voice is just mesmerizing.

This is likely not really considered rock, but I see many rock fans loving this:

Charango by Morcheeba. Very sensual sound. Their other recordings are good, but not great.

Neil

 

[VicAjax]

i can't believe i only just now thought of this one...

Rickie Lee Jones - Rickie Lee Jones
smooth, immediate and airy... like you're in the studio with her. brilliant music, too.

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg I consider Wilco albums anywhere from OK to Good. Nothing great. I do enjoy Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as an album, and the recording serves the feel of the record. But in general, most wilco albums have an uneven recording quality to me. Kicking Television however has Great sound quality for a live recording. Being There sounds good in a lot of parts and has a consistent production. I just wouldn't call it 'audiophile' by any means. Neil BTW - Musically I love Wilco! Not just the new 'indie friendly' stuff but even back to Uncle Tupelo.

YHF is way better (recording wise) than many of the other albums I've seen mentioned in this thread, that's fo' shure!

I mean, when the bass enters in "Camera" - whoa. Very excellent detail in the accoustic guitar as well.

I really like the sound of BEING THERE, though I wouldn't rank it among the best. I like it a lot better than SUMMERTEETH. That album has always struck me as way too bright. YHF strikes a nice balance.

-jar

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloco Def Leppard - Hysteria

It's certainly one of the biggest production jobs ever. Not sure if I'd include it in an "audiophile" list as I don't think the terms "Mutt Lange" and "natural" have ever been spoken in the same sentence.

Though maybe that's not the point of this thread.

I guess my thought on HYSTERIA is, while I'll always admire it for what it is and how many hits it spawned, recording wise, it's mixed to sound great on a cheap car radio, boom box, or big rig system.

-jar

 

[neilvg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masonjar YHF is way better (recording wise) than many of the other albums I've seen mentioned in this thread, that's fo' shure! I mean, when the bass enters in "Camera" - whoa. Very excellent detail in the accoustic guitar as well. I really like the sound of BEING THERE, though I wouldn't rank it among the best. I like it a lot better than SUMMERTEETH. That album has always struck me as way too bright. YHF strikes a nice balance.

Kamera is such a genius song! I absolutely love it. Really resonates with me. Also, war on war is excellent. The recoding quality on Kamera does indeed have amazing bass (very dynamic and punchy) and the acoustic guitar during the intro sounds amazing on electrostats. I don't find that a higher resolving system yields greater detail or all that much more textural information though. It sounds good on everything mid-fi and up (with decent bass response).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masonjar It's certainly one of the biggest production jobs ever. Not sure if I'd include it in an "audiophile" list as I don't think the terms "Mutt Lange" and "natural" have ever been spoken in the same sentence. Though maybe that's not the point of this thread.

LOL! I agree with you about Mutt. That's funny. I find Hysteria to be a very enjoyable Leppard album and it sounds good, you are right, on almost all systems. it just doesn't sound AWESOME on ANY system. It's also not recorded with the audiophile aesthetic. But what rock album is? Very few. But this isn't about audiophile I guess, it's about definitive. So Hysteria ranks in there with one of the most sonically pleasing albums from the 80's Pop-Metal era and definitely by Def Leppard.

Neil

 

[Masonjar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilvg Kamera is such a genius song!

Thank you. "Kamera" Ooops.

As opposed to "Camera" by R.E.M. It's funny how almost every R.E.M. album has a completely different sound-world. The instruments are the similar.. the jangly guitars, etc.. but the changes from MURMUR to RECKONING to FABLES to PAGEANT to DOCUMENT are quite striking. I think they hit the perfect balance with PAGEANT, but the cool thing is, it matches the performance (bright and energetic) perfectly. The recording of FABLES (dry, murky and recessed) matches the music as well. I sometimes wonder what some of the FABLES songs would have sounded like with the recording job that PAGEANT got.

-jar