[Deep Funk]

Bigshot, if there is one thing that is special about "Tubular Bells" it is that it presents music in one of the most honest ways imaginable for you get sound: most of the time the instruments are the music. For me the album redefined how music should be viewed. 
 
For the OP, if I am correct B.V. Haast is the label for the Willem Breuker Kollektief and the I.C.P. and their recordings are incredible. 

 

[disastermouse]

Is there anything modern that's well mastered?

 

[bigshot]

There's lots of modern well mastered music... mostly classical. I wish there was more good modern music.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Is there anything modern that's well mastered?

As a genre I find a lot of country and modern folk quite well mastered compared to most modern pop standards.  x2 on Steely Dan.  Michael Jackson, err Quincy Jones, had some nice work as well.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

There's lots of modern well mastered music... mostly classical. I wish there was more good modern music.

What are some well mastered classical albums?  I've been yearning for some.  Shane pointed me to some English music for Viols thats sounds great.

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

Gaucho is the best sounding Steely Dan album. 

 

Yes. 

 

[warp08]

I recommend the High Endition Society Vol 9 and 11, in particular.  Amazingly good stuff and they ship fast from Germany.  http://www.highendsociety.de/english/cds_shop/highendedition.php

 

[Novalis]

Tool - 10,000 Days
 
Great recording and mastering.

 

[Darksyde]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Gaucho is the best sounding Steely Dan album. 

 

Yes. 

Thirded.  Then again, it did take a very long time to produce...

 

[Ynoskire]

Jim O' Rourke - The visitor sounds really good, and it's really nice music. Haven't tried any of his other albums though so I can't comment on that.

 

[Packgrog]

I'm definitely more of a fan of pbthal vinyl rips than Dr. Ebbetts, whose rips tend to be far too bright.  Pbthal's are still very clear and detailed, but not artificially so.  I discovered recently that I have 97 albums (26.7GB!) of his releases, and that's just a small portion of what he puts out!  What's interesting is that, especially recently, his rips have consistently outperformed any available CD release of the same album, including MoFi releases.  Each of his Pink Floyd, Rush, and Yes rips are superior to any digital counterpart I've heard.  I've ABXed each of these before coming to that conclusion.  Some are tough to distinguish, but sometimes little moments are where his rips shine, like any orchestral bits on Pink Floyd's - The Wall, which is an otherwise good MFSL pressing.  If you want them, you have to track them down, since providing links is a no-no.  Worth the effort, though.  Just stick to albums you already own in some other form to keep it ethical.
 
As far as album that don't have vinyl counterparts but are excellent, a couple that always come to mind are Chroma Key - Graveyard Mountain Home, Bjork - Debut, and Dire Straits - On Every Street.  Gooood stuff!

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Is there anything modern that's well mastered?

I'm no mastering engineer, but I think that Diana Krall's albums are recorded and mastered very well.

 

[Asr]

Most of the Alison Krauss + Union Station CDs are high-quality recordings and worthy of audiophiley listening. I use them a lot to evaluate treble in general.
 
Quote:

Is there anything modern that's well mastered?

My favorite album that came out this year is well-mastered: Massive Attack's Heligoland.

 

[Oggranak]

I have a similar take on audio to the OP, I don't give a [insert a word I'm not allowed to use here] whether it sounds like I'm in the same room as the musicians. The end goal is the music, not the performance. When I think brilliantly mastered albums, I think of something like Broken Social Scene's You Forgot it in People, which would make a lot of the old-school audiophiles here gasp. Or I might mention Mezzanine or Endtroducing.... Or Fleet Foxes. Yeah, I'd probably mention Fleet Foxes.

I certainly wouldn't even think of mentioning Steely Dan. Audiophile mastering =/= good mastering.

I consider The Strokes' "Is This It" well-mastered. Chew on that one, audiophiles.

 

[3602]

Nelly Furtado was one of the few artists not to fall into the Loundess War. But with the release of The Best of Nelly Furtado the same thing cannot be said. So basically anything before this album, but I'm still waiting for the Lifestyle. Oh yes, I listen to gear, not music.