Songs that make your headphone WOOOOOW!!!
Oct 24, 2011 at 12:12 AM Post #1,231 of 4,538
There is a part of Taylor Swift's song "Ours" where she gets weirdly close to the microphone. You can really test how your headphones fare with vocals at that part of the track. Otherwise, since I like vocals, probably Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" (vocals are close), or the first few notes of "Back to December."
 
For testing piano, I would say "Runaway" by Kanye West. In order to check bass impact, you can try "Dark Fantasy" by Kanye (when the song breaks into its full beat). I haven't found very many electronic songs to be very well mastered at all.
 
Oct 24, 2011 at 11:48 PM Post #1,232 of 4,538
 
Quote:
There is a part of Taylor Swift's song "Ours" where she gets weirdly close to the microphone. You can really test how your headphones fare with vocals at that part of the track. Otherwise, since I like vocals, probably Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" (vocals are close), or the first few notes of "Back to December."
 
For testing piano, I would say "Runaway" by Kanye West. In order to check bass impact, you can try "Dark Fantasy" by Kanye (when the song breaks into its full beat). I haven't found very many electronic songs to be very well mastered at all.


OT: Pepper... as in Artgerm? I've been a fan of your work on Deviantart! Haven't checked the website for a while though.
 
 
Oct 25, 2011 at 12:27 PM Post #1,233 of 4,538
Camo & Krooked's new album is pretty sick but one song in particular is blowin my mind. 
 
Song: Anubis. One of the most detailed DnB songs I've ever heard. Righ up there with Sunhammer by Noisia. Amazing.
 
Oct 30, 2011 at 7:58 PM Post #1,237 of 4,538
Touch of Grey - Grateful Dead
 
 
Nov 2, 2011 at 4:18 PM Post #1,238 of 4,538
Off the top of my head, here're a few, but I'll add more as & when they occur to me:
(Unless otherwise stated, I'm referring to individual tracks, not whole albums)
 
 
 
 
 
Alison Krauss - Empty Hearts, Ghost in this House, Oh Atlanta, I Will, Deeper Than Crying, I Can Let Go Now, It Doesn't Matter, Find My Way Back to My Heart, Looking in the Eyes of Love, There is a Reason
 
Alison Moyet - This House, Only You, Invisible
 
Amp Fiddler - I Believe in You
 
Amy Winehouse - Help Yourself
 
Angie Stone - My Lovin' Will Give You Something
 
Anita Baker - You Bring me Joy
 
Art Garfunkel - I Shall Sing, Bright Eyes
 
Axiom Funk (feat. Bootsy Collins) - If 6 was 9
 
Basia - Time & Tide
 
B.B. King (feat. Gary Moore) - Thrill is Gone
 
Beatles - Yesterday
 
Beverley Craven - Promise Me
 
Blackeyed Peas - Shutup Shutup
 
Blondie - Heart of Glass
 
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
 
Bonnie Raitt - Too Soon to tell
 
Bruce Springsteen - Across The Border, Dry Lightning, Philadelphia, 
 
Bryan Ferry - I Put a Spell On You, Miss Otis Regrets,
 
Buddy Holly - True Love Ways
 
Carol Kidd - Georgia on my mind
 
Carpenters - Won't Last a Day Without You
 
Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler - There'll Be Some Changes Made
 
Chris Rea - Auberge (album)
 
Claire Martin - I Was Telling Him About You
 
Clannad - In A Lifetime
 
Climax Chicago Blues Band - So Many Roads
 
Colin James - Better Days
 
Commodores - Night Shift
 
Cowboy Junkies - Misguided Angel
 
Cranberries - Does Anyone Care?
 
Crowded House - Whispers & Moans
 
Culture Club - Everything I Own
 
D'Angelo - Brown Sugar (Live recording from 'Later...with Jools Holland')
 
Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter
 
Dar Williams - Mark Rothko Song
 
Dave Stewart - Lily Was Here (soundtrack album)
 
David Gray - Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Sail Away
 
Del Amitri - It Might As Well Be You
 
Delores Keane - Never Be The Sun
 
Diana Krall - LIVE in Paris (album), All For You: A Tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio (album)
 
Dire Straits - Iron Hand, You & Your Friend
 
Dr. John - Don't Mean a Thing
 
Eddi Reader - My Old Friend The Blues
 
Edie Brickell - Another Woman's Dream, Good Times
 
Eleanor McEvoy - Only a Woman's Heart
 
Emmylou Harris - Goodbye
 
Enya - Storms in Africa
 
Eric Clapton - Old Love (Unplugged), Give me Strength
 
Erykah Badu - Otherside of the Game, plus her Live stuff
 
Eva Cassidy - Live at Blues Alley (album)
 
Everything But The Girl - I don't wanna talk about it
 
Fairground Attraction - First of a Million Kisses (superbly-recorded album)
 
Fourplay - Why Can't it Wait 'til Morning?, Elexir
 
Francis Black - intuition
 
Gil Scott-Heron - Blue Collar
 
Giles Peterson - Presents The BBC Sessions Vol.1 (album)
 
Hil St. Soul - Until You Come Back to me
 
Indigo Girls - many very well-recorded tracks in their back catalogue
 
INXS - Need You Tonight
 
James Taylor - Hourglass (album)
 
Jane Monheit - A Case of You, Somewhere over the Rainbow
 
Janis Ian - Welcome to Acousticville
 
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah, Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin, 
 
Jennifer Warnes - bird on a wire, Joan of Arc
 
Joan Baez - diamonds & rust, strange rivers
 
John Barry - Dances with Wolves
 
John Lee Hooker - My dream
 
John Martyn - Glory Box
 
John Mayer - gravity
 
Kate Bush - This Woman's Work, Moments of Pleasure
 
Kathy Mattea - A Few Good Things Remain
 
KD Lang - Wash Me Clean, Miss Chatelaine, Crying (feat Roy Orbison),
 
Lilith Fair - Water is wide
 
Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville - Don't know much 
 
Lou Reed - Perfect Day, Wild Side
 
Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World
 
Lucky Peterson - Purple Rain
 
Lurrie Bell - Smokin' Dynamite - not audiophile but very engaging performance
 
Luther Vandross - a house is not a home
 
Mari Wilson - Let There Be Love, No Moon at All
 
Mariah Carey - Everything Fades Away, Any Time You Need a Friend, 
 
Maroon 5 - This Love (Live Acoustic version)
 
Martin Taylor - Johnny & Mary
 
Mary Black - moon & st. christopher, A Woman's Heart, If I gave my heart to you, dimming of the day
 
Mary Chapin Carpenter - I am a town, one cool remove, when she's gone, only a dream, 
 
Mary Mary - Praise You (shackles)
 
Massive Attack - Protection
 
Maura O'Connell - Love to Learn (glorious relaxed but ample bass...just gorgeous), Western Highway (great harmonies from Nanci Griffith on this) + many others (great SQ)
 
 
Maxwell - UNPLUGGED
 
Morcheeba - Who Can You Trust?
 
Minnie Ripperton - Lovin' you
 
Nanci Griffith - san diego serenade, five & dime, one blade shy,
 
Natalie Merchant - Live in NYC (album)
 
Nat King Cole - Let There Be Love
 
Neil Young (UNPLUGGED) - unknown legend, long may you run
 
Ocean Colour Scene - (acoustic album called B-sides, Seasides & Free rides)
 
Paul Simon - Homeless, African Skies
 
Peter Gabriel - blood of eden, don't give up, mercy street,
 
Pretenders - Hymn to Her
 
Prince - Nothing Compares to You (live feat. Rosie Gaines)
 
Queen - Is This the World That We Created?
 
Radiohead - no surprises
 
 
Rickie Lee Jones - Live album.
 
Right Said Fred - Deeply Dippy
 
Robben Ford - Top of the Hill
 
Robbie Robertson - Somewhere Down That Crazy River
 
Rod Stewart - I Was Only Joking
 
Rosey - Love
 
Sade - Pearls (gorgeous bass line)
 
Shawn Colvin - You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, Killing The Blues  (both are live recordings from the album 'Cover Girl')
 
Simple Minds - woman, banging on the door (inc. instrumental bridge), two worlds collide
 
Simply Red - Model, every time we say goodbye, Angel (live), how could I fall, 
 
Stacey Kent - it never entered my mind, violets for my furs, you are there,
 
Sting - almost any of his stuff, but particularly his album 'Ten Summoner's Tales'
 
Sublime - Rivers of Babylon
 
Terrell - The Toystore
 
Vangelis - Bladerunner (album)
 
Van Morrison - Enlightenment, and also many of his other tracks from recent decades
 
Willie Nelson - Mona Lisa (fabulous recording)
 
Yello - The Race
 
 
 
Nov 2, 2011 at 7:37 PM Post #1,240 of 4,538
Agreeing with MorbidToaster here, Cross The Line was one of the most detailed and best mastered electronic albums I have heard in a while. I love Portal, from the Deluxe Edition.
 
Nov 2, 2011 at 11:04 PM Post #1,241 of 4,538
It's definitely up there. Like I said, up there with Split the Atom (an album in my top 5 of all time) so that's really high praise. Also...Deluxe Edition? Crap now I have to go get that.
 
Oh, and Anubis has made it to my test track list.
 
Quote:
Agreeing with MorbidToaster here, Cross The Line was one of the most detailed and best mastered electronic albums I have heard in a while. I love Portal, from the Deluxe Edition.



 
 
 
Nov 2, 2011 at 11:24 PM Post #1,243 of 4,538
I pretty much think Hospital Records is nectar of the gods so...Logistics - Now More Than Ever, Netsky - Netsky, London Elektricity - Yikes!.
 
Another very well recorded and detailed DnB one is Sub Focus - Sub Focus. One that's a little more glitchy and brutal (DnB) is Evol Intent - Era of Diversion. For a little DubStep...Burial - Untrue.
 
Quote:
Listening to Split The Atom right now, what other albums are up there for you in DnB and Dubstep? I thought spitfire and welcome reality were pretty good as well. 



 
 
 
Nov 3, 2011 at 12:12 AM Post #1,244 of 4,538
Stevie Wonder - Visions
 
There are more but this one stands out to me in particular.
 
Nov 3, 2011 at 1:22 AM Post #1,245 of 4,538
It's a song that everyone has heard, but something to be appreciated with quality headphones.
But it's best listened to in a dark and silent room... at below just below 'loud' volume.
 
Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman, No Cry.flaclive version
 
Ignore the music and hear the audience -  every little nuance. There are some amazing things to hear in this recording.
At 1:38, does someone walk infront of the recording mic? There's a definite volume drop.
At 1:47, woman squealing at the microphone feedback.
At 2:10, whenever the double clap comes in, it sounds like like some of the crowd double clap at the next beat. 
At 3:18, "Everything's gonna be alright (yeaaaahhhhhhh! woooooooo!)"
And countless more....
 
I love the atmosphere in this recording! I've heard this track so many times, but I didn't hear it till I got good headphones and the right listening environment.
 

 
But if you haven't spent thousands on a rig (and you don't mind downtempo), this will still sound great.
 
Scuba - So You Think You're Special
 

 
 
 

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