Worst recorded/Mastered Albums
May 3, 2010 at 7:12 PM Post #16 of 125
Another one I wanted to add to the list:

Sepultara - Schizophrenia

This thing is a disaster from top to bottom. Granted it is from Sepultara's more thrash sounding days but the damn liner notes showed a a mic'd tweed guitar amp for god's sake. Thin, distorted, and a lot of noise highlight the bad song writing in this train wreck of a CD. It's worth picking up at the bargain bin just so you can flame it Mystery Science Theater 3000 style.
 
May 3, 2010 at 7:23 PM Post #17 of 125
Quote:

Originally Posted by Head Injury /img/forum/go_quote.gif
RHCP - Californication. Poster child of poster children.


One of the few albums that sounds so bad I can tell it's poorly mastered in a bad stock car stereo over the radio.
 
May 3, 2010 at 9:36 PM Post #18 of 125
The good old albums from Yes, Moody Blues, and Deep Purple come to mind as some of the most brittle, bright and lousy recordings ever done. And that is sad because there was some fantastic music there that was ruined by production!!!

Todd
 
May 3, 2010 at 10:08 PM Post #20 of 125
I picked up a cheap copy of Jimi Hendrix - Birth Of Success at a fair last weekend.
Worst sounding record I have heard to date ! Its the lack of consistancy thats irritating, it seems to fluctuate from ok to awful . Though it may just be a dud copy I own!? Still, as background music whilst doing other things, it kinda has a quality about it. Mabey comparable to the qualitys of 8mm compared to a modern HD video recording. Its all in the nostalgia and feel?!
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May 4, 2010 at 12:18 AM Post #21 of 125
Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The good old albums from Yes, Moody Blues, and Deep Purple come to mind as some of the most brittle, bright and lousy recordings ever done. And that is sad because there was some fantastic music there that was ruined by production!!! Todd


Which is a real shame, because the talent that those band exhibited (sans Deep Purple) is far superior to what is being produced today. Old Yes albums like Relayer and Yessongs deserved a much better baseline recording.

I bought a Deep Purple album "Machine Head" on DVD-A, and it is pure crap. The drums sound like slapping (no bottom at all), and is almost non-existent.
And that's from the original master tapes.

Second that to Norah Jones. What's up with that? They (including the SACD) are dull and lifeless, which is a shame because "Come Away With Me" has some great cuts on it. It's almost as if they have a blanket over the monitors.
 
May 4, 2010 at 1:48 AM Post #22 of 125
how about the boston remasters from a couple years ago?
i don't know the whole story on those, but i think sony was remastering them, and jerk-hole tom sholz caught wind of that, and decided to remaster them himself. the liner notes go on and on about how he faught to remove sibilance, and blah blah blah.

and, guess what? they sound like utter garbage.
i've been looking in the used racks for the 80's cd master now. because i'm certain it will sound miles better.
(yes, guilty pleasure, i know. sue me.
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oh, and @ luckybaer, not all the xtc remasters were butchered. drums and wires, and black sea were done pretty well. but, strangely, big express, nonesuch, mummer, and oranges and lemons sound like crap.
 
May 4, 2010 at 2:26 AM Post #24 of 125
every "Kids Bop" album but particularly Kids Bop Kids sing The Beatles. Over compressed to death and the most obvious use of pitch correction I have ever heard, they sound like robots, and not in that good Kraftwerky way.
 
May 5, 2010 at 1:14 AM Post #25 of 125
Quote:

oh, and @ luckybaer, not all the xtc remasters were butchered. drums and wires, and black sea were done pretty well. but, strangely, big express, nonesuch, mummer, and oranges and lemons sound like crap.


That's good to know!

Quote:

I bought a Deep Purple album "Machine Head" on DVD-A, and it is pure crap. The drums sound like slapping (no bottom at all), and is almost non-existent.
And that's from the original master tapes.


Any idea about the Audio Fidelity version of "Machine Head"?
 
May 5, 2010 at 1:34 AM Post #26 of 125
I wouldn't count on that. That is one of the worst sounding CDs I have ever heard. Worse than the first CD issues of Elvis Costello's first few LPs. Too bad, as the Boston album is one fun slab. Also, no such thing as a guilty pleasure. Why feel guilty about loving "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies or "Midnight Blue" by Lou Graham, for example. Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWuss /img/forum/go_quote.gif
i've been looking in the used racks for the 80's cd master now. because i'm certain it will sound miles better.
(yes, guilty pleasure, i know. sue me.
wink.gif
)



 
May 5, 2010 at 12:43 PM Post #29 of 125
Try anything by the Go! team for intentionally bad SQ. This is one of the better quality tracks they have


on a side note: It's interesting to listen to the original version of Raw Power from (Iggy Pop &) The Stooges. I recall reading that they were going for a deliberately bad sound quality, something that actually hurt to listen to. In retrospective it is quite toned-down compared to todays heavier albums.
 
May 6, 2010 at 5:24 PM Post #30 of 125

 
Quote:
Try anything by the Go! team for intentionally bad SQ. This is one of the better quality tracks they have


This is one of The Go! Team's other good ones, and a familiar track for some...
 
On second look, Rush really does seem rather hit or miss for their recordings...  And I really like Rush. =/
 

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