Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Audiophile Prog
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedAudiophile Prog
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
fronobulax View Drop Down
Forum Groupie
Forum Groupie
Avatar

Joined: September 01 2017
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 44 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Audiophile Prog
    Posted: September 12 2017 at 15:34
Hi, 
Maybe this has been covered before, but I'm wondering what albums you esteemed folks think are stellar recordings. I have a pile of money sunk into two stereo systems, and I have sourced out some recommendations from this awesome site only to find that although the music is OK, the recordings are unlistenable, auto-tuney, or overly compressed, especially new releases. Drums and vocals are a huge part of this, and I always think a drum kit should sound full range and natural, with vocals avoiding the sort of compression that sounds too digital and unnatural.

For example, I love the sound of ELP's Trilogy, but not so much BSS. Close to the Edge sounds fantastic, however I find TFTO muddy, with drums sounding like they were recorded in a cardboard box. (The Steven Wilson two channel mix is really no better, and his mix of "Power and the Glory" is clear, but sucks the air out of the performance and seems to emphasize each instrument's track individually rather than the glorious whole. This could possibly be the result of trying to remix stuff primarily for 5.1 enthusiasts)

I don't judge music based on the recordings. I love Ange's "Cimitiere des Arlequins," which you may or may not agree is a pretty muffled record. The latest Opeth also contains some interesting (muffled?) choices in the mixing of the drums...I still like it a lot.

I guess what I was hoping was that you folks might have some more obscure recommendations. I discovered "Locanda Delle Fate" on this site last week, and WOW is that an incredible piece of engineering with an awesome soundstage!

I think everyone agrees that Pink Floyd sounds good, so maybe we could avoid them, and help each other out! There's no point in getting too technical, with various pressings and stuff, just great bands recorded well.
Thanks!!!
Back to Top
Mascodagama View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: December 30 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 5111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 12 2017 at 15:52
If your tastes inlude jazz-inflected, slightly experimental folk rock, try the s/t album by The Pentangle. A demonstration class recording since 1968.

Any of Steely Dan's albums - but particularly The Royal Scam, Aja and Gaucho - should tickle your earbuds.
Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to.
Bandcamp Profile
Back to Top
BaldJean View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: May 28 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 10377 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 12 2017 at 16:04
not prog, but if you want to test your stereo system to the limit I recommend "Crash" by drummer Charly Antolini


A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta
Back to Top
Quinino View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 26 2011
Location: Portugal
Status: Offline
Points: 3654 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 12 2017 at 16:10
Scott, I think I know what you mean but can't see you reaching your goal this way, with no additional details to guide us - let me put it this way:
Which genres do you like the most ?
Your fav bands ?
Media: Vinyl, CD, FLAC, mp3...
Only Prog - or other styles as well?

Otherwise we'll fall in a contradiction: you don't judge music based on the recordings BUT you call for recommendations based (only?) on the recordings - where do we stand?

Sorry if I misunderstood your meaning, anyways to get the ball rolling let me suggest this fine album
I bought on FLAC (unfortunately not 24/96) but good quality all around production/mixing and MUSIC
Back to Top
Manuel View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: March 09 2007
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 12352 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 12 2017 at 17:51
Try Jade Warrior's "Now". Great recording and great music as well. John Mitchell's "Lonely Robot" is another one I really enjoy, specially the mastering.
Back to Top
kozlorf View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie


Joined: August 22 2008
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Status: Offline
Points: 1 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 00:21
I always test my stereo with either "The Game" or "The Works" from Queen - mainly due to great sounding drums and vocals - so exactly on par with what you're looking for (mind, that there are few songs with drum machine on the latter; I love the blend of machine and real drums on "Machines" though). No pure prog, but prog-related I guess.


As far as prog goes, I've always considered Supertramp's "A Crime Of The Century" as another "Dark Side Of The Moon", in terms that it sounds amazingly good as for the release year (1974).
On Gentle Giant's "Free Hand" there is in my opinion the best sounding bass line ever - in the song called "His Last Voyage".

Zappa's "Joe's Garage" and "You Are What You Is" also sound great.
Back to Top
Hercules View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Near York UK
Status: Offline
Points: 7024 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 07:15
My main system is:

Pink Triangle Anniversary turntable
SME series V arm
Lyra Lydian cartridge

Audiolab 8000C pre and 8000P power amps

Mission 753 Freedom speakers

A few vinyls which stand out from memory are:
Solution - Fully Interlocking (the drum intro to Carousel is amazing)
Joan Armatrading - Me Myself I
Belinda Carlisle - Runaway Horses
Steeleye Span - Below the Salt
Moving Hearts - The Storm
Gentle Giant - Free Hand
A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.
Back to Top
Kingsnake View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: November 03 2006
Location: Rockpommelland
Status: Offline
Points: 1578 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 07:34
Gentle Giant - Free Hand indeed is a very good recording.

You can't really go wrong with the Moody Blues-albums 1967-1972. ( alot going in the music, that normal earbuds can't translate to the human ear)
Also the three Rupert Hine-albums of the early eighties (Immunity - Waving not Drowning - Wildest Wish to Fly) have superb production qualities.

Perhaps if you like Pink Floyd, give Eloy a go. It's rather sterile, but Frank really knows how to mix.
Back to Top
Quinino View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 26 2011
Location: Portugal
Status: Offline
Points: 3654 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 08:12
Originally posted by Hercules Hercules wrote:



Audiolab 8000C pre and 8000P power amps

A few vinyls which stand out from memory are:
Solution - Fully Interlocking (the drum intro to Carousel is amazing)
Joan Armatrading - Me Myself I


Quinino approves this message - Thank you Tony ! Big smile
Back to Top
Kepler62 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 09 2017
Location: Fort Erie
Status: Offline
Points: 501 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 08:20
I avoid CDs and digital recordings as much as possible. Don't know if you're into Krautrock but there are quite a few decent recordings that I have on vinyl. Grobschnitt Solar Music Live, Guru Guru Live '78, Neu!. A lot of stuff on the Brain label sounds terrific. Not going to go through titles but Conny Plank did some great work during the seventies. I have yet to hear a Canadian pressing that sounds anything near what you're looking for. The Canadian pressings no matter how well engineered the recording are the worst. 
Back to Top
hellogoodbye View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP member

Joined: August 29 2011
Location: Troy
Status: Offline
Points: 7251 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 12:09
Cd is for audiophile, Vinyl for music lover. 
Back to Top
progmatic View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 22 2009
Location: Ohio
Status: Offline
Points: 1785 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 14:19
Almost all  of the albums from the 70s recorded on Decca and Deram labels feature awesome recordings. Philips too, for the most part.
PROGMATIC
Back to Top
JD View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: February 07 2009
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 18371 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 17:03
Absolutely agree with the Trilogy/BSS assessment. (huge ELP fan BTW).

But the first one that popped into my head was Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth. Stellar recording !

I once had a Half Speed Mastered vinyl of ELP's Pictures at an Ex. It made a huge difference on my platter compared to the regular release which I also had.

Ahhhh, those were the days.


Edited by JD - September 14 2017 at 07:32
Thank you for supporting independently produced music
Back to Top
zachfive View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 13 2005
Location: Kitsap WA
Status: Offline
Points: 770 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 18:00
Anything by the Alan Parsons Project. Production value is top notch by one of the best engineers in the biz.
Back to Top
Larkstongue41 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 07 2015
Location: Eastern Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 1360 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 19:06
+1 Aja

+1 Alan Parsons Project

+1 Anything Conny Plank

Depois Do Fim by Bacamarte is very well mixed.

Bowie's Berlin trilogy.

Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden, Oldfield - Tubular Bells, Kraftwerk - Ralf und Florian are always among the first 10 albums I listen to to test new audio equipment along with Aja and Alan Parsons Project's I Robot. Miles Davis' Bitches Brew is another must.

Also this. Such a unique guitar tone which cannot be faithfully reproduced with poor audio (youtube doesn't help):


Now can we talk about overproduced albums I feel like I have more examples there. LOL
"Larks' tongues. Wrens' livers. Chaffinch brains. Jaguars' earlobes. Wolf nipple chips. Get 'em while they're hot. They're lovely. Dromedary pretzels, only half a denar."
Back to Top
synthonaplinth View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie
Avatar

Joined: July 21 2011
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 7 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2017 at 20:24
There seem to be many stellar recordings to choose from nowadays. Here are a few which have been either impeccably engineered or brought to life again through great remastering, IMHO.

Original mixes:
Jukka Gustavson-Toden Toistoa
Solution- Cordon Bleu
Ashra- New Age of Earth, Blackouts
Stackridge- The Man With The Bowler Hat, Friendliness

Remasters:
Starcastle-S/T, Fountains of Light
Wigwam- Being
Caravan-In The Land of The Grey and The Pink
Solis Lacus (Belgian jazz)- S/T
Patto-Hold Your Fire

I agree with the earlier poster who said that the Steely Dan remasters were fantastic, the same could be said for 'The Nightfly' by Donald Fagen, though it was originally a digital master, in 1982! A good quality DAC can also give your music that extra something.


Edited by synthonaplinth - December 21 2017 at 20:25
Back to Top
Mascodagama View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: December 30 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 5111 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 21 2017 at 21:04
Originally posted by hellogoodbye hellogoodbye wrote:

Cd is for audiophile, Vinyl for music lover. 
Sorry, but that is nonsense.

Edited by Mascodagama - December 21 2017 at 21:04
Soldato of the Pan Head Mafia. We'll make you an offer you can't listen to.
Bandcamp Profile
Back to Top
progmatic View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 22 2009
Location: Ohio
Status: Offline
Points: 1785 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2017 at 07:51
All of the Caravan remasters are incredible, especially Live at the New Symphonia. The recording is incredible. Music's not too shabby either.
PROGMATIC
Back to Top
Lewian View Drop Down
Prog Reviewer
Prog Reviewer
Avatar

Joined: August 09 2015
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 14103 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2017 at 17:15
Quote Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

!
A friend of mine has perfect pitch and worked for some equipment companies as test listener. Through this he  met Mark Hollis, who is very much into audiophile sound. In any case, the last three Talk Talk albums sound very special to me (can't claim to be a gifted audiophile myself though).
Other artists that impress my through sound are Holger Czukay (The New Millenium, Good Morning Story) and Battles.
Back to Top
dr wu23 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
Status: Offline
Points: 20451 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2017 at 12:01
I'm not an audiophile.....my system is still the once I purchased 35 years ago...though I have had to change the cd player once...mid priced std equipment..Onkyo table, Onkyo receiver/amp, Sony cd player , Ortofon S4 cartridge and original Advent 3 speakers.........but these albums always sounded good to me...but as many have said it depends on one's ear also...
Joni Mitchell -Blue
Neil Young- After the Goldrush
Traffic= Low Spark
Happy The Man- Crafty Hands
IQ- Frequency and Dark Matter
...




Edited by dr wu23 - December 25 2017 at 12:04
One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.219 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.