The most dynamic, well recorded music you have heard to date....

treitz3

We all have reference recordings. We all have our favorite genre's of music. We all have out favorite albums. What would you say is your "must have" recording that has a stellar dynamic range that shows what it is that your rig can really do?

I recently came across one that I'd like to share. Strange, to say the least but since the first time I heard it all of the way through? I yearn to hear it again. Here's my contribution...

Hugh Masekela, "Stimela" 10 minutes and 5 seconds long.

What say you?

audiocr381ve

This is one of those albums that I'm not exactly in love with, but my goodness is it an amazing recording.

Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue

victor. askew

Pink Floyd- Animals, for me it dosent get any better than this. David Gilmore's playing from beginning to end has to be heard to be belived. Just great sounding.

fbm211

one night in bankok-murray head (LP extended version)... And the remake.(CD)

nspindel

victor. askew wrote: »

Pink Floyd- Animals, for me it dosent get any better than this. David Gilmore's playing from beginning to end has to be heard to be belived. Just great sounding.

Surely you must mean the vinyl because I think the sq on cd is awful. So hoping the remaster sounds better when it comes out.

nspindel

I love the dynamics in Riders on the Storm, but don't know that it's a reference track. Hmmmm....

IRLRaceFan

I'm mostly into Rock music, but I'd have to say Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture.
Aside from that, just about any Pink Floyd or Alan Parsons.

TNRabbit

Flim & the BB's - Tricycle

However, the digital recording of the 1812 overture is the KING of dynamic range....

Ricardo

Anything by Lady Gaga.

Obsession18

Any Steely Dan CD, I have read that they were very particular about the fidelity of their recordings.

AsSiMiLaTeD

You guys just can't say something like "Anything by so and so". There are plenty of Pink Floyd records that aren't that great, and Lady GAGA, you've got to be kidding me. She has some stuff that's recorded well, and some songs where even the song itself doesn't lend to great dynamics much less the recording.

quadzilla

Had a long post, then IE ate it. I've got a bunch. But there is no one single track. I use different tracks for different things.

Toolfan66

Steely Dan Aja SACD-SHM .....

bobman1235

nspindel wrote: »

Surely you must mean the vinyl because I think the sq on cd is awful. So hoping the remaster sounds better when it comes out.

Before I was into music or anything, I remember my step-mom had a turntable in the basement with a bunch of albums, and Pink Floyd's "Animals" was one of them. That whole record just captivated me. And I wasn't a druggie either.

CoolJazz

Live Recordings at Red Rose Music. A pure DSD recording by Mark Levinson. Recorded live right in his NYC store.

The realism and the dynamics are just stunning! I found a copy from a stereo shop in Australia.

CJ

heiney9

Ani DiFranco - Living In Clip (live recording)

Ani DiFranco - Live @ Babeville DVD in 2.0 Stereo



Ani DiFranco is one of the greatest acoustic guitarists alive, one of the most important folk artists since Bob Dylan, and one of the best live acts since the Grateful Dead. Live at Babeville proves all three beyond a reasonable doubt.

On September 11 and 12, 2007, singer/songwriter/guitarist Ani DiFranco played two sold-out shows before a hometown audience in Buffalo, New York. What made those nights so special wasn't just the music--because that's always special at an Ani show--but the fact that she was playing the inaugural shows in her very own venue, a downtown church once slated for demolition that has been beautifully restored as a state-of-the-art music hall and newly renamed "Babeville." Ani took the opportunity to fashion a two-night retrospective of sorts, performing songs from every stage of her fabled career in breathtaking new arrangements with her latest touring band; Allison Miller on drums, Todd Sickafoose on upright bass and Mike Dillon on vibes and percussion. The spirit of celebration was in the air, and energy in the room--both onstage and in the audience--was extraordinary.

Erin McKeown - Sing You Sinners



Plenty of contemporary artists have addressed the classic American songbook, but few have romped through it with more playful verve than Erin McKeown. Fans of Norah Jones will find a kindred spirit here, though McKeown's singing is sunnier and her instrumentation more syncopated. (Or, since music like this has become increasingly associated with upscale coffee shops, more caffeinated.) From the giddy rendition of "Get Happy" that opens the album through the calypso spin given "Paper Moon" and the ruminative recasting of "Just One of Those Things," guitarist McKeown and band seem more interested in breathing fresh life into great songs than embalming them with nostalgic respect.

Patty Larkin - Regrooving The Dream



If a musician could be described in baseball terms, Patty Larkin would be the ultimate utility player. She can do a little bit of everything--she's a poetic songwriter, a passionate vocalist, a knockout guitar player, a savvy entertainer, and a creator of music she plays herself on a multitude of instruments: guitars, lap steel, mandolin, accordion, and keyboards. The Boston native draws on a world of sounds--R&B, blues, Celtic, jazz, rock, even samba--for an inventive and innovative songbook that creeps into the contemporary fabric of America. Larkin has always balanced roots steeped in folk music with a modern pop edge, while never allowing her witty, thoughtful lyrics to take a backseat. On Regrooving the Dream, those lyrics ride shotgun.

Good stuff, well worth seeking out

H9

heiney9

I have several (probably a dozen or so) Instant Live recordings of Jewel. Clear Channel had this novel idea to record certain performers and then make the recordings available to the attendee's of the show.

Jewel was one of the first major acts to sign on. The recordings are made and then distributed w/o a whole lot of messing with. What you get is a real feeling of being there, and the dynamics are incredible because there is very little mastering done to the raw recordings. These live discs have a completely different sound than a commercially done, slickly produced discs you'd normally get from a major lable record company.

On SDA's it puts you right in the audience. The dynamics can be pretty intense at times.

H9

steveinaz

Best recordings: Later Steely Dan (2 against Nature/Everything must go); any Donald Fagen
Most dynamic range: George Michael "Faith"

Polkie2009

You guys are right, all through their career,Steely Dan consistantly produced recordings that were reference quality. And yes, the later years recordings done on their own were excellent too.

Joe08867

Genesis Abacab on Vinyl the drums and keyboard really shine on this album.

Rush 2112 Good for dynamic moments and dynamic speed tests.

Steely Dan Aja on Vinyl or CD. Vinyl is better. Lots of ebb and flow.

George Michael Faith very dynamic album.

Stevie Ray Vaughn The Sky is Crying CD. Very dynamic. Listen for subtle things like the amplifier buzz in The Wind Cries Mary. On a nice tube setup with super efficient speakers it sounds like Stevie is in the room.

Pink Floyd Momentary Lapse of Reason CD. Title song goes the whole gambit.

steveinaz

Polkie2009 wrote: »

You guys are right, all through their career,Steely Dan consistantly produced recordings that were reference quality. And yes, the later years recordings done on their own were excellent too.

Some of their earlier stuff is a little "veiled", but still above average recordings.

heiney9

I have yet to hear a well recorded Rush album and I have the originals and remasters. For as technically brilliant all their music is, the recordings are pretty flat and lifeless. Even the live stuff is flat and lifeless.

Best Rush recording I own is a bootleg from the early days at the Agora Ballroom. This recording was made for a live radio broadcast in 1974.

H9

H9

Joe08867

heiney9 wrote: »

I have yet to hear a well recorded Rush album and I have the originals and remasters. For as technically brilliant all their music is, the recordings are pretty flat and lifeless. Even the live stuff is flat and lifeless.

Best Rush recording I own is a bootleg from the early days at the Agora Ballroom. This recording was made for a live radio broadcast in 1974.

H9

H9

It could be a case of I know the album so well that I use it as a reference just cause I know what I am listening for. Worst Dynamic Rush album? Presto.

fishbones

While it's not the most well recorded overall, it is the best barometer for dynamics I have ever come across. When equipment has great dynamic impact - this album literally has startling dynamics. There are 3 or 4 songs on here that when they start up, will make me jump (even though I've heard it a million times). When equipment is lacking in dynamic impact, it is extremely noticeable - it completely lacks the punch and slam. There's no startle, no jump, more of a booom instead of a BAM.

When testing for speed and pace within dynamics (toe-tapping level), I love song #3 (Give Me the Meltdown). When equipment is up to the task, this song is fast-paced, quick and extremely involving. But, when it doesn't get it right, the song literally sounds slowed down (sounds like LP's where you slow the speed down), it is lifeless, boring and completely un-involving. It's extremely noticeable one way or the other.


Rob Thomas - Mockingbird

zingo

Chesky Recordings

inson71

A couple of my favorite reference CDs are Harry Connick Jr's She and Dada's Puzzle. As for Rush, I think Moving Pictures sounds pretty good.

BlueFox

Ricardo wrote: »

Anything by Lady Gaga.

Not quite true. The Fame, and The Fame Monster have some very well recorded songs. The remix CDs, except for Poker Face, are also well recorded. Her latest CD, Born This Way, sucks. I was very disappointed in the sound quality of that CD. There simply is no dynamic range. While it does have some good songs, the sound quality makes it hard to listen to.

Polkie2009

+1 Steve the early SD stuff wasn't quite as well recorded as AJA and later.:) AJA was great!

steveinaz

Yep, Aja is very well done. If you haven't heard "2 against nature" check it out---very, very good recording.

Systems

Eagles..Hell Freezes Over..track 10..new york minute...but luv the rest of them on it too.

steveinaz

David Benoit's "Every step of the way" is very good, but just a touch too much treble tilt--otherwise an outstanding recording. I love running "ReBach" at concert levels, it gives me a stiffy. The deep rumbling bass and percussion transients are some of the best I've heard.