what sounds good?

Micah Cohen

I need your help. Look, I'll be frank with you (even tho my name is Micah): I don't know what the heck you kids are listening to in your cars these days. I want to provide more cool CD and DVD reviews for car systems, but I just don't know what "car audio" people listen to. Me? I'm blasting crap like WhiteSnake and Dokken so I'm out of the loop, big time.

Do this for me: For each of the coolest, most recent CDs you've been spinning in your car, cut and paste and fill out this set of questions...

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Artist:
Title:
Demo Track #:
Why It's A Demo Track:
Demo Track #:
Why It's A Demo Track:
Demo Track #:
Why It's A Demo Track:
Demo Track #:
Why It's A Demo Track:
Demo Track #:
Why It's A Demo Track:

Why I like this CD:

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I need track numbers, and I need to know what makes each track you dig a "demo" track. What should someone listen for? Big bass in your Polk/MOMO Enclosed Sub? Cool imaging? Massive volume attack in your front stage MM6 System? You know, feel free to get specific and be creative. Make me WANT to hear this cool thing. Feel free to cut and paste the list of questions as many times as CDs you got to review in your post to this thread (or in your email to me, see below).

What will I do for you? Well, I'll LIKE you, that's one thing. And that's saying a lot. I'll also use your review, if it's correctly filled out, in an upcoming Club Polk Car Audio Monthly Email. I'll credit you and everything, so you'll be famous.

Better yet, if you go one step further and cut and paste the questions into an email and send your review directly to me at mcohen@polkaudio.com with your name and snail-mail address included, I'll send you a FREE 20" Polk/MOMO logo sticker*. Then I'll post your review here for all to see (with your name and address kept private of course -- don't post your name and address to this public forum).

Thanks!

Micah

* Logo stickers will be available while supplies last. Just so you know. Act now.

PoweredByDodge

Well, first I'd like to say that Whitesnake used to kick ****, and still, in several ways, does, but Dokken is another story, haha. Fool for Your Lovin, Now You're Gone, the River, Sweet Mistreater, Wine Women and Song, Here I Go Again, Love Ain't No Stranger, Soldier of Fortune, and Sailing Ships are ALL fantastic driving demo tracks.

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Artist: Gary Allan
Title: Allright Guy

Demo Track #: 2 - Devil's Candy
Why It's A Demo Track: Great instrumentals, a wirey line, a rolling set of vocals, and good contrast between verse and chorus are the high points of this track. And honestly, I think we all can relate to it. "I've played the cards, rolled the dice, hell I gave up heaven for a fool's paradise... Once lost an angel when a bad girl was handy, I've always had a sweet tooth for the devil's candy."

Demo Track #: 7 - Allright Guy
Why It's A Demo Track: Absolutely one of the funniest songs I have ever heard, but it's good, that's the thing; it's good. The tamborine (spelling) and drum work rolls through my components like the Niagara River flows through Buffalo on a chilly winter night -- beautifully, but with power, precision, and a controlled grace. "Just the other night, the cops pulled me over outside the bar. The turned on their lights and ordered me outa my car. Man I was only kiddin when I called 'em a couple of dicks, but still they made me do the stupid human tricks, now I'm stuck in this jail with a bunch of damn hicks. I don't know why, but I think I'm an allright guy."

Demo Track #: 9 - Doin My Best
Why It's A Demo Track: Exact same reason as above -- the song really rolls through the system. Not much music can do that. Most music tends to "come at you" instead of flow from the speakers into your ears / body. "Some day I just might join the human race again, if I can ever find a place to show my face again... yeaaahhhhhh."

Why I like this CD: It's a fantastic CD that really shows a lot of growth for the artist -- going from the almost "honky tonk" kind of country to finally coming about and hitting that modern day "rock country" point. I can't stand old country, but the modern stuff which truly is a halfbreed of a violin and classic Bruce Springsteen / John Cougar type stuff is great. It sounds absolutely fantastic on my system, and on several other's I've installed.

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Artist: Billy Joel
Title: Greatest Hits volume 1 and 2

VOL 1---

Demo Track #: 3 - You May be Right
Why It's A Demo Track: Nice snappy beat that gets your foot moving. If you juice the volume, you might hurt your back with the bass line. Punchy as hell. "You may be right, I may be crazy, but it just might be a lunatic you're lookin for."

Demo Track #: 4 - Still Rock N Roll
Why It's A Demo Track: The trebble is clearly not the clean digital stuff of today. It sounds truly analog, almost LP. That's probably because the original master is analog. But it's got that nice "Lenny Kravitz" like crispness to the vocal region. Analog sound boards had a way of cutting out erronous junk on the top end the way a subsonic filter cleans up bass. "Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers, you get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers." -- the saxaphone solo after the 2nd verse is stellar and the sudden stops / starts of the song mixed with Billy's great voice (which extends from a nice full bodied low bass to a sharp trebble) gives the mid/woofer of a component set a GOOD solid workout.

Demo Track #: 6 - She's Got a Way
Why It's A Demo Track: The piano work on this song is of rival to Sarah McLaughlan's "Arms of the Angel" song. It's the only instrument in the song... you can hear the bang of every note, the force of the key, and it stretches all the way down into the subwoofer spectrum nicely, but only when it needs to. It's not like some songs you hear that have this repetative monotonous bass beat that is just aweful... this song strikes the bass when it ought to, when the piano commands it, and it's utterly beautiful. This is the kind of song that you put in the player and sit back, crank the volume, and take bliss in the fade from high to low volume, the power of the ballad, and the "dance" of the music.

Demo Track #: 9 - Saigon
Why It's A Demo Track: The chopper interlude at the beginning and end is a funny way to come into / out of a song, but it's done nicely. The acoustic guitar has a way of lulling the person to a cozy happy place as the words have the polar opposite effect -- melonchally, drab, depressing, need I go on? But strong, vivid, and purposeful, it's important not to overlook that. The song is written this way by design, it's supposed to show the contrast between the lives we lead today and the lives some were forced to lead. Drum and cymbal work is worthy of anyone's praise, and the vocals are fantastic (deceptively plain at first, gradually growing to something bordering on a scream at the midpoint).

Vol 2 ---

Demo Track #: 7 Bottle of Red / Bottle of White
Why It's A Demo Track: Again, superb piano work that tends to bleed from the system to your ears in a harmonious psychotropic manner. Acoustic guitar, however faint on many cheap systems, is present in a lightly glazed artful manner on a good quality high power SQ system. The way the song shifts from a concert hall type of ballad to a quick popping happy-go-lucky skippy doodle soft rock beat is a nice transition. Many people say this song "sounds the best" of any on my system -- and that's saying a bit when you put it up against the miriad of other stuff in my cd wallet.

Demo Track #: 10 Only the Good Die Young
Why It's A Demo Track: Well, by now I've said similar things about the entire cd, and you get the picture. For the same acoustic reasons as listed above, and also because it is the "happiest" track on the 2 disc set. It's a snappy, toe tappin, "get up and sing along and be stupid" type of good.

Why I like this CD: This is a clean, vivid, distinguished cd full of great cuts. The bass is snappy and tight, and for an "old" recording it's amazingly deep. Most 70's stuff hear has a choppy muddy bass drum, but this is tight, punchy, and clean. And, just to piss off the grand populous, at 11 pm I've been known to go flyin around the neighborhood with a pack of Kool Natural Lights and 4,500 watts pushing out Billy Joel to the neighbor's ears.

---

Artist: Methods of Mayhem (with Tommy Lee and Fred Durst)
Title: (unknown)

Demo Track #: 1 Gridlock
Why It's A Demo Track: Screamy, gritty, nail biting anger exudes from this track. The gritty guitar riffs cut through midbass drivers like a jagged knife -- it rips, tears, and bites at everything in sight. Tommy Lee has a great "punk - like" voice, and the synthesizer effects on his vocals come through a well placed set of comps in a way like none other.

Demo Track #: 4 Get Naked
Why It's A Demo Track: I dunno, my girlfriend likes it... isn't that reason enough! Hah... bass line is punchy and semi-unpredictable in a way that's artistic. Obviously most of the bass is synth, but "true" drums were used as well to provide the upper spectrum of the beat (and probably because Tommy plays the drums and couldn't resist). It's a great party song, a great driving song, and a fantastic song to roll up at the red light blasting -- strikes fear into the hearts of old people, weaklings, and pu##ies everywhere. But you better have a great set of subwoofers or the bass will sort like junk. If you want it to snap back at ya and break your neck, better have two to four momo's with upwards of 600 watts each (or some high quality SQ competition grade Transducers -- My two IDmax's do a great job on this track -- with 1200 watts each, they had better).

Demo Track #: 6 Proposition F#ck You
Why It's A Demo Track: Boomy, bassy, gritty, pissy, angry and everything else you want in a song named "Proposition F#ck You". I play this song whenever I see a Republican walking down the street. This song, even more than "Get Naked" DEMANDS a quality subwoofer setup -- hell even on the midbass. If your mdibass drivers are not properly crossed over you WILL hear them **** / crackle / break up. I blew a DX 6.5 inch coponent driver bumping this song.

Demo Track #: 9 - Are You Ready
Why It's A Demo Track: Amazingly cool synth work, some nice DJ quality spinning and mixing. "Forget about rehab..." is probably the only vocal line in the entire song, but the sweet work they did on it really showcases how good a synth job can get. If you've got a great sound system, this song will demonstrate that. If you have a lamer, then you'd best stay home, or face the insults.

Why I like this CD: I like this CD for ONE reason (well more than one, but mainly) because you have to have a HELL of a GOOD system for it to sound right/good. Poorly constructed or tuned systems will fall by the wayside for reasons ranging from improper midbass, poor vocal levels (it can be "quiet" if you dont have a good set of components), horrible imaging, but MOST of all -- muddy, disgusting, thick bass that farts out the back of your vehicle. However, when done right, this cd will blow the doors off your car, your friend's car, the guy down the block's car, and that new Viper in the showroom 3 blocks away. This is the kind of CD that makes Viagara unnecessary for Bob Dole.

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Well, I'm about out of CD's that come to mind... but if you want random songs... here goes...

Sarah McLaughlan - Arms of the Angels
Why? - It's got all the earmarks of a song that can/will showcase the quality of a soundsystem. If your system can cover the full spectrum, this is a song that can play the full spectrum. Sarah's ballad brings out the best in her voice, and I do believe it to be her finest song. From a mid-toned line to a shrill (but none the less beautiful) high pitched syllable, she does it all with grace, ease, and a smooth beauty. If I had to pick one song that I would demo my truck with for SQ, it would be this one. Underneath all the glory of the highs is a steady, perfect, bassline. It will move your vehicle like an earthquake, but it does not overpower, nor detract from the highs.

Joe Nichols - Broken Hearts Ville
Why? - "Here's to the past, they can kiss my glass, I hope she's happy with him. Here's to the girl, who wrecked my world, an angel who did me in. I think the devil drives a Coupe DeVille. I seen them drive away with over the hill, not against her will, now I've got time to kill, down in Brokenheartsville." It's a good, catchy song, that anyone can relate to, or laugh at ... one of the two. Guitar work is fantastic and flows much like the Gary Allan CD I listed above. Joe Nichols has a great voice that will give thorough, solid work to all of your speakers.

Amanda Marshall - Let it Rain
Why? - This song has a certain "whistle" to its instrumentals that picks up where the vocals of the artist leave off... its like the song is continuing the singing for the artist. It's a nice method... but the method isn't very unique; what is unique is the fact that somebody finally did it correctly. Not much bass on this track, but enough. Marshall has a great voice, a bit low for a woman, but that is its beauty. It's a passionate, desperate, heartfelt song that speaks from the soul and the powerful instrumentals convey this well. It sounds superb acoustically.

And probably my 2nd favorite of all time *drumroll please*...
Steve Earl - COPPERHEAD ROAD
Why? - this was voted one of America's best drinking songs, but I see it as a better driving / demo-ing song. Steve's got a raspy voice that's suited to the tune, it's harsh, hardened, and "cool". The bass beat is HARD as hell. It's punchy, strong, and it thumps like a motherf#cker. It's got everything from guitar to bagpipes! God bless his Celtic spirit. The man's got skills...haha. It sounds absoltely fantastic in my truck, and when Earl's awesome vocals aren't coming through, the thump of the bass drum speaks volumes.

That's all I've got, that I can think of at the moment...
Hope it helps a little...

TrappedUnder Ice

somone has way too much time on thier hands :0):D

Micah Cohen

Yeah. ME.

Get to work on this! Vince, you ROCK! That is awesome! See my email.

Anyone else wanna step up?

Micah

HBombToo

A srceaming 2 year old in the back seat of a Yukon!

HBomb

PoweredByDodge

ya thomas, i should probably like get a job or something one of these days --- hah.

Jstas

This is like the best thread i have ever responded to!

Some of my answer may not be exactly what you are looking for but they are completely honest. I also want to say that I do not believe in the test track CD's. You don't listen to test patterns in your car and no test track can replace the accuracy of a good sound meter for determine the frequency range of your stereo.

I have to admit that some can be hard to find.

Since alot of people are into big bass and heavy beats, I have 3 CD's for these purposes

Artist: Craig Mack
Title: Project Funk Da World
Demo Track #: 5
Why It's A Demo Track:

I like this track, well, this whole album. Some of the songs can be annoying but many of the songs will just get in your head. Flava In Ya Ear is a good song for a test track for many reasons. Number one, this song and teh rest of teh album were done on a digital synthesizer so the frequency ranges covered by each song are huge and they will test any system, especially at volume. Number two, Craing Mack has a very different vocal sound and styling. His raspy voice is difficult for a sound system to reproduce accuratly and only the very highest range of sound systems can do it. Just that fact alone makes this entire album a good test track. Number three, he lays down a heavy beat. It's not necessarily low but it has punch, hard punch and it will show you how well the systems low end can stand up to "heavier than a dance hall" bass.


Artist: Channel Live
Title: Station Identification
Demo Track #: all
Why It's A Demo Track: First off, be warned. If you like to test systems in public places like stores or at events and harsh topics or profane language embarrasses you, this is not the disc for you. With that out of the way, if you can get past the lyrics, this is one of the best albums to test a subwoofer system ever. A sound meter was routinly registering 10 Hz and below with some of the tracks on this album. It tests low end very well. The low end on this album is powerful too. It really pushes the level of a stereo because it forces the stereo to operate in the extreme range of bass reproduction. If the stereo is incapable of producing at those levels or cannot do it accuratly, this album will show and it is glaringly obvious when it does. I have played it on systems that can and when it is reproduced accuratly, it is an experience.


Artist: DaRude
Title: Before The Storm
Demo Track #: 1 (Sandstorm)
Why It's A Demo Track: This is a club DJ who does his own mixes. I live in Southern NJ and it's right smack in the middle of one of the biggest music production scenes for the club scene in the country. I do not know if DaRude was ever a DJ at any Philly clubs but his work is more mainstream and universally accepted. I feel that that has alot to do with a test track because if you recognize a tune, you are more likely to listen with an inadvertantly more critical ear which is important to determining the quality of sound reproduction. Also, if you recognize it, you have heard it before and you have a standard to compare with. The technical aspect for this being a test album is in the fact that it is a DJ and it is a dance hall anthem. If people like dance music, this album will give you a good sampling of music you would find in a club. It's powerful, hard hitting and has a broad frequency range that makes for some complicated tracks that can be difficult to reproduce accuratly. Especially if there are not component speakers with source singnals in specific crossover frequency ranges.


Now for some classical flavor!

Artist: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Title: Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Demo Track #:
Why It's A Demo Track: There is no album listed with this because, Mozart is dead and we do not have an original recording by the artist himself. Consequently, any rendition is open to artistic interpretation so no two performances will sound exactly alike. However, any one of them will be sufficient so just pick one and purchase it. This track should be in every music collection! I like this as a demo track because it covers the full range of the instrumental musical spectrum. It also is heavy on strings in harmony and that is a good test for mid-range accuracy. It also requires a system to reproduce sound spanning a large frequency range at the same time and also in harmony. If the sounds are not being reproduced accuratly, it will be noticable. The music is also musical in the sense that there are no vocals or outside intereference. It is just a melody with harmony. While most classical music is like this, I like this as a test track because like I said before, it is recognizable, you have probably heard it before and it is a work by a great classic composer. There is a history to it and you can hear and feel the richness to the music. Also, classical mustic with movements like this and seperate sections playing harmony parts will give you a good idea of sound stage. Sections stand out at certain points and blend into harmony at others. If you have good imaging you will be able to hear this easily.


Artist: Tchaikovsky
Title: 1812 Overature
Demo Track #:
Why It's A Demo Track: One word, CANNONS! Like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, this is a classical staple, found anywhere and done very very often. All the reasons above apply to this one also. However, one major thing is to try and find an example that has real cannons. This is important because a connon shot has a specific frequency range that needs to be produced accuratly and forcefully to get the real effect of a cannon. If you are playing classical music through your system and all of a sudden try to play the sound of a cannon shot, you will quickly find out how flexible and adaptive your stereo can be to drastic musical changes. The cannons are an effect that can show this well. I have heard systems play this well and at high volume levels, the cannons sound real but others have a muddled sound like a bass drum full of socks.


Artist: Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Title: Festivo
Demo Track #: 8
Why It's A Demo Track: I have to verify this one. I'm not sure if I have the correct track. Basically, this is a good one because it's bagpipes. Oh yeah, and drums, lots and lots of drums. It's also a march. It has musical elements that you usually only find in John Phillip Sousa arrangements. I like this one because it isn't Sousa. It's not "played out". It's different, fun and defintly taxes a stereo. Bagpipes will cover 3 octaves of musical ability and the bass drums and snare dums are very powerful. With a brass backing, this is a very powerful track that requires a good deal of power to reproduce well let alone accuratly. Also, because of bagpipes musical range and the fact that it plays in harmony all by itself makes this track good for testing. All that and if the system is capable of reproducing this right, it is so powerful and memserizing that you just can't help but get into it. You need a powerful system to get this feeling too. The reason is, if the drums are weak you just can't feel it.


Some good American Rock and Roll suggestion:

Artist: The Beach Boys
Title: Vol. 1-Greatest Hits [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Demo Track #: 409
Why It's A Demo Track: This is an awesome demo track because of the effects. Basically a Chevy 409 is the only effect in the song. From the sound of the engine revving to it running all the way throuogh the RPM range mixed behind that classic and vocally diverse Beach Boys harmony! It just screams test track! I think I'm one of the very few guys my age to have had the opportunity to hear a real Chevy 409 run so I have a more discerning ear concerning that aspect. However, anyone who has heard the sound of a V8 will recognize it. This track is a good track for it's musical aspect. 409 is one of the more popular Beach Boys songs and really showcases thier vocal talents and the harmony that is the Beach Boys trademark. Harmony in music is one thing, harmony in vocals is another. The human voice has a very wide range and reproducing it in harmony is a good test of not only accuracy but clarity.

Artist: The Hollies Classic Masters [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Title:
Demo Track #: 9
Why It's A Demo Track: I chose this album for a few reasons. Number one, it's a digital remastering of an original recording from when recording media was not as advanced as it is today. There are benefits to this. The first one is the original recording has a tinny-ness and fuzzy-ness to it that isn't mopped up completely by digital remastering. The reason is, it will remove vital aspects of the original song along with the noise and distortion. So it can't be removed. So what's the benefit? Well, I have heard this recording on 3 different stereos so far. One made the distortion much more pronounced and the volume needed to be turned up way to loud to hear the actual music. The other two systems played the music well and minimized the distortion. To me, this is important because the way the song was recorded and the media used in recording the song are just as important as they song itself. This song is from another time and it's recording quality adds character. This song should have a tinny sound to it like it is being played from a mono speaker radio sitting on a shelf in a mom and pop hardware store. It's part of the character of the song. The song can be accuratly reproduced with all the musical information and be a complete and rich recording but still have the tinny-ness that provides with a sort of nostalgia aura about the song. Afterall, many songs are liked because they remind of another time in our lives. I remember this song being played on the radio in my grandfather's workshop. Without the tinny-ness that is in that song, it just doesn't sound the same. It is important to me though and that feel of that song will come out if the stereo is capable of accuratly reproducing that track. Kind of a step back to look forward but sometimes we have to take a step back to see the whole picture.


Artist: Aerosmith
Title: Classics Live 2 [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED][LIVE]
Demo Track #: 1, 2 and 5
Why It's A Demo Track: I chose this because it is a digital remaster of a live recording in a huge venue. In addition, the chosen tracks have some snippets of Steven Tyler talking to the audience over the booming sound system. The chosen tracks are also Aerosmith classics which have thier own redeeming values of coolness! But the benefits to these tracks are found in thier live perfomance. They show sound stage and imaging very well because of the live performance. Live performances also have different dynamics that you won't get in a studios recording. There is a monstrous crowd cheering, shouting, chanting, screaming and even singing along and that is a whole different spectrum of sound right there. The interaction between Tyler and teh crowd is something gets muddled in lower end systems and has to be turned up too loud to hear properly. A higher end system will reproduce it accuratly and if your sound stage is set up well and your reproduction is accurate, you will feel like you could almost be there!



I have a few more CD's that I want to put up here but I have to get the info on them. They are country artists, blues artists, jazz artists, some soft rock and solo artists and even a couple of "grunge" bands. I even have a couple of acapella tracks to list so I will write more later. I hope my selections aren't too off the wall. I know I don't have the experience that some other listeners may have but I was a muscian, I can read music, follow a beat and recognize notes. I have a very discerning and highly critical ear. I know what I like and I know what I think sounds good and to me that's about the best anyone can hope for from any critic.

PoweredByDodge

hey i got another oen -- heh heh.. in the christmas theme...


SAVATAGE with the TRANSIBERIAN ORCHESTRA -- their two christmas albums... i bet micah knows those two...lol.

sntnsupermen131

Artist: Collective Soul
Title: 7 Year Itch
(its a greatest hits cd from 94-01)
Demo Track #: 1. Heavy
Why It's A Demo Track: great instrumentals...
killer guitar
even something in the backround i have no idea where it came from
Demo Track #: 3. shine
Why It's A Demo Track:again...with most of their songs....great guitar
this song bumps too
Demo Track #: 6. Gel
Why It's A Demo Track: awesome guitar solos...makes you feel like youre right theyre jamming right their with them
Demo Track #: 7. precision declaration
Why It's A Demo Track:another awesome guitar effort from dean roland and ross childress
Demo Track #:8. why part 2
Why It's A Demo Track: theres no why part 1 so i dont know why they made a why part 2 but this song still kicks butt
it has the heavy guitar with the rhythem guitar and it flows great...one of the best acoustic songs ever
Demo Track#: 9. the world i know
Why It's A Demo Track: every band has their suttle songs and this one you really do feel...not a lot of bass but it gives your tweeters a work out with the symbols and percussion
Demo Track#: 11. Listen
Why It's A Demo Track: again a great guitar effort
theres song is a great workout for all your speakers from your tweets to your subs and you enjoy every second of it
if you have good staging this is the song to listen to
Demo Track#: 12. December
Why It's A Demo Track: yeah i know i picked almost every song...last one...killer bass
don't scream about, dont think aloud, turn your head now baby and just spit me out
rock on!
Why I like this CD: a great cd to work out everythingin your system
a great band if you like rock
and plus its a greatest hits cd so from 94 to now it has their best songs including 7 that were number 1(and for good reason) and a couple of new ones
i would recommend this cd to anyone and everyone

Keske944

Try any track on Young Lust: The Areosmith Anthology
Why? Anthing that can take Steve Tyler's gritty screaming voice is a winner. Also on the same ambum Left Disc Track #17 you get both Steve Tyler and Run-D.M.C. singing Walk This Way. Good full bass and good highs. It really Gose from high hat to bass great all around test. Pretty much all the classic rock albums are good.


Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Album.

Why? Jimi on the guitar need I say more????

Marlyn Manson The Last Tour On Earth

Why???
Perfect for testing some of the most extreme (and odd) electronic sounds that you will ever encounter espically track numbers
1, 7, 14, and more (thats all I can thik of on that disc)

Any Smashmouth album for that light, fast paced rock with a twist. Good for testing highs lows.

Gorillizas for thoes sustained bass notes that are full and rich. track 5 (Clint Eastwood) has some good hits in it that really pound and last awhile.

Sorry I can't be of more help but what do you expect from someone that only really listens to stuff like Manson, Rob Zombie, Kittie, and some good classic rock?

p.s. Hey powerdbydodge The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an EXCELLENT change of pace when you get fed up with crap like Bing Crosby's Christmas Album. Check out Beethovans Last Night. Great twist on a great composers music. Plus thier stoylines in the music is excellent as well. But then again you already know that.

PoweredByDodge

u mentioned MM and now i'm runnin aroudn the house lookin for my copy of Mechanical Animals -- where the shizzy did i put that... that was the kind of album that didn't even require subs to slam -- you got an "impact" out of just the highs.

sntnsupermen131

gorillaz!?!
so you were one of the 5 people that bought that cd!
lol
j/k
-Cody

Keske944

No I didn't buy the album. I ripped it to mp3 from one of my roommates cd's. Ahhh roommates a wealth of free music.

sntnsupermen131

yes friends are the ultimate source of free music
that and those adds that run every 3-4 weeks in the paper for 100 blank cds for free with rebates
not the best blank cds in the world...but hey....they work in my cd players
-Cody

Micah Cohen

Hey, there's some great stuff here. I'm beginning to compile a couple for the next monthly Club Polk email. Thanks to Keske944, sntnsupermen131, PoweredByDodge and Jstas. You guys ROCK!

More! More! More!

Micah

DJOwens

Dire Straights
Sultans of Swing/ The Very Best of Dire Straights.

I use this CD as a "reference" CD to demo my system. I think the best 2 tracks are #1, Sultans of Swing and #9 Money for Nothing.

The intro for Money for Nothing will give your mid-bass a workout. Most systems I've heard usually "mud-up" in the low tom range. If a system has that problem, this track will bring it out.

IMHO the whole CD I think was flawlessly mastered.

Danny

neomagus00

Artist: The Blue Man Group
Title: The Complex
Demo Track #2. Time To Start
Why It's A Demo Track: This track has a build in the middle that sounds like it's going to explode, then just before it becomes overpowering, it breaks into sharp jabs of percussion. Not only does it sound really cool, it tests the limits of detail in the feedback of the electric guitars and the beat of the PVC.
Demo Track #4. Up To The Roof
Why It's A Demo Track: The woman doing the vocals for this song has an amazing voice. It's not loud or complicated, but it is very pure and simple, and is a good test of balance.
Why I like this CD: There are up to sixty tracks of percussion playing at any given moment, and it's a real challenge to be able to differentiate the instruments. Even more difficult to reproduce is the imaging - some left/right fades are nearly overpowered by the complexity of the music in front of them, but a good system will keep them noticeable. Finally, the sheer ingenuity of the music is cool - everything is an instrument, from PVC pipes to oil drums to overturned pianos.

Artist: Eric Serra, Composer
Title: The Fifth Element Soundtrack
Demo Track #14-15. Lucia Di Lammermoor
Why It's A Demo Track: This song is broken into two sections. The first, track 15, is a slow, melodic opera-style segment. The voice is powerful, but there is a wealth of detail in the simple accompaniment. As the song blends into track 16, the tempo increases and a more electronic flavor is added. This segment showcases just what the human voice is capable of; Inva Mulla Tchako carries a wordless cry to the upper and lower limits of her range - a considerable four octaves. While the song itself is slightly awkward, and sounds a bit artificial at the highest reaches, it carries enormous detail and is a great test of midrange/tweeter blending.
Why I like this CD: This album has a fairly eclectic mixture of practically every genre in existence. The score jumps from dark, calm tracks to techno beats to a few more traditional songs. It has been, in my experience, a hit-or-miss CD; either you like most of it or you hate most of it.

daniel_paul_

I forgot about Billy Joel's (goodnight) Sigon. I used to play that on my first install in a 1985 subaru station wagon. Great!

If you want the hard beat...Rage Against the machine- Bombtrack (sorry I can not find the album). It will beat the bolts loose.

Whether or not you like him, anything off of Dave Matthews- Crash. Tripping Billies is unbelievable. The recording quality is top notch and there are about 100 instuments that swirl around the place. Crisp!

Great post.

audiobliss

Goodnight Saigon - good song.

I'm surprised Micah didn't flip out when someone suggested some Billy Joel like in that Billy Joel thread. :rolleyes:

I remember one time Mom and I were riding down the road and I had (obviously unbeknownst to Mom) put in my Billy Joel CD. Goodnight Saigon started playing, and when the helicopter faded in, Mom slowed down and started looking out the windows to see if she could see the helicopter. LOL That was pretty funny.

thehaens@cox.net

Micah Cohen wrote:

Me? I'm blasting crap like WhiteSnake and Dokken so I'm out of the loop, big time.

I say you are right where you need to be. I am digging the Arena Rock on DirectTv's Music Choice right now.

scott

thehaens@cox.net

Keske944 wrote:

Marlyn Manson The Last Tour On Earth

Sorry I can't be of more help but what do you expect from someone that only really listens to stuff like Manson, Rob Zombie, Kittie, and some good classic rock?

Manson's ACS is a good demo disc as well....and it is a really good LP on the Simply Vinyl label..

scott

Ricardo

audiobliss wrote:

I'm surprised Micah didn't flip out when someone suggested some Billy Joel like in that Billy Joel thread. :rolleyes:

Well, there's a difference...the Micah today, and the Micah (almost) three years ago.....

Jstas

Why the hell did this thread get ressurected from the dead?

[Deleted User]

Micah hasn't worked at Polk in like a year and a half.

DaveSal

daniel_paul_ wrote:

I forgot about Billy Joel's (goodnight) Sigon. I used to play that on my first install in a 1985 subaru station wagon. Great!

If you want the hard beat...Rage Against the machine- Bombtrack (sorry I can not find the album). It will beat the bolts loose.

Whether or not you like him, anything off of Dave Matthews- Crash. Tripping Billies is unbelievable. The recording quality is top notch and there are about 100 instuments that swirl around the place. Crisp!

Great post.

Agreed...the recording quality on Crash is amazing. DMB's Under the Table and Dreaming is also a great recording -- I'm currently using it to tune my system.

bknauss

Josh wrote:

Micah hasn't worked at Polk in like a year and a half.

I was wondering why he was offering things to be added to the Polk mass email... then realized that post is 3 years old.