Topic: What are your favorite "reference" recordings??

[RebelRebel]

Not looking for sentimental value or artistic integrity..just stuff  that really sounds great, from a production standpoint(any genre). now that I am about to get a decent playback system, want to keep my eyes open. Been listening on my B+Ws where I do my audio work..but the office chair sucks. 
Mine are
Flying Burrito Brothers--Gilded palace of Sin

AKUS Live

Lyle Lovett - Joshua Judges Ruth

George Jones/Merle Haggard- Taste of Yesterdays Wine

Johnny --American 1-V, Live at San Quentin,

Bonnie Prince Billy- I see a darkness

YHF--Wilco

Being there- Wilco

Heartbreaker--Ryan Adams

Whiskeytown--strangers almanac..

Neil Young- Harvest

Third Sister Lovers, Big Star

Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

AIC Unplugged

Dwight Yoakam--dwightyoakamacoustic.net

Glass Bead Game - JMR-15 - John Marks Records

Test Record 1- Depth of Image - CD7900 Opus 3

Brahms/Mozart Clarinet Quitets, Mitchell Lurie and the Muir Quartet on Eco classics-

Brahms complete trios- Beaux Arts Trio. on Phillips cheap duo label.

Lauridsen- Lux Aeterna, LA Master Chorale. On RCM (what a choir is supposed to sound like)

Barber- Complete Songs - Secrets of the Old w/ Cheryl Studer, Thomas Hampson, John Browning and the Emerson Quartet (DG)

Arvo Part- Te Deum (ECM) another real favorite of mine- very well recorded and sublime music.

Daugherty- Metropolis Symphony (Argo)

Schubert-Lieder w/ Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore (DG)

Shostakovich Symphony #1 and #7, Chicago/Bernstein (DG)

Messiaen- Concert a quatre/Les Offrandes oubliees, etc... Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille, Myung-whun Chung (DG)

Smetana- Ma Vlast Levine/Vienna (DG)

Schwantner- Percussion Concerto, Evelyn Glennie/National Symphony/Slatkin (RCA Red Seal) (Velocities has a couple bad edits, though).

Te Deum (ECM)

Rachel Podger - Bach Sonatas & Partitas [solo] on baroque violin, Channel Classics

Shaw conducting Poulenc Mass in G Major, Quatre Petite Prieres de St. Francois, Quatre Motets de Penitence, & Quatre Motets de Noel [his Faure and Dupre Requiems are lovely as well], Telarc

All Baltimore Consort stuff, Dorian Recordings

Chanticleer- Missa pro defunctis, Motets by Palestrina. Teldec

Old Vox recordings of The Fine Arts Quartet playing Haydn, particularly Op. 76

Aaron Rosand playing music of Pablo de Sarasate. Vox

William Primrose and Rudolph Firkusny playing Brahms Sonatas for viola and piano

Old recordings of Rudolph Serkin and George Szell - Brahms Piano Concertos

Richard Goode - Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances etc RR-96, Minnesota Orch, Oue, a Keith Johnson recording that will restore one's faith in what 44/16 can do.
http://classicalcdreview.com/srsd.htm

Bach, Oster Oratorium, Collegium Vocale Philippe Herreweghe, HM, HMC901513, this is so well recorded and such a superb performance, astonishing.
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=71906

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000066C6K/104-6513726-8245500?v=glance

[Nick's Picks]

my personal favorties are:

Bob Dylanl , time out of mind
Steve Winwood, About time.

plus a ton of great live stuff.
Always been very happy w/this as a reference disc:  http://www.archive.org/details/cht2005-05-26

[jpschust]

Here is what I use.  I tend to use these recordings for a couple of reasons: first, they represent all different forms of music that i listen to, and second, they represent totally different recording styles all of which i want my system to handle.  I've pasted Amazon links in so people can see reviews and whatnot.

In order:

1. Turandot - The Dame Joan version.  The Ola, Pang! Ola, Pong! > Ho una casa... is just incredible.  I will say that I'm not sure this is the best representation of Nessun Dorma, but it is still very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Puccini-Turandot-Sutherland-Pavarotti-Ghiaurov/dp/B0000041Q3/sr=8-1/qid=1157387338/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-2478732-4980113?ie=UTF8&s=music

2.  Will Oldham - Viva Last Blues.  This is a wonderful representation of what good indie rock recording can be.  It is dark, hollow at times, but beautiful at the same time.  I like the slide work on New Partner as well as the indie rock male voice Oldham gives off.

http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Last-Blues-Palace-Music/dp/B0000019RK/ref=sr_11_1/102-2478732-4980113?ie=UTF8

3. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.  I love the electronic influence on this, the effects test the highs and lows of any good speaker system.  I don't know if they ever fixed the dvd version of this recording, but the cd works just fine for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Yoshimi-Battles-Robots-Flaming-Lips/dp/B000068PQ0/sr=1-1/qid=1157387804/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-2478732-4980113?ie=UTF8&s=music

4. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours.  I highly suggest listening to this album through and through, but especially to the first minute or so of I Don't Want To Know.  PS- don't get the double disc version of this album unless you are a huge fan- it's a waste of cash.

http://www.amazon.com/Rumours-Fleetwood-Mac/dp/B000002KGT/sr=1-1/qid=1157387955/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-2478732-4980113?ie=UTF8&s=music

I know I have more but these are the first ones that come to mind.

[RebelRebel]

Bob Dylanl , time out of mind

Got that one...it is a great album.

[RebelRebel]

2.  Will Oldham - Viva Last Blues.  This is a wonderful representation of what good indie rock recording can be.  It is dark, hollow at times, but beautiful at the same time.  I like the slide work on New Partner as well as the indie rock male voice Oldham gives off.

http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Last-Blues-Palace-Music/dp/B0000019RK/ref=sr_11_1/102-2478732-4980113?ie=UTF8

Interesting, Johnny. Ill check that one out...I am a great fan of Will , but to be honest a lot of his recordings just suck from a production standpoint..(bonnie prince billy sings palace music is a bad offender)..but I will gladly check this one out. Ive never heard it.

[joekar]

You may think I'm crazy......but I like Jerry and the Boys on Old And In The Way.......I know every note on that album........I love the look on peoples face when Jerry starts yodeling........and Vassar still brings a chill to my spine and a tear to my eye...........There are more notes on this album than knees on an army of centipedes.....
The dynamic range of the music is incredible.......you can really hear the placement of the musicians.........I  know a studio album would be a more controlled specimen , but I've noticed that with this album the better the payback system the better this album sounds .......I know it sounds stupid.....Well what did you expect....... but the difference is amazing.........
I love listening to this on vinyl.....through my AKG Audiosphere 999 into my Senn. 650's..........WOW it's incredible....
I'ts as if I only heard 1/2 the music for almost 30 years......now I get to hear ALL OF IT...

Peace,
jk


So much music......so little time........

[RebelRebel]

Kavi Alexander of waterlily were talking the other day, and he mentioned that album as one of his favorites.

You may think I'm crazy......but I like Jerry and the Boys on Old And In The Way.......I know every note on that album........I love the look on peoples face when Jerry starts yodeling........and Vassar still brings a chill to my spine and a tear to my eye...........There are more notes on this album than knees on an army of centipedes.....
The dynamic range of the music is incredible.......you can really hear the placement of the musicians.........I  know a studio album would be a more controlled specimen , but I've noticed that with this album the better the payback system the better this album sounds .......I know it sounds stupid.....Well what did you expect....... but the difference is amazing.........
I love listening to this on vinyl.....through my AKG Audiosphere 999 into my Senn. 650's..........WOW it's incredible....
I'ts as if I only heard 1/2 the music for almost 30 years......now I get to hear ALL OF IT...

Peace,
jk


So much music......so little time........

[George]

Dave Matthews - Some Devil
Dave Brubeck - Time out
Taxi Driver - Original Soundtrack (180gram pressing)

Hmm, i'm blanking out at the moment...i'll think of more.

[Shawn]

Neil Young- Harvest

glad to see this one make your list teddy. That was the record that immediately sprang to mind when I was reading the recent article in which Bob Dylan was criticizing modern recordings. I really wish more records would sound like this. It seems like everything now has to be super polished and over processed to the point that the music loses most of it's soul.

I love the raw almost live feeling of the whole record, but in particular the songs "Alabama" and "Words (between the Lines of Ages)." IMO that is how a rock record should sound. 

[RebelRebel]

Yep, it has a perfect blend of country feel, and rock...my favorite kind of music.

Also forgot to mention "closing time" by tom waits.

Neil Young- Harvest

glad to see this one make your list teddy. That was the record that immediately sprang to mind when I was reading the recent article in which Bob Dylan was criticizing modern recordings. I really wish more records would sound like this. It seems like everything now has to be super polished and over processed to the point that the music loses most of it's soul.

I love the raw almost live feeling of the whole record, but in particular the songs "Alabama" and "Words (between the Lines of Ages)." IMO that is how a rock record should sound. 

[Tim]

Old and In the Way is great

I need to find the email exchange I had with Bear in college where he described the recording technique. I believe he just used 4 omni's at the corners of the stage

[Kyle]

Old and In the Way is great

I need to find the email exchange I had with Bear in college where he described the recording technique. I believe he just used 4 omni's at the corners of the stage

I would love to read that.

From the CD Insert (Rykodisc Label):

"Eight microphones were used in recording - four in each channel, mixed live to a stereo Nagra tape recorder Tape speed of 15 IPS with 'Nagra Master' equalization insured low noise on transfer to disc. Persons interested in this EQ should read 'Master Tape Equalization Revisited' by John G. McKnight & Peter F. Hille, Audio Engineering Society preprint # 865 (A-G)."

[RebelRebel]

I guess that is why Kavi likes it so much..he loves tape.

Old and In the Way is great

I need to find the email exchange I had with Bear in college where he described the recording technique. I believe he just used 4 omni's at the corners of the stage

I would love to read that.

From the CD Insert (Rykodisc Label):

"Eight microphones were used in recording - four in each channel, mixed live to a stereo Nagra tape recorder Tape speed of 15 IPS with 'Nagra Master' equalization insured low noise on transfer to disc. Persons interested in this EQ should read 'Master Tape Equalization Revisited' by John G. McKnight & Peter F. Hille, Audio Engineering Society preprint # 865 (A-G)."

[BC]

Some discs I brought when going to the audio store a while ago:

Headhunters  (not sure how audiophile this is, but it is a good clue as to whether the speakers will be ok for bumpin da hizzy)

GD 5/8/77  (very familiar with this)

Vivaldi: Concerti for strings (dorian?) Killer string sound

Delos spring sampler/engineers choice disc (lots of various clips from a top-notch classical recording company. John Eargle at the helm for both of these discs, I believe.)

My Phish 2/20/03 Allstate FOB. 4022>V3. Kinda raw but I was in the pocket and have listened to this one a lot. Gives a good feel of how the speakers/system can convey the feel of a big arena rock show.

[RebelRebel]

Delos spring sampler/engineers choice disc (lots of various clips from a top-notch classical recording company. John Eargle at the helm for both of these discs, I believe.)

Yep, Eargle was the engineer at delos(still is I think)..and did all those recordings. in the liner notes of mine he lists mic technique, selection, etc.. also..his "king of the instruments" is great