Besides Jazz and Classical records, which are almost always engineered to a high quality, what are some of your favorite sounding recordings out there? Here's a few of mine.

The Clash - London Calling
Alice In Chains - Unplugged
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Dr Dre - The Chronic
Bjork - Volta (Not my favorite of hers, but it sounds especially great through my HD650s)
Just about everything form Chesky Records


Add on, put us on to your favorite high quality recordings.

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

I thought that Sheila E glamorous life sounded real GOOD and I have it on cassette and I was telling my friend dre in new york that Roger Unlimited lp needed a remaster and he was like....that is perfect the way Roger mastered that album in 1987 especially songs like tender moments, I really want to be your man, private lover, papas gotta brand new bag and baddestguitaristarown. Tender moments was GENIUS.....

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

their other album as well.

Roger had some of the cleanest production out there. Him and Larry Blackmon/Cameo.

I just bought a 12" single by new horizons called get ready, lets party from big fun and it sounded so good on my turntable that I had to post it at Prince.org
reply to this thread when you get a chance and give your opinion of this song.....thank u....

http://prince.org/msg/8/378426


get ready, lets party is the best song that new horizons ever did in my opinion.

>get ready, lets party is the best song that new horizons ever
>did in my opinion.

even if it was very obvious that it was a Zapp song that should/could have been a hit for the main band!

Ohio Players - Contradiction
Stevie Wonder - Music of my mind
Deniece Williams - This is Niecy
The Cardigans - First band on the moon
Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
Mulu - Smiles like a shark

FLT RSK - People and places (tracks #4 and #8 especially)

http://flightrisk.bandcamp.com/album/people-and-places

Pain is the album for me from the westbound era with songs like I wanna hear from you, the great sounds on never had a dream,the sillyness of players balling when he says "We like to carry big bird with us where ever we go" and the imitations of grandma shouting big bird, and the jazziness of singing in the morning.

"Pleasure" is kinda blah but that sound works for the 2 essential OP tracks on it: "Laid it" and "Pride and vanity" (yeah, I'm not that into "funky worm").

But "Ecstasy" is mind blowing for that era. The feel on the "Ecstasy" LP/CD however can't compete with the feel of "Skin Tight" and "Contradiction" though.

I saw skin tight lp at the goodwill about 4 weeks ago but it was very badly bruised up and beat up that I didnt buy it because of the scrapes and cuts on the lp itself.... but I will say that heaven must be like this is clean......

if they do that high tech CD thing for the "Skin Tight" LP, man...that would be wild...

"Contradiction" would be great in a high tech CD format as well

skin tight is a much better lp than contradiction.....I didnt like contradiction at all for the fact that it sounded like they were reaching and trying to stay current especially with tracks like bicentennial and the ladies are running me crazy....the only song on it in my opinion that is ok is the title track contradiction.....I have that track on my computer and i thought that it was just ok.....skin tight is a solid album when it comes to ballads for just that one song "heaven must be like this".........Im going to go back and listen to skin tight because its been a while since I heard it. I hope that I find a much better vinyl copy of skin tight at some thrift store sometime soon.

Jazzy lady was a better lp than contradiction for the song "sleepwalking"......and I love that song because I have the jazzy lady 8 track and ill play it all the way through just to hear that song and time slips away wasnt bad at all.....

Actually the title track: "Contradiction" is not that great, but songs like "Little lady Maria", "My life", "Tell the truth" and "my ladies run me crazy" have a stronger groove than some of the songs that are on the popular "Fire" and "Honey" Lp's (some of the songs on those LP's are all over the place like "running from the devil" and "ain't giving up no ground"). The song "precious love" isn't a great song but the musicianship on it outshines most of the musicianship on the earlier Billy Beck OP lp's.

For the really standout material on "Contradiction": "Far East Mississippi" and "Who'd she coo?" most would put those songs as top Ohio Players' songs (way above the song "Contradiction"). "Jass-ay-Lay-dee" has absolutely no top Ohio Players songs on it ("Time slips away" is decent). The "Angel" lp is way above "Jass-ay-Lay-dee" in quality but the feel of "Angel" is kind of cold-"Angel" doesn't has the warmth and substantial feel of "Skin Tight" or "Contradiction", that's why I didn't list "Angel" in this post. I would have to hear the high tech CD versions of "Fire" and "Honey" to see if better quality would make me like it more - the quality I've heard on "Skin Tight" lp and "Contradiction" tape has already impressed me without the high tech treatment.

I forgot about who she coo....yeah....who she coo is the only song that keeps the contradiction lp afloat......who she coo is the jam!!!!!

up on how good the Billy Beck era Ohio Players were. "Far East Mississippi" is far above anything on "Jass-ay-lay-dee" and is up there with "Sweet Sticky Thing".

like i said....I like jazzy lady 8 track for one track.....the old school and doo wop feel of sleepwalking....that is the only track that I feel on that lp. I see what you are saying about far east mississippi....that song had some NICE PIANO WORK.....

I have the gold lp and this had far east mississippi on it and a lot of the hits were billy beck era ohio players arrangements and I remember far east mississippi for the groove that billy beck was laying down on those keys so I know where you are going with your love for billy beck....he is a dynamic songwriter, thats for sure especially with the stuff that he wrote with Roger and Zapp....songs from Zapp 3 and songs like I keep trying from Roger the saga continues....

I think you need to go back and listen to aint giving up no ground and just listen to the musicianship on that track and the way that they broke it down and billy beck just killing it on the keys and that jazzy feel.....I turn it up at full blast when I put honey lp on the turntable....

on "Contradiction" are.

was good motivation

all of their models on the first couple of mercury era albums were great motivation....especially angel....

alright....Im going to download the entire contradiction lp and listen to it again in its entirety and my main focus will be on in the pocket songs and ill get back with you.

I downloaded this entire contradiction lp which toke all day and listened to it in its entirety and I have to say that everything about my ladies run me crazy is in the pocket....I like the beat as soon as it came on and diamond was killing it on the drums while the bass was locked in on those horns and organ which reminded me actually what rick james used to do....I said to my uncle....that sounds like rick james and its obvious that rick james bite hard off of them from that track alone. Even though precious love is all over the place vocally....I liked it and Billy beck had made it into a nice slow jam with killer work on the keys. I couldnt follow little lady maria because that song is so flawed that I didnt know where they were going with it. Billy Beck is all over far east mississippi, My life,precious love, and tell the truth and I can appreciate this lp a lot more now that I have one jam "the ladies run me crazy" that I put on repeat for like 3 times. I still cant get through contradiction and bicenntinial for that face that again it sounded like their heart wasnt into those tracks and it sounded like they just threw it together. Ive had a change of heart after really liking some tracks off this lp and I will agree with you that contradiction is a better lp than jazzy lady for the musicianship and especially everything about how my ladies run me crazy is so in the pocket....now, thats funky....they were in a zone with that one.

my life has a nice little hook to it and I like it a lot more as I got that chorus in my head...."my life......my life.....my life"

I bought most of those Billy Beck OP tapes on a ebay sale, and for some reason I kept coming back to "Contradiction" and I was through with "Fire" and "Honey" somewhat early (I had "Skin Tight" on vinyl).

It just began to dawn on me that the "Contradiction" tape was so full sounding and substanial on the rhythm section area and the songs grooves and were stronger than the songs on "Fire" and "Honey".

I loved "Angel" for a while (because the songs are top notch) but then I realized that "Angel" was kind of cold and light: didn't have that fat production/rhythm section pocket groove like "Contradiction" so I gradually put "Angel" on the shelf too.

I still listen to "Mr. Mean" cause it's kind of weird so that hooks me, but "Contradiction" and "Skin Tight" is where the Ohio Players Billy Beck era really used their strengths and didn't trip emphasizing just a-ight songwriting like they did on "Fire", "Honey" and (maybe better songwriting) on "Angel".

The Ohio Players were a band that needed to do what they did on "Contradiction" more, but at least they did it once and of course did something classic on "Skin Tight" and something weird on "Mr. Mean".

In terms of how soul albums should be properly remastered, obtain the MFSL pressing of INNERVISIONS. In this case, MFSL were able to obtain the actual master tape from Stevie himself, which irked the people of both Motown and Universal.

Blind Faith-s/t (MFSL)
Loggins & Messina-Sittin' In (some like to battle it out between the CBS Mastersounds and MFSL pressing. Both are very good, and while I've always been a supporter of MFSL, I thought the CBS Mastersounds wins)
Van Halen-s/t (DCC)
Yes-Fragile (Rhino DVD-A)
Earth, Wind & Fire-All'N'All (original Columbia LP)
Medeski, Martin & Wood-Combustication
Ramsey Lewis-Sun Goddess (Sony Japan CD)
Miroslav Vitous-Infinite Search (Atlantic Japan CD)
Chicago Transit Authority-s/t (Chicago/Columbia CD; clamshell case)

There are also a number of different pressings of Steely Dan's AJA that are worth listening to, I like one of the original ABC CD's from 1985 or so, and the MFSL CD, even though some will claim it's a bit too "bass heavy". I don't mind it at all.






THE HOME OF BOOK-NESS:
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http://i32.tinypic.com/kbewp4.gif

Nevermind - Nirvana
OK Computer - Radiohead
Like Water for Chocolate - Common
Sea Change - Beck
Music - Madonna
In The Mode - Roni Size

i love everything about tat album.

since nobody's said it yet,
i'm going to give an easy answer and say steely dan's "aja".
but really, "gaucho" could go on that list, too.

THE HOME OF BOOK-NESS:
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http://twitter.com/thisisjohnbook
http://www.facebook.com/book1


http://i32.tinypic.com/kbewp4.gif

that's what I get for scanning lol

also, ice t, "original gangster."

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

except for have fun or whatever its called

-------------------------
“The other dude after me didn’t help my case. It was just like…crazy nigga factory going on.”
Dre makes no apologies for his own eccentricities. “I was young, and searching, trying to find myself,” he says. “Never did.”-- Andre B

it's almost like listening to an "old film" sometimes

very mono and sounds like a bunch of demos even though I always loved the back of the cover with Prince laying down and seeing the tracklisting spray painted on the wall....I always thought that was very cool and I remember my uncle had a vinyl copy that he bought in the 90s and it says poster inside written in marker and there was no poster....only a sleeve with the band and liner noted written with a typewritter. I remember seeing a poster with Prince and the early revolution laying on the bed and doctor fink using a scope to search the walls for a pulse....but this poster is very rare and I havent found it anywhere.

>very mono and sounds like a bunch of demos



I enjoy how sparse those songs are.
and yeah, it's minimalist stuff that sounds like demos, in a way...

but it's so clean. the way the synths come in on the down beat of "head."
the way the bass line just thumps on the title track...


I know what you're saying, but I think I like all of the things you criticized about the sound of the album.

even though I
>always loved the back of the cover with Prince laying down and
>seeing the tracklisting spray painted on the wall....I always
>thought that was very cool and I remember my uncle had a vinyl
>copy that he bought in the 90s and it says poster inside
>written in marker and there was no poster....only a sleeve
>with the band and liner noted written with a typewritter. I
>remember seeing a poster with Prince and the early revolution
>laying on the bed and doctor fink using a scope to search the
>walls for a pulse....but this poster is very rare and I havent
>found it anywhere.

Head and gotta broken heart again really stand out for me on the dirty mind lp and they are the highlights of that lp especially with the clash sound at the end of gotta broken heart again to close side 1 of the album....that was good.....I also like when you were mine as I can relate to that song....I never thought too much of uptown as that song sounds DATED now and the rest of the album is like a history lesson on what Prince was doing in 1980.

Dirty Mind was the first lp that I saw of Prince at 1 year old....I remember my mom's best friend had the dirty mind lp sitting in the open in front of an antique stereo turntable on the floor and she used to love Head as that song was probably my introduction to Prince and she played that song the first time that I saw the dirty mind.....at one year old....the front cover was weird to me seeing a black and white cover and I didnt know what that was behind him at a year old.....it was bed springs....lol.

I was listening to a bootleg concert from the Controversy tour in minneapolis at the met center in march of 1982 the other week and Prince had some very dynamic rhythm guitar playing and blues guitar playing during Head and ending the guitar solo with stroking the guitar and the band coming in with a climax for your ears.....simple, sick, and very ROCK N ROLL............

I personally like the guitar chord changes on sister...

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

Tilt - Arcade Funk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLcEoyxKY

-------------------------
“The other dude after me didn’t help my case. It was just like…crazy nigga factory going on.”
Dre makes no apologies for his own eccentricities. “I was young, and searching, trying to find myself,” he says. “Never did.”-- Andre B

Fantastic album to listen to with audiophile headphones.

I remember my uncle gave me their greatest hits cd with this song back in 10th grade in high school and it was just ok to me and I noticed that there is an earth,wind, and fire influence in their sound as Ive seen them 4 times live....once with Morris day and The Time back in 2006, another time with the barkays and the last time with the ohio players and the barkays on the legends of funk tour back in august of 2009.

what I like most about con funk shun is that they seem very courtious and they make themselves available to their fans because back in 2006, after the show....the bass player....light skinned brother tap me on the shoulder and shook my hand....and they had the people in that venue dancing and partying that night.......one guy said that they were better than morris day and the time on that concert bill.

goddamn this sounds good

-------------------------
“The other dude after me didn’t help my case. It was just like…crazy nigga factory going on.”
Dre makes no apologies for his own eccentricities. “I was young, and searching, trying to find myself,” he says. “Never did.”-- Andre B

Older: Any Queen album. Love their production and mixing, just very dynamic and clean all around.

Newer: Nero- Welcome Reality. Best mixed record I've heard in awhile.

Also, Mount Kimbie- Crookers and Lovers has a great sound in the opposite manner of Welcome Reality.

I remember hearing the 1999 cassette BLASTING in my dads car and hearing the beat for lets pretend were married, dance...music...sex...romance, and the bass, wild guitar solos and the woman's massive orgasm in lady cab driver is what made me a die hard Prince fan for an entire lifetime. now, those recordings were loud and clean.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S-LgK-NyT8

Usually hardcore punk albums like this sound like shit, but it's unbelievably *crisp* and live sounding...I am in particular awe of the drums which are usually the first to suffer in any kind of heavy music but that snare sound..wow.

Honorable Mention goes to Electric Circus just on the sound of the whole album.

I figure, whoever did the remastering, didn't have a hard work doing it, because the production/original mastering of those albums are pristine.

Slum Village - Fantastic Vol. 2.

Little Brother - The Listening

& Dwele - Subject

Anything by Steely Dan, but particularly Aja. The late, great engineer Roger Nichols KILLED IT on that record and all the SD albums!

Genesis A Trick Of The Tail (vinyl)

The Beach Boys (Self titled 1985) vinyl and cd

Joni Mitchell The Hissing Of Summer Lawns vinyl

Pink Floyd The Wall cd and vinyl

Stevie Wonder Innervisions (vinyl and cd)

Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation cd

The Roots Game Theory/Phrenology cd

Emerson Lake & Palmer Brain Salad Surgery vinyl

Yes Relayer vinyl cd

my new copy been in very heavy roation