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Joined: November 29 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 6632
Posted: May 17 2012 at 15:17
I must add Red to my list, it's maybe the best natural sounding album I have ever heard, drums are not manipulated but has a very natural sound, perfect mix overall.
One of the better sounding albums in recent years is 'The Art Of Navigating By The Stars' by Sieges Even, this is really huge, clean and distorted guitars have a great sound and are perfectly mixed together, except that, snare and bass drum are so powerful, one of the best i've heard, a real masterful work.
Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
Posted: May 17 2012 at 15:41
sagichim wrote:
I must add Red to my list, it's maybe the best natural sounding album I have ever heard, drums are not manipulated but has a very natural sound, perfect mix overall.
That was actually my first relevant thought. Although it's not one of my biggest favorites but still a favorite, I gotta give KC that.
Joined: April 01 2009
Location: Atlanta
Status: Offline
Points: 26138
Posted: May 17 2012 at 15:47
I like the sound of Rush's "Moving Pictures" too. A very wide, panoramic sounding mix with good low end and a nice high pop on Neil's small tom drums. Lifeson's guitar tone is really heavy too, but not too distorted.
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Joined: January 24 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 8615
Posted: May 17 2012 at 17:18
For me, two of my favorite sounding albums are Triumvirat's two studio albums Illusions On A Double Dimple and Spartacus. Illusions has such a clean and crisp, clear sound on all instruments, you can really feel the music. Same for Spartacus.
Another album that comes to mind is Soft Machine's Seven. (Ah, the early to mid seventies, man, those were the days)
Joined: January 30 2012
Location: UT, USA
Status: Offline
Points: 374
Posted: May 17 2012 at 17:59
Yes's Relayer, Genesis's Trespass, The Enid's Aerie Faerie Nonsense, and Beardfish both Sleeping In Traffic albums.
Though I love Geddy Lee's bass and keyboards and I once considered Rush my favorite band, I can not stand the sound of Alex Lifeson's guitar anymore, I really hate it. I really don't know what about irks me so but something about it I just don't like. I did think it sounded better on their recent single Headlong Flight though which I quite enjoyed. Besides that though I can barely listen to Rush at all anymore.
Joined: March 19 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 564
Posted: May 17 2012 at 18:48
I'm not sure what the intent of the OP was. The sonic quality of the album or the musical ambiance. But what first cam to mind was Tresspass by Genesis. The laid back melancholy slightly spacey and mystical feel permeates the whole album for me. I have always hated the poor production value on it though. Now However I have a remastered 180 gram vinyl and that poor production and bad mixing and crappy vinyl problem are fixed. Yay!
Others I agree with but already mentioned are Amon Duul II Wolf City. It's just got a plain rock n roll sound that Euro bands can rarely muster but it adds a nice surrealistic edge that I love. Olias of Sunhillow... its like being in a trance and projecting to another realm to listen to this thing.. exactly what music is for eh?
For me, it might be an album by Mogwai, either "Happy Songs for Happy People" or "Mr Beast". The band has just perfectly balanced every element of the music, and gotten the perfect tone out of each instrument.
I totally agree. For me, I'd say Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn. Honestly, it's like a spiritual experience every time I listen to that album - everything is perfect, even the Horse song at the end.
Joined: November 29 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 6632
Posted: May 17 2012 at 20:59
Master of Time wrote:
I can not stand the sound of Alex Lifeson's guitar anymore, I really hate it. I really don't know what about irks me so but something about it I just don't like. I did think it sounded better on their recent single Headlong Flight though which I quite enjoyed. Besides that though I can barely listen to Rush at all anymore.
Alex guitar sound is one of my most favorite guitar sounds in general, and is one of the band's signatures.
Joined: May 28 2011
Location: NH
Status: Offline
Points: 344
Posted: May 17 2012 at 21:16
I also agree with those who mentioned Red. If I was going to put a lot of money into buying just the right guitar, I'd like a similar sound to what they have there on certain parts.
Pink Floyd also pretty much always has near perfect sounds.
Joined: March 21 2008
Location: Tigerstaden
Status: Offline
Points: 34055
Posted: May 18 2012 at 03:08
Crisis What Crisis, is to me a better produced album then Crime, more lusher and developed and Supertramps best sounding album in terms of the lush productiona and varied sounds, never have aucustic twelvestrings sound so good as on Crisis and on Even in the Qietest Moments
listen to his in headphones walking in the sun or in the woods.
Joined: July 02 2008
Location: Manchester, UK
Status: Offline
Points: 3126
Posted: May 18 2012 at 08:12
This is easy, Dark Side of the Moon. It sounded amazing back in the 70s and still does now. Just compare it to other 1973 albums, the difference in production is incredible. Floyd always had amazing attention to detail and the pride in their sound has stood them well. DSOTM was way ahead of it's time.
Joined: January 04 2007
Location: Grok City
Status: Offline
Points: 17511
Posted: May 18 2012 at 09:18
cstack3 wrote:
Why do so many reply to these posts with extensive lists?? Pick one!
Mine has to be "Larks Tongues In Aspic." A perfectly executed & mixed album, start to finish. I never grow tired of it after 40 years!!
I'm not sure it's possible. (the choice!)
For many of us, it is not about choosing a favorite. I have too many! But as far as "experience" in the listening itself, those albums are tops.
I think, (let me say it again!) that I know why Vangelis' El Greco is not appreciated by many progressive fans ... it was recorded as a pice of classical music ... not as a piece of rock music ... and the detail and depth and intensity of the details help the music ... rock music, for the most part, tends to not be ablel to do this ... first of all in the old days, rock music was NOT taken seriously until folks like The Beatles and Rolling Stones and others broke the mold, and secondly, the recording of these "pop" or "rock" things, rarely has the depth and continuity that the classical piece tends to have. Thus, for the longest time, recording the man sing Brown Sugar instead of Pavarotti doing Tosca's arias, is a bit ... negligeable ... with the exception that rock music by then, was making 10 times to 20 times the money ... which had, by then ... become the LAW.
And it's been that for the last 40 years.
"El Greco", and its recording, from what I could see was a throw back to the old style ... and it does marvellously, but in some ways I think that our ears are already tuned out of the orchestral recording with 120 microphones, to the rock concent recording with 10 microphones (well ELP had 43 of them!) ... so to speak! The simplicity of it does not make it better, but it does make it sound different.
I like the live in the studio feel in TFTO. I like the Concert House feel in El Greco. I like the very special feel of the art house in A Passion Play. And these are all very different. It helps make the music more "alive". I specially like the "white room" feel in Terje and David Darling's Eos ... which makes it sound so much like a Chamber Music concert ... and the only other thing I have ever heard that has that feel is ... Gryphon!
And this is the super hard part of this work and reviewing it!
Btw, compare this recording to Ryuichi Sakamoto's The Buddha soundtrack. Same thing, and he knows about recording and such!
Edited by moshkito - May 18 2012 at 09:27
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com
Joined: July 27 2010
Location: Tel Aviv
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Points: 4160
Posted: May 18 2012 at 09:55
Hard question. I love the sound of all Cardiacs albums, even the lo-fi ones. Death Grips albums sound greaaaaat. Deathspell Omega's production is equally noisy and clean, which is interesting.
Joined: November 29 2006
Location: Israel
Status: Offline
Points: 6632
Posted: May 18 2012 at 10:13
Some more great sounding albums i like are...
The vintage sound of The Strawbs especially a good sound is on Ghosts. About Pink Floyd i agree they had the clearest sound, the same goes for Ambrosia's first couple of albums, which is no surprise since both bands were engineered by Alan Parsons.
Oh and i must say, not prog but Soundgarden's Superunknown has my favorite sounding album in the 90's. .
Joined: May 28 2011
Location: NH
Status: Offline
Points: 344
Posted: May 18 2012 at 12:37
Fox On The Rocks wrote:
For me, I'd say Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn. Honestly, it's like a spiritual experience every time I listen to that album - everything is perfect, even the Horse song at the end.
Oh dang, how could I forget? Yep, Mike Oldfield's my winner here too.
Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn are both among the most beautiful albums, I think.
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moshkito wrote:
I totally agree.
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