DR ratings: vinyl era vs modern era

[Lindsayt]

I'm not sure of the nuts and bolts of how the DR rating is measured in the DR database.
It is not simply a measure of the dynamic range of the quietest bits to the loudest bits, once the track has started.

What I will say is that every dark green album I've heard has been a very good recording. Every red album I've heard has sounded compressed - with so many of the modern ones being missed opportunities where they could have been spectacularly good recordings if someone had kept their thumb off the Compression Button.


Anyone else fancy looking at the number 1 selling albums for the last 40 years and posting their DR ratings here - to see what the trend is like? Or do I have to do it when I've got a spare hour?

[Daniel Quinn]

Question is therefore is it a.meaningfull comparison or is it like comparing george best with lionel messi ?

[Lindsayt]

Anyone can play the DR game. Listen to an album. Guess the DR. Look it up. See how close you got.


I'll leave it up to each person reading this to decide how meaningful the DR rating is for them.

For me it's significant. Especially when comparing dark greens to reds.

With some of the green albums, listening to them, I might not think "This is a dynamic recording." But what I do find is that the dark green albums do sound as if the music is breathing in and out naturally.

[Lindsayt]

Here's the DR ratings for the best selling UK albums. Where there are 2 numbers, the first is the CD version, the second the vinyl version - eg v11 for the vinyl version of Adele's 25.

1962 West Side Story Original Soundtrack 13
1963 With the Beatles The Beatles 10
1964 Beatles for Sale 10
1965 The Sound of Music Original Soundtrack 13
1966 The Sound of Music Original Soundtrack 13
1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles 11
1968 The Sound of Music Original Soundtrack 13
1969 Abbey Road The Beatles 13
1970 Bridge over Troubled Water Simon and Garfunkel 12
1971 Bridge over Troubled Water Simon and Garfunkel 12
1972 20 Dynamic Hits Various Artists
1973 Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player Elton John 13
1974 The Singles: 1969–1973 The Carpenters 12
1975 The Best of the Stylistics The Stylistics
1976 Greatest Hits ABBA 13
1977 Arrival ABBA 14
1978 Saturday Night Fever Original Soundtrack 13
1979 Parallel Lines Blondie 13
1980 Super Trouper ABBA 13
1981 Kings of the Wild Frontier Adam and the Ants 13
1982 Love Songs Barbra Streisand
1983 Thriller Michael Jackson 13 v14
1984 Can't Slow Down Lionel Richie 15 v15
1985 Brothers in Arms Dire Straits 16 v14
1986 True Blue Madonna 12 v14
1987 Bad Michael Jackson 12 v14
1988 Kylie Kylie Minogue 13
1989 Ten Good Reasons Jason Donovan
1990 ...But Seriously Phil Collins 14
1991 Stars Simply Red 11 v13
1992 Stars Simply Red 11 v13
1993 Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell Meat Loaf 11 v13
1994 Cross Road Bon Jovi 8
1995 Robson & Jerome Robson & Jerome
1996 Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette 9 v12
1997 Be Here Now Oasis 5 v11
1998 Talk on Corners The Corrs 8
1999 Come on Over Shania Twain 7
2000 1 The Beatles 8
2001 No Angel Dido 8 v11
2002 Escapology Robbie Williams 6
2003 Life for Rent Dido 7 v10
2004 Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters 7
2005 Back to Bedlam James Blunt 7
2006 Eyes Open Snow Patrol 5 v10
2007 Back to Black Amy Winehouse 6 v11
2008 Rockferry Duffy 7
2009 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle 9
2010 Progress Take That
2011 21 Adele 6 v11
2012 Our Version of Events Emeli Sandé 6 v10
2013 Midnight Memories One Direction 5
2014 x Ed Sheeran 6 v11
2015 25 Adele 5 v11

[jammy395]

The last two on the list are vastly superior on vinyl, wtf gives with the cd versions......

[Orc 201267]

The last three on the list are vastly superior on vinyl, wtf gives with the cd versions......

Didn't no you liked one direction jammy

[jammy395]

The list above Orc......

2014 Ed Sheeran 6 v11
2015 Adele 5 v11

Mind you I do listen to some bloody shite.

[slinger]

The one that sticks out like a sore thumb is Susan Boyle in 2009. "Proper" singer, different (read proper) production values.

[Lindsayt]

Yeah, but even then Susan Boyle only gets a 9 which is worse than every entry up to 1993. A list that includes some vinyl compilations and Meat Loaf.

[jammy395]

Hope you aint knocking the Meat Lindsay - Mr Marvin Lee Aday is a goddamn rock god.