Great Sounding Records That Are Not Audiophile W*nk

[Grumpytim]

In terms of well recorded stuff slightly off the beaten track you could try
Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt - A Meeting by the River
Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck - Djam Leeli: The Adventurers
Pretty much anything by Ali Farka Touré.

All 'world music' admittedly but what is really good about them (apart from the music) is that none of them are firewalled in terms of dynamic range.

No one has mentioned any classical stuff, I really like Shostakovich, pretty much all the versions of his symphonies I have are good but my favourite would be Mariss Jansons and the St Petersberg Philharmonic Orchestra set. To really let a system breath Allegro non Troppo (4th movement) from Leningrad does the trick, but it is a tad long at 16 minutes.

Keeping the Russian theme, Stravinsky: L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), ballet suite for orchestra, either by the composer and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, or Bernstein's with the NYPO are great.

Colin Davis with the LSO's Sibelius symphonies are also very good.

Other flavours of classical are also available

For the record I only ever went to one show at Heathrow, and ran away, my abiding memory is of one room with some huge American amplifiers driving some wafer thin floor standers with about 20 2in drivers. An acquired taste to say the least, so much so that I couldn't tell you what the hell was being played.

[SteveTheShadow]

Lindsay mentioned about playing jazz. It depends on what you play. Squeaky jazz is probably right out as you will empty the room toot sweet. Piano, bass, drums jazz and you will be accused of not wanting to ‘challenge’ the system and what you might be trying to hide.
However, try “The British Traditional Jazz Collection” Vol 1 on Philips CD and play the opening track “Chattanooga Stomps” by Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band.
This is as a stern a test of instrumental separation, rhythm, pace and the ability not to get congested as anything I’ve heard. Plenty of blowsy trumpet trombone exchanges and fast clarinet runs from Bilk, on top of a tight rhythm section that know how to boogie down and have a good time.
And if you keep still whilst this track is playing then either you’ve got no soul, however uncool you might think you’d look bopping along to it, or the system playing it is crap.

[Lindsayt]

There were a few instances where I came away from a room having been thoroughly impressed. One of them was Lindsay's system with the large EMT turntable, some valve amp and big PA-type speakers (can't remember the ones). It was sometimes rough and brash, but it was visceral: a real feeling of being in a recording studio and listening to music being made by real musicians. I forgave it the tonal qualities because it was so 'life like'. A live piece was portrayed in such a 'real' acoustic it was spellbinding.

Thank-you for the kind words. My forum enemies have been rather less charitable about the sound of that system at that show. And they've used it as a reason (excuse) to say that I don't have a fucking clue when it comes to hi-fi.


And Burt Bacharach In Concert, is a good hi-fi show recording to play. Even though visitors will have heard the songs thousands of times before, they won't be familiar with the live versions on this LP.

[Vinyl-ant]

If you want to empty a room try fire in a pet shop by world service project. Its brilliant. And well recorded too and completely bonkers
Or disque cheval by the chevalier brothers.
If that empties a room then the listeners have no soul. Or are completely humourless

[Vinyl-ant]

Level 42 persuit of accidents

Anything by The Cure?

No. Just no.

[savvypaul]

Level 42 persuit of accidents

Anything by The Cure?

No. Just no.

[Vinyl-ant]

On second thoughts having just listened to it some if the chevalier brothers songs are a little..... politically incorrect. What was fine in the 80s is not fine any more.

I hope i die before i go bald is still funny though

[CycleCoach]

There are a couple of great Elton John albums to pick from, I'm suggesting this one: It's haunting and lyrical, and well recorded to boot.

[Grumpytim]

Mahavishnu Orchestra - The lost Trident sessions.

Music to blow your mind plus it goes from a whisper to jet engine levels often in the blink of an eye.

Gong with slightly shorter hair

[ArloFlynn]

Level 42 persuit of accidents

Anything by The Cure?

I have one vinyl album by The Cure, a 1980 compilation of their early stuff, called Boys don't cry. Besides a set of favourite Cure songs, it is to my ears one of the best recordings I have heard. On both my systems.