Great rock audiophile records...why so very few?

[DaveyF]

I find the Pink Floyd to be only good recordings, not great. I recently tried the JT Aqualung again, hoping it would take me back to my childhood, but not good enough for my collection. It was one of my favorites back then. Pretty thin sounding and not very 3-D.

Many of the tracks I love from my past are on HDtracks in hi-rez, but most of them are disappointing. Cannot polish a turd I guess.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Steve, when you say that you find the recordings of Pink Floyd, good but not great...where do you think they fall down?
I kind of agree with you, although the MFSL DSOTM is really very good...but not great. Great to me would be like the SQ of many of the new Music Matters Jazz LP’s! Which IME, if you have a resolving enough system, are superb in all areas.

 

[jeff1225]

Maybe I shouldn't be so picky, but I think a lot of the music that I have seen posted doesn't really fall into the category of ...rock....at least for me, and IMHO.
World music, pop, indie, fusion,Folk, easy listening, RAP and other genres is not...again to my way of thinking...rock. While there has been some recent 'blending' of the various genres towards a more traditional 'rock' sound,I still think the genre does stand on its own. ( By blending, there is certainly an argument to made that some of the current country music is leaning towards a rock rhythm and style..and other genres are blending similarly).

Maybe we should define the term 'rock' more....thoughts??

KeithR's list is 100% rock and sounds 100% great. IMHO (as you would say) you are back tracking by calling these albums "not rock;" the premise of your OP has been proved 100% incorrect. There are 1000's of great sounding rock records. I now declare this thread over.....

IMHO.

 

[DaveyF]

KeithR's list is 100% rock and sounds 100% great. IMHO (as you would say) you are back tracking by calling these albums "not rock;" the premise of your OP has been proved 100% incorrect. There are 1000's of great sounding rock records. I now declare this thread over.....

IMHO.

That’s nice of you...

Only problem is that there are a lot of misnomers as to what is considered as rock. Let’s hear your definition. If you actually read my post...it wasn’t specifically pointing out Keith’s recommendations. Since I was hoping that we all could learn from this thread...I would think you might want to let it continue, unless that is...you know all about all of the greatest rock recordings..and therefore can’t learn anything more, in which case...
...I invite you to leave the thread. Thereby letting others have some benefit.

 

[jazdoc]

Katatonia’s “Dethroned and Uncrowned” sounds great

 

[jazdoc]

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Hi Davey!

What kind of rock are we talking about as it encompasses a huge body of albums ranging from straight rock (go back to the fifties and early sixties) to hard rock, metal, folk, pop, etc.. If one includes all of the sub-genres then we have hundreds of great recordings.

 

[DaveyF]

Hi John, welcome back.

When I think of rock, I think of bands like Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, BTO, your basic hard rock bands. While there are numerous sub genres, like you pointed out, I think pop, metal and folk rock aren’t what I had in mind. Although, I wouldn’t mind hearing about a’phile sound quality Albums in those genres...if you have any suggestions.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

From the pressings I own of the bands you mention, and others of course, there are few that have a'phile quality.

 

[DaveyF]

From the pressings I own of the bands you mention, and others of course, there are few that have a'phile quality.

John, can you name the few that have a'phile quality?

 

[cjf]

Here's my list of good ones in terms of SQ & Musical Content

1. Days of the New / Days of the New
2. Gregg Allman - Laid Back
3. Little River Band - Little River Band Greatest Hits
4. Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
5. Joe Walsh / But Seriously, Folks...
6. Jeff Healey Band, See the Light
7. Charlie Daniels Band, The / A Decade of Hits
8. Albert King (1967) Born Under A Bad Sign
9. America / America
10. Aerosmith (1975) Toys In The Attic, Rocks & Get Your Wings
11. Eddie Money Greatest Hits; The Sound of Money
12. Pat Benatar - Best Shots

These few are not exactly Rock but excellent nonetheless

1. David Bowie - Changesbowie
2. The Church, (1992) Priest = Aura
3. The Cure, Staring at the Sea; The Singles
4. The Sisters of Mercy (1987) Floodland

 

[jeff1225]

I'm still floored that a member of WBF has this album. One of my favorites.....best played LOUD.

 

[jazdoc]

I'm still floored that a member of WBF has this album. One of my favorites.....best played LOUD.

Ha! Love that one.

 

[XV-1]

Sticking to the rock genre - there are plenty of excellent sounding rock albums - I won't retread Led Zep and co. If we are talking pop/electronic, there are literally hundred's and hundreds.

A Perfect Circle

Tool

Rammstein - Mutter will blow your mind. most albums are well recorded.

Arctic Monkeys - have a listen to the current album - Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino for an idea.

Beck

Nick Cave - most albums from The Good Son and after sound great.

Iggy Pop - lots of variation here, but Blah, Blah, Blah, New Values, Soldier

The Black Keys

Boris Sujdovic - Desperate Girl and Fuzz Machine albums are reference live distorted guitar rock sound quality

Bufalo Tom

The Posies - Frosting On The Beater

Chris Isaak - most sound great - but 2nd and 3rd albums are exceptional.

The Cure - Disintegration

Dandy Warhols - welcome to the monkey house only - rest are somewhat compressed.

Dead Meadow - Old Growth

Dope Lemon - Honey Bones

The Dubrovniks

Earth - if you like dark brooding doom rock

Eels - most sound good with exception of The Cautionary Tales Of Mark Oliver Everett

Elbow - exceptional sq from the UK slowcore rock band.

Everlast - Whitey Ford Sings The Blues

Faith No More - The Real Thing, Angel Dust

Graham Coxon - blur guitarist bring superb blues tinged rock

Guns n Roses - Use your Illusion 1 and 2 are then bomb.

INXS - Listen Like Thieves, Kick - abbey road 45rpm version , Shabooh Shoobah

Jack White and the White Stripes

Jesus and Marychain - Automatic and Damage And Joy

John Hiatt - Slow Turning and Bring the Family

Kurt Vile - Walking on a pretty Daze, B'lieve I'm Goin Down...

Low

Metallica - Metallica

Midnight Oil - Red Sails In The Sunset, 10,9,8,7.....

Morrissey - almost all his albums

Nine Inch Nails

Nirvana - last two.

P J Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, To Bring You My Love

Primal Scream - Give Out But Don't Give Up - wonderful Stones like album, Screamadelica

Radiohead

Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

Rage Against the Machine - all sound kick arsse

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Richard Ashcroft - These People

Richard Pleasance - Galleon - one of the best sound records you will hear.

Rowland S. Howard - Pop Crimes and Teenage Snuff Film

Royal Blood - both albums - amazing sound what they get from bass and drums.

Ryan Adams - Gold, Ashes & Fire

Shellac - 1000 Hurts, Terraform

Smog - Dongs Of Sevotion

Sonic Youth - Dirty,

Thurston Moore - The Best Day

Turin Breaks - The Optimist

The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

Wooden Shjips - Back To Land, West

XTC - English Settlement, Apple Venus Volume 1

The XX - XX

 

[NorthStar]

Good grouping Shane.

 

[bazelio]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but I first heard this over at @mountainjoe 's house, and it's quite good music and SQ-wise: Toulouse Street, Doobie Bros. I believe I have the "Music On Vinyl" pressing now, and recommend it. Maybe there's an even better version?

PS While I'm thinking of it, the MTV Unplugged, Alice In Chains is pretty good too.

 

[Folsom]

You mention Ryan Adams without saying HeartBreaker????? It’s the sonically best by miles.

 

[XV-1]

You mention Ryan Adams without saying HeartBreaker????? It’s the sonically best by miles.

True, Heartbreaker is very good. Ashes and Fire on a sonic stand point is quite a bit better sounding imo.

I love Demolition. Sonically, Prisoner blow chunks of compression and bass bloat - terrible.

 

[Uk Paul / Z:Axis Audio]

Not hard rock, very enjoyable, and sounds great, - Supertramp, Breakfast in America.

 

[Uk Paul / Z:Axis Audio]

Dave Gilmour's Live albums (Pompei & Gdansk) sound very good considering the live recording, and Rattle that Lock is pretty good too..

 

[scottschecter]

Beck - Sea Change