Your "In The Room" Moment

Have spent the evening reading quite a few threads and historically going back in the archives at peoples highs and lows..

So what would you consider a track or album that sounds so good it gives you an -eyes closed - band / singer in the room moment.. Or that feeling of being sat in the sweet spot at a concert.

Tonight for me it has been Shawn Mullins and a couple of the simple acoustic tracks from "Souls Core"..

 

Dark Side Of The Moon was the first one for me. I'd heard discussion from Steve H on this and when it happened the old light bulb went on.

 

Nat King Cole, "Love Is the Thing" SACD

 

Echoes - Pink Floyd The recent remaster of Meddle released last fall just blows me away. When I listen to it, it is like the band is right there in front of me. I think the primary reason it hits me like this is the drums - just perfect sound.

 

I just got the "St. Louis Blues" Nat King Cole SACD, and the recording is VERY lifelike---as are all of the recordings in this series. Also, the Ben Webster recording "Gentle Ben" on SACD. Probably the most realistic recording of his tenor saxophone sound I've ever heard. Let me think of some more.

 

Neil Young - Greendale

 

Muddy Waters - Folk Singer

 

Donovan's 'Get Thy Bearings'

Van Dyke Parks' entire Discover America album

 

The closest I've come is some of my live recordings or any of Barry's releases. The main reason is because they're not processed as are most commercial records. Having distance on the mics also goes a long way towards conveying realism.

The problem is that most commercial records are not made to sound natural. You may feel the presence of the singer, but I could never close my eyes and think he's actually in the room. EQ, reverb, compression, proximity effect, tube warmth and other processes can all make the vocal sound great, but never real to me.

 

+1

 

+1.....possibly the most lifelike recording (and mastering) I have ever experienced! Truly jaw-dropping.

 

I had the aha moment listening to Bob Dylan's John Wesley Hardin. I had been playing Blonde On Blonde for weeks and put on JWH. The harmonica and Dylan's voice just seemed so lifelike. This was back when I was 15.

 

The first Joe Cocker album. With A Little Help... had stopped me in my tracks one afternoon while hangin' out in my bedroom, so I went out and bought the album.

 

Admittedly my "in-the-room" moment occurred 30 years ago, when I was in high school, but I have never forgotten it. I was performing an "all-nighter" to get a paper done for AP English [teacher offered 15% extra credit on the grade if paper was turned in 1 day early] and around 4-5AM was repeatedly listening to the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" [The Kids Are Alright version, although I hadn't yet seen the movie] on a cassette Walkman (recall those?). On the 2nd or 3rd listen, I apparently hit a sweet spot; I could visualize the four members working themselves into a frenzy on stage, especially Moon and Townshend.

 

Tommy Emmanuel - Only. I can picture him sitting in my living room pickin' the guitar.

 

When I hear Blue Öyster Cult's debut album (the MoFi gold cd) Last Days Of May specifically I feel as if I'm in this big warehouse where the band is jamming out to it. It just gives me this great feeling man. It's no audiophile recording but it's got this certain sound to it that I love.

 

First one to pop into me mind was the first time I played my MFSL Gold Muddy Waters "Folk Singer"

Sounded like he was strummin' and singin' right in front of me!


EDIT: I responded after only reading the OP... and have since seen that two others above chose the same recording!
.

 

I've had more than one, but the one that came to mind first was "All My Trials" from the Peter, Paul & Mary CD, "In The Wind". The strummed guitars and Mary Travers voice has on more than one occasion startled me with the exceptionally lifelike sound. It's almost like they are standing in the room in front of me.

 

DVD-Audio Jackson Browne Running on Empty... Cocaine. Set up to make you feel like the musicians are sitting in a circle around you as they play (it's a backstage dressing room recording, as I remember). Stunning.

 

Stella Blue ca 1973 or 1994(believe it or not)

 

Perro sessions, especially Blows Against The Empire by Kantner's Starship. I'm still amazed by the fact that I wasn't a member of the Frisco mafia at that time. Me and Crosby and Grace and Kantner could have been great buddies.

 

Many of these but a MOFI Roy Orbison GH is having that effect as we speak.

 

Neil Young at Massey Hall

 

Not sure how people are "in the room" with all these albums listed that are filled with overdubs and studio trickery. Muddy Waters - Folk Singer is an obvious choice with the track "Feel Like Going Home" the one that puts me there.

 

A few of Jandek's records.