What are the 5 best sounding non-audiophile albums in your collection?

I've never been able to figure out if she herself is an audiophile with a vested interest in how her albums sound. If so, I wonder why she's allowed her last 3 CD releases to be so compressed. But everything up to that point has been gold, sound-wise.

 

I literally did a double-take when I saw those last two.

 

I take threads like this to mean "List 5 "great" sounding non-audiophile label albums", since I don't really know which would be the 5 "best" sounding. I feel that threads like this serve to help each of us in our never ending quest to find new records.
Anyway, here is one on Concord Jazz by Japanese clarinetist Eiji Kitamura - playing traditional/swing jazz ala Benny Goodman. Backing band includes greats like Teddy Wilson (speaking of Goodman!) and Cal Tjader. The sound is very much "the players are in the room". It is on LP only, I don't believe it ever made onto CD. Relatively easy to find used online, also seen it in used bins here and there.



Here is a cut from the album - "Stardust":

 

Brewer and Shipley- Tarkio RL Pressing, Nektar Remember the Future RL Pressing, Charlie Daniels Million Mile Reflections, Wally pressing, Steeley Dan Greatest hits 2Lp Robert Ludwig, Hendrix, In the West, Robert Ludwig .

 

Alan Parsons Project - Tales Of Mystery And Imagination (Original UK)
Alan Parsons - Try Anything Once (Original US CD)
Sixteen Horsepower - Folklore (Original LP)
Queensryche - Promised Land (Original US CD)
Peter Gabriel - Us (Original US CD)

 

The whole concept of audiophile releases cracks me up. Used to be that Audiophile LPs were mainly boring albums of lesser known or unknown jazz musicians playing uninspired music. The only advantage is that they were recorded live directly to the laquer.

Better to just buy music you like and preferably well recorded music.

 

At first I was angry....then I was like...yep.

 

By the way I am currently listening to a SACD that I think our host mastered that sounds amazing.

Playing the 6 channel version of Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow on Analog Productions.

 

I would say Cat Stevens Teaser and the Firecat as a non-audiophile album sounds pretty darn good as a basic stock pressing.

 

Would you say Poco's Legend needn't be the MFSL release to sound good?

 

These 5 records come to mind:

- Chromatics - Closer to Grey (lp)
- Caro Emerald - Deleted scenes from the cutting room floor (lp)
- Loudness - Thunder in the East (lp)
- Sue the Night - Wanderland (lp)
- Heart - Dreamboat Annie (lp/Dutch pressing)

 

Not at all. MFSL only took a shot at this one on LP in 79.

 

Just happened to listen to that One Trick Pony pressing a couple of nights ago and was mightily impressed with the sound &, although some don’t seem to like the album, I think it is a ripper. Some great musicians on the record - Steve Gadd drums in every track (from memory)!
Also have the Benson & an RL Back in Black and they sound fantastic. The RL Back in Black is the only option IMO.

 

Agree, Benson records are just fantastic, I love your “the dude which blows my socks off” description - so apt. Once a had a Benson album to two I just found myself just buying anything I saw from him.

 

1. The Police - Ghost in the Machine (1st Uk pressing
2. Roxy Music - Avalon (1st UK LP pressing or 1st German CD pressing)
3. Simple Minds - Once Upon A Time (1st UK pressing)
4. The Freddy Jones Band - Waiting For the Night (US CD)
5. Toad the Wet Sprocket - Bread and Circus (US pressing)

 

Off the top of my head..

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (Steve Hoffman mastered)
Nick Cave - Live at KCRW. For some reason, this really, really sounds good to me. Miles Showell cut.
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks- Real Emotional Trash - Matador 1st press. Ray Janos cut.
AC/DC - Back In Black. Early Allied pressing cut by Bob Ludwig.

My best sounding cd is probably my old West German pressed (old!) release of Mark Knopfler's 'Cal'

 

The 2012 Black Friday RSD reissue of The Fabulous Johnny Cash is a KG cut, I think. Sounds like Johnny Cash is in the room with me.
The ORG reissue of Nevermind has a BIG sound.

 

Eh???

 

The Temptations-A Song For You (1975) Columbia House press. I don’t know how it was done but this press takes away all of the rough and dated edges of the original music and production and it all sounds smooth…

 

I didn’t know the word “tits” could be used as a negative, but here we are

 

I think it refers to the saying "Tits up".

 

Let me expand on this - never before have I heard ANYONE describe any copy of "Exile On Main Street" as audiophile. It's simply recorded murkily. Great album, but they turned up the murk even higher for "Goats Head Soup" and "It's Only Rock And Roll". Someone must have had a quiet word and "Black and Blue" ensued - really the only Stones album even close to Audiophile.

 

Black Sabbath Self Titled UK Vertigo 1st press.

 

All the early UK first press sound great. Also the Sterling first press US Sabotage is also excellent.

Surprised no one mentioned any of the Rick Rubin produced records. Early Sterling US versions of Danzig, Slayer, Trouble, Masters of Reality, The Cult, The Four Horseman and more.

 

The title of the thread is "non-audiophile" that "sound good." Agreed about the production values on Exile but that's the way this one should sound-the good cuts (and the SACD I have, frankly) sound good. With respect.