cunny678
Distinguished Member
Been trying to find decent CD recordings of Rock and Pop music since I sold my vinyl collection a few years back. Although I have seen other sites with a sort of top 50/100 Cd's based on sound quality there appears to be little for those who like rock / pop music.
I am sure we have all been dissapointed with purchases of CD only to find the record companies have compressed the hell out of it or its just badly produced! Thought it may be an idea to compile a sort of top 50 of CD's based on sound quality only. You know, your favourite CD you put on to show your system off!!
I will start off by posting my top 5 CD's which I think sound fantastic in order of sound quality. If people post the same suggestion I will score it higher so eventually we should get some sort of pecking order based on popularity. If when posting you can put the record label and the date it will help distinguish between the different versions. If you dont have the CD and have not listened to it please dont nominate it.
I have checked the CD's I have suggested on Audacity and can confirm that the gain has not been ramped up and there is no clipping on these versions. I dont think it is necessary to post if you have done this but it may be of interest.
The recommended recordings up to post 272 are below all other updating is done as the thread goes along.
1.Alice In Chains - Unplugged Sony 1997 (6 votes)
1.Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine (1992, Epic)(6 votes)
2.Rodrigo Y Gabriella - 11:11 - ATO, 2009(5 votes)
3.Metallica - Black Album - 1991 - Electra (4 votes)
3.Keb' Mo' - Keb'Mo' - Epic 1994 (4 votes)
3.Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys! - Fiction/Polydor - 2011 (4 votes)
4.Metallica -Load - 1996 - Electra (3 votes)
4.Nils Lofgren's - Acoustic Live - Vision Music - 2010 (3 votes)
4.Yello - Baby -Mercury - 1991(3 votes)
4.Bjork - Homogenic -onelittleindian 1997 (3 votes)
5.Metallica -ReLoad - 1997 -Electra (2 votes)
5.Vampire Weekend - Contra - XL records - 2009(2 votes)
5.Eric Clapton - Unplugged - Reprise - 1992(2 votes)
5.Ocean Colour Scene - Mosley Shoals - MCA - 2011(2 votes)
5.Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C. -2000 - Virgin(2 votes)
5.Pink Floyd - DSOTM - EMI Digital Remaster - 1992 (2 votes)
5.Bloc Party - Silent Alarm - 2004 - Wichita Recordings (2 votes)
5.Porcupine Tree - In Absentia - Lava 2003 (2 votes)
5.Steven Wilson - Insurgentes - Kscope 2008 (2 votes)
5.Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club - World Crcuit 1997 (2 votes)
5.Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela - ATO 2006 (2 votes)
5.Orbital - In Sides London Records - 1996 (2 votes)
5.Damian Rice - 9. - Heffa - 2006 (2 votes)
5.Damian Rice - 0. - Heffa - 2006 (2 votes)
Yello - One Second - Mercury - 1987
Stanley Clarke - Hideaway -Epic - 1986
Jimmy Page - Outrider - Geffen - 1988
Santana-Shaman 2002
Muddy Waters - Folksinger - MFSL version
Led Zeppelin - Mothership - Atlantic - 2007
The Fun Loving Criminals Come Find Yourself - Chrysalis - 1997
Talking Heads Speaking In Tongues 1983
Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream 1993 Virgin
Roger Water's Amused To Death on Master Sound(SBM) - 1992
Metallica - Master of Puppets - DCC Gold
NIN - Pretty hate machine - remastered - Island - 2010
Jeff Buckley - Songs From Jeff Buckley - Sony - 2007
LAMBCHOP - She is woman - City Slang - 2010
Electronic - Electronic. Parlophone. 1994.
Michael Jackson -Blood on the Dance Floor: History in the Mix(Epic) - 1997
Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks - 2010 Atlantic 679
Jeff Buckley - Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk - Columbia - 1998
Leftfield - Rhythm and Stealth - 1999 - Sony
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare - 2006 - Domino
Madonna- the imacculate collection - Warner - 1990
Soul to soul - club classics volume 1 - 1989 on 10 records label
The Sky Moves Sideways - Porcupine Tree (Reissue) (Snapper - July 2004 )
Shellac - Excelent Italian Grayhound (Touch & Go - 2007)
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies (Columbia - 1994)
Pink Floyd - The Wall - (Harvest 1979)
Portishead - Dummy - Universal 1995
Leftfield - Leftism - 1995 - Hard Hands / Sony Music
Queen - Greatest Hits II - EMI - 1991 (or 2000 on Platinum Collection)
Radiohead - 'Hail to the thief' - 2003 - Parlophone
Elbow and the BBC Concert Orchestra - The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road - 2009 - Polydor
Simone White - I am the man - 2007 - EMI Records
John Martyn - Solid Air -1973 - Island Records
Leonard Cohen - Live in London - 2009 - Columbia
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular - 2007/08 - Columbia
Megadeth - Cryptic Writings. Capitol 1997 (HDCD)
Blackfield - Blackfield. - Helicon 2004
Damian Rice - O. - Vector 2002
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds - Live at Radio City - RCA 2007
Diane Reeves - Bridges - Blue Note 1999
Peter Gabriel - Up - Virgin 2002
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman/Telling Stories - Elektra 1988/2000
Hope and Social - April - 2010 - Alamo Music
beastie boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two - Capitol -2011
Nirvana - Unplugged in New York - Geffen - 1994
Cymbals eat guitars - Why there are mountains - 2009 - Sister's Den Records.
Jill Scott's - Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1' - Hidden Beach Recordings- 2000
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi - 2011 - Domino records
Kurt Elling - Close Your Eyes - Blue Note - 2003
Maxwell - Embrya -Sony Music - 2001
The John Butler Trio - Sunrise over Sea Lava Records - 2004
Michel Jarre; Oxygene (Remastered), Capitol Records, 2007.
Jean Michel Jarre; Equinox (Remastered), Sony, 1997.
King Roc - Chapters - Process Recordings - March 09
Dave Matthews Band - Busted Stuff, RCA Records, 2002
One Minute Silence - Buy Now Saved Later - V2 Records - 2000
Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy's Big 4, Pablo Records, 1990
Various Artists - A Century of Jazz, Disc 3: The Soloists. EMI Records ltd, 1999
Jools Holland & Friends - Small World Big Band. Warner Music UK ltd, 2001
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin - Atlantic Remaster - 1971(?)
You can nominate and vote for as many as you want as in the end I guess the voting system will dictate which albums are generally considered to sound best. Just let me have the label and year of CD with any nominations as recodings can differ greatly especially "Remasters".
If you wnat to nominate one just post with the details and I will add it to the list. If its already on the list just post to that effect and I will add the vote which will increase its position in the table.
No Big Band / Orchestral, DVDA or SACD just Rock / Pop Cd's.
I am sure we have all been dissapointed with purchases of CD only to find the record companies have compressed the hell out of it or its just badly produced! Thought it may be an idea to compile a sort of top 50 of CD's based on sound quality only. You know, your favourite CD you put on to show your system off!!
I will start off by posting my top 5 CD's which I think sound fantastic in order of sound quality. If people post the same suggestion I will score it higher so eventually we should get some sort of pecking order based on popularity. If when posting you can put the record label and the date it will help distinguish between the different versions. If you dont have the CD and have not listened to it please dont nominate it.
I have checked the CD's I have suggested on Audacity and can confirm that the gain has not been ramped up and there is no clipping on these versions. I dont think it is necessary to post if you have done this but it may be of interest.
The recommended recordings up to post 272 are below all other updating is done as the thread goes along.
1.Alice In Chains - Unplugged Sony 1997 (6 votes)
1.Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine (1992, Epic)(6 votes)
2.Rodrigo Y Gabriella - 11:11 - ATO, 2009(5 votes)
3.Metallica - Black Album - 1991 - Electra (4 votes)
3.Keb' Mo' - Keb'Mo' - Epic 1994 (4 votes)
3.Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys! - Fiction/Polydor - 2011 (4 votes)
4.Metallica -Load - 1996 - Electra (3 votes)
4.Nils Lofgren's - Acoustic Live - Vision Music - 2010 (3 votes)
4.Yello - Baby -Mercury - 1991(3 votes)
4.Bjork - Homogenic -onelittleindian 1997 (3 votes)
5.Metallica -ReLoad - 1997 -Electra (2 votes)
5.Vampire Weekend - Contra - XL records - 2009(2 votes)
5.Eric Clapton - Unplugged - Reprise - 1992(2 votes)
5.Ocean Colour Scene - Mosley Shoals - MCA - 2011(2 votes)
5.Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C. -2000 - Virgin(2 votes)
5.Pink Floyd - DSOTM - EMI Digital Remaster - 1992 (2 votes)
5.Bloc Party - Silent Alarm - 2004 - Wichita Recordings (2 votes)
5.Porcupine Tree - In Absentia - Lava 2003 (2 votes)
5.Steven Wilson - Insurgentes - Kscope 2008 (2 votes)
5.Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club - World Crcuit 1997 (2 votes)
5.Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela - ATO 2006 (2 votes)
5.Orbital - In Sides London Records - 1996 (2 votes)
5.Damian Rice - 9. - Heffa - 2006 (2 votes)
5.Damian Rice - 0. - Heffa - 2006 (2 votes)
Yello - One Second - Mercury - 1987
Stanley Clarke - Hideaway -Epic - 1986
Jimmy Page - Outrider - Geffen - 1988
Santana-Shaman 2002
Muddy Waters - Folksinger - MFSL version
Led Zeppelin - Mothership - Atlantic - 2007
The Fun Loving Criminals Come Find Yourself - Chrysalis - 1997
Talking Heads Speaking In Tongues 1983
Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream 1993 Virgin
Roger Water's Amused To Death on Master Sound(SBM) - 1992
Metallica - Master of Puppets - DCC Gold
NIN - Pretty hate machine - remastered - Island - 2010
Jeff Buckley - Songs From Jeff Buckley - Sony - 2007
LAMBCHOP - She is woman - City Slang - 2010
Electronic - Electronic. Parlophone. 1994.
Michael Jackson -Blood on the Dance Floor: History in the Mix(Epic) - 1997
Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks - 2010 Atlantic 679
Jeff Buckley - Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk - Columbia - 1998
Leftfield - Rhythm and Stealth - 1999 - Sony
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare - 2006 - Domino
Madonna- the imacculate collection - Warner - 1990
Soul to soul - club classics volume 1 - 1989 on 10 records label
The Sky Moves Sideways - Porcupine Tree (Reissue) (Snapper - July 2004 )
Shellac - Excelent Italian Grayhound (Touch & Go - 2007)
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies (Columbia - 1994)
Pink Floyd - The Wall - (Harvest 1979)
Portishead - Dummy - Universal 1995
Leftfield - Leftism - 1995 - Hard Hands / Sony Music
Queen - Greatest Hits II - EMI - 1991 (or 2000 on Platinum Collection)
Radiohead - 'Hail to the thief' - 2003 - Parlophone
Elbow and the BBC Concert Orchestra - The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road - 2009 - Polydor
Simone White - I am the man - 2007 - EMI Records
John Martyn - Solid Air -1973 - Island Records
Leonard Cohen - Live in London - 2009 - Columbia
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular - 2007/08 - Columbia
Megadeth - Cryptic Writings. Capitol 1997 (HDCD)
Blackfield - Blackfield. - Helicon 2004
Damian Rice - O. - Vector 2002
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds - Live at Radio City - RCA 2007
Diane Reeves - Bridges - Blue Note 1999
Peter Gabriel - Up - Virgin 2002
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman/Telling Stories - Elektra 1988/2000
Hope and Social - April - 2010 - Alamo Music
beastie boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two - Capitol -2011
Nirvana - Unplugged in New York - Geffen - 1994
Cymbals eat guitars - Why there are mountains - 2009 - Sister's Den Records.
Jill Scott's - Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1' - Hidden Beach Recordings- 2000
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi - 2011 - Domino records
Kurt Elling - Close Your Eyes - Blue Note - 2003
Maxwell - Embrya -Sony Music - 2001
The John Butler Trio - Sunrise over Sea Lava Records - 2004
Michel Jarre; Oxygene (Remastered), Capitol Records, 2007.
Jean Michel Jarre; Equinox (Remastered), Sony, 1997.
King Roc - Chapters - Process Recordings - March 09
Dave Matthews Band - Busted Stuff, RCA Records, 2002
One Minute Silence - Buy Now Saved Later - V2 Records - 2000
Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy's Big 4, Pablo Records, 1990
Various Artists - A Century of Jazz, Disc 3: The Soloists. EMI Records ltd, 1999
Jools Holland & Friends - Small World Big Band. Warner Music UK ltd, 2001
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin - Atlantic Remaster - 1971(?)
You can nominate and vote for as many as you want as in the end I guess the voting system will dictate which albums are generally considered to sound best. Just let me have the label and year of CD with any nominations as recodings can differ greatly especially "Remasters".
If you wnat to nominate one just post with the details and I will add it to the list. If its already on the list just post to that effect and I will add the vote which will increase its position in the table.
No Big Band / Orchestral, DVDA or SACD just Rock / Pop Cd's.
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