Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo The best sounding CD you have?

Ok, Sid. No worries mate.

Hey! Don't be so hard on the recordings of the "Punk" music genre. Or go ahead and be hard on it because that would be the "worse" which I think would be better....huh?(scratching head here).

Anyway.

I'm sure I've heard many "high-quality wonderful sounding", well engineered Punk cds.....I just don't remember when or where.

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Mark Knopfler - Sailing to Philadelphia
U2 - Joshua Tree

In fact, Mark Knopfler's voice is right in front of you with the music playing behind. First time I heard it, I could almost reach out and touch it. I put off the lights and let only my ears do the "feeling", and played the CD a third time successively just to get the effect.

To give my suggestions just a little context, I probably listen to Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler and Diana Krall (Live in Paris is very good) as much or more than any other artists. To those two, I would add:

Jennifer Warnes - The Well
Harry Manx and Kevin Breit - Jubilee
Eva Cassidy - Songbird
Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs

Best DVD:

Nine Inch Nails - And All That Could Have Been (live, DTS). No DVD has better mixing than this DTS version. The Diana Krall pales in comparison. It's an experience just like being at the show, but the quality of the sound is ridiculous. It's almost impossible to believe they made the DVD themselves.

Best Sounding CD:

Patricia Baber - Modern Cool

AND

Peter Gabriel - Up

I'll second the NIN DVD. Ordered it shortly after I got my system. As far as CD's I just can't stop listening to, NIN fits there as well with Pretty Hate Machine.

John K: You were right they didn't have all of those exact discs. The Carmina Burana that you suggested was there, but on my way to the register I remembered that all I really wanted was O Fortuna (whince). I decided I'd just burn what they have at the library.
Thanks though. I printed out the thread and am going to be on the lookout for all these recommendations.

SuperBass II - Ray Brown, Christian McBride, and Jon Clayton (I have the 2 chan rec, but also available on SACD). Recorded live in 2000 at the Blue Note in NYC. It just sounds great on the M60's - three upright basses with great dynamics and incredible feel. When you hear the chatter between the performers and the audience you forget that you aren't actually there.

On the punk front, I would say that Snuff has some more recent recordings that sound pretty clean and rock out. try the album Potatoes and Watermelons. Got some nice brass on there too as they have quite a bit of ska in their sound now.

If you want some groove-type like old booker T and the MG's, try Medeski, Martin and Wood's latest CD Uninvisible.

-JD

Sounds promising - except the punk stuff. Heard of the Long Beach Dub All Stars? Sounds similar.

I find Neil Young CDs amazing. They are well engineered.

Old ones - new ones? I have an un-remastered version of Decade and the Unplugged album, but I haven't listened to either through my new system yet. I've been stuck on jazz and classical.