What is/are your favorite tracks to play while demoing a system/speakers? For me it is Yello-One Second "La Habinera" it has several kinds of drums,horns, and vocals. It has worked well for me.

Mike, my favorites for doing that are Mars, Jupiter and Uranus from The Planets . Terrific CD.

Natalie Merchant's "Carnival" or Grover Washington, Jr.'s "Winelight" works well for me.

Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy". Even if you don't like the music, you've got to appreciate the recording. The strength of the guitar licks and the first strike of the kick drum are amazingly full. And when that great big voice kicks in, it is just hair raising. In this recording, the artist is in the room with you filling it with feeling and soul. Great wow factor.

Wow...I guess there are many a group that I have never heard of before...

I like to listen to lots of things...but Depeche Mode, Sting, Phil Collins, and others appeal to me.

DM's 'ULTRA', 'EXCITER', 'VIOLATOR' etc. are all great CD's with lots of great vocals, instruments, and electronic keyboards, etc.

Phils' 'In The Air Tonight' is another great song...to listen to...the drum solo is just fantastic.

That's my $0.02 worth.

Mark Knopfler's "What it Is" always sounds great. Matter of fact, most anything on Sailing to Philadelphia sounds incredibly detailed. His newest album with Emmylou Harris sounds terrific as well.

Black Sabath's "Paranoid" re-mastered (BGO England cd).

Song: "Fairies wear boots".....best recorded drum tracks, ever!

Paul Simon's "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes" from Graceland.

"O Mary Don't You Weep", from Bruce Springsteen's latest album "We Shall Overcome, The Seeger Sessions" is very raw and has a great presence. Good percussion, vocals, brass, and honky tonk piano.

Good afternoon all,

I really don't mean for this to be rude but does anyone on this forum listen to something other than mainstream hits from 1970's % 1980's icons?

There is so much good music out there - especially for testing speaker performance.

This isn't meant to be a dig.

J

My music's better than your music because it's more obscure. Neener neener neener.

Hehehe,

I knew that was coming.

Cheers,

J

I figure that I should suggest some songs rather than poo-pooing others.
Here's my Neener Neener song list:

- "Installation" by Akufen
- "Funkenflug Der Traeume" by Ellen Allien
- "Gloomy Sundy" Bjork
- "Future Proof" or "Butterfly Caught" by Massive Attack
- "Nuet" by Midi Miliz
- Flamenco Sketches" by Miles Davis
- "Rock Candy" by Genghis Tron
- "Desert Search for a Techno Allah" by Mr. Bungle
- "Sonar Blow Job" by Portishead & Kraftwerk
- "Radiation" by Richie Hawtin
- nearly anything off Kid A by Radiohead
- "Bend Over" by Wagon Christ

As good at Floyd's DSOTM and Diana Krall may be I still need a bit more.

I think I am venting because of a crap day at work so I am currently hating both the Government and people in general. But, they say music calms the savage beast, so, it's "Ad Lib on Nippon" time (Duke Ellington).

Cheers all,

J

Hey, I've heard of half of those!

They weren't necessarily obscure - just really good.

Cheers,

J

Well, I'm still waiting for my Axioms to arrive, so I'm spending my time planning the first evening's listening session.

So far the program looks something like:

1) Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man"
2) "Dulcissime Blanziflor Et Helena", "Ave formosissima", and "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana
3) "Dance of Kashchei's retinue, Under The Firebird's Spell" and "Infernal Dance Of All Of Kashchei's Subjects" from Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite
4) Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
5) "The Package" and "The Pet" from A Perfect Circle's Thirteenth Step
6) "The Gloaming" from Radiohead's Hail to the Thief
7) "Riddles in the Dark" from Chris Thile's Not All Who Wander Are Lost
8) "Into the West" by Annie Lennox from The Return of the King Soundtrack
9) "Wings for Marie" and "10,000 Days" from Tool's 10,000 Days
10) A nice 5.1-mixed Soundstage concert featuring Tori Amos

There, nothing in my top 10 from 70's or 80's icons.

Jordan, after your comment about "so much good music", I was disappointed not to see any classical selections in your list.

Juno Reactor, Mona Lisa Overdrive

(you would reconize it as the song during the car chase of the 2nd Matrix movie)

Juno Reactor is amazing.

You've exposed my one true musical weakness. I do not listen to very much classical. I find it very hit and miss. There are times when I am blown away and then times when I am put to sleep.

I saw a duet perform some modern tango pieces that I really enjoyed. Although not classical, The Gotan Project does some great stuff with tango.

Juno Reactor is indeed a great group. I went through a bit of a Goa phase for a little while back. "High Energy Protons" "God is God" "Conga Fury" "Bible of Dreams" all great stuff.

I've been listening a lot to Fischerspooner lately. That and various covers of "I fought the law".

Cheers,

Jordan

Brubeck, Take Five. Guy

I am disappointed to the core that no one else has listed my personal favorite (demo or not) - Muskrat Love. How can The Captain be excluded from any critical listening list?

I can just imagine the effect of that song blasting for a demo. May cause people to stampede out of the store.

Bela Fleck-"Flight of the Cosmic Hippo"

The reprise version of that song is also good for system testing.

Jordan,

Ah yes, the classics....60's thru about'92-'93.

Don't worry....Time Life music is preparing a ONE disc set, TV offer on your music: "best of the 90's & 2000's".

Larry

Awww, that's not nice. Poor Britney...

Well I don't have my axioms yet, however, i have a looong list of stuff i want to listen on it. Meridin, i enjoyed reading your list, i have sung Carmina Burana and I would LOVE to hear it on some m80's along with coplands fanfare for a common man. I still get a little misty eyed whenever i hear that song. As I've said in previous posts i am a huge fan of accapella and choral music I really want to listen to some more of Take 6, The Real Group, John Rutter's Requiem, Mozarts Requiem, Faure Requiem, Chanticleer. And then of course I love some real groove/funk music....Soulive Live Album, Lettuce Live in Tokyo, Karl Denson. I just realized i could drag this response out for a very long post so i better just stop here because I can't wait till my home gets closer to the stage where I put in the stereo stuff and actually listen to this....bah, can we warp time???
jason

I really hope that my new Axioms land in my grubby mitts by this weekend. If so, I'll spend Sunday morning listening to Canticles of Ecstacy by Hildegard von Bingen. Not quite a capella, but awfully close. Hopefully I'll be able to share my impressions with you soon.

3 more weeks until my M60s arrive. I'm very much looking forward to playing some Modeselektor when they arrive. Mmmm Modeselektor...
Boy those Germans can put out some great stuff.

Jordan

Dream Theater - Scarred from 8:15 in the song