The Best in your collection

[puroagave]

oh i've heard it. the insipidness of the music predominates the sound, once "brazilian sleighbells" plays through i usually shut it off looks like there's a K2 mastered version on CD coming out next month, go for it!

 

[DaveyF]

Rob, besides the insipidness of the music on 'Hi Fi', how is the reproduction of the instruments and hall etc., HP was ( and maybe still is, I'm not sure) saying this LP was as close to the real as he had heard. Your opinion?

 

[NorthStar]

Don't have one.

Have several ...

 

[RBFC]

To be pedestrian, I seem to continually go back to Clark Terry: Live at the Village Gate on Chesky. The last song "Hey, Mr. Mumbles" makes me feel as though I'm in the club. I chose this one because I"d have a stroke if I had to consider my classical collection in a "winner takes all" competition.

Lee

 

[Bruce B]

Let's see....

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Patricia Barber - Cafe' Blue
The Doors - LA Woman
Nat King Cole - Love is the Thing
DSOTM
CCR - Chronicle
Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests
America - Homecoming
Milt Jackson - Bags Meets Wes
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Art Pepper - + Eleven and Art of Pepper vol. 1 & 2
Ellington/Hodges - Side by Side
Getz/Gilberto
IZ - Facing Future
JATP
Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
Steely Dan - Aja
Van Morrison - Moondance..


All on TAPE!

Have almost 3000 tapes now..

 

[jazdoc]

Let's see....

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Patricia Barber - Cafe' Blue
The Doors - LA Woman
Nat King Cole - Love is the Thing
DSOTM
CCR - Chronicle
Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests
America - Homecoming
Milt Jackson - Bags Meets Wes
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Art Pepper - + Eleven and Art of Pepper vol. 1 & 2
Ellington/Hodges - Side by Side
Getz/Gilberto
IZ - Facing Future
JATP
Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
Steely Dan - Aja
Van Morrison - Moondance..


All on TAPE!

Have almost 3000 tapes now..

Bruce...I am in awe!!!

 

[NorthStar]

Bruce, cassette Tapes? :b

 

[LL21]

Let's see....

Have almost 3000 tapes now..

Smokes!!!!!! Wow...enjoy!

 

[slowGEEZR]

On vinyl...
Hugh Masekela - Hope
Neal Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971
Louis Armstrong - Satchmo plays King Oliver
Alison Krauss - Alison Krauss + Union Station Live

Digital...
Diana Krall - The Girl In The Other Room
Buddy Guy - Blues Singer
Christian McBride - Conversations with Christian
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto - Midnight Sugar

In actuality, these may not be the "best" but are some I can think of readily as sounding very good to my ears.

 

[jadis]

HP for many years was saying this was one of his favorites too....although he used to say that "HiFi ala Espanola" on Merc was his #1)
BTW, anyone heard the vaunted "HiFi ala Espanola" ...lives up to the hype?

I had the chance to hear the original pressing in my own system when a good friend left it with me and it was quite fantastic, though my Maggie certainly does not do justice to the records' bass and dynamics. I played this too in an ARC system with Gallo speakers and it sounded fabulous too, this time with great dynamics coming out. The stage is wide and deep too, and the tone is rich. It's quite a collector's item too and even the 180g Classic re-issue in the 90s fetches for big bucks.

It's very difficult to pick one greatest LP of all time though for such a long time I had For Duke in mind. When I got hold of a 6 eye Saul Goodman Mallets Melody and Mayhem on CBS (demo copy), I told myself this got to be the cream of the crop that I have heard so far.

 

[Ki Choi]

I had to give the subject some thought before posting. My best isn't necessarily the best sounding but music that still touches me emotionally and had survived the "cultural revolution" of the Perfect Sound Forever in 80's and still brings me warm memories whenever I play them:

Analog:

JOAN BAEZ - DIAMONDS AND RUST – it was my very first real LP purchase with my own money (actually part of the student loan but promised to skip a meal for it) in 1975 at the School Kid’s Records in Raleigh NC. School Kid’s Records is long gone but the LP is still with me. I gave them 10 mint LPs for one Perfect Sound Forever media for most of my LP collections…still kicking myself whenever I think about it.

Dion – Sanctuary – I had a poor cassette copy of the LP in the early ‘70s and had been looking for the LP for many years. Thanks to eBay, I found a radio station promotional copy in mid ‘90s. It has some tunes where Dion sings by himself with his guitar. I sure like his voice and his “crying out loud” style of singing.

Musical Heritage – Mozart " Eine kleine Nachtmusik" Allegro – it’s the first real concert I had attended at age 17 and was blown away with the new world of beautiful music I didn’t know that existed. The LP was one of those monthly subscription kinds with the same music I heard at the concert that my sister received in the mail but hijacked by me. I played this LP in 1977 for my best friend and roommate at the time over a plate of spaghetti noodle with Ragu sauce with ground meat already included (luxury…) and also had last bit of setting sun over our dorm room window. It was a special moment. I still have the very LP and my best friend is only 45 min away after all these years. I should go see him this weekend.

Unknown musicians – Piano and Standup Bass – Kearney Barton Studio leftover tape hauls. After his recent passing, I bought a room full of tapes that didn’t have labels… only went through one of the boxes from many but ran across a reel with simple Piano and Bass jazz original recordings of same tune many times…but it’s good. Also a big band music reel with no ID but recorded in 1961 – it’s a killer music that is one of my best show-n-tell music for visitors at my house. Moreover, I have Kearney’s Ampex 351 machine that was the actual recorder for the tapes.

Digital:

Nothing special to write home about but…

Mozart Symphonies, Christopher Hogwood on L'Oiseau Lyre box sets – One of main differences in attending a concert and listening to a nice reproduction to me is how the string section sounds. The other sonic charateristics of live concert is sheer dynamics in music. I hear silky smooth overtones from the strings that are so velvety, it is difficult to describe in words. I bought the separate boxes of Mozart Symphonies one by one to make a complete set before it was available as one complete set but didn’t play them as often as I should have. The Academy of Academy of Ancient Music uses old time period instruments including... supposedly the real cat guts for strings…(or maybe not). It always sounded harsh and screech to my ears until my current set up. I am getting the silky strings from these old CDs at last.