What are the best sounding albums in your opinion?

[bharris22]

My vote for best goes to Yes - The Yes Album, Fragile and Close to the Edge. It is amazing to me how good these sound - if I could come close to this in my own recordings I would be thrilled.

My vote for worst goes to Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey, Warehouse and Flip Your Wig. One of my favorite bands of all time, but God the mixes on these albums are terrible.

[ZINO]

Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album)

[hibidy]

Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album)

I was going to say death magnetic

[mellotronaut]

another mix, i like a lot, is:

Elvis Costello - Spike

[an-electric-heart]

Have we had Nevermind yet (to state the obvious)? I can't stand Nirvana, but Nevermind sounds frickin' huge... man, what a drum sound!

[ras.s]

I don't know if the best but some of the top ranking still:

Augustus Pablo - This is Augustus Pablo


The Robotiks - My computer's acting strange

[heffus]

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Miles Davis - Relaxin'
Sonny Rollins - Tenor Madness
The Fleetwood Mac one
any number of old Blue Note recordings

[hibidy]

Oh yeah, AC/DC, very well mixed. But I draw the line at def leppard

[monopoli]

Reading this thread-title somehow Tinderbox by Siouxsi & the Banshees popped into my head, which is odd since I haven't listened to it in years. I remember I was very impressed at the time with the spacious cinematic sound while at the same time it sounded like a band in a room.

[SODDI]

Reading this thread-title somehow Tinderbox by Siouxsi & the Banshees popped into my head, which is odd since I haven't listened to it in years. I remember I was very impressed at the time with the spacious cinematic sound while at the same time it sounded like a band in a room.

I agree - except I think that they sound like they are in some idealized "other" space.

[skipscada]

I'd happily list ones with low fidelity recording or something live recorded on a crappy cassette recorder. It's not about sounding 'best' - albums just sound the way that they sound.

Why would you happily list records that are "low fidelity" or "crappy" when someone asks you to suggest records that sound good?

Because it's subjective and that type of recording might be "the best sounding album" to me.

Why wouldn't I list it?

I was only pointing out that it's a bit of a contradiction when you say you'd nominate something "crappy" and "low fidelity" as "best sounding". Your statement implies that you actually do understand what OP means when he says "best sounding". I'm splitting hairs, I know. Nothing personal. Anyway, it'd be interesting to see some suggestions from you. I notice many of the suggestions conform to an idea of "good sounding" as clean, clear, balanced, complex, powerful. Personally, I'd like to see some suggestions of deliberately "bad" mixes that somehow work. A candidate: My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" - completely washed out, buried in effects and layers of fuzz ... and brilliant.

[vurt]

I'd happily list ones with low fidelity recording or something live recorded on a crappy cassette recorder. It's not about sounding 'best' - albums just sound the way that they sound.

Why would you happily list records that are "low fidelity" or "crappy" when someone asks you to suggest records that sound good?

Because it's subjective and that type of recording might be "the best sounding album" to me.

Why wouldn't I list it?

I agree, with a caveat. The problem is that you are right, 'best' is indeed subjective.

Not all evaluations of recordings have to be that subjective, though. The idea of 'fidelity' is nowhere near as subjective as 'best'. And there are definitely some recordings that have better fidelity than others.

But fidelity is almost gone as a standard in recording (except for orchestral recordings). Most people are going after a 'sound' that is highly artificial, so there is no standard to judge this sound against like there always was in the days if high fidelity (e.g. 'Is it live or is it Memorex?). This is all well and good, but people still want a simple standard even though there really isn't one.

best fidelity for the material.
something along the lines of the belongs october language wouldnt sound right mixed in the same way as the pixies surfer rosa wouldnt sound right if mixed in the style of some really radio friendly pop.

people may or may not agree, its just my opinion and happens to be a fact.

[kbaccki]

Some more throwback that came to mind...

Glass Houses -- Billy Joel

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- Elton John... I just remember this as being a very lush sounding album...

What's the 411? -- Mary J Blige

Number of the Beast -- Iron Maiden ... not too shabby for 1982...

1984 -- Van Halen... not their best material, but I like the engineering on this album...

+1 on Back in Black ... the sound of that album has stood the test of time, IMO... still kicks some serious A when you hear it on a beefy bar or club sound system, or on your FM car stereo...

[SODDI]

Personally, I'd like to see some suggestions of deliberately "bad" mixes that somehow work. A candidate: My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" - completely washed out, buried in effects and layers of fuzz ... and brilliant.

Dead Can Dance's first CD - "Dead Can Dance". My one sentence review from many years ago: "Please mister no more reverb it is like tomato soup in my ears."

[gnu23]

hmm
Steely Dan - Aja
Zappa - Joe's Garage
just for starters..

Assuming the OP meant what I think he did, I'd have to go with Bluedad on Steely Dan's Aja. Behind that come two Thomas Dolby albums, The Flat Earth and The Golden Age of Wireless.