[Guitar Jack 101]

almost forgot about that one ...

IMO..... Regardless of Boston's debut LP being on vinyl or CD, both sound great!! On topic... But off topic... I recently hooked up my 80's vintage Rockman soloist & I'm working on a new recording that I'll likely post in the not too distant future.

 

[Granny Gremlin]

Fat of the Land is an interesting inclusion for me. I haven’t listened to anything from that album on headphones since about 1999 but maybe I’ll go back. It makes me wonder about a lot of those electronic Big Beat groups. I remember Chemical Brothers and Death in Vegas albums sounding good but Ive not sat and listened to one for decades.

Chemical Brothers are Big Beat? Prodigy was decidedly (hardcore) techno (in the electronic music nerd sense not the general colloquial Night at the Roxbury sense) on the first record but Fat of the Land was more mainstream so I dunno; that was just after they collabed with Pop Will Eat Itself and just before they got their own guitarist.

[reading the wiki real quick]

It bothers me how genres are redefined decades later. Like at the time I had a raver cousin in Germany who was super into Big Beat and our only overlap in that regard was Bentley Rhythm Ace. Nobody was calling CB, Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method etc Big Beat at the time that I recall; Big Beat was this tiny subgenre that never really got super popular in NA.

 

[gtrguy]

There’s a handful of albums there that I’m not familiar with but lots of excellent sounding records and maybe a couple I would have left off the list in favour of alternatives.

 

[KapnKrunch]

Audiophile list? OK. Good stuff all around.

Artistic list? Top 50 creative and influential albums. They missed about 49 of 'em.

 

[JBFairthorne]

The Cars should have been on that list. Moving in Stereo was so cool.

 

[Unity Gain]

Not sure if it was mentioned but the group involved here was decidedly British based on the inclusion of all the Marillion - as well as the Prodigy and Alphavile.

Btw, if I was to include an 80's synth album it would definitely be the Human League's "Dare" and not Alphaville. Probably the best sounding synth album I've heard having tons of ambience and choice arrangements - along with being very warm and very analog!

 

[Unity Gain]

Notable miss… no Sgt Peppers?

As a milestone in terms of production and concept, I'd say yes (along with something like Good Vibrations). But it's missing that FM, hi-fi quality they're looking for here that won't solidify for a couple of more years with the advent of 8-tracks and solid state desks (which was maybe evidenced by the Beatles only showing up for mono mixing sessions until the White Album). So for the Beatles the first hi-fi album would be Abbey Road.

Also +1 on The The, but Dusk is a much bigger sounding record. Lung Shadows sounds massive.

Edit: missed that Kind of Blue was included here so will add the Beatles bounced a lot of their tracks losing sound quality along the way. KoB would be one take direct to tape allowing bigger sonics to be retained well before 8 track recorders.

 

[Unity Gain]

The Cars should have been on that list. Moving in Stereo was so cool.

LOVE Roy Thomas Baker's (the man who helmed Bohemian Rhapsody) production here - so dry yet with a lushness at the same time. He, along with Ken Scott (White Album, Ziggy, Devo), definitely had a certain touch.

 

[CenturyBreak]

Btw, if I was to include an 80's synth album it would definitely be the Human League's "Dare" and not Alphaville.

For me, it's Scritti Politti's Provision, mostly for the sonic gut-punch (in a good way ) that is Boom! There She Was:

 

[Milkman]

Is their a version of the list that doesn't require me to scroll?

I'm tired today (sore mouscles).

 

[blueshores_guy]

OK, I scrolled through the whole thing. Was somewhat dismayed that I have never heard of some of those groups.
Then I went back and re-read the intro text for the article. Sad that musical quality, innovation, and technical merit played no part in the selections.
Here's what it said...

You’ve probably heard music that sounds good. But have you heard music so immersive it turns your living room into a concert hall? According to thousands of audiophiles who obsess over every frequency and soundstage, these 50 albums represent the pinnacle of recorded sound.
Beyond being critically acclaimed, they’re technical achievements that reveal new details with each listen. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a $50,000 system or basic headphones. You’ll be mesmerized every time.

Yeah, right. Well, that's 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

 

[Unity Gain]

Well, that's 20 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Actually I'd say a good chunk of these are high quality albums even before the sonics.

 

[blueshores_guy]

Actually I'd say a good chunk of these are high quality albums even before the sonics.

And I agree completely. My point was that musical quality and artists' performance skills weren't named as criteria for the selections. Things like "the pinnacle of recorded sound" and "technical achievements" don't necessarily relate to how good the music is.

 

[jimmythegeek]

Chemical Brothers are Big Beat? Prodigy was decidedly (hardcore) techno (in the electronic music nerd sense not the general colloquial Night at the Roxbury sense) on the first record but Fat of the Land was more mainstream so I dunno; that was just after they collabed with Pop Will Eat Itself and just before they got their own guitarist.

[reading the wiki real quick]

It bothers me how genres are redefined decades later. Like at the time I had a raver cousin in Germany who was super into Big Beat and our only overlap in that regard was Bentley Rhythm Ace. Nobody was calling CB, Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method etc Big Beat at the time that I recall; Big Beat was this tiny subgenre that never really got super popular in NA.

I seem to remember Q Magazine making the claim around 1997 or 1998 but my memory is spotty.

 

[jimmythegeek]

Being an 'audiophiles' list, their selections are not based on the music, like 'best of' lists, but rather sound quality and production value?

I know?

 

[Unity Gain]

My point was that musical quality and artists' performance skills weren't named as criteria for the selections.

Hate to split hairs here, but doesn't "Beyond being critically acclaimed" sort of cover that these are good (except for maybe the Alphavile lol), plus they sound good?

 

[Unity Gain]

For me, it's Scritti Politti's Provision, mostly for the sonic gut-punch (in a good way ) that is Boom! There She Was:

Ha ha no judgement on taste, but this is the polar opposite of what I look for in synth stuff. For me it all went downhill with MIDI and the introduction of the DX7 until Boards of Canada brought some of that warm, gooey analog goodness back. But that's just me - look at how popular house and acid was...

 

[Milkman]

Sound quality? Production values?

Hemispheres?
2112?
A Farewell to Kings?

pffft

 

[Paul M]

Last year I made an effort to listen to all my vinyl, in alphabetical order by artist, chronologically within the artist. I stalled in the "Ro" section. As much as I like The Stones, (I named my first guitar Brian), I challenge anyone to listen to everything from England's Newest Hitmakers to Hackney Diamonds without any other artists in the queue.

But I digress..... Billy Joel's Glass Houses jumped out of the speakers. A f*a*n*t*a*s*t*i*c sounding record.

 

[leftysg]

I’d add Queen II. Any audiophile would have to appreciate the beginning of Ogre Battle.