Vote

Michael Murray: The Organs at First Congregational Church, Los Angeles (Telarc 1983 CD-80088)

Diana Krall:"Live in Paris

Rebecca Pidgeon or anything by Nathalie Merchant.

For technical merit, it has to be the Sheffield Track and Drum Record.

Symphonic Dances by the Dallas Wind Symphony (Reference Recordings)

I adore the Oscar Peterson Trio's rendition of West Side Story. The recording is amazing and the music itself is fantastic.

Whatever it is, it won't be vinyl.

1) Dan Mandingue by Alain Debiossat, 2) Burmester Test CD II.

Beethoven Symphonies No. 1&2 (CD19504). Conductor Okko Kamu, orchestra Stockholm Sinfonietta. Label Opus3. Recorded with one AKG C-24 vacuum-tube stereo mic on Telefunken Magnetophon M-28 and BASF SM 468 tape. I'll guess the good recording makes me like the music even more.

The Best of Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra on a Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab CD (MFCD 795).

The vinyl (of course) version of The Dead Can Dance's "Into the Labyrinth. The CD is good, too.

Zakk Wylde: Book of Shadows

I think I'd have some ties for the best sounding, but the one that I've been using as my reference for the past couple of years is Riot on an Empty Street by the Kings of Convenience. Also one of my favorite albums period, but it can't be beat for ambiance, detail, natural tonality and natural dynamics. The 45 RPM pressing of Chet by Chet Baker would be the nearest tie for bets sounding I can think of.

OK, I know you won't want these recordings for your own collection. But you know that every once and a while a non-music listner will visit and ask what's so great about Hi-fi. So for the non-initated I suggest two corny recordings Everest9007 CD Tr.2-4 RCA CD 09206-61667-2 Tr.1-8.

Hotel California DVD-A, Morph The Cat DVD-A, In A Silent Way SACD.

Sampler from a recording geek in Florida. I listen and weep about the lack of communication many techs suffer.

MFSL gold CD of The Wall.

P.D.Q. Bach: The Short-Tempered Clavier, etc( Telarc 80390). Also, P.D.Q. Bach: 1712 Overture & Other Musical Assaults (Telarc 80210)

Chesky Records: Ultimate Demonstration Disc and Andreas Vollenweider's White Winds. By the way did you guys wimp out on including my "Vote" comment last week?

Tafelmusik on Reference Recordings (45 rpm).

Too many. Mid '70s Warner Bros. vinyl is very good, but then Steely Dan is good. The Classic reissues are outstanding and Elvis is Da Man. Bottom line, even Red Knuckles and the Trailbrazers sounds good when I love the music. YeeHaw...

James Newton Howard on a Sheffield Labs recording & Marbles by Software for soft jazz and Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers on a Mobile Fidelity LP for rock. OK, So I have more than one.

Keb Mo The Door SACD (Epic 550)

Any of the three CDs of Frank Bridge's piano music, played by Peter Jacobs, on Continuum. Now deleted, sadly. Perfectly tuned piano, understated but beautifully natural acoustic.

Bob Marley's Survival (digital remaster): Thundering bass, subtle percussions, very transparent.

Jean Michel Jarre: Teo & Tea Yes, it is a new age music and very rare vocal exists inside but it sounds incredible. It shows the true potential of 16-bit CD's so nicely. I guess the music is excellent for testing an integrated amplifier & loudspeakers in their full potential. Also, the music is very good (even a bit close to the club sound) and has to be considered by a clubber seriously. A DJ (all DJ's; people who considers themselves as a DJ) has to listen it carefully for not wasting the ecological structure of the world by releasing crap CD's to the market.

Patricia Barber: Cafe Blue

The worlds greatest audiphile vocal recordings by Chesky, SACD 323.

Harnoncourt: Bruckner's 5th symphony (SACD). Reiner: Prokofiev lt Kije (180g pressing).

Hmmm, probably Talking Timbuktu by Ali Farka Toure, Ry Cooder, and insane drumming by Jim Keltner. 'Tis good. Very good.