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Michael Murray: The Organs at First Congregational Church, Los Angeles (Telarc 1983 CD-80088)
Let's focus on sound for this week. (We'll zero-in on the music next week.) When you want to hear how good a recording can sound, what do you go for? Forget musical merit. What is the best-sounding disc you have in your collection?
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.
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.
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...
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.