I agree with Children of Sanchez - Chuck Mangione.
I would add George Benson Weekend in LA Live. "On Broadway" is one of those numbers you can really crank and it just sounds better and better...never harsh - the drums sound real.
Another good one for dynamics is Sheffield Labs Drum Track - I played this a couple of days ago to some visiting guests and they all remarked that it sounded like someone was playing a real drum set. It is a shame that you have to go to a demo disc to find such realism...sadly compression is ubiquitous and has been with us since the 60's (although admittedly it got much much worse in the late 90's )
Of course, the lack of a realistic percussion sound is the most obvious characteristic of "compressed" recordings.
I would add George Benson Weekend in LA Live. "On Broadway" is one of those numbers you can really crank and it just sounds better and better...never harsh - the drums sound real.
Another good one for dynamics is Sheffield Labs Drum Track - I played this a couple of days ago to some visiting guests and they all remarked that it sounded like someone was playing a real drum set. It is a shame that you have to go to a demo disc to find such realism...sadly compression is ubiquitous and has been with us since the 60's (although admittedly it got much much worse in the late 90's )
Of course, the lack of a realistic percussion sound is the most obvious characteristic of "compressed" recordings.