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Great sounding/recorded albums

I'm tired of all the electronic fake drums and other music I'm hearing on so many albums. 

What are some excellently recorded albums/songs that actually sound like the instruments you're hearing and not a synth?

I am 2 channel only right now and primarily listen through Tidal.
dtximages
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,934 posts
 
Steely Dan's Aja is hard to beat. Their Two Against Nature might just beat it though. Some have referred to Steely Dan's work as "over produced" but they are mistaking it for "perfectly produced".
+1

I don't particularly love Steely Dan's music, it does sound good and well recorded.  
What?  Steely Dan is my favorite band of all time, so kinda biased here.

Here is the infamous tas Superdisc List:

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/2019-tas-super-lp-list/

dtximages OP
350 posts
 
@mofimadness I need to broaden my flavors to Steely Dan then.  They've just not been on my radar.  They strike me as a bit boring and eh. But many of the things I love now, i had the same opinion of before I gave them a good shot.  It's clear I need to do the same for Steely Dan.
helomech
1,506 posts
 
Eric Clapton Unplugged 

Nirvana Unplugged

Alice in Chains Unplugged

Judy Garland: Judy in Love

CASH: American Recordings

Anything Dire Straits

Just about anything Steely Dan

Diana Krall albums (puke)

Elton John's Madman Across the Water

Sam Cooke: Night Beat







mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,934 posts
 
@dtximages...there are others that share the same feeling about Steely Dan.  Everyone has a favorite band or group.  Not expecting everyone to love them.

Becker and Fagen were perfectionists.  Not only with their music, but their production and sound quality emphasis's were second to none.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,417 posts
 

As roberjerman suggests, a direct-to-disk LP. Once you've heard one, everything else sounds veiled, compressed, and lifeless. Sheffield made a bunch of them, both Pop and Classical. There are other d-2-d labels, but the Sheffields are easier to find and cheaper to buy. You may not like the music much, but for sound they are unmatched.

For albums made with a recorder, the releases on the Water Lily label possess instrumental timbres as natural and sonics as transparent as have ever been recorded onto tape. I suggest "A Meeting By The River", acoustic guitar by Ry Cooder. 

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