What CDs to buy


I never thought I would get a CD player but opportunity knocked a couple months ago and here I am with an Audio Research CD6.  All my CDs from 30 years ago are mostly music I no longer listen to much.  I primarily listen to vinyl and stream but thought it would be cool to have an AR top loader and maybe seek out a few special CDs.  Any thoughts on specific CD releases that will give me some renewed respect for the shiny discs?  

dhite71

Here’s a few of my favorites:

Jacques Loussier Trio - The Brandenburg Concertos or Best of Play Bach

Allan Taylor Looking for You

 

Almost every classic rock album has been remastered and The Beatles and Pink Floyd are no different. All the 2010 remastered Beatles and the newer Animals and Wish You Were Here are great!

are you looking for new recommendations, music you don’t know?

My greatest discoveries in the last decade were

M. Ward, The Be Good Tanyas, Shovel and Rope, Nataniel Rateliff, Paulo Nutini, and a few others, mostly mainstream (Wilco, BNL, and the like).

All CDs, no issues. Of my favorite 80s - 90s bands I am pretty unhappy with my ELO, Queen, Stones CDs. U2 is OK, but not great. I don't know whether it's a recording or music doesn't work well in a smallish room.

Two phenomenal illustrations of what digital mastering can do to pull sound out of 78 records you'd never imagine possible are Robert Johnson: The Centennial Collection and the American Epic collection engineered by Nicolas Bergh. If I'm not mistaken the Johnson reissue was the first one taken from the original metal parts. The recent remastering of the Band's Music from Big Pink was something of a revelation, and a similar remastering of Stage Fright restored the album to Robbie Robertson's preferred sequencing. These are a lot older than 30 years, of course, but there are new things to hear.

Nothing really to add. I also buy CDs when the music is not available on LP’s - generally speaking. 
 

I did find this thread interesting in concept. As much as we compare LP releases, I never considered ‘is this a good company for CD cuts’. I think that’s because we assume the skill of cutting a CD is in the mastering. If the mastering was done right, whoever produces the CD using the same master doesn’t matter. I may be 100% wrong - but I’m OK with that. I have enough neurosis in my life - no need to add on.