On a different note, share the artists you own that DON'T sound good


Use whatever parameters you pay attention to. Timbres, dynamics, clarity, imaging, soundstage, top-end, mids, bottom-end, etc.

In my collection, the artists that (usually) don't sound good are-

Faces

Rod Stewart 

(early) Rolling Stones

(some) Ted Nugent

(some) Eric Clapton

(early) Aerosmith

(early) Beatles

(early) Credence

(early) Doobie Bros

(early) The Clash

Foghat

(early) The Who

(early) ZZ Top

(early) Led Zeppelin 

Janice Joplin

I've probably overlooked some other stinkers in my collection

Thank  God for talented remastering engineers!

tomcarr

@seymour-krelborn AP was my short hand for Analogue Productions. Chad Kassam, the owner, is a huge fan of vinyl.  Almost 100% of their remasters are from the original analogue tapes and many are released in a 45 rpm format.  The vinyl is quiet and the all around packaging is superb.  They have remastered Jazz, Rock, Soul, and classical.  They are finishing up their "75 for 75" series which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Record company. The best way to see what they have done is to go the the acoustic sounds webpage (acousticsounds.com) and do some browsing or search with AI for the titles.  What suits my taste musically may not be your cup of tea, but to be sure, these remasters have all exceeded the quality of my OG's. 

The best way to learn about jazz is to start listening to it.  Start with easy listening, as many jazz recordings can be challenging to digest initially.  The Crusaders, George Benson, Jeff Golub, and Bob James are reasonable starting points.  There a thousands of new sounds out there just waiting for you.  A safe way to audition new music is to subscribe to a streaming service, such as Apple music which is what I have on my computer.  I'll audition a new artist or album while I'm doing email, etc.  I'm listening to Cal Tjader Amazonas right now.  Have fun.  There are many forums on favorite Jazz discs on this site as well.  

 

@orthomead 

which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Atlantic Record company.

I used to work at Atlantic Records, on 51st street in Manhattan (New York City).

But I had nothing to do with the studio or artists.  Lots of the people in that building were looking for their break into the music business.  I was there to earn a living.

 Classical/Opera/Jazz/Fusion/New Age and even Folk/Current Americana will have a consensus of superior SQ than any decade of Pop/Rock. Fortunately many iconic Classic Rock albums are on Audiophile labels some are even 45rpm. The issue is do you want to pay >$40 for a modestly improved album already in your collection? My best advice is to expand your music genres and cherry pick the best SQ Classic Rock remasters if you want to increase your percentage of Audiophile recordings.

Jefferson Airplane are near the top of my list. They are the first recordings that come to mind when I think of this. I think the artists are largely to blame for releasing a poor recording/mastering. It couldn’t have been released without their approval. On the opposite side of that coin is Steely Dan. Some of the most pristine recordings. The genre where it matters most is classical. A poorly recorded large scale orchestra is unlistenable.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I  believe The Nightfly and Ry Cooder's Bop Till You Drop were the first albums to recorded digitally. I remember owning BTYD as an LP but can't remember much about Nightfly except I've owned it as a SACD for many years. I still have the Japanese CD of BTYD which is excellent also the Japanese CD of Lowell George's Thanks I'll Eat it Here which is far superior to the world release. 

Recently I've bought the Little Feat deluxe remastered, reissues which are very good, as someone said the originals sound muddy, I agree. 

Don't know what happened to Down on the Farm, my favorite,  but it hasn't been reissued yet.