Best recorded rock song ?

Gpgr4blu-No need to be ashamed. Even if pop 70's-80's R&B is not near the top(for good reason) of the "audio food chain" many examples are well recorded. "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume sounds as clean/tight/focused and open as anything Becker & Fagen have recorded.

Thanks Dayglow. I'm only a bit ashamed now. But I can tell every audiophile that once it is heard, it becomes part of the showoff repertoire.

I agree with Dayglow re: 70s and 80s R&B. Even tho it has nothing to do with audiophile style "realistic/natural" sonics, lots of those records were lavish productions. The theme from Shaft is IMO a production tour de force. As is "Sunshower" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band (and many, many others).

On a different front, many of the recordings by Eels feature skillful studio manipulation. In particular, main Eel, Mark Oliver Everett, will (I assume) mic his voice differently for the spoken parts in many of his songs versus the sung parts. The results are always interesting sonically IMO. Instruments are usually recorded very nicely, too, often with notable bass.