Best quality pre 1974 recording other than.Mercury label

[DSJR]

Loads of jazz recordings from the 50's are really good, irrespective of modern playback source - i.e. they've transferred well to digital and sound better than ever!

I agree about the KC 'larks Tongues' album and would add 'Lizard' to the list too. I also always thought 'Trilogy' by ELP was a good one as well from that era.

[Light Dependant Resistor]

Hi
It looks like quite a few, but not all of the good sounding recordings from this era came from Columbia's 30th St studio.
from what I read it was nicknamed "the Church" and had a 100 ft ceiling, and was admired for its good sound
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego..._Street_Studio

America has though a dreadful history of letting such venues either be demolished or fall into disrepair, the Ricardo Muti performance of Pictures at an exhibition
although 1978 gives a good record of the venue being why the recording was/is so good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrop...(Philadelphia)

.. but nice to see that electric lady studios is still going, Eddie Kramer on the right, Jimi Hendrix engineer Hendrix-At-Electric-Lady.jpg

[Pierre De Grenoble]

I'll admit that I do not listen to a lot of classical and I do seem to prefer violin / orchestral if I do.

two releases that always impress me with their recording are:

Decca SXL 2313 (1962) Lanchbery: La Fille Ma Garde. Guaranteed to make smile.

Decca SXL 6379 (1969) Mehta: Also Sprach Zarathustra. Guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.

I don't subscribe to the theory that if it's on such & such, and pressed by such & such then it has to be good. We've all heard the turkeys from time to time.

for King Crimson's Lizard as well.

[dave2010]

Louis Armstrong Satchmo plays King Oliver or Ellington Big 4 - both stunning examples of pure analogue magic. Most digital recordings although crystal clear, sound thin and washed out compared to these.

Is that in vinyl, or digital remastering?

I have this Jazz collection on CD - https://play.spotify.com/user/brenda...kZza14GjNjipXG
Long Gone (from Bowling Green) - with Louis A is really good - as is also the rehearsal track. I assume they were analogue recordings.

The streaming versions are rubbish compared to the CDs.

[Jimbo]

Is that in vinyl, or digital remastering?

I have this Jazz collection on CD - https://play.spotify.com/user/brenda...kZza14GjNjipXG
Long Gone (from Bowling Green) - with Louis A is really good - as is also the rehearsal track. I assume they were analogue recordings.

The streaming versions are rubbish compared to the CDs.

Vinyl.