View Full Version : What's the worst sounding CD/vinyl you ever bought?
Accudazed
30-04-2014, 23:45
I've had it for a while, but today, I finally got round to playing my 'Grind Ya Down' CD by Motorhead (1991 compilation by Castle Communications Plc).
Aaargh! Yeuch! No! Terrible! Stop it! No, no, no, no, no...It is a shocker, by far the worst sounding CD/vinyl I have ever heard.
The almost total absence of anything even approaching half decent sound quality took my breath away. In some passages I could barely tell what instruments were playing - everything is just mashed together into a wall of unbearable noise. It reminded me of some of the cassette recordings I made back in the 70s when I wor a wuss. You know the ones, "quiet please, I'm just recording the Friday Rock Show" as a tape recorder is placed next to a Fidelity 'Record Player' speaker (about the size of a Field Mouse's ear but with less bass...).
I've got other Motorhead stuff on vinyl which sounds superb, but this one :scratch:? How did Castle Communications get it so wrong?
Still, I've only myself to blame; there is a clue in the CD's title. Pity really because Motorhead are a great band (if you are into that kind of thing).
Oh, when I state "worst sounding" I basically mean very poor quality reproduction of the sound 'emitted' by the band during the original recording. That kind of thing.
I would love to hear from other members experiences of awful Cds, records, tapes. For all I Know, I may just be the owner of the world's worst sounding CD:ner:.
Cheers
Steve
PaulStewart
01-05-2014, 00:04
I've just been sent the Blu-Ray Audio of White Light / White Heat for review while the BRA (if you'll pardon the expression) reveals every nuance of the sound, the legendary crap SQ of the original is there for all to hear. It really does lay bare all the short comings of the original recording in a way that I is near to the original vinyl copy I own :lol: You would think if Universal Music wanted me to write a piece about how good BRAs are, they would have sent something melodic. The worst record I own is a CD of Black Lace's Agadoo the Greatest Party Album, it came in a lot that I bought at a jumble sale and I keep it to frighten people with :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
If we're talking pure SQ, I can nominate two:
Elkie Brooks - No More the Fool has vocal processing on her gorgeous voice that has to be heard to be believed.
Coldplay - X&Y is so terrible in every way that the engineer should have been taken outside and shot.
The Barbarian
01-05-2014, 07:41
Can really say, i think you may have to judge by best pressing.. I have had early 70's pressing Vs 80's pressings of the same, both have been worlds apart.
Gordon Steadman
01-05-2014, 07:46
The CD release of Rumours. I already had it on vinyl but found a copy for 50P at a boot sale. Played it once and never again. The copy on the Mac was done from vinyl as it was so much better.
Two contenders, both vinyl:
Blondie: Parallel Lines. A German pressing, that sounds like it was recorded through several layers of thick blankets. No dynamic range at all.
Lou Reed: Lou Reed. Simply awful production, drums mixed way too far forward. A shame, because there are some great songs on it, but the production makes the album almost unlistenable. The better the system, the worse it sounds.
I don't buy new music and have very few re-masters so I don't have much that is truly bad either in mastering or production but I do have a best of the Bee Gees CD (Sainsbury's £0.99) that is a shockingly bad master with everything turned up to eleven. Totally unlistenable.
U2 Joshua Tree on CD - what did they do, it sounded very very thin, BUT then I heard a re-released Vinyl version the other day and it wasn't much better! Was the original OK or am I listening through rose tinted ears!!
No it was always a crap production IIRC
Haselsh1
01-05-2014, 12:27
The worst thing I ever heard was that 'Vienna' album by Ultravox. Dreadful midrange with no bass and very little treble.
I think Van Halen Live on CD was so bright it was like chalk on a blackboard. :eek:
Led Zeppelin CDs are terrible. One band where vinyl copies are a must.
The Black Adder
01-05-2014, 16:18
Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X
The high hats are flat as a fart... should be 'Tisk' but more like 'phht'
A blue marbled vinyl copy of "The Division Bell". American in origin I believe.
A blue marbled vinyl copy of "The Division Bell". American in origin I believe.
Have a red one..would be as well listening to missus frying some eggs..
One that comes to mind is the original CD of Kate Bush's The Red Shoes - just sounds so flat and boring sonically. Sounds better off youtube or soundcloud.
It might be part of the same reason Kate Bush did the Director's Cut album, re-recording tracks from that album and another, her reason being that she wasn't happy with the early digital sound in retrospect and wanted to correct that, was never happy.
Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
03-05-2014, 13:15
For me the worst SQ bit of vinyl I have is U2 Joshua Tree a re-issue version on 180g (bought for me by the GF) of course I said I loved it:eyebrows:
Absolutely abysmal pressing. Really unlistenable
For me the worst SQ bit of vinyl I have is U2 Joshua Tree a re-issue version on 180g (bought for me by the GF) of course I said I loved it:eyebrows:
Absolutely abysmal pressing. Really unlistenable
I have that...my copy sounds not too bad but it's very heavy on the bass..my TV unit was buzzing next to the speaker. I'm led to believe there are no good pressings of this LP..the remastered CD doesn't sound all that different to my missus original. There were a lot of problems with the double LP reish and I was lucky that mine is flat, quiet and free of ticks n pops appart for side four where in the last 5 seconds there is a horrible scraping noise.
Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
03-05-2014, 21:15
I have that...my copy sounds not too bad but it's very heavy on the bass..my TV unit was buzzing next to the speaker. I'm led to believe there are no good pressings of this LP..the remastered CD doesn't sound all that different to my missus original. There were a lot of problems with the double LP reish and I was lucky that mine is flat, quiet and free of ticks n pops appart for side four where in the last 5 seconds there is a horrible scraping noise.
Hi John
I just presumed I had a crap pressing, should get a listen to another version really.
Andy
Led Zeppelin CDs are terrible. One band where vinyl copies are a must.
I have to disagree. The remasters from over twenty years ago were very good and purely show up the recordings IMO. The about to be released first three albums should be interesting, especially the alternative take or mix of Whole Lotta Love, which totally lacks the bass distortion/enhancements of the final released version.
The worst LP that sticks in my mind is the 1976 Manticore release of Trilogy by ELP. The Island original and CD issues are so much better it's ridiculous!
Spectral Morn
03-05-2014, 22:44
The Ocean View, Yes reissues yuck compressed, clipped, distorted.
Metallica - Death Magnetic :vomfest: worst sound I have heard to date
Regards Neil
The Grand Wazoo
03-05-2014, 22:57
BB King - 'Now Appearing at Ol' Miss' on vinyl. Bought new in Virgin, Brighton in 1987-ish. Cost a bomb. All four sides of the double album sound like they had great gobs of glue spilled over them and the stylus had to recut the groove with every revolution. Bag o' shit.
I later bought another copy and it sounds great.
For me the worst SQ bit of vinyl I have is U2 Joshua Tree a re-issue version on 180g
I have the 2-LP 45rpm version and it sounds good and the pressing quality is fine, too. Of course, the original recording is rather dense and thick, but it gets the best from it. The bass on With or Without You is nice.
Martinblueboy
04-05-2014, 10:53
Have to agree with Neil; Metallica's Death Magnetic is terrible. Whoever allowed that to be released should be hung drawn and quartered. I'd listen to it more if it wasn't so painful to listen to. An honourable mention to the original release of Vapour Trails by Rush. A wrong that has subsequently been righted.
There's always Hawkwind's Space Ritual, forgivable because of the superb performance and atmosphere. However, it sounds like it was recorded on a Dictaphone.
I have a Charlie Parker recording where it sounds as if the microphone was placed in a room next door to the performance venue, and the door was shut!
Coldplay - X&Y is so terrible in every way that the engineer should have been taken outside and shot.
Not just that one. IMO everything ever done by Coldplay is a waste of electricity
walpurgis
04-05-2014, 19:02
Not just that one. IMO everything ever done by Coldplay is a waste of electricity
Can't disagree there. :eyebrows:
Can't disagree there. :eyebrows:
Ha ha - could say the same about several other groups; but I would upset to many members if I were to give you a list!
The Barbarian
04-05-2014, 20:16
pretty much everything i have
:rfl:
Not just that one. IMO everything ever done by Coldplay is a waste of electricity
This thread is about sound quality.
Whilst the sound quality of the record itself is good, the copy I bought, at the time, of Boards of Canada's "In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country" is pressed so off-centre that it is really very annoying by the end of the side. Thing is, I wasn't sure if it was meant to sound like that (slowly oscillating pitch) because it kind of fits with the whole Boards of Canada sound! haha..
Shame - might see if their re-issues are any cop.
Haselsh1
05-05-2014, 09:48
Almost anything ever recorded by Bill Nelson. Loads of midrange, even more treble but sadly, no bass at all. As an example, I give you 'The Love That Whirls'
Accudazed
05-05-2014, 16:18
Thanks for all the posts! This thread is a really useful buying tool which has saved me from wasting more money or dodgy CDs and records. Excellent:)
Why does it happen though? How can things go so badly wrong? I suppose there will always be commercial pressures at work but what kind of ears do the people who churn out such dross possess? It's an intriguing scenario though - there appears to be people working in the music business who seem to have no idea how music should sound.
Funny old world aint it?
Cheers
Steve
Rush2112
08-05-2014, 21:25
Well in the 80's I can remember searching out vinyl pressed in Holland or Germany rather than the UK due to generally poor quality from the major labels. As for poor recordings and production, well there's Whitney Houston - Whitney an album with more knob twiddling in the control room than at Cape Canaveral during a shuttle mission and more producers than musicians ! Then there's Cold Play X&Y the stricken on the front boasting "their best yet" "an album of the year" no doubt written by someone who has been listening to their iPod so loud they are now almost profoundly deaf! Then there's the Rush - Live In Rio DVD is there a vocal microphone yep but it was obviously broken as you can barely hear Geddv Lee's vocal ! So that's the joy of the love of music some great some not so great, watch out for reviews, listen to friends favourites and enjoy !
Why does it happen though? How can things go so badly wrong? I suppose there will always be commercial pressures at work but what kind of ears do the people who churn out such dross possess? It's an intriguing scenario though - there appears to be people working in the music business who seem to have no idea how music should sound.
Funny old world aint it?
Cheers
Steve
Overlly loud and compressed mastering aside there are very few truly poor commercial recordings - what you hear is what they intended, taking into account your replay system, that is. Not so much a case of the producer /engineer having cloth ears or being incompetent and more that they didn't do it the way you would have done it.
Rush2112
09-05-2014, 13:21
Hmmm but if your there you know what you heard and what you heard is not on the recording so sometimes the people twiddling the knobs didn't twiddle the way they could; that being in a way to represent the original rather than a poor facsimile !
Pete The Cat
09-05-2014, 21:00
Another vote for "Death Magnetic", which sounds as good as a MW radio station slightly off-signal, a notorious example of the so-called loudness wars.
Pete
A blue marbled vinyl copy of "The Division Bell". American in origin I believe.
Thank goodness for that. I thought it was just me! Bought it mail order from Spain and felt really smug at finding one until I played it. Oh dear. In fact Floyd vinyl generally has a few questions to answer considering the power of the band.
AC/DC cd's don't come out well either. And I've given up buying copies of "Rumours" on vinyl.
julesd68
10-05-2014, 12:14
I've given up buying copies of "Rumours" on vinyl.
Oh dear - I'm looking for 'Rumours' on vinyl ... Was going to buy a 1st pressing - what's wrong with it?
Gordon Steadman
10-05-2014, 12:28
Oh dear - I'm looking for 'Rumours' on vinyl ... Was going to buy a 1st pressing - what's wrong with it?
I'd like to know too. My copy sounds great. I listed the CD as rubbish!!
AC/DC cd's don't come out well either. And I've given up buying copies of "Rumours" on vinyl.
I have re-mastered 'High Voltage' on cd and it can't be faulted. Mind you that is good on vinyl as well.
Oh dear - I'm looking for 'Rumours' on vinyl ... Was going to buy a 1st pressing - what's wrong with it?
Rumours on original CD (7599-27313-2): - Well, just OK I guess in a cd'y listen in the car sort of way.
Rumours on DVD-A: - Excellent: clarity, dynamic range etc
Rumours on remastered double CD (8122-73882-2) As good as DVD-A (Better?) clarity, dynamic range, slam, sparkle. And you get bonus material that's actually worth having (alternate takes etc)
Rumours on Vinyl (WB 56 344 - not a first pressing but early 80's I think): Flat dynamics, dull performance - whoever authorised this for release should be ashamed. Never seems to get going.
Rumours on Vinyl (9362-49793-5): Bought as a reissue about 3 years ago, all glammed up with a wrapped and stickered cover. Another marketing triumph over us idiots. I play it occasionally and try to convince myself it's OK but then it goes back in the rack for another few months.
I do like the content and I'm a bit of a fan of the band (when they were all together). I know how good it can sound - but I sha'n't buy it again unless I hear it first. If you can find a worthwhile copy hang on to it.
Gordon Steadman
10-05-2014, 13:51
Rumours on Vinyl (WB 56 344 - not a first pressing but early 80's I think): Flat dynamics, dull performance - whoever authorised this for release should be ashamed. Never seems to get going.
Rumours on Vinyl (9362-49793-5): Bought as a reissue about 3 years ago, all glammed up with a wrapped and stickered cover. Another marketing triumph over us idiots. I play it occasionally and try to convince myself it's OK but then it goes back in the rack for another few months.
Mine is WB K56344 / 1977 and sounds terrific compared with the CD as I said earlier.
Mine is WB K56344 / 1977 and sounds terrific compared with the CD as I said earlier.
My WB K56344 is also dated 1977 but I suspect it's a few pressings down the line. This is the only way I can account for the disappointment.
Played the vinyl copies back to back again yesterday afternoon. The 1977 copy, although mint, sounded just as mediocre as I remembered: but I will be honest and admit the reissue is an improvement and does perform better than I'd given it credit for, so I'll retract a little of my disparaging comment, but it's still not a high quality release in my view.
I'll also qualify my Pink Floyd comment: while holding generally true, "Delicate Sound of Thunder" actually IS up there with the best of them and has the depth, sparkle and slam to do justice to both the performance and the medium. But this is an early UK first pressing so perhaps the lesson is get to the shops early............
I have re-mastered 'High Voltage' on cd and it can't be faulted. Mind you that is good on vinyl as well.
I'd go for "High Voltage" and "Highway......" being the pick of AC/DC.
I struggle with the HV cd, finding it a bit lean and shouty when you consider what the band are capable of. Vinyl is a little better but still shows some of the same characteristics. To qualify, my vinyl version is only a couple of years old and remastered so heaven knows what went on in that process. I'd imagine the original pressings are somewhat better.
I now approach remastered versions of anything with caution, some come out OK, some not so good.
Bob I am with you on the re-mastering, it is a minefield. I no longer have the vinyl, which was an original pressing, since it belonged to an ex and she was prescient enough to take it with her when we split up ;) I have not heard the original CD issue to compare, either. One thing that is interesting about that album is that it is not actually a proper album release but more of an early 'best of' that the record company put out when the band started to gain popularity so the recording quality varies quite a bit from track to track, particularly noticeable with the opener 'Long way to the Top' which is markedly inferior production to the rest of the album. Add to that the wide variation in voicing between different CD players and it is very hard to make any definite judgement. Such is the fickle nature of audio reproduction.
Gordon Steadman
11-05-2014, 10:17
My WB K56344 is also dated 1977 but I suspect it's a few pressings down the line. This is the only way I can account for the disappointment.
Or maybe its just that different systems react to the same pressings differently. The difference between the sound of our TTs is pretty big. With some records I prefer one and some the other!!
Your expectations may well be different to mine too. I don't like systems that shove everything in my face but prefer a laid back sound, spread well behind the speakers. Some would call that a lack of clarity I suspect.
........... One thing that is interesting about that album is that it is not actually a proper album release but more of an early 'best of' that the record company put out when the band started to gain popularity so the recording quality varies quite a bit from track to track, particularly noticeable with the opener 'Long way to the Top' which is markedly inferior production to the rest of the album.
Now that is interesting and I never knew that so thank you. I was going to say originally, but thought I may be getting a bit long winded, that my vinyl copy although remastered is bearable except for "Long Way to the Top". Get past the opener and it starts to rock. Thanks for that little factoid. It explains a lot.
DanJennings
17-05-2014, 13:50
Airbourne - No Guts No Glory is another stinker.
Great band, decent songs, but the CD is just too loud and even distorts occasionally. I generally turn it off after a couple of songs.
Both their other albums are fine.
Rumours on DVD-A is a prized possession. Stunning sound quality, but very hard to find and you have to have the replay equipment, or rip to file.
prestonchipfryer
17-05-2014, 19:48
Rumours on SACD is also stunning - a definite favourite of mine.
I didn't know it was on SACD, John. It would be interesting to compare the two.
prestonchipfryer
17-05-2014, 20:33
I didn't know it was on SACD, John. It would be interesting to compare the two.
This is where I purchased mine from Martin.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rumours-Sacd-Hybrid-Fleetwood-Mac-2011-SACD-New-/380904479598?pt=UK_CDsDVDs_CDs_CDs_GL&hash=item58afad1b6e
I did have Rumours on DVD-A but, regretfully, it was sold some time ago.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2026 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.