Best music-Worst recording?

[Colinijohnson]

Wings over America double album. Err awful


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[Macca]

Can't really think of anything that is that bad. Got a vinyl copy of 'Born To Run' that sounds a bit poxy, but it isn't a favourite album so never gets played, and I've no idea if that is just what it's like or if I have a piss-poor pressing.

Got the Sly and The Family Stone mentioned earlier on, okay so it is not exactly a showcase recording but it isn't objectionable.

Recordings so bad they are objectionable are very few and far between, at least those that were done by professionals. If you are thinking that a professional recording is so bad it is unlistenable I'm afraid that is a problem with the system you are playing it on.

The musical content being unlistenable, or just crap, now that is a different matter. Got a fair few of them.

[hard1175]

Totally agree the recording quality of Bat out of hell was absolutely C- - p.

[magiccarpetride]

Magic's posts about Aqualung Selling England prompted me to think, what are the worst recorded albums that you own, that the music is so great you tolerate it?

For instance, I'd say Robin Trower Live. What a great performance! He totally rocks out and performs those extended solos you won't hear anywhere else! But, the overall sound quality is quite poor. A lot of hiss, crowd noise, and poor dynamics. But, every time I pull this one out I am moved! One of the great guitarists of ever.



So what comes to mind?

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Fabulous thread. I have a few duds, will have to jog my memory, but for now:

Larry Coryell "The Restful Mind" -- mine is a French pressing, which may explain the congested sound, but boy, is it flat sounding! I find any Larry's playing just breathtaking, he is so unorthodox, a real original. But this recording doesn't seem to breathe. Especially Colin Walcott's tabla, sounds like he is banging on some coffee table and cardboard boxes. Glen Moore's bass is buried in the mix, and only serve to provide some form of warm lower frequencies. I'd say the substandard presentation is down to poor mixing, but it could be also due to the poor French pressing (I don't have an alternative source to compare).

Dave Liebman "Lookout Farm" -- Liebman is another favourite of mine, a great original. His ECM debut sounds castrated due to shocking absence of lower frequencies. Mids and highs are amazing, soundstage and imaging are awesome, but where are the bass tones? Even Badal Roy's tabla sounds shallow, like a toy instrument. His followup LP ("Drum Ode", also on ECM), in stark contrast, is chock full of lavish deep bass tones, so I don't know what happened at that session in the ECM studios (I have the original German pressing).

Chick Corea "My Spanish Heart" -- I love pretty much anything involving Chick, but this album delivers underwhelming sonic experience. Too bad, because the playing is top notch, the music is romantic and dreamy and deeply satisfying. Very unusual for Chick, because all his other solo LPs are thunderous and a true audiophile delight.

I'll think of more and post later...

Re Robin Trower Live -- I have it only on digital, and it sounds exactly as you describe it. However, I've heard people raving about the LP sound, which I haven't heard yet. For some reason thought that the poor sound is due to botched transfer to digital?

[User211]

Oasis, Definitely Maybe. Superb debut album. But it's irritating, saying that, so is Liam.

King Gizzard and the Electric Wizzard - Nonagon Infinity

And the Lizard Wizard?

It is listenable via TIDAL to a Bluetooth​ Ultimate Ears II speaker.

Had to listen to it with a band name like that.

TBH low Res systems are where shite production sounds OK. So if it does sound bad I generally listen on something that isn't capable of exposing the lack of sonic niceness too obviously.

[alphaGT]

Re Robin Trower Live -- I have it only on digital, and it sounds exactly as you describe it. However, I've heard people raving about the LP sound, which I haven't heard yet. For some reason thought that the poor sound is due to botched transfer to digital?

I bought a used vinyl copy of Trower Live that I believe to be the original, the sleeve looks its age but the vinyl looks new. So it's most likely the original master. You'd think maybe they would attempt to clean up the background noise when they moved it to digital? But, sounds like they did not.

It has turned into a good thread, apparently there is a lot of good music on bad recordings. But like the Trower, despite how bad it is, I still play it because the performance is so amazing. What magazine was it that used to rate albums separately for performance and sound quality? It was not unusual to see new albums that rated a 5 for performance and a 1 for recording. Almost never a 5/5 to be seen.

Ok another album that occurs to me, Neil Young Live Rust. Wow it's like they trashed it on purpose.



Over modulated and totally distorted, torturous to listen to. Sounds like a great show! But I can't bring myself to play this one.


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[alphaGT]

Addendum to my last post, the Neil Young Live Rust is over modulated and completely distorted, torturous to listen to. It sounded like a great show! But I can't bring myself to play this one.


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[Macca]

TBH low Res systems are where shite production sounds OK. So if it does sound bad I generally listen on something that isn't capable of exposing the lack of sonic niceness too obviously.

Poor systems flatter bad recordings? No way, worse the system surely the less you want to listen to ropey recordings on it? Isn't that why they like to stick to 'audiophile' recordings at shows?

[fatmarley]

Poor systems flatter bad recordings? No way, worse the system surely the less you want to listen to ropey recordings on it? Isn't that why they like to stick to 'audiophile' recordings at shows?

I think you're both right.

You can have a poor system that smooths over detail, res and also dynamics. You can also have a poor system that Is full of distortion and makes bad recordings sound even more harsh.

[Macca]

I think you're both right.

You can have a poor system that smooths over detail, res and also dynamics. You can also have a poor system that Is full of distortion and makes bad recordings sound even more harsh.

Fair point