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Thread: Your Best Prog Sounding Album ?

  1. #51
    Member StarThrower's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by proggy_jazzer View Post

    For a prog album that IMO does measure up from a production standpoint, I would submit Mike Keneally's Wooden Smoke. An exquisite recording the depths of which are revealed by repeated listening.
    Keneally has some superbly recorded and produced albums. I was listening to Dancing last night. It's a masterpiece, imo. Same with Scambot 1, and Sluggo.

  2. #52
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Dancing does sound terrific, good call.

  3. #53
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    Another +1 for Dancing ( just love 'Live in Japan' ). Not saying it is unique, but the guy Cares about the music.
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  4. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sturgeon's Lawyer View Post
    MoFi gold disc of Quadrophenia.
    Pretty much the gold standard for how The Who's records should have sounded.

    Supertramp - Crime of the Century
    Steely Dan - Aja, Gaucho
    Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream
    Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery & Imagination
    Ralph Towner - Solstice
    Rush - Moving Pictures
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  5. #55
    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob Holm-Lupo View Post
    Fragile by Yes
    Stereotomy by Alan Parsons Project
    90125 by Yes
    Duke and Abacab - original versions - by Genesis
    Ambrosia by Ambrosia
    UK by UK
    Welcome to the Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (if 13 minute songs, Coleridge quotes and a Steve Howe guest appearance don't qualify as prog in your book you're narrow-minded ...)
    Red and Discipline by King Crimson
    Moving Pictures by Rush
    Anything engineered by Ken Scott
    Duke? Never heard it ever even described as "good," much less superlative. What version specifically are you talking about?

  6. #56
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    I think the early Flower Kings albums were all produced well. I would have to go through them to pick out the best.

    I also love the production of White Willow's debut Ignis Fatuus.

  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post
    ^ Shit - is that your VPI table? Wow.
    I have had it for about 15 years. Thinking about selling it and trying something different though.

  8. #58
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    The Yes album and TAAB always sound crisp and clean with wonderful instrument separation, both from '72 I think.

  9. #59
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  10. #60
    Quote Originally Posted by DoubleDrummer View Post
    What is that one prog album you have (vinyl, CD, tape, whatever) that you consider the best example of audiophile/reference quality ?

    I own a Japanese Remaster CD of RTF's ROMANTIC WARRIOR that is an absolutely beautiful piece of work.
    It sounds exceptionally outstanding in the car or on the big rig at home.
    I bought the original cassette tape when it was released in 1976..............the first CD release in the 80's..............and this gem over ten years ago; still awesome music.
    Besides Area International Popular Group, this is the Vinyl I want to own! Is the Japanese the best sound? I don't mind getting another version.

    Quote Originally Posted by miamiscot View Post
    My original Fragile on vinyl sounds better than anything I've heard since...
    I just played this at Roasted Records in Stuart, FL along with Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, Phil Collins No Jacket Required, ELP Works 1...I was playing Cans and Brahms and some guy asked me who it was.

    Quote Originally Posted by MudShark22 View Post
    While not pure prog (as if THAT exists):

    Extreme's "III Sides..." is a phenomenal production of stunning clarity. In a collection of over 600 discs, that one is my reference for trying new speakers.
    I love this album, Nuno's guitar work is excellent, but really the production is muddy. Steve Wilson needs to remaster this one.

    Quote Originally Posted by MJBrady View Post
    Deus Ex Machina - ImParis has great texture and openess.
    Shpongle - Codex VI
    Love the DeM, I want to get the Imparis album. Shpongle's debut too is classic.

  11. #61
    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    Duke? Never heard it ever even described as "good," much less superlative. What version specifically are you talking about?
    As a matter of fact I've had many discussions with fellow audio people with a deep appreciation for Duke. It was recorded at Sweden's legandary Polar Studios (Abba et c.) and IMO it's a great-sounding record, Phil's drums especially sound the way they should for the first time. You can agree or disagree with the incredibly dense production, and I am sure the mix engineer had a hell of a time placing all of Tony's frequency-eating, stereo-chorused sounds - but if you accept the aesthetic choices of the production, the sound is superb. Mine is a German pressing (vinyl) that I bought 3 years after the album's release.

    Not too keen on any CD versions I've heard later, although rumour has it there's early German CDs that sound basically identical to the German vinyl pressings. I defer to Jeff Carney on this point.

    J.

  12. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by tommy_n_chucky View Post
    Besides Area International Popular Group, this is the Vinyl I want to own! Is the Japanese the best sound? I don't mind getting another version.



    I just played this at Roasted Records in Stuart, FL along with Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, Phil Collins No Jacket Required, ELP Works 1...I was playing Cans and Brahms and some guy asked me who it was.



    I love this album, Nuno's guitar work is excellent, but really the production is muddy. Steve Wilson needs to remaster this one.



    Love the DeM, I want to get the Imparis album. Shpongle's debut too is classic.
    I used to manage The Record Bard in the Orange Blossom Mall in Ft. Pierce back in the 80's. Nice part of the world.
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  13. #63
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    Just listened to the remastered cd of Genesis Wind & Wuthering which sounds totally 1st first class - not bad for a 42 year old album! (I think the original LP suffered from cramming 50 minutes onto vinyl which ideally should only have about 37 minutes)

  14. #64
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    Landberk - Indian Summer
    Canarios - Ciclos
    HuGo
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  15. #65
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    Not sure anyone would place Queensryche in a prog category, but I've been listening to EMPIRE lately and the production is outstanding.

  16. #66

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    Quote Originally Posted by miamiscot View Post
    I used to manage The Record Bard in the Orange Blossom Mall in Ft. Pierce back in the 80's. Nice part of the world.
    The Treasure Coast all the way from Ft Pierce to Jupiter is improving in the arts and music scene. Ft. Pierce has more activity than Port St. Lucie [population: 189,344 (2017)] which is a hot bed for Typical American Consumer Culture [sports pubs, corporate chain restaurants]...Stuart is improving as well with Terra Formata booking more jazz, jam bands, and cover bands...West Palm Beach [population: 110,222 (2017)] is even more explosive in growth with Clematis St. having a Miami Beach party vibe with lots of interesting restaurants like an all-ceviche bar and a growing vinyl shop called Rust & Wax Record Shop and notable places such as Elizabeth Ave Station, WPB A&E District, LivingDowntownWPB.com.

    Also the Village of Northwood has a new spot called Juuuicy Building which is an all vegan restaurant with a community center feel that is very kid friendly. Across the street is a hipster French spot called Petanque Kitchen & Bar and further down the street is a Boba Tea/Kava Bar called Hideout Kava Bar that has an Alien Theme with a Nintendo Switch with Super Smash Brothers Ultimate game that's wildly popular. Also a Piano Bar that I never visited, but one of my jazz fusion pianists told me about.

  17. #67
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Marillion - any of their albums dating back to Brave.

  18. #68
    All of the IQ albums, post-Ever, sound incredible to my ears.

    Same with just about all the Flower Kings albums.

    Echolyn's "The End is Beautiful".
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  19. #69
    Member sergio's Avatar
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    re IQ... from Ever to 7th House sound quality was great, then something changed in the low end (assume they adjusted templates etc) and production has become less impressive. Just me?

  20. #70
    Member sergio's Avatar
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    DeM Imparis sounds a lot better than Devoto. Low end is suffering... On Devoto it doesn't go as deep as on Imparis.

  21. #71
    Member DoubleDrummer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sergio View Post
    re IQ... from Ever to 7th House sound quality was great
    I too like the IQ stuff -- the player abilities -- the prog genre -- the composition -- all of it -- wish they would tour the USA more.

  22. #72
    Lots of pretty good ones listed so far.

    While not really prog, I've seen a few ECM records listed. ECM on the whole, are all very good recordings, that recreate a fairly believable representation of real musicians, playing real instruments, in a real space. Unlike modern rock recordings, that are so ProTooled to death, that they lose most, if not all, semblance of space.

    And this is why, despite 70's rock recordings being a bit less dynamic, a bit noisier, or not having the frequency response of modern recordings, are usually still more musically satisfying to me. The sense of musicians in a studio, playing instruments in a real space, is substantially greater on those 40+ year old recordings.

    For a good example, just listen to the title track of KC, "Islands". Listen to the cornet in particular. On my system, it is about 5' off the ground, several feet back in the soundstage, slightly left of center between the speakers, with a very 3d image. I believe I can hear when the player moves his head slightly away and toward the mic. The rest of the players on this are equally palpable.

    I tend to place slightly greater importance in things like soundstage and imaging, as I do with dynamic range, frequency response, low nose, etc. Soundstage and imaging are the things that suck me into the recording, and allow me greater connection to the music, even if the other attributes are slightly compromised.

    One obvious recording that has not been mentioned yet, is FM's, "Direct to Disk" (also known as "Head Room". As the title says, this was recorded direct to disk in the studio. This is simply a great sounding recording. with no sonic weaknesses.

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  23. #73
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring sounds pretty good - but is not prog sensu strictu.

  24. #74
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    not Symph Rock of course but English Settlement by XTC is a gorgeous sounding album
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

  25. #75
    Triumvirat - Sparticus has really good production and sound. Of course don't get the remastered cd.

    Moving Pictures as others have said.

    Saga Worlds Apart has really good sound/production also

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