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What are some records that are great from start-to-finish that everyone should hear, regardless of genre or era?

LTig

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Genesis: Seconds Out
Peter Gabriel: Plays Live (CD), Secret World (BD/DVD)
Chris Rea: Road to hell
Night Wish: Showtime, Storytime (BD/DVD). SQ is not really good but the performance is great
Joe Jackson: Body and Soul
Linda Ronstadt: Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Eva Cassidy: Live at Blues Alley
Long John Baldry: On Stage Tonight - Baldry's Out
Jan Garbarek: Rites
Pat Metheny: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls
Viktoria Mullova plays Arvo Pärt

Time for bed now ...
 

digicidal

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Steely Dan - all of them.
Clutch - all of them.
Black Sabbath - the first six albums.
Joe Jackson - Look Sharp!
Jan Garbarek - I Took Up The Runes
The Cure - The Head on the Door
Death Angel - The Evil Divide
Morphine - Cure for Pain
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
King Crimson - Discipline
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire, The Inner Mounting Flame
Mastodon - Leviathan
Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Budgie - Squawk
Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Frank Zappa - Weasels Ripped My Flesh, Joe's Garage
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Tool - all of them.

... there are many more, but those are a few that I never have the urge to skip a track on.
 

anmpr1

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From the Beach Boys: Little Deuce Coupe; Today; Summer Days and Summer Nights; Pet Sounds. If your can overlook a few duds (the just plain weird Louie Louie and obvious filler Denny's Drums) I'd throw in Shut Down Vol. 2.

Between '63 and '66 Brian Wilson was on a roll. A definite case of the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long, or whatever it was Roy said about it.
 

ripvw

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Between '63 and '66 Brian Wilson was on a roll. A definite case of the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long, or whatever it was Roy said about it.

It was Dr. Tyrell speaking to Roy:

"The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy."

R.I.P. Rutger Hauer - at least Brian is still with us last time I checked. If all he ever wrote was God Only Knows he would still go down as a great songwriter...
 

digicidal

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From my limited experience I agree with that.
I'd also add the campy spectacle of showmanship that is Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Night.' At least once, although that may be enough.
Love him or hate him, he put on a show.

Took my wife to see him perform many years ago (although he was already sounding pretty rough)... I agree, especially with the emphasized. ;) But she'd be fine with a dozen or more I think (especially if it was young Neil). Of course, we're both not very impressed with live music nearly as much as some - mostly due to volume/quality issues. Last concert I took her to was The Pixies (her favorite band) and she was ready to go at intermission (even with ear plugs).
 

BDWoody

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Took my wife to see him perform many years ago (although he was already sounding pretty rough)... I agree, especially with the emphasized. ;) But she'd be fine with a dozen or more I think (especially if it was young Neil). Of course, we're both not very impressed with live music nearly as much as some - mostly due to volume/quality issues. Last concert I took her to was The Pixies (her favorite band) and she was ready to go at intermission (even with ear plugs).

I find most live concerts harder to enjoy the older I get.
 

digicidal

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I find most live concerts harder to enjoy the older I get.
Yeah the ears can't protect themselves as well - or any other part of the body for that matter. ;) Still, it could be worse.
I actually appreciate the age-related losses over 15kHz... I used to hear almost everything with electricity running through it when I was a kid. The intolerance to loud noises I'm not as appreciative of however.
 

JJB70

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In the case of classical music one of the big advantages of digital is exactly that you can listen to complete works without having to keep changing sides and records. Digital is much more conducive to enjoying symphonic music and opera music than vinyl.
 

Robin L

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In the case of classical music one of the big advantages of digital is exactly that you can listen to complete works without having to keep changing sides and records. Digital is much more conducive to enjoying symphonic music and opera music than vinyl.
There's some works that have movements that cannot be properly presented on LP, such as the first movement of Mahler's Third Symphony, both dynamic and very long. Either one has to split the movement into two sides or suffer major sound degradation at the end of a LP side.
 

JJB70

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Some of the Bruckner symphonies were also not very vinyl friendly, especially the Celibidache recordings.
 

Robin L

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Some of the Bruckner symphonies were also not very vinyl friendly, especially the Celibidache recordings.
I can well imagine, from what little Celibidache I've survived.

And now for something completely different:


Hopkinson Smith is, to the best of my knowledge, the greatest master of anything strung, fretted and strummed. In particular French Baroque Lute. This Astree recording was the very first CD I could stand. I suspect this is due in part to the high level of self noise [you want dither? we got dither] and the low level of replay required for this sort of music, but also the remarkable degree of simplicity of the microphone array and the wonderful sound of the recording site. Above all else is the unique beauty this music.

Edit, forgot the obvious:
Pièces de luth du vieux Gaultier
Hopkinson Smith, Lute
1988, CD, Astrée catalog no. E 8703
 
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VMAT4

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I haven't listened to these from start to finish in a long time. But, Quadraphenia and Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom are worth the effort and time of a start to finish listen..
 
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Audioagnostic

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Slayer, Reign in Blood. 29 minutes of tempo changes, riffs, aggression and excellent musicianship.

 

Drewspin

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Beyond awesome:
Jazz Samba - Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd - 1962

Stan-Getz-Charlie-Byrd-Jazz-Samba-Album-cover-web-optimised-820-with-border.jpg
 

raif71

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Schubert's symphony 8th and 9th
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Metallica - Justice For All
 
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Robin L

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Schubert's symphony 8th and 9th
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
I've collected a Lot of recordings of Schubert's "Great C Major" symphony. The Charles Munch/Boston Symphony Orchestra recording was reissued in RCA's "Living Stereo" SACD series, along with their performance of the "Unfinished" symphony. Really a shock, as the tempos are "Historically Informed" [translation: really fast] and the ensemble is immaculate. The sound of the C major symphony is great, the "Unfinished" less so.

81GhzC0rc2L._SL1500_.jpg
 
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