Best Ever Albums

Re: Albums with the best production

bobbyb5 — Tue, 1 Aug 2017 10:03:50 GMT

Author: bobbyb5

Posted: 08/01/2017 14:03

authorunknown wrote:

bobbyb5, agree. Berlin is great too. The list can be quite long...

My favorite Bob Ezrin of all would be the Kings. Whenever I ask people if they're familiar with this they always say no, but they actually had a fairly big hit with the single "This Beat Goes On/Switchin to Glide" in about 1980. it's a shame more people don't remember it today because it's like one of the greatest singles of all time. Bob ezrin just did an amazing job, it's the most wonderful sounding thing. Do you know that album?

Re: Albums with the best production

authorunknown — Tue, 1 Aug 2017 09:29:45 GMT

Author: authorunknown

Posted: 08/01/2017 13:29

bobbyb5, agree. Berlin is great too. The list can be quite long...

Re: Albums with the best production

bobbyb5 — Tue, 1 Aug 2017 09:15:36 GMT

Author: bobbyb5

Posted: 08/01/2017 13:15

authorunknown wrote:

If "best" production doesn't necessarily need to be "audiophile ear-candy", but also could be that sound and atmosphere you personally like so much, then I would like to mention producer Bob Ezrin and his works.

His productions - mainly those in the 70s - always had a bombastic, big sound with emphasize on heavy guitars and deep drums. He did have his crew of favorite musicians (Wagner, Hunter, Schwartzberg, Levin...) and he also co-wrote songs with the artists (Kiss, Alice Cooper etc). You can listen to records by various artists and clearly recognize when Ezrin has been involved, due to his typical sound landscape.

Some highlights:

Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel

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Destroyer by Kiss

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The Wall by Pink Floyd

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Help Yourself by Julian Lennon

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Alice Cooper Goes To Hell by Alice Cooper

I'm surprised you didn't mention Bob Ezrin production on Berlin by Lou Reed, which was a case of the producer being the whole show. As is often the case with Lou Reed. I like Ezrins sound very much. Its very enjoyable.

Re: Albums with the best production

bobbyb5 — Tue, 1 Aug 2017 09:13:25 GMT

Author: bobbyb5

Posted: 08/01/2017 13:13

authorunknown wrote:

Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Destroyer by Kiss

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Wall by Pink Floyd

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Help Yourself by Julian Lennon

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Alice Cooper Goes To Hell by Alice Cooper

I'm surprised you didn't mention Bob Ezrin production on Berlin by Lou Reed, which was a case of the producer being the whole show as is often the case with Lou Reed. I like Ezrins sound vety much.

Re: Albums with the best production

authorunknown — Tue, 1 Aug 2017 09:05:57 GMT

Author: authorunknown

Posted: 08/01/2017 13:05

If "best" production doesn't necessarily need to be "audiophile ear-candy", but also could be that sound and atmosphere you personally like so much, then I would like to mention producer Bob Ezrin and his works.

His productions - mainly those in the 70s - always had a bombastic, big sound with emphasize on heavy guitars and deep drums. He did have his crew of favorite musicians (Wagner, Hunter, Schwartzberg, Levin...) and he also co-wrote songs with the artists (Kiss, Alice Cooper etc). You can listen to records by various artists and clearly recognize when Ezrin has been involved, due to his typical sound landscape.

Some highlights:

Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Destroyer by Kiss

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Wall by Pink Floyd

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Help Yourself by Julian Lennon

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Alice Cooper Goes To Hell by Alice Cooper

Re: Albums with the best production

bobbyb5 — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:40:49 GMT

Author: bobbyb5

Posted: 07/14/2017 04:40

sethmadsen wrote:

bobbyb5 wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

I forgot about the sound production of this album:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk

Yeah. And what used to be my least favorite Kraftwerk album, Electric Cafe, is now one of my favorites because after not listening to it and not hearing it for about 10 years, I suddenly noticed how magnificent the production was. I always knew and had heard that the reason it took so long for them to release that album was because they were trying to get the sound and production just right, and this took forever back then. And after re-listening to it, I had to say that they were absolutely right. It really is different than their other stuff and the sound of it is worth every year they spent making it. And now I listen to it more than even my favorite Kraftwerk albums simply because it sounds so fantastic.

Indeed. And if I'm not mistaken, they were like Eno and frickin made the sounds from scratch... they were the ones programing the synth and then writing with what they programmed.

It's easier to do with electronic music, but I'm most impressed with the precise sound production. The bass on we are robots (first track) is just as good if not better than the "best" bass sound. It is tight and defined, yet deep and has serious presence. This is a failing attribute in many modern recordings.

Yeah. But i think the most amazing tracks are Neon Lights and The Model. Especialy the way Neon Lights actually shimmers. It actually SOUNDS like light. If light made sound, that is.

Re: Albums with the best production

RoundTheBend — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 23:54:48 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/14/2017 03:54

bobbyb5 wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

I forgot about the sound production of this album:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk

Re: Albums with the best production

RoundTheBend — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 23:46:31 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/14/2017 03:46

Hayden wrote:

Might go read that article myself. Never hurts.

I'm hoping what I said makes sense, I couldn't find the words for it at the time. Diving into it, Loveless has a more symphonic mix than a typical rock mix. Every layer has it's own slot, like a really delicate puzzle, but the layers keep changing shape the moment you move them. Pieces obviously can't overlap, otherwise it'd be muddy. Distorted high-pitched sounds are super tricky, it's extremely easy to make them sound horrible. And they got it dead on. The effects and recording aside, the mixer would've been in for a daunting task. I couldn't even fathom mixing something like it...

Also, not exactly sure what you've been saying about the bass. I've never had an issue with it, always feels spot on. Sidenote, Smashing Pumpkins also had stellar production. Can't disagree there.

Anyway, I'll try to find that article. Hopefully it was a little bit of insight in it.

http://www.polymathperspective.com/?p=2997

Yeah absolutely - especially when dealing with non-analog stuff, you get some strange artifacts sometimes with the Akai.

RE: Bass
They didn't compress the bass AT ALL. I mean - the precision to play bass without any bump in it... pretty amazing... but that's exactly my point, most of the bass production is very secondary to anything going on, even if musically very important. Not always of course. I'm typically a fan of the bass not being lost in the mix - levels should be on par and the mids of the bass should give it some kind of texture... as to not get so lost in the mix imo of course.

Re: Albums with the best production

Daydreamer — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 06:36:06 GMT

Author: Daydreamer

Posted: 07/13/2017 10:36

Space-Dementia wrote:

I think Radiohead's The King Of Limbs is brilliantly produced. Bloom, for example, is magic to my ears. Same with Morning Mr. Magpie and Codex. There's so much happening on each song, and each track is given room to breathe.

Agreed, it's very rich sonically and it definitely improves the quality of the songs.

Re: Albums with the best production

bobbyb5 — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 02:53:33 GMT

Author: bobbyb5

Posted: 07/13/2017 06:53

sethmadsen wrote:

I forgot about the sound production of this album:

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk

Re: Albums with the best production

bobbyb5 — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 02:37:14 GMT

Author: bobbyb5

Posted: 07/13/2017 06:37

murmur wrote:

kind of parallel to the point of the thread, but i think the 2017 remix/remaster of Sgt. Pepper really brings it to life. i always found it sort of lifeless and scattershot, but the increased fidelity put the best elements of the songwriting front and center for me, and now i think it's as good or better than my go-to favorite Beatles record, Revolver

Absolutely. I thought the exact same thing. Even way back when the Anthology albums came out I was stunned at how different the the old tracks sounded compared to what I grew up listening to. It made me appreciate the records about 888% more.

Re: Albums with the best production

Hayden — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 23:14:58 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 07/13/2017 03:14

sethmadsen wrote:

Now that I've read Alan Moulder's article about it, this statement makes much more sense. They used very minimal compression (even on the bass). The recordings were indeed very precise with not even the slightest dynamic bump from the bass.

Re: Albums with the best production

Space-Dementia — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 22:57:32 GMT

Author: Space-Dementia

Posted: 07/13/2017 02:57

I think Radiohead's The King Of Limbs is brilliantly produced. Bloom, for example, is magic to my ears. Same with Morning Mr. Magpie and Codex. There's so much happening on each song, and each track is given room to breathe.

Re: Albums with the best production

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:13:04 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 07/13/2017 00:13

kind of parallel to the point of the thread, but i think the 2017 remix/remaster of Sgt. Pepper really brings it to life. i always found it sort of lifeless and scattershot, but the increased fidelity put the best elements of the songwriting front and center for me, and now i think it's as good or better than my go-to favorite Beatles record, Revolver

Re: Albums with the best production

saltysurprise — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 07:57:18 GMT

Author: saltysurprise

Posted: 07/12/2017 11:57

A few personal favorites per genre

Rock:

Different Class, The Joshua Tree

Alt-Rock:

Ok Computer, Odelay

Hip Hop:

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Paper Trails

R&B:

Confessions, Malibu

Re: Albums with the best production

RoundTheBend — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 00:12:19 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/12/2017 04:12

Hayden wrote:

If the production on Loveless was even 5% off, it wouldn't of worked. It's ridiculously precise.

Re: Albums with the best production

RoundTheBend — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 00:08:59 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/12/2017 04:08

AfterHours wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Ok thanks for the insight.

I just re-listened to it, and am thinking this (opinion of course):

1) I think maybe some of it wouldn't come off great live, but I think 90% of it would be just fine if with 2-3 guitarists. The cutting to different effects, dynamics of effects, layering of effects and the sort isn't anything new in a live setting. (Have you seen the Edge's effects rig? and that's just one guitarist)

2) One gripe I have is the bass is sometimes lost and I'm not talking about dynamics (on purpose).
3) They genre IS very difficult to record because of the layering/dynamics... makes sense why many are nominating it, but I feel as far as layering goes, Siamese Dream is just as fantastic. I think I read there are something like 40 guitar tracks on Soma. The key difference though is the vocals (here's where I totally agree with Hayden) on Loveless I think getting the mix just right so it plays the genre right, but doesn't get lost either - otherwise the instrumentation has been seen on other records all the same. Nothing special in my opinion).

I feel like the production actually could have improved and still maintained that shoegaze/hazy sound, yet had better definition in some areas.

Then again, that's listening to the record through my ears. I'm sure ya'll have different opinions and takes on how a record should sound.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be disagreeable, rather wrap my head around this one.

It just feels like it was nominated so far because they had to overcome difficulties be they sonic or otherwise, not because the actual production value is beyond that of other stellar productions using layering techniques and building textures.

Having said that, the textures and the layering I really attribute to the songwriting/genre/music itself, and not exactly the production value (but I kind of even disagree with that too... it's a bit of a chicken and egg issue, isn't it?)

I beg to differ on Loveless and Siamese Dream. Siamese Dream is exceptional in its own right, but in comparison Loveless sounds way more massive and all-consuming. I think you're underestimating just how "galactic" and all-pervasive/universal its sound world really is, and that there isn't a single album in the history of Rock to match this "pervasiveness" and incredible "exploration of textures" created by its multi-layers of controlled, edited feedback and shifting of parts that enter, change, exit, and merge through the mix. Slowdive probably came the closest to their sound but even they pale in comparison to its sheer sense of scale and interchanging, enveloping textures.

It definitely has it's moments, that's for sure. Siamese Dream's strong points aren't usually the bold ones... it's more like the layering in Soma that is mind blowing. But yes, Loveless has some brilliant textures and layering. But neither would I say the likes of Trent Reznor or The Edge or Billy Corgan haven't done similar work.

Having said that, sound production is the topic here right, and the more I've thought about it, just because I don't agree with the mix, doesn't mean that the sound production isn't spot on to what they were trying to accomplish. And that's something I can agree with.

Here's an interesting article on the recording and makes much more sense as to why I don't like the bass in the recording. They purposely wanted it as flat and (in my opinion) as lifeless as possible, requiring absolutely no compression to even out the bombastic sound of electric bass. I, as a bassist on the other hand love that sound.

Written by Alan Moulder himself:
http://www.polymathperspective.com/?p=2997

Re: Albums with the best production

AfterHours — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 01:51:03 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 07/11/2017 05:51

sethmadsen wrote:

Re: Albums with the best production

RoundTheBend — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:51:08 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 07/11/2017 04:51

Ok thanks for the insight.

I just re-listened to it, and am thinking this (opinion of course):

1) I think maybe some of it wouldn't come off great live, but I think 90% of it would be just fine if with 2-3 guitarists. The cutting to different effects, dynamics of effects, layering of effects and the sort isn't anything new in a live setting. (Have you seen the Edge's effects rig? and that's just one guitarist)

Re: Albums with the best production

Hayden — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 19:51:33 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 07/10/2017 23:51

If the production on Loveless was even 5% off, it wouldn't of worked. It's ridiculously precise.