Paul Winter and Friends "Celtic Solstice". Earth Music Productions 1999, manufactured and distributed for The Windham Hill Group by BMG Distribution. From the box; "An historic convergence of Irish and American Musicians within the Magnificent Space of the World's Largest Cathedral". Recorded at St. Paul's Cathedral, NY. I usually take this one along to audition gear. I like it, and so do the salespeople.
Hidden Audiophile Classics
Just about every audiophile has a few "hidden" classics - you know those great sounding recordings that never seem to appear on any super disc or recommended recordings list published in the high end audio press. Well there's no need for them to remain a secret - so how about sharing some of them with your fellow 'philes out here. My first contribution to the this thread is Lyle Lovett's "Step Inside This House" a great sounding 2 CD set from back in 1998 which while well reviewed, never recieved any praises for it's truly excellent sound. A studio recording of Lovett and his "small" band covering other songwriters tunes, the recording sounds like it was done "live" in the studio. The playing is tight and the personel remains fairly constant throughout - which is always a good sign. What are some of your "hidden" gems??