Best Recording of Music

"Ultimate in playback and listening" ? Well, I'll offer these on vinyl... Next week, I might offer a different list.

Stravinsky - Firebird, Dorati/LSO, Mercury/Classic Records 45 rpm reissue (with the Speakers Corner reissue different but still very good)

Stravinsky - Petrouchka, Danon/RPO, Chesky CR42, reissue from the Readers Digest box set, recorded by Kenneth Wilkinson

Kodaly - Hary Janos Suite, Kertesz/LSO, King SuperAnalogue reissue of Decca SXL 6136, another Kenneth Wilkinson/Kingsway Hall recording

Malcolm Arnold - Eight English Dances, Arnold/LPO, Lyrita SRCS 109, yet another remarkable Wilkinson recording

Music for Baroque Cornette, Klimo OW 004

Music for Baroque Violin, Banchini -vn, Klimo OW 002

La Spagna (Music of Spain in the XV-XVI-XVII Centuries), Gregorio Paniagua/Paniagua/AtrmMMadrid, BIS LP 163/164

Villancicos (Spanish Songs of the 15th-16th Centuries), Gregorio Paniagua/Paniagua/AtrmMMadrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 1025

Rossini - Overtures, Gamba/LSO, Decca SXL 2266 Speakers Corner reissue

Rossini - Sonate a Quattro, Salvatore Accardo, et al, Philips 4759648 (2LPs) - reissue

Miklos Rozsa - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Hendl/DallasSO, Heifetz -vn, RCA LSC 2767 45rpm Classic Records reissue

Royal Ballet Gala Performances, Ansermet/RoyalOperaH Covent Garden, RCA LDS 6065 45rpm Classic Records reissue box set

Joni Mitchell - Blue, the Rhino reissue mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray

Neil Young - Greatest Hits, Reprise 48935 Classic Records reissue

Ossian - Seal Song, Iona IR 002

Tannahill Weavers - Cullen Bay, Green Linnett SIF 1108

June Tabor and Martin Simpson - A Cut Above, Topic 12TS410

The Who - Who's Next, Classic Records reissue

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Absolute Originals, 45 rpm box set, mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray

Lightin' Hopkins - Last Night Blues, with Sonny Terry, Prestige Bluesville, 45rpm Analogue Productions reissue

Kenny Drew - Undercurrent, with Freddie Hubbard and Hank Mobley, Blue Note ST 84059 - 45rpm Music Matters reissue (get any of the Music Matters 45rpm reissues)

Hank Mobley - Soul Station, Blue Note ST 84031 - 45rpm Music Matters reissue)
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"Somewhere in Time", Los Lobos and Dave Alvin

A friend recently lent me this CD and it just blows me away played on any system I have (I have listened to it about 15 times in the last week!)

Mark O'Connor, Jon Burr & Frank Vignola: HOT SWING!

Released in 2001 on OMAC records, this live performance recorded in February 2000 in Morristown NJ is fantastic, both in terms of music and production. O'Connor's performance in particular is off the hook, especially if you are partial to Stephane Grappelli and acoustic swing jazz. The tone of O'Connor's violin captured on this recording is the sweetest and most natural sounding I have heard on red book CD to date. It makes the Sony classical recordings of strings sound like they are being played on a steel body instruments in comparison. If this type of music is your bag, I highly recommend you check out this CD.

Bongo, that is a great track! My wife use to hate when it came on the radio (it was really overplayed here in Austin). I however think it is a really well performed track, especially their harmonizing...a great matchup. Sadly I don't own this since it was played a lot, now I need to go buy the CD this weekend.

JLc76

Love it so much for the reasons you state: the simplicity of the storyline, how the instruments create a special vibe that speaks to the feeling of longing and regret at the core of it, the rootsy soundscape, and the call and response between the singers that pull the song along to its finish. It has a magic that seems to raise the bar.

Other songs for me that have that special magic include "Careless" by Paul Kelly from Australia, "Safe European Home" by the Clash, "Trapped" by Bruce Springsteen, and "Mercy Mercy Me" by Marvin Gaye.