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OK guys, this AudiophileReview.com article is more of a sing-along than a sermon as we need your help to determine what the most cliché audiophile album ever.
In a perfect world, we would like to think that audiophiles find the hobby from a love of music in ways that are both enthusiastic and diverse but even the best of us get repeatedly drawn into the best sounding recordings that highlight what our audio rigs do best. There are many records in modern history that can pull off this feat from various genres.
The question here is: what is the single most clichéd audiophile album of all time. Some are quirky. Some are commercially successful. Some have radio airplay while others are all about the recording. We encourage you to add your nominees and your overall winner in the comment section below.
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of The Moon
DSOTM isn’t just a cliché album but wearing the album t-shirt decades after the record’s release (and while nearing an age where you might collect Social Security) is also a raging audiophile cliché. This Alan Parsons mixed, progressive concept record doesn’t really have a bad note or musical moment from needle down to needle up. Commercially, Dark Side is one of the best-selling records of all time and enjoys timeless popularity across multiple generations of listeners. Despite it being a true concept records, there are some radio hits which is a rarity. For audiophiles, the record is steeped in lore ranging from its quadraphonic roots to the remastered 5.1 SACD surround sound mix. Reportedly, Sony spent over $1,000,000 to gain the rights to put Dark Side of The Moon out on SACD when it was fighting a format war with DVD-Audio and the result was far and away the best-selling high resolution record by many multiples.
The case for: No one record compels even the modern audiophile to spin a silver disc more to show off his system even if you’ve heard every note 10,000 times. Dark Side, because of its rock royalty roots and its swirling “wow factor” mix, makes for an audio demonstration that is second to none – even if you have heard it over and over (and over again).
The case against: DSOTM is a well-made, well produced album that has passed the test of time with multi-generational appeal. The album very likely might be played out but it perhaps is too good of an album to be cliché?
Steely Dan: Aja
Walk the halls of any regional audiophile show and you are likely to hear the familiar, somewhat jazzy melodies of Steely Dan’s Aja emitting from inside a cramped hotel room that is jam-packed with pricey HIFI gear. The album was released in 1977 on ABC records at a time when the audiophile hobby was possibly at its peak in terms of mainstream popularity thus Aja was in effect the soundtrack for the rise in popularity of the hobby. The recording is worthy of cliché as it has dynamics, space, funky grooves and catchy melodies. Aja has a little disco influence and a little jazz mixed in it but somehow still ends up categorized in the rock genre. There is controversy about a surround sound mix as DTS Entertainment apparently tried to re-release the track back when they were a thing. Universal Music also tried to put out a multi-channel SACD but some of the multi-track masters are missing to this day. Audiophile tip: after extensive listening, Dennis Burger, feels that the original Compact Disc master of Aja is the best sounding versus HD downloads, vinyl and whatnot.
The case for: Aja is so audiophile cliché that some people can’t listen to another note ever again. Aja is also about as core to the newly minted genre of “Yacht Rock” which only adds to its overall cliché.
The case against: Like Dark Side, there isn’t a sour note or an off musical moment on Aja. It is a stunningly good recording that has passed the test of time and remains a radio favorite and has cross generational appeal many decades after its release.
The Eagles: Hotel California
Much like our Pink Floyd nominee above, Hotel California is one of the single best-selling albums of all time. While a little more country than straight-rock, Hotel California has some of the biggest radio hits on our audiophile cliché list. Hotel California has a number of world-class radio singles on it including the title track, “New Kid In Town” and “Life In The Fast Lane” but for audiophiles there isn’t an unfamiliar moment on the album. Commercially, Hotel California can only be compared to Dark Side of The Moon in terms of sales and when added to Hell Freezes Over (the live reunion album) and The Eagles Greatest Hits – no album (or material from an album) on this list has sold more. That alone could add to votes of cliché.
The case for: Hotel California is so cliché that the band released a live, surround sound version of the album that is equally as popular and cliché with audiophiles. Today, despite the band’s historical in-fighting, The Eagles now actually tour playing the entire Hotel California album live from start to finish which delivers sold out concert venues nationwide.
The case against: The mainstream popularity of Hotel California might be a knock against it in the realm of audiophile cliché in that audiophiles tend to like their music a little more esoteric (think: Aja). Also, the fact that so many people are drawn to the music of Hotel California decades later might suggest that the record is just timeless – not cliché.
Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms
For anyone who went to the stereo store in the 1980s listening to Brothers In Arms was literally unavoidable as demo material. There were hit songs on this more modern production, but I am not sure there is one more iconic song on any of the nominated albums here than “Money For Nothing”. The song defined a generation as well as a lifestyle and pretty much summed up the original appeal of MTV. The 1985 Warner Brothers album was released at a time when the Compact Disc had given new life to the audiophile hobby and while early digital audio could be a little “harsh” (if you will) the gleaming nature of this well-made record was demo material gold. Many Adcom GFA-555s and Magnepan speakers were sold with Brothers In Arms as the closing track of an audiophile transaction.
The case for: Brothers In Arms literally defines well produced and engineered audiophile rock for the 1980s complete with background vocals from of all people, Sting, on arguably its most cliché track. The role of Sting, one could argue, doubles down on the cliché’ of the album.
The case against: Brothers In Arms is very well recorded, well-crafted album that was not only musically important at the time of its release but passes the test of time. The non-smash-hit songs on the record make for a musically compelling spin especially considering that the record was a concept album.
Various Artists: Jazz at the Pawnshop
Only on an audiophile list could Jazz At The Pawnshop make the cut. This multi-session, Swedish recording from 1976 is audiophile gold but highlights why Jazz is the truly great American (not Swedish) artform as the performance is anything but epic. Nonetheless, audiophiles looking to light up their stereo systems flocked to the recording as a reference standard for years if not decades as it does a wonderful job showing off what your latest tubes and transducers can do in your music room.
The case for: Jazz At The Pawnshop has by far the worst songwriting and performance of this running list of albums. Historically, although the timing of JATPS’ 1976 release made it highly relevant in the audiophile world just like Aja, Hotel California and many other meaningful albums at the time, it doesn’t make the album better over time.
The case against: No true music enthusiast gives a flying you-know-what about Jazz At The Pawnshop. It would need some musical relevance to actually be worthy of being cliché.
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
We’ve covered a lot of rock and rock crossover records but Miles Davis Kind of Blue from 1959 is about as iconic of both a jazz recording and an audiophile staple as there is. Coltrane plays on the record along with a complete all-star band featuring literally a handful of the best performers in the history of Jazz. The melodies are a good as you will ever find in the genre and much like Aja or Dark Side of The Moon – there simply isn’t a bad note or a less than perfect musical moment from the start to the end of this album. The recording which was released in both mono and stereo originally is also pretty world class thus lending itself to more and more high resolution rereleases ranging from everything including Compact Disc, Mini Disc, SACD and HD download. Critically, Kind of Blue is universally accepted as on the of (if not) the best jazz records ever recorded.
The case for: Because of the quality of the recording, the timelessness of the star-studded ensemble and the cutting edge remasters over time – Miles Davis Kind of Blue is a bit played out and perhaps cliché.
The case against: While Kind of Blue is an iconic jazz record, Jazz isn’t a wildly popular genre of music in some parts of the country and to some musical palettes thus its lack of overall, non-reviewer and mainstream popularity would keep Kind of Blue from the top of our list.
Lyle Lovett: Joshua Judges Ruth
While The Eagles have hints of country in their most-pop-rock Hotel California, Lyle Lovett’s fourth album from 1992, Joshua Judges Ruth, comes a little to the mainstream music from a solid base in the country genre. The lyrical topics of the album are a bit serious as compared to typical country albums but it is the stunning recording featuring incredible open space and never-heard-before levels of three dimensionality that draw audiophiles to this record over and over. “Church” builds deliberately into a raucous gospel jam that also is one hell of a closer at the good old stereo store. Somewhat like Kind of Blue and Dark Side of The Moon, Joshua Judges Ruth has been remastered and repackaged to offer the best possible resolution for this record that pretty much defines 1990s recording excellence with respectfully zero audio grunge.
The case for: Depending on when you got into the audio hobby, you simply couldn’t avoid hearing this stunningly well-made recording at every stereo store, audio show and beyond. It was simply everywhere and has remained there for decades after its release.
The case against: Country (and especially) gospel music just doesn’t appeal to as many music (and audiophile) fans as more mainstream genres like rock, pop or even hip-hop. Joshua Judges Ruth also got close to no mainstream radio airplay at the time of its release and certainly not today. Commercially, the album sold well but doesn’t even compare to some of the other albums on this list such as Hotel California and Dark Side of The Moon.
Honorable Mentions:
Fleetwood Mac: Rumors
John Coltrane: Blue Train
Daft Punk: Random Access Memory
The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over
Queen: A Night at the Opera (DTS DVD-Audio)
So what is the most cliché’ audiophile album of all time?
In the end my vote is Steely Dan: Aja. Don’t get me wrong, I love this album but it gets my vote for a number of reasons. The era for which it was released (1976) was a formative time for the audiophile hobby and business. Musically, the album is quirky as hell albeit wonderfully performed, recorded and engineered thus its audiophile appeal. Aja’s timeless appeal, I guess is a positive but the fact that it is also cliché’ in the newly defined and super-cheesy Yacht Rock sub-genre is the cherry on top.
Respectfully, I could make a case for any of the albums above and likely including the Honorable Mentions as well.
Now it is your turn to have your say. Did we miss a record that you need to out as an audiophile cliché? If not, what album from the above list tops your list and specifically why? We look forward to hearing from you below in the comments section.
The problem is Aja is an album that sounds great. Dark Side of the Moon and Kind of Blue are albums that sound great but were also, arguably, the best albums of their generation. Kind of Blue might be the single best jazz album ever recorded. The fact that it also sounds beautiful sounding makes it the best for me. I could gladly live the rest of my life without hearing Aja again. I could not say the same about the rest of the year without Kind of Blue. The music must always come first
Well said. Somehow, DSM doesn’t sound as transparent to me as it did when released. Don’t know if it’s my 63 year old ears, a decline in the masters owing to wear and tear, or the analog vs. digital thing. Still, it’s brilliant and even my thirty year old son agrees. Kind of Blue is just timeless, a meeting of musical gods on Mt. Olympus.
I mean ZERO disrespect as I am doing this personally in January myself but PLEASE get your hearing tested and your ears professionally cleaned.
The reality is that you likely can’t hear Dark Side the same way that you did in the 1970s even though your audio system is likely 1000% better now than then. Over time, Men’s hearing just declines in high frequency performance. Dennis Burger and I are 45 and 46 years old and we can amazingly hear in to the 14k range but that is down for both of us.
The ear cleaning is a WILD TRIP. I somehow make some gnarly ear wax and when removed it is an over-the-top upgrade. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME or with a Q-tip. This MUST be done by an ear-nose-throat or audiologist with you sitting down and them using crazy tools (don’t look)
j
So what’s your vote?
I vote for Aja; it never grows old. The fact that it was recorded with great care is also a bonus. I’m burnt out on the Eagles…ugh! If I never hear Hotel California again it’s OK. Not a bad band or song just been done to double death. Most of these are old. What are the new test audio classics? I worry that our hobby will die off when we’re all gone. Yike!
I tried hard to find newer stuff.
Eagles Live is newer. DTS version.
How about that Santana Album from the early 2000s with the hit song? I can’t remember the name but the whole album isn’t cliche.
The fact is: the cliche stuff comes from the formation of the audiophile universe in the 1970s. Music was excellent then as TV is now and the audiophile hobby (and the Boomers who started the hobby) were at their peak demographic.
I remember that in the eighties “GRP Live in Session” was a popular demo recording. And what about Jennifer Warnes “Famous Blue Raincoat”?
EXCELLENT suggestion on Famous Blue Raincoat!!!!!
I’d love to hear an alternative mix, as well as High Res. I have the recent remaster, but it’s still a 44.1/16 release.
To me, the difference between DSOTM and Aja is it’s cut and paste which never sounds much more interesting over the decades of improvement in our audiophile upgrades, whereas DSOTM always has new sounds ferreted out, such as the clarification of the words at the beginning. One of the reasons Steely Dan didn’t tour much was that people wanted to hear things sound just like the albums, and since they used so many musicians to get a particular short solo or phrase, it could never sound exact no matter how great of sidemen for the entire concert they would use. Kind of Blue used two pianists which was relatively unnoticed, but the modal progressions were interesting and the in the pocket vibe remains to this day. Miles never wanted thing to sound the same, so no problem over his remaining years. The better our equipment these days, with better remastering the more realistic reproduction of especially percussion devices like cymbals, the image locations of instrumentalists, it just always seems to have veils between us and our speakers removed as the famous Harry Pearson used to describe it. At least for me, Steely Dan has grown boring compared to most of the others mentioned.
I would offer that hearing Jazz at the Pawnshop in 24/96 through my current DAC blows away the SACD which blew away the half speed master which blew away the original Propius album. It’s greatness is sounding as musicians simply playing a live gig, having fun and not seeming to care much about creating a recording that decades later would be played for those never having heard it and seeing the smiles on their faces. Plus, as above, the instruments all sound more lifelike, especially the vibes in my system. Plus those cocktail glasses sure have some high frequency “clinking”. Can thank Qobuz for that~
Surprised Dave Gruisin’s Sheffield “Discovered Again” wasn’t mentioned. It still sells in the analogue backup version.
“…Jazz At The Pawnshop has by far the worst songwriting…” It’s a collection of mostly jazz standards, so this is a rather odd criticism. In fact, I’ve never really understood the musical disdain for this recording, which I’ve happily repurchased with each improved medium, most recently SA-CD. The performance is sparkling and witty, the arrangements spare but serviceable to the tunes and the musicianship is stellar. If i’d found myself in that club on that night and heard the performance live, I would have considered myself a lucky jazz lover. Yes, it is not Kind of Blue (what is?), but there’s more to life than modal Miles.
Kind of Blue (what is?)
—-
Blue Train, Giant Steps, Black Pearls, Sketches of Spain, Cookin’ (crack) with Miles….
Well said Sir.. the author of this article does not appeciate good jazz interpretation.
From this list, for me, it has to be Jazz at the Pawnshop. Simply because the only people I know who own it are audiophiles. Even Famous Blue Raincoat is owned by “normal” people that I know.
My original favorite audiophile release was The Sequoia String Quartet, Bartok and Ravel, Quartet In F Major / Quartet #3, on Delos. It was one of the pioneering SoundStream Recordings, and I think it just sings. I’d love to see it remastered and released. I think it’s amazing, both audio and musically. I’d also love to hear Muddy Water’s remastered, as the opening track of Mannish Boy is an extraordinary experience, and a test for any audio system. Jackson Browne’s the Pretender, has been a staple in audiophile sessions I’ve attended. It’s a title worth of a complete remix and remaster. Browne tells the story of how The Pretender had two major errors, which would be great to finally correct. I think of that early work, as just beautifully produced. Oh, I grew up hearing Thelma Houston I’ve Got the Music in Me, at Henry Radio in Anaheim, it was constantly on. A few years later, it was Telarc (SoundStream recording) 1812 Overture, that everyone knows about. For me, Aja was gorgeous, but somehow struck me as somewhat sterile. I still love Katy Lied, despite the technical mess it suffered through.
wow, norah jones – come away with me, didn’t get in to this list, I’m surprised.
Hearing her will certainly send me out of the room, something about her i can’t get into.
Aja, for sure, but how about Donald Fagen’s Nightfly?
Still like it though
Nightfly and GRP in ‘93 were popular demo CDs in Danny Boy’s high-end audio room. With the Perreaux front end driving our Kef 104.2s we were in audio heaven!
Grammar police here. I don’t like the currently popular misuse of “cliché” in the headline. It should be “clichéd” — the adjectival form. https://www.colesandlopez.com/blog/cliche-or-cliched
As to the most clichéd album of all time, I nominate Stevie Ray Vaughan, “Couldn’t Stand the Weather.” But I love the album even though it is overplayed.
Well, he got it right in isolation within the 3rd paragraph. But, author’s lack of commas was more challenging for me.
Good point. Jerry actually gets it right once, then goes back to misusing the word. Audiophile Review normally does better proofreading.
Well…you’d have to get hold of the DSD release but…Genesis’ ‘A Trick of the Tail’ should be on any cliché audiophile list IMO.
There are few records that will drive me out of a room, but DSOTM and anything by The Eagles are two of them. Rumours is another, and although I do like Dire Straits, I can’t bear to listen to more than a couple of the non-hit tracks from Brothers In Arms. To me, these are totally cliché classic rock albums, overplayed to death by radio and totally played out. The last thing I would play on my system, or want to hear at an audio show, are any of these titles.
One song making the rounds a few years ago was that f***ing annoying “No Sanctuary” song or whatever it is called, by whoever. That is an instant exit from the room for me. Anything else “audiophiley” (is that a word?) will drive me out also–basically, well-recorded bland music.
What’s puzzling about this list above is that at the last few audiophile shows I’ve attended, most of these albums I’ve never heard played. Aja I only heard once in 2019–in the SweetVinyl room, demonstrating the SugarCube with a dollar bin Aja that was badly scratched. I heard Brothers In Arms a few times, and The Eagles (unfortunately) in rooms I did not visit, but heard blaring out of doorways. The demo reel that Analogue Productions put out is also overplayed by any room with a reel-to-reel deck; if I never hear Scheherazade again, it won’t be soon enough.
We forgot to mention that anything by Patricia Barber is considered audiophile gold (and the butt of “audiophile record” jokes), and Diana Krall is not far behind (although at least I like her recordings).
I was fortunate enough to see Dire Straits in a 1400 seat music hall in Tokyo in 1983. Experiencing “Telegraph Road” live in an intimate setting was transplendent. IMHO, Brothers in Arms is a steaming pile of meadow muffins by comparison to their earlier works.
What about Diana Krall – Live in Paris? Don’t get me wrong, I love the album (as I love DSOTM, Kind of Blue andsome of the others) and it sounds unbelievably great. But it seems to show up in every audiophile record list.
On the flipside, I think listening to music that had been played to death on the radio (i.e. Led Zeppelin) on an audiophile setup can breath new life into those tunes and make them sound fresh again.
Cheers
I would add Diana Krall and several other contemporary female vocalists beloved by audiophiles. The sound may be great — and the choice of female vocals avoids potential problems in a system’s bass reproduction — but the music is mediocre. Just compare any of the non-audiophile singers like Shirley Horn, Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Dinah Shore, or June Christie, who IMO are all far more interesting singers.
Not around long enough to rate long-term cliche status, but Mannheim Steam Roller Fresh Aire tracks–especially Chocolate Fudge–had the grooves worn off of them in hi fi shops during the late 70s.
I can only pick from my limited collection that has only recently been reborn w/ classic hi-fit components. Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow produced by George Martian has superb, accurate, jump off the vinyl power. That I noticed instantly.
You bet! I agree heartily!
Don’t hate people! Just celebrate and appreciate the music you love. All this is business of what music is used and or appreciated by one group as opposed to another is tiring. Can’t we just get over it and learn to appreciate our differences and show some respect to each other and leave all this hateful crap alone! Honestly people, there are more impactful and important matters that we can focus our attention on! The song says it best, get over it!
I immediately thought Aja. Not my style at all.
There’s a lot of great newer music that has been recorded very well. Olympic Girls by Tiny Ruins, as an example, is a gorgeous album and sounds amazing. I also think Emotions and Math by Margaret Glaspy is a real treat.
I listen to music I like first and foremost but finding something that sounds awesome is a very nice bonus.
I agree about Mannheim Steamroller but Fresh Aire III was the favorite of the stereo shops I toured. Always sounds different on my upgrades. Side two. And Cat Stephen’s “Tea For the Tillerman”.
There are cliched albums because audiophiles are a bunch of gullible people with endless expense and tweaks.
Who invited Mr. Grumpy Pants?
“Random Access Memories” is an audiophile cliche album in waiting. I’ve never heard “Random Access Memory”, though. Is it any good?
Sheffield Lab’s “Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker”. Wore that record out while testing speakers.
Yes, Famous Blue Raincoat. Still got my Count Buffalos direct to disc. Fun hobby.
A cliché or cliche (UK: /ˈkliːʃeɪ/ or
US: /kliˈʃeɪ/) is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work
which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or
effect, even to the point of being trite or irritating, especially when
at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.
Kind of Blue is iconic not a cliche. This album does not belong in this article. So many other soft pop “jazz” albums you could have used as examples.
I worked in a stereo store in the early 70’s and our go to record for showing off our top line stuff was Edgar Winter’s “They Only Come Out at Night.” Play “Frankenstein” and just be wowed by those notes pinging around the room!
For my money it is Tracey Chapman’s aponymous album. I used to always be amused with rich guys coming into the shop to listen to expensive gear using “Mountains of Things” as the choice track. With no irony whatsoever.
Other than that the Sheffield Track or Drum records – beautifully recorded but music-free.
For all the top notch recording techniques, why isnt there a album by Frank Zappa more popular amongst audiophiles? From Hot Rats to Joes Garage, Zappa showed himself to be a master 9f recording.
This list tends to confirm my suspicions that audiophiles listen to audio systems rather than music. Not a single operatic aria or piano concerto. No Blumlein stereo recordings of great symphonies performed in a concert hall rather than a recording studio. A sound that moves because an engineer twiddles a pan knob on a mixer is not the same as a recording of a moving sound source.
Lucky me, I’ve never had Famous Blue Raincoat or Jazz at the Pawnshop inflicted on me, but they both sound like true clichés, having been mentioned so often in audio reviews over the years. But I agree the Eagles are way overplayed – very few of their tracks are musically interesting. However my number 1 vote goes to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors. I have to mute it whenever it comes on. Such a travesty after the Peter Green/Danny Kerwin/Jeremy Spencer years.
Never understood the luv for Aja and later albums, it’s ponderous, boring and the drug influence was starting to show. Practically any of the other early Steely Dan album betters it. From the time in the 70s and 80s when I attended London Hi-Fi shows the following were popular:
Telarc’s 1812.
Spyrogyra Morning Dance.
Dire Straits first.
Joan Armatrading first.
Ry Cooder Bop Till You Drop (the first digital roots/rock LP).
I’ll never forget hearing Dark Side Of The Moon on big Gale monitors (the one’s with the chrome endcaps) suspended above the seated listening crowd. Accurate, probably not but it was loud and an experience.
I’ll never forget hearing The Nightfly for the first time in a shop system using an AR turntable and big American receiver and speakers, impressive as hell. I went straight out and bought the LP. Fun times.
Thanks for adding in Telarc’s 1812. That was a common one I remember from the 80’s.
Also, Sheffield Kodo: Heartbeat Drummers of Japan. Both this and the 1812 Overture were about low frequency demonstrations. Obviously the drums on Kodo and it was the canon fire on 1812.
Then came Miami bass albums, ha ha ha (2 Live Crew, etc…). Oh the car audio heyday…
Where are the Telarc ‘1812 Overture’ and ‘Carmina Burana’ recordings? If they aren’t clichés, I don’t know what is.
anything by JOURNEY, all cliche
Supertramp. Crime of the Century.
i happen to own every album on the list. all are fantastic, in their own right. only one – jazz at the pawnshop – did i buy because i’d read about its stellar sonic qualities. but i love the music on it, just the same.
i bought steely dan’s aja when it first came out, and i think i played it to death the first two years i owned it. for the music. in fact, all the albums listed i bought and played for the music, except jazz at the pawnshop. i still love all of them today. and, i think i have every lyle album he’s recorded. well, hotel california hasn’t aged as well as the rest, imo. but i suspect it’s just my taste in music that’s changed…
doug s.
My conclusion: Cliches are bad in writing, great in music. I listen to your first three often — and I don’t have to be at a demo or an audio show.
Doesn’t Paul Simon’s “Graceland” belong on this list? Still one of my faves but this one has been played to death in demo rooms and equipment auditions.
In the classical genre, may I nominate the 1977 Jean-Francios Palliard Pachelbel Canon in D recording? It seems to be one of the few classical recordings with widespread recognition. It may have been well-recorded but neither the material nor the performance justify its popularity as a demo disc in the genre.
Thoroughly and still enjoy “Friday night in San Fransisco” live. Al Di Meola,John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia. What an amazing evening of fabulous talent.
I remember hearing Fresh Aire III at a Pacific Stereo on KLH speakers and an Altec Lansing sub (I think). I was in love with audio from that moment on.
I think this would have been better if it was about single tracks and not full albums. That said it’s hard to beat DSOTM for overall quality, and the diversity of the songs and instruments, which cover a lot of ground tonally and vibe-wise. Most of the other albums feature the same type of song throughout, while on DSOTM no two songs sound quite alike. But pretty much any of them (except maybe Us and Them) will blow you away on a quality setup.
But if we’re talking single tracks, then Dire Straits Money For Nothing is my choice. The whole Brothers in Arms album, not so much.
I would also put Yes Close the Edge on my list.
As for Daft Punk, I love ’em but it’s hard to rate them for something like this.
Pink Floyd is boring have zero sound differences and the members are nitwits
In Beethoven’s day you could only hear the music live. Now today, you can hear mostly the worst music ever made (Rap, Trap and Freq Mod.) but on the best sound equipment ever made.
There is no “Dark” side to the moon. Squeeze got it right with “Wrong side of the moon”
Still miss DVD audios. I think I have all that were produced including “Everything must go” SD’s last.. -Astronomy Audiophile Nerd.