Worst-sounding recordings you know?

Progger58

New member
There are some recordings that are hard to listen to through a good, revealing system. Too much compression, poor/inexistent soundstage, anemic dynamic range, muffled sound, among other problems. :(

Some examples I can recall at the moment:

- RUSH – Vapor Trails

- ASIA – Live in Moscow

- JETHRO TULL – Aqualung

- NEKTAR – Remember the Future

- GENESIS – Trespass, Nursery Crime

- U2 – many of their 80's recordings sound awful

- FLAMING LIPS – At War with the Mystics (over-compressed at worst)


Other examples of poor-sounding recordings you know?

Demetrio.
 

Andrew Roussak

New member
Well, I would add here an example that had always amazed me -

The Beatles - The Magical Mystery Tour

I ' ve heard it first time very-very long ago, and the very first thing I thought that time - something must had happened to my tape recorder. The were no basses and no trebles, only the middle. Much later I was surprised to find out that this album was really recorded this way.

What was the reason for it ? Does anybody have an idea? Surely it could not be any budget problem .
 

Art Rock

Sr. Regulator
Staff member
Sr. Regulator
One that stands out for me isMahler's Das Lied von der Erde in the version with Fritz Wunderlich and Christa Ludwig. It is a gorgeous rendition, but let down by the sound.
 

Kromme

New member
Evgeny Mravinsky's BBC recording of Shostakovich's eighth symphony.Though sound is not so bad there is a world record of coughing.
 

CScoot

New member
I recall a Jethro Tull album - one "A" one with Eddie Jobson on keys and Mark Craney on drums. I loved the songs (even though it was reportedly Ian Anderson's least fave). The compression was horrible. It sounded like someone put a 'sound blanket' over the whole sound spectrum.

There was a Beach Boys recording (can't recall which song) where during a little keyboard interlude you can hear someone caughing up a lung.
 

pnoom

New member
Arkham - Arkham

It's a great Canterbury-esque and Zeuhl-esque album with unfortunately poor production. I'm not a huge productionfreak, however, so I don't really mind.
 

AlderonFrederic

New member
The worst yet I know was my attempt recording the Elvis Presley back in 1996....never try to record something from a cassette-player!
Aside from that, one's or twice crossed some old recordings on the studio songs of the Beatles and Metallica, they very pretty awful
 
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