Worst-sounding recordings you know?

[Progger58]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Conservationist]

Cryptic Slaughter - Stream of Consciousness

 

[Kromme]

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

 

[mrnickb]

all of test icicles songs. then again they pretty much do it on purpose

 

[CScoot]

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]

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]

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