Best Album Production ever!

[Fretboardninja]

Well lets post what we think the best produced album is.

In my opinion, my favorite album as far as production work goes it Opeths "Ghost Reveries"

Everything is just so clear and punchy

what about yall?

[The Chemist]

Disagree.

It's over-compressed. The 1, 5 and 10kHz points have been raised a lot and the bass is phased and overpowering.

[Moseph]

I've always liked Master of Styles by The Urge. Particularly the subtle reverb on the back half of the album.

Miles Davis' Kind of Blue has a great spacious sound. I know it's sort of a cliche, but that's because it's true.

I also like the balance and textures of Echobrain's Glean.

Also, if you ever get the chance, listen to Dark Side of the Moon on SACD-Surround. Though make sure you have a decent room with a decent surround setup.

[Seafroggys]

Abbey Road - The Beatles

[Inkstar]

I'm no audio nerd, but Dream Theater's Train Of Thought and Falling Into Infinity albums sound bloody amazing.

[planewreck]

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

It's what helps make the album so perfect. It's not the best, but it's the one I identify most.

[Dinosawesome]

The Devil and God - Brand New has a really spooky sort of feeling behind it that I love, but nothing (imo) can compare to the awesomeness of Cursives 'The Ugly Organ'.

[Squirrel]

Winds of Creation by Decapitated.

[Apocalyptic Raids]

Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of The Moon
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

those are my personal favourites.

[Wlokos]

Loveless has some seriously amazing production.

[La Revolucion]

Air - Pocket Symphony is the best sounding album of this year. I haven't really thought about of all time. I guess I will.

[Moseph]

I'd like to hear why everyone has picked these albums. That'll give some good insight into what people think about in terms of album production, and also provide a way to have good examples for somebody looking for a "sound" to listen to specifically.

[Apocalyptic Raids]

Well, I really like Surfer Rosa because it's almost raw, minimal sound yet still really clean and crisp. It's pretty much the perfect production for that particularl band, too. The Soft Bulletin and Loveless are both great for their layered, dense production. Loveless is especially good, with swirling masses of fuzzy guitars suiting the material perfectly and is a big reason why the album is so damn good. And the fact 18 engineers are credited is a feat in itself.

[La Revolucion]

Alright, I decided the best of all time is Talk Talk's Laughing Stock. It has an extremely live and uncompressed sound, as though you were sitting in a park listening to the music. Plus every instrument sounds absolutely glorious.

Moseph, are those really your favorite albums in terms of production? I couldn't find too much in them that was especially amazing.

[Moseph]

Alright, I decided the best of all time is Talk Talk's Laughing Stock. It has an extremely live and uncompressed sound, as though you were sitting in a park listening to the music. Plus every instrument sounds absolutely glorious.

Moseph, are those really your favorite albums in terms of production? I couldn't find too much in them that was especially amazing.

Did you listen to compressed audio or a Red Book CD (or in the case of Kind of Blue any number of ultra-high definition formats)? There's a big difference if you know what you're listening for.

Kind of Blue, if you'll recall was recorded in 1958. So it's basically a 50-year old recording. It was created using techniques that are basically lost to time these days (except for the very small classical segment of music recording). And it still sounds very lush and spacious today, and on par (if not better) than many modern commercial records. If you're not impressed by that, then we listen to albums very differently.

Dark Side of the Moon, well, if you haven't listened to it in SACD-surround, then I suggest you do. In a decent room, with a decent system. If you already have met those qualifications and don't get it, then I think maybe you don't quite get surround sound audio. Regardless of the 30-year old content, it's an album that was done incredibly well for surround, and it really shows. Now that I think of it, the original stereo mix is also quite good: the production of that album is very much integrated to the emotional response of the listener, and I do think that illustrates certain aesthetic ideals in recorded audio.

Glean I like because it's a very uncluttered album despite it's relatively dense arrangement. I also enjoy the contrast of the incredibly clean and crisp acoustic guitar parts with the mild distortion on the lead vocals. Similarly, I also feel it has some of the best acoustic guitar captures in the last 10 years or so.

Master of Styles admittedly, is not anything "special" in terms of production. I just think it's a very solid production. It happens to be my favorite album musically as well, so there's that bias, but I doubt you'll find anyone who'll cite the excellent production of an album as being a reason they listen to something they feel is otherwise musically intolerable. But one of things that I really like about it (and one of the reasons I cite it as an influence on my desire to get into audio) is that at any point in the album you can pick out any part of the arrangement, including effects. That's why the subtle reverb at the back half is very cool, because the mix is transparent enough it's a noticeable element in the music. It adds to the arrangement in a dramatic way, but only if you're listening for it. I don't hear that on the vast majority of my CD collection.

[La Revolucion]

Sorry, I meant only Glean and Master Of Styles. The other two are fantastic. Thanks for explaining that so thoroughly, though. I see where you're coming from on both of them.

[Seafroggys]

I'd like to hear why everyone has picked these albums. That'll give some good insight into what people think about in terms of album production, and also provide a way to have good examples for somebody looking for a "sound" to listen to specifically.

its really hard to describe what I like about Abbey Road. Almost everything about it is perfect; the tone, the songwriting, the vocals, everything. Its really hard to pinpoint why I love this album's production so much. Basically, hearing this album made me interested in audio engineering.

[jenyus]

The new(ish) wilco album is amazing.

[La Revolucion]

Some of the tracks on that sound great, but there's a few that feel muffled or held back.

[Tremens]

daydream nation

[Kayetan]

The Microphones - Mount Eerie

His albums are always well produced, but this one is kind of amazing.

[EADG]

I'd have to agree with DSOTM, maybe not what I'd consider the "best" but it's up there

Why? In short.. levels are great (everything can be heard, even with all of the multi-tracking/overdubs), reverb/effects are present but not overpowering, and great use of samples/voice dub-ins/stereo panning (you have to listen to it on headphones for the full effect though)

[DFelon204409]

Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute
Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye
Venetian Snares - Rossz...

[Happy_Squirrel]

I've always been a big fan of Dave Jerden's production, in particular:

Anthrax - Sound of White Noise
Dig - (self-titled)
Alice In Chains - Dirt

I think Jerden did a great job of capturing the "wall of sound" style.

On the other end of the spectrum, I also agree with Moseph about Kind of Blue. Brilliant playing recorded & produced in a brilliant fashion.

I also think a lot of the more experimental stuff by the Beatles (A Day In The Life, Tomorrow Never Knows, etc.) is extremely impressive considering the technology (4-tracks) that they were using.

[uwpro]

Beach boys - Pet Sounds - legendary album using the wall of sound, but then again it is phil specter, would've been better if done a bit later on, the bouncing down has resulted in too much hiss.

Origin of symmetry by muse has some fantastic production, the studio was turned into a living room to give it more "homely" acoustics bringing the whole concept of the album a bit closer to the listener.

Obviously the beatles have produced fantastic productions from abbey road no explanation needed there along with dark side of the moon.

I quite like the production of the later rammstein albums, they're very precise and clean without being very sterile.

[ValiumMan]

The Stooges' Fun House. It sounds so natural, as if the band was playing in front of you. I have yet to hear a record that bring the same feeling across.

Dark Side Of The Moon, as well as most Beatles albums are amazing too, as is Miles Davis' Bitches Brew.

[Seafroggys]

Obviously the beatles have produced fantastic productions from abbey road no explanation needed there along with dark side of the moon.

wait....what?

[JohnnyHodges]

I think he's saying that The Beatles albums all have good production, as well as Dark Side Of The Moon.

[punknmetal4lyf]

just about anything by Def Leppard has incredible production quality. Everything is crisp and precise sounding.

[Seafroggys]

I think he's saying that The Beatles albums all have good production, as well as Dark Side Of The Moon.

pretty weird way of arranging sentances and paragraphs though. I thought he gave DSoTM as an example of a Beatles album :confused:

[uwpro]

pretty weird way of arranging sentances and paragraphs though. I thought he gave DSoTM as an example of a Beatles album :confused:

No not at all lol, apologies for that.

The production of the beatles was fantastic, but Abbey Road got it's reputation from the beatles.

[espf-250htd06]

i really love all that remains fall of ideals: if i could make an album or be a sound engineer i think thats what i woudl be shoting for sound wise, the guitar tone is amazing the drums are amazing down to every aspect, i guess its just may favorite due to the quality of the sound on every instrament