Top Ten Best Sounding Records, 1997-Present - Staff Top 10

I would never listen to a beatles album. Not anymore. Especially not a legacy milking cash-in rehash.

This list starts off well, but plummets into silliness and irrelevance by choice number 5. I think the production on O'Rourke's Insignificance is massively overrated, to boot--any of his Sonic Youth work or even (gulp!) that over-analyzed and formerly ubiquitous Wilco release from a few years back surpasses Insignificance. He's always an interesting engineer and mixer though, you could've made dumber choices than him for sure. I would add 1999's Melvins release the Bootlicker, any of the last four Califone releases, and anything Justin Broadrick has done as Jesu or Final to this list. Bravo to Meatbreak for taking Stylus to task on the Beatles choice--the Beatles are just a giant fucking bore, anyone who listens to them now identifies themselves simply as a musical reactionary. The last place they should be is on a list of the most impressive studio work at the end of the era of analog tape recording. Other than that, Primal Scream is the worst choice on this list. They are a terrible band, and as such should not be included on a list of excellence of any sort. It's sort of an automatic disqualification here.

Top ten best produced albums from this era: 1) Notorious B.I.G. "Born Again" 2) Clipse "Lord Willin" 3) Missy Elliot "Supa Dupa Fly" 4) Cam'Ron "Come Home with Me" 5) Destiny's Child "Destiny Fulfilled" 6) Jadakiss "Kiss the Game Goodbye" 7)T.I. "Trap Music" 8) Amerie "Touch" 9) Ciara "Goodies" 10)Crime Mob "Crime Mob" (11) Method Man Judgment Day honorable mention)

I just want to listen to Ace of Base, Kylie Minogue (Fever-era) and Goldfrapp at highest dBs, really. Bark Psychosis is too depressing, it's like Radiohead, all of that morbundity.

Someone review some nu-rave and keep Meatbreak happy.

Thanks for backing me up on the Beatles Rask (Someone once told me that a neat trick with The Beatles name is that in English and French, if you read it backwards and forwards it says "the beat the beat the beat etc.." on and on and on. Too right. How tedious.) But, and this is the BUT - Primal Scream a terrible band? No way! Maybe in their hippy flowered-up era, but XTRMNTR is one furious blast of higher powered energy. And here's me thinking you were into the tuff stuff too. The only thing I don't get with Southall's comments is the 'Yes it's harsh...but exhilarating…' Those things pretty much go together man, what are you talking about? If you want powerful, tight-fidelity electronics + guitars and you don’t fear harsh, my vote is for Anaal Nathrakh’s “Codex Necro” – Back me up Cosmo, and no one argue.

Other serious omissions are SunnO))) "Black One" (or anything by them really, White 1/2, Flight of The Behemoth, take your pick. Black One for me though - Anyone crazy enough to shut Malefic in the boot of a car gets my vote for visionary production values); Super Furry Animals "Mwng"; Mercury Rev "Deserter's Songs"; Oh yeah, and KlaxonsKlaxonsKlaxons - Mmwah CokeAnn!

Totally with you on Dustsucker and Floating In Space too Nick.

I agree with Coke, this list makes me wanna slit my rists. When Linn and Jenny Berggren come in with "what an odd situation what you got is basic emotions can you feel them" you just hafta get up and move. dance into my daydream! no dancing in Mr. Southall's world, unless yo ulike wanky past-prime post-Swastika Eyes Primal Scream. And no one does, sorry!

ooppss! I meant to say post-screamadelica Swastika Eyes era Primal Scream. bobby gillespie is going to be so mad if he reads this.

I'd assert the Beatles haters in here haven't even heard the new shit. If they had, I'd doubt they would be making such ridiculous statements.

Is it really possible not to have heard it? "Just listen to what they've done with 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'! It's simply unrecognisable - Oh do pass the biscotti and top up my chabli, sweets." What's ridiculous about saying the Beatles are tedious? Or have I stepped something sacred. Well hush my mouth.

I almost listed Black One as well....

Oh yes, lets, and of course, The Disexists will be there too. Where is that profligate peacock anyway? Sharpening his knives probably. Can't wait for his contribution.

Why indeed. The worst part is that Christmas is coming, which means this shit is gonna be even more ubiquitous than the fucking shit has been FOR THE LAST 40 FUCKING YEARS. On top of this, my parents, knowing that I am "into music," will probably fucking buy it for me. For years I have been telling them the "no clothes and no music" mantra, but they just won't quit. So, in the past I have been given fucking Clapton's return to form blues-shit album, the huge Beatles coffee-table piece of shit, the latest Neil Young Greatest hits (though I don't have any real problem with Neil, just didn't need it), etc. etc. SY's album "Murray Street" is certainly one of my favorite sounding records or recent memory, but ain't got much else to say here. Hard enough to find exciting music, alone production.

Because they feel it is their duty as a lover of real music, of course. No self respecting, aspiring journalist or self appointed socio-cultural cognoscenti would be scene (yup) dead without their copy. It means little Lee Chan and Mika Mi can pay for their own rice and nappies that their parents can’t afford by working at the pressing plants too. Socially conscious, yeh? Like I said before, roll on the remasters of every album and subsequent bumper collectors issues of Rolling Stone and Mojo (4 different covers each - one for each of the Fabs, for sure). 2 down, 2 to go.

I bet Florenz would love this list. She's probably got it printed out and put up on her cubicle wall.

you crackaz don know howda ack. muthafuckin white ass no rhyddam no fun no rims on my car no partyin muthafuckas. "Goodness me, another Beatles album arrived today mother! Delightful." y'all can take your crackwhack muthafuckin guitarlovin noodlejerkin white asses to the reckid store and buy this shit, then go wear a turtleneck to your cello recital and drive that whackass volvo whip yo daddy bought you. i'm out.

hahaha! beat stick

Liz Phair's self-titled album is not really Nick's bag, but it's probably the best example of compression being used well I can think of, and it sounds fantastic. Primal Scream's good too, but that's a different kind of use of compression, I feel.

Nice to see the MAKE-UP on here. I really like "In Mass Mind" as well, I love how bass-heavy it is while not being too rediculous.

Spiritualized were a snooze when they opened for Radiohead during 'OK Computer / Ladies and Gents' US tour in 98. Put the whole auditorium to sleep. Whereas RH's set totally blew me/everyone away. I think that was the first time America realized how great they were. So much for sonic relevance.

Spiritualized, like their uglier, smarter more Oxford-born-and-raised older brother Radiohead, are music made by stoners for stoners (and we're talking dirtweed here, of the seediest variety) who simply don't have to good sense to pick up the Richard D. James album or flip through Warp backcatalogue vintage vinyl at that shop in Williamsburg.

Some of those Bob Weston-recorded June of '44 records were pretty great sounding too, and how about these 3: Isotope 217's Utonian Automatic (John McEntire and Bundy K. Brown, take a bow), Trapist's Ballroom (recorded by Christoph Amann), and Oceanic by Isis (recorded by Matt Bayles, saving his rep after those Pearl Jam releases). For thunderous rock releases Noxagt and Billy Anderson deserve praise for the first two Noxagt releases, and Steve Albini is also a reliably excellent recording and mixing engineer. This year's Noxagt release was even better sounding than previous efforts, and Scott McLeod worked the boards along with the band on that release. Best sounding rekkid of 2006, in my opinion. Not all Norwegians wear facepaint to kick ass.

Re: Silverchair, I must say OUCH....but scoring points against Bassman is as easy as kicking a 90-year old down a flight of subway stairs.

Jeez, serious Beatles bashing. That hurts a little. Yes they are greedy and milking their machine for all its worth. And I dont care. I havn't heard Love but i'm guessing it wouldn't top my list of best sounding records based on sonic properties, though I think their quality of production has always been quite good. My a appreciation of their music hasn't faded a glimmer since my nostalgic beatles youth, listening to their albums with my father at the age of 6. When you love a groups music quite so, I guess you are a little blinded. Anyway, as I scroll my playlist, a few bands whose quality of recording and production jump out at me: 1)Mew 2)Mogwai 3)Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 4) Blink 182 (self titled album only) 5)Billy Talent 6)The Used 7)Thome York 8) The Honorary Title 9)Animal Collective Oh and thank you for putting Oasis in their place. I havnt been able to enjoy an oasis song for years due to ear bleeding tendencies.

GOD I wish Michael Jackson hadn't had to sell the Beatles estate...

a shout out to alla you up in hurr: relax and take notes, while I take tokes of the marijuana smoke/throw you in a choke--gun smoke, gun smoke/biggie smalls for mayor, the rap slayer/the hooker layer, muthaf*** say your prayers/hail mary full of grace/ smack the bitch in the face take her gucci bag and the northface off her back, den jab her if she act/funny with the money oh you gotta be mistaken honey/i don't wanna rape ya, i just want the pap-a/the visa, kapeesha? i'm out like, "The Vapors"/who's da one you call Mr. Macho, the head honcho swift-fist like Camacho/ got so much style i should be down wit the Stylistics/make up to break up n***z need to wake up/smell the indonesia, beat you to a seizure then f*** your moms, hit the skins til amnesia/She don't remember s***! Just the two hits!/Her hittin the floor, and me hittin the c***!suckin on the t**!/had the hooker beggin for the d***/your moms ain't ugly love my d** got rock quick/I guess I was a combination of House of Pain and Bobby Brown/I was "Humpin Around" and "Jump-in Around"/Jacked her then I asked her who's the man; she said, "B-I-G"/den I bust in her E-Y-E.

peace.

Nick, I agree with you on Spiritualized, O'Rourke, Walker, Primal Scream, Tom Waits, Bark Psychosis - all of those are fantastic sounding records. I don't care for ATDI and haven't heard the other three.

My O'Rourke pick would have been Gastr Del Sol's Camoufleur, though I am tempted to call Upgrade and Afterlife his best; that was 1996, though, so Camoufleur would make my list instead. It seems like you spend a lot of your Insignificance paragraph talking about Wilco, though, as "probably the best example of O'Rourke's genius," so why not include Yankee Hotel Foxtrot instead of Insignificance?

the best produced song of all time is this one, right here, fuck all of this brooding moor-dwelling bullshit! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrCiaJ9gaDQ

what, no "bittersweet symphony"? i don't give a fuck if that wasn't an album, that song owned 1997. and what about the new U2 comp? *killer* production, no over-compression i swear southatll

almost forgot, the monster colab between p diddy and jimmy page, reworking Kashmir for the godzilla soundtrack? best part? seeing pagey in his cape looking all cool in the vid with p diddy

"I'm gonna fight you, I'm gonna bite you!" disgustingly ill

by the way, i happen to really like those talking heads remasters, though definitely i could see how they'd be "too in your face" for you. just can't cope with the ruggedness of davie byrne's remaster

Hell Jess, you know that shit is where it's at. Get them glo-sticks up you fluro-painted squeak when it peaks freaks. Bust that bass up proppa. But no - The video tricks of the future are here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VACsPG8sgMY

As if you didn't all know that by now anyways.

What, No MMM-Bop? That Dust Brothers production still gets my groove on...

The post-modern generator is so early 90`s. So is MMM-bop.

You can write a book about Scott Walker´s THE DRIFT. But you can also say something accurate sentences about the sound and the analogue production of this masterpiece in some sentences, and Nick does so - compliment! "Mule Variations" is a fine choice, by the way. And the Beatles are okay, too, PepsiAnnGirl!

Hups, some embarrassing errors in my response:) Reading some of these responses obviously produces a dizzy state of mind.

Well, I think Lambchop only did good, very good and excellent albums. "Nixon" wouldn´t by my favourite, but soundwise it´s right, they never made the mistake to let the southern soul- and string influences overwhelm the music. Lambchop is a kind of "big band" that is very careful in their use of colour and texture. I saw the band several times live, and I will never forget The "Electric Ballroom" in Camden, 1998. They found their style quite early in their career and still change in subtile ways.

P.S. Sometimes one tends to forget those great works that come on silent feet, and start to be recognized as classics maybe 50 years later. So, Mark Hollis solo album, simply called "Mark Hollis", has all the elements, too, of a very natural and fine recording. Thanks to the great Phill Brown who was such important company for the late Talk Talk!

Spiritualized, both musically and sonically, destroy Radiohead all the time. Radiohead will never be as good as fucking Spiritualized.

Now who illin, Diesextricks? Crackyard aint worf it. Gettin all up in a niggas grill. Why she even reading this shit den? She always whilin, wid her fake chinelle, colt-drinking, wideass gotitforcheap ho crew, rollin 15 deep all up on my boys dicks for a dollar. Don even let crackyard get startit, maan.

Foolhead - cool name! "Spiritualized destroy radiohead all the time." This is typical black-and-white-cynicism, only food for fan clubs. Bullshit. Be constructive! I do prefer Radiohead (the last theree ones) and know about the qualities of Spiritualized. Honey-hacker: in big shape again?! And Jess Graves - wow! sometimes writes as if she failed some lessons about surrealism and stream-of-consciousness. So - it´s always good to make some friends in the evening. And honey-hacker, you´re always curious about my current playlist, I know. So here it is, a fantastic record from Arthur Russell "First Thought - Best Thought" now playing for hours in a wonderful night in Paris. Cools very party down three hours after midnight. And this was my last public thought, AfroAnn, for today´s fun business. Cheers!

3eme arrondiossement, spongehead! Joan gave me a notebook, here are gret Jewis restaurants with great wine. I studied these reaction a bit more carefully in the last ten minutes and have to say: Raskolnikovs announcement that everyone who´s in to the Beatles reveals himself as a reactionary is the greatest load of shit I´ve ever read on this page. I must say it this way. Hurggh! But now it´s time for nice dreams. , Honighacker, here´s another great one for you: brian Eno´s interpretation of "Dreaming my Dreams With You" (utterly sentimental and gorgeous, he´ singing this old country ballad sounding like younger brother of Roy Orison!)Sweet lullaby Time! A second glass of wine, oui, garcon, my French has suffered:)

One more, this one is for Nick - I think we had a little argument about Kate Bush´s "Aerial". I didn´t like the 80´s soudn design at first, but, man this has changed. Meanwhile I like "Aerial" very much. Sorry for the little mistakes, it´s very smokey in here, and Joan always makes jokes in French...

"The sound is incredibly classy, but also rickety, lived-in, and carved by hand from dinosaur bones, ancient sailboats, and bourbon bottles." Took the words right out of my mouth! Whenever I hear Tom Waits, I think "dinosaur bones!" Speaking of bones, though, I do have a "bone" to pick with your description of the Bark Psychosis as a "synaesthetic soundscape," because when you're synaesthetic all music is synaesthetic! It rules! However, I can't argue with Codename:Dustsucker as a Top Ten Best Sounding record 1996-present, as truly it is one! So, nice one mate!

there's so much high-end on Love it's like smoking 55 rocks of crack and then listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks run through a phaser a phlanger and then ring modulated

d`angelo`s deja vu to your who wit to who do the voodoo jujube lips, you hip? you a hip&shaker bitch? aint dis dust the rust in your bucket o`french oyster lobster ya fatched blobbit, your lard ass aint worth grass in my spliff with ya stiffed tongues stuck up Sugar`s stunky Brown, yuh, I`m doin you behind the bikeshed crakhed, ya factured & splattered tastebuds taste like soapsuds round these backyards, im backatcha faster dan me wisecrakatcha, i got stature so tall you comes up to my toes ho`s. Spaghetti, confetti, fukyah crackyard betty

flanger. phantasy.

huh dat`s phuckin phat of ya to ring me on da fone and phorcepheed ma name on phlame, i stick ya in da barrel Farrell, phrightened of me right? das cos I got fosforescence in my essence, so go see a fizzician phinger fucker before my fizziotherapist pisses in your phist

You uhhnn, b. Ferreal.

Loved that Maxwell cover of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" one of the most ridiculously unassailably good songs of all times and epochs and in every universe. Also, D'Angelo was pretty fuckin ripped, that video was every stay-at-home mom's lovejam, he was quite the letch. Although Gaby Delgado's letcherous smile when he dances gets me every time.

whatt are you ppl talkign about??

i think you mean lech lecherous

hypocrite?

Hippo crit

Hahaha, Jesse, jesse, jesse.... Your "Wonder Woman"- phantasy is witty. It nevertheless missed the point about my Beatles listening stories... that´s a kind of humour I can enjoy, yep! "Something in the way she moves, attracts me..." - now come on, let´s do it a capella, Jesse, once more, your voice a bit strange, high soprano (??) "Something in the way...." (imagine a violin quartet coming in after the repetition of the first verse - The Cicada String Quartet from Oslo, they are very good - yes, yes, we´re doing a virtual remix, only our two voices and a string quartet, you will fall in love with that song, o lala, I see it coming....

Both the best/worst sounding records features mention Final Fantasy yet he doesn't make it into this list. He Poos Clouds stands out much more than anything in this top ten. It seems more like a list of albums that should sound great but don't.