Audiophile Discs Archives - Page 35 of 47

Metallica – 2 Albums [DCC Compact Classics, Remastered]

Metallica - 2 Albums [DCC Compact Classics, Remastered]

Ride The Lightning (1984) & Master Of Puppets (1986)
Continue reading “Metallica – 2 Albums [DCC Compact Classics, Remastered]”

Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) [1993, Sony MasterSound, Remastered]

Simon And Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) [1993, Sony MasterSound, Remastered]

Bridge Over Troubled Water was one of the biggest-selling albums of its decade, and it hasn’t fallen too far down on the list in years since. Apart from the gospel-flavored title track, which took some evolution to get to what it finally became, however, much of Bridge Over Troubled Water also constitutes a stepping back from the music that Simon & Garfunkel had made on Bookends Continue reading “Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970) [1993, Sony MasterSound, Remastered]”

John Mayall With Eric Clapton – Blues Breakers (1966) [1994, MFSL Remastered]

John Mayall With Eric Clapton - Blues Breakers (1966) [1994, MFSL Remastered]

Blues Breakers is a blues LP recorded by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in 1966, the first studio album and the second overall credited to John Mayall, who teamed up for the first time in a studio release with ex-Yardbird Eric Clapton (their next and last time will be for six tracks of 1971’s double LP Back to the Roots). Continue reading “John Mayall With Eric Clapton – Blues Breakers (1966) [1994, MFSL Remastered]”

Frank Sinatra – Songs For Swingin’ Lovers (1956) [1993, MFSL Remastered]

Frank Sinatra - Songs For Swingin' Lovers (1956) [1993, MFSL Remastered]

After the ballad-heavy In the Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle returned to up-tempo, swing material with Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!, arguably the vocalist’s greatest swing set. Like Sinatra’s previous Capitol albums, Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! consists of reinterpreted pop standards, ranging from the ten-year-old “You Make Me Feel So Young” to the 20-year-old “Pennies From Heaven” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Sinatra is supremely confident throughout the album, singing with authority and joy. Continue reading “Frank Sinatra – Songs For Swingin’ Lovers (1956) [1993, MFSL Remastered]”

The Moody Blues – Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) [1995, MFSL, Remastered]

The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) [1995, MFSL, Remastered]

The best-realized of their classic albums, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour was also the last of the group’s albums for almost a decade to be done under reasonably happy and satisfying circumstances — for the last time with this lineup, they went into the studio with a reasonably full song bag and a lot of ambition and brought both as far as time would allow, across close to four months (interrupted by a tour of the United States right in the middle). Continue reading “The Moody Blues – Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) [1995, MFSL, Remastered]”

The Moody Blues – In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968) [1993, MFSL, Remastered]

The Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968) [1993, MFSL, Remastered]

In Search of the Lost Chord is the album on which the Moody Blues discovered drugs and mysticism as a basis for songwriting and came up with a compelling psychedelic creation, filled with songs about Timothy Leary and the astral plane and other psychedelic-era concerns. Continue reading “The Moody Blues – In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968) [1993, MFSL, Remastered]”

The Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed (1967) [1989, MFSL, Remastered]

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (1967) [1989, MFSL, Remastered]

This album marked the formal debut of the psychedelic-era Moody Blues; though they’d made a pair of singles featuring new (as of 1966) members Justin Hayward and John Lodge, Days of Future Passed was a lot bolder and more ambitious. Continue reading “The Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed (1967) [1989, MFSL, Remastered]”

Heart – Dreamboat Annie (1975) [1994, DCC Compact Classics, Remastered]

Heart - Dreamboat Annie (1975) [1994, DCC Compact Classics, Remastered]

In the 1980s and ’90s, numerous women recorded blistering rock, but things were quite different in 1976 — when female singers tended to be pigeonholed as soft rockers and singer/songwriters and were encouraged to take after Carly Simon, Melissa Manchester, or Joni Mitchell rather than Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. Greatly influenced by Zep, Heart did its part to help open doors for ladies Continue reading “Heart – Dreamboat Annie (1975) [1994, DCC Compact Classics, Remastered]”

Janis Joplin – Pearl (1971) [1993, MasterSound Remastered]

Janis Joplin - Pearl (1971) [1993, MasterSound Remastered]

Janis Joplin’s second masterpiece (after Cheap Thrills), Pearl was designed as a showcase for her powerhouse vocals, stripping down the arrangements that had often previously cluttered her music or threatened to drown her out. Thanks also to a more consistent set of songs, the results are magnificent — given room to breathe, Joplin’s trademark rasp conveys Continue reading “Janis Joplin – Pearl (1971) [1993, MasterSound Remastered]”

Scorpions – 2 Albums [Audio Fidelity Remastered]

Scorpions - 2 Albums [Audio Fidelity Remastered]

Virgin Killer (1976) / Love At First Sting (1984)
Continue reading “Scorpions – 2 Albums [Audio Fidelity Remastered]”

Badfinger – No Dice (1970) & Straight Up (1971) [DCC Remastered]

Badfinger - No Dice (1970) & Straight Up (1971) [DCC Remastered]

24 Karat Gold Disc From The Original Master Tapes
Continue reading “Badfinger – No Dice (1970) & Straight Up (1971) [DCC Remastered]”

Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin (1958) [1995, MasterSound Remastered]

Billie Holiday - Lady In Satin (1958) [1995, MasterSound Remastered]

Lady in Satin is an album by jazz singer Billie Holiday released in 1958 on Columbia Records, catalogue CL 1157 in mono and CS 8048 in stereo. It is the penultimate album completed by the singer and last released in her lifetime (her final album, Billie Holiday, being recorded in March 1959 and released just after her death). The original album was produced by Irving Townsend, and engineered by Fred Plaut Continue reading “Billie Holiday – Lady In Satin (1958) [1995, MasterSound Remastered]”

Cream – 3 Albums [MFSL Remastered]

Cream - 3 Albums [MFSL Remastered]

Electric Light Orchestra – Face The Music (1975) [1993, MasterSound, 24-Karat Gold Disc, Remastered]

Electric Light Orchestra - Face The Music (1975) [1993, MasterSound, 24-Karat Gold Disc, Remastered]

Electric Light Orchestra’s more modest follow-up to Eldorado is a very solid album, if not as bold or unified. It was also their first recorded at Musicland in Munich, which became Jeff Lynne’s preferred venue for cutting records. At the time, he was also generating songs at a breakneck pace and had perfected the majestic, quasi-Beatles-type style (sort of high-wattage Magical Mystery Tour) introduced two albums earlier. The sound is stripped down a bit Continue reading “Electric Light Orchestra – Face The Music (1975) [1993, MasterSound, 24-Karat Gold Disc, Remastered]”

Muddy Waters – Folk Singer (1964) [1993, MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered]

Muddy Waters - Folk Singer (1964) [1993, MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered]

Muddy Waters’ “unplugged” album was cut in September of 1963 and still sounds fresh and vital today. It was Waters simply returning to his original style on a plain acoustic guitar in a well-tuned room with Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on second acoustic guitar. Continue reading “Muddy Waters – Folk Singer (1964) [1993, MFSL, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered]”