Best Rock Vinyl to test system

[satanfriendly]

The Pixies - Doolittle - Wonderfully recorded album with strong bass lines, a unique guitar style and some beautiful drumming. The opening track 'Debaser' says it all and likewise with the finale 'gouge away'. Easily goes off the boil though if the system is not set up right.

Rush - 2112 - Nice depth and dynamics which go all sorts of directions

I'll go with Brick and Boston's debut album. Artificial in feeling, but amazingly open recording. Sounds nice wide and spacial

Iron Maiden - Debut album of the same name - Phantom of the Opera is so powerful and well structured.

AC/DC - Let their be rock. Anything but unfocused. Nicely mastered (or so I think)

A definite other fan of 'Wish you were here'. Everything you could want in a well recorded album. Difficult to say why but I tend to know things are right when this album flows in the fluid manner it is capable of.

Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus - Down in the sewer is as about as low down as damn fine bass playing goes. If it can make your windows rattle, you're nearly there. Little details in the background and the overlaying guitars make this track a must.

Amongst many I can think of and which I reach for

[awty]

Thought I'd throw on my only acdc album (Highway to Hell)for the first time in about 30 years and yes compared to Miles and Coltrane its not very refined, but I think it was intended to sound like that when it was recorded, they were and are a grungy pub band........any now back to the air guitaring.

[v1nn1e]

...Quadrophenia lately. It has guitars ranging from chunky distorted to trebly twangy, synths all over the place in tonal range, that killer bass on The Real Me

Yeah, second that. The four themes and then the intro to 'Real Me' is great - should really hit you.

[davetruestory]

Yesterday I was listening to Sweet Level Recorded Album and found it have good dynamics, bass, vocals and different types of Rock from acoustic, hard and progressive.

[Etnier]

Stuff I've been listening to recently:

The recently-remastered Hendrix catalog (Experienced/Axis/Ladyland) is revelatory: it's thrilling to hear how much was in those master tapes. The 2003 or so Stones "Beggars Banquet" and "Let It Bleed" reissues come close, but I don't think the source tapes offer the same depth. "Exile"'s reissue is gorgeous, but maybe too much so now?

King Crimson's second incarnation in the early 1980's (Discipline/Beat/Three of a Perfect Pair) is remarkable hard rock, beautifully recorded and produced, although the records do have the bright, aggressive sound of that time.

Roy Thomas Baker's work with the Cars on their first two records really stands out, although it does reek of commercial new wave. This late-70's material set the standard for the hyper-defined, punchy, mega-studio sound that would dominate rock and pop for the next 15 years or so.

The Clash's best is warm, engaging and powerful...

My Mahavishnu LP's are too beat to sound good any longer...

And of course there's Steely Dan... while "Aja" has always sounded weirdly out of phase to me (I have 3 versions here), "Gaucho" is simply stellar.

[fscl]

Though not specifically rock, there are still many fine suggestions in these topics:

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=20495

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=35549&p=277042

Happy rocking out while testing.....

Fred

[nabil]

Its not heavy metal. but both "Fragile" and "Close to the Edge" by Yes are fantastic system testing LPs. Another great system testing LP is "Octopus" by Gentle Giant.

[EdAInWestOC]

Anything on A&M records. Supertramp - Crime of the Century or Styx - Paradise Theatre are very good.

Ed

[james73_2008]

James H

[Singlemania45]

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours and Al Stewart: Year Of The Cat

[mr.datsun]

Napalm Death From Enslavement To Oblivion

[satanfriendly]

Napalm Death From Enslavement To Oblivion

Wow! I was listening to ND 'Scum' the other day and if my HiFi could make any sense of it I would be upset.

[fade away]

Porcupine tree - In Absentia

This amazing album would test any system to it`s limits, stand out tracks:

Blackest Eyes
Trains
Gravity Eyelids
Prodigal
.3
Collapse The Light into Earth

[Brian75]

Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown" works well for me because it is such a perfect quality pressing (pressed in the Netherlands) and it's recorded in a modern style. So it's loud in the heavy parts, but since it's another rock opera album it has soft piano and acoustic and all sorts of production tricks. Will definitely tax your system.

As far as natural, I agree with "Doolittle", "Paranoid", "Breakfast in America", and I'd throw in The Breeders "Pod", and definitely The Knack "Get The Knack". That record sounds fantastic!