What are YOUR reference records?

[satanfriendly]

ABC - Lexicon of Love (Yes it is cheesy, but Hellishly dynamic between the mushy music. Great transients happening)
XTC - English settlement
UB40 - Signing off (Just so well recorded)
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here (My PF favourite)
Rush - 2112 (Some sections can be so easily lost in a bad set-up)
Dire Straits - Title album (Very balanced sound with little nuances and detail to be extracted)
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (especially the more accoustic tracks)
Sex Pistols - Never mind the Danglies (If any system can make this sound HiFi then it must be wrong)

And a recent aquisition which is having me loving every track

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negro Jig (Simple grass roots music put together in a very fine manner with wonderful grainy vocals)

[jc_the_trucker]

mind numbing it may be, but it's objective. I would have the same reaction to Pink Floyd. The point is, records only work because of what your ear/brain make of it, what works for you may not work for me, and therefore cannot be called a reference, perhaps.
(from one who owns an oscilloscope [analogue, with crt])

Well put! When it comes to music/sound there are few absolutes. I didn't mean any offense to the "high-tech" oscilloscoping crowd, just that I don't have the means or patience for it!

If you want to come to my house and o-scope my system, you more than welcome!

[satanfriendly]

what works for you may not work for me, and therefore cannot be called a reference, perhaps.
(from one who owns an oscilloscope [analogue, with crt]

But then again I guess that's why the thread is titled 'What are YOUR reference records'. with YOUR in block caps.

Not owning an oscilloscope must mean I'm missing a lot of music somewhere.

I'll have to remember to purchase one for my next concert. Hey, pooh, that's Glenn Tilbrook with Nine Below Zero tomorrow night!

[westhuller]

When I tweak my set up Talking Heads:77 is always the first LP out. The bass on Psycho Killer will find any chink in your set up.

[gmw65]

I've been auditioning speakers, amps and phonostages lately and these are the records I've been turning:

Dire Straits
Indigo Girls
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Steely Dan - Aja
Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely
Van Morrison - His Band And Street Choir
Tom Petty - Wildflower
Iron And Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

Current taste and familiarity is the key here, but they do all sound good.

[megatrends]

I'll use my ZZTop Deguello album as well as my Alcatrazz album with Steve Vai Disturbing The Peace. The record is also thick and sturdy like the current 180g releases. Maybe it is??

I suppose I can use the recent Black Sabbath 180g releases, they sound better than phenomenal.

I also have a Leslie West album Theme that sounds perfect. Maybe also Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop album.

YES 90125 perhaps as well as the first ASIA album.

[indieworks]

Wow saome great reference records on your posts.
I like to impress people with
George Thorogood "Bad to the Bone"
J J Cale "Special Edition"
Ten Years After "a space in time"
and last but not least "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak

[megatrends]

Wow saome great reference records on your posts.
I like to impress people with
George Thorogood "Bad to the Bone"
J J Cale "Special Edition"
Ten Years After "a space in time"
and last but not least "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak

I have that George Thorogood album and it does sound very good for use as a reference record to test out equipment.

[Billnot]

Being a mainly classical music lover mine are:

The World of the Academy (Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields) SPA-A 101. Bought this new in about 1970 and it still sounds as good today as it always did. I know every little nuance not only of the recording but also the minor blemishes in my copy.

Schumann Symphonies 1 & 4 (Staatskapelle Dresden, Sawallisch) SXLP 30525. Seeing as how I have a web site on Schumann, I have to include this. I also use it to demonstrate the superiority of vinyl over CD, as I have the same recordings as a CD.

The Picnic Party (The Palm Court Theatre Orchestra) LBR 202. Popular Victorian songs and other pieces, superbly recorded. Exposes any failings in the bass.

My first listening after any change is always The World of the Academy.

[youngdand]

I second Steely Dan Aja, i have both the MFSL and the standard and play both. JJ Cale Special Edition, Dire Straits Dire straits Half speed master, and from one of JAS's posts on another thread, i have been giving LFO LFO an airing when setting my speakers lately, there is some very deep bass in that song! Tracy Chapman Self titled also gets an airing when ever a change has been made.

[whitesmoke]

B.W. Stevenson - "My Maria".
Not sure what RCA did to get the sound so clean, but I've had other
folks try it on their systems with the same astounding results...

Also Dave Mason - "It's Like You Never Left" as a good plan B

[raphaelmabo]

My main reference record is the Tears for fears "Seeds of love"-album, and especially the tunes "Woman in Chains" and "Sowing the seeds of love" but also the "Year of the knife" track. Simply because it is well recorded, even if it is a full digital recording and not analogue, and a dynamically sounding album. I like it very much and it was this album that I selected my first stereo with in the late 80's, yes I bought my turntable and first speakers to this album.. the shop had it on vinyl, but I had it on CD at that time (I bought the vinyl version later).

I also have some Beautiful South singles, like "You keep it all in" and "I'll sail this ship alone". Good analogue recording with some warmth to it.

And then I have the Amazulu album, with "Montego bay" on 12".

Recently I have added the first LP in the 3-LP box "Pop Art", the singles collection by Pet Shop Boys.

Those together reflects my broad musical style and if the system works with all those in a great way, then I'm hooked.

[nabil]

Yes-Close to the Edge
Joni Mitchell-Don Juan's Daughter
Shadowfax-Shadowfax
Wagner-Des Ring des Nibelungen-Solti's recording
Friday Night Live in San Francisco-DiMeola, McLaughlin, DeLucia

[peelaaa]

Elbow- the seldom seen kid. in 45rpm too

Roxy music - avalon. probably the best