Classic Songs whose mixes still hold up this day

B

Bman

Power User
So I recently purchased a new vehicle that sports a killer sound system. And I'm still in awe of certain classic songs or albums that just got the mix right. I bought an Audi and apparently it's got 15 or 17 speakers or something ridiculous. The more modern mixed songs has a bit too much bass or a lingering frequency that, IMO, needs to be filtered. I thought it would be cool to get a thread started of older albums or songs that really got the mix right. 'Benchmark' albums/songs.

No way I can put an order on these, so I'll just list the ones I'm impressed with:

Empire - Queensryche: It's so well produced.
Straight On - Heart: The drums kick and when the vocal starts, it's so incredible
Anything by Steely Dan: Of course they are always mixed well
Broken - Pantera: I always play this in a new car or sound system.
Dogman - King's X: I would've thought Germany would be my selection because I like the song better and it does sound great. As does It's Love.
Back in Black Album: Well rounded and gels with the overhyped bass systems that are found in modern stereos.
Refugee - Tom Petty: Snare Drum.... I think those early albums set the new standard for drums


I'm an 80's metal fan. But man those albums sound so thin. Queensryche got it right with Empire, Rage for Order (sounds great!!) and Operation Mindcrime. The two albums that always disappointed me are Up From the Ashes - Don Dokken (such great songs and great playing but mixed like shit) and And Justice for All - Metallica (the story of Lars screwing up the bass in the mix is legendary - thanks Lars.)

I'd be willing to bet if I played some GodSmack, who I'm not really into, it would sound awesome. I always loved the guitar tones. The 2nd Creed Album might sound good too. But I'm not really willing to invest the the time to go back there...lol. (Remember when Creed ruled?)

When I play the modern hits - for my kids are wife, they all have an offending bass frequency that only goes away if you crank it louder than they are willing to listen to it.
 
You guys stumped me there. I've never knowingly listened to Roxy Music but for some reason I know who Brian Ferry is. MTV days, I suppose.
 
I have 3 CDs that I use consistently to demo high end stereos (I'm a big-time serious audiophile) and there is nothing on those three CDs that us more recent than the 80s. Starting in the 90s, every recording was compressed to death as a result of the volume war (anything perceived to be louder was somehow perceived to sound better).

On those 3 CDs, there is some Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry (already mentioned), Steely Dan (already mentioned), but also a couple of cuts from Rickie Lee Jones' first album (brillant mix), Red Rain (Peter Gabriel), Time (Pink Floyd), Africa (Toto), some Joni Mitchel, some Dave Grusin / Lee Ritenour, Hotel California (the original), and many more. The only "recent" cuts on there are High Speed and Spies (both by Coldplay), some Dave Matthews (awesome!), Norah Jones and Holly Cole (though these last two are veey compressed, they still are great examples of a great mix). The oldest cut on those CDs is Sun King by the Beatles, which still sounds incredible.

Edit: I forgot to add: compression might actually be a very good thing if you're listening in a car... So these contributions may not apply. But to hear some great studio wizardry on a high end stereo, they're great.
 
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Nearly everything recorded in the 1970s sounds incredible, but I say when testing a new sound system just play something that you know well and see if any new secrets reveal themselves. Things I’d put on to check out a system: Metallica’s S&M and Garage Inc., Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life, Queen II, Steven Wilson’s The Watchmaker, Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love and The Sensual World, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here, Tool (I know sound guys who use The Pot as a reference), 2Pac, OutKast, Herbie Hancock, Alan Parsons...
 
Dark Side of the Moon has a clarity and fullness that is just mind boggling. It fills up the room.

Aja by Steely Dan is another like that.

Check out the first Emerson, Lake, and Palmer album as well. The Hammond organ on Barbarian and Knife Edge is so big and powerful. Piano on Take a Pebble is crisp and beautiful. And the Moog on Lucky Man takes over the song!

I’m partial to 70’s music if you couldn’t tell...
 
ok...so what's up with Roxy Music? They've been mentioned several times and this is a guitar forum. I'm racking my brain trying to remember what song I know from MTV (yeah, probably the worst if you're a RM fan right?).

I'm saying all this BEFORE I dig in to the interweb and educate myself on Roxy Music and Brian Ferry. I immediately think of new wave stuff, like The Fixx (I have a few songs on my playlists), Peter Gabriel, The Smiths, etc. Back then I was opposed to anything with synths. I'm much older now and have some nostalgia and more of an open mind than I did back then. So, maybe I'll discover a wealth of music that's been under my nose all of these years. Hey, I just recently dove into King's X. And they're from my area.

I threw on Hall & Oats "She's Gone" on the way home. Really great song and interesting how the hi-hat was panned right. Man the 70's really had the greatest songwriters.

My buddy made me listen to Green Day's American Idiot after he and I sparred over 'best concept albums'. He'd never heard Operation Mindcrime. I'd never listened to American Idiot (on purpose). I listened. I thought the mix was great and it was well produced. Not exactly punk. I'm prejudiced because I can't stand hearing an American singer singing with a British accent....lol. Mindcrime wins hands down, IMHO.
 
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