Best commercial mixes you've ever heard? MIX WiNNERS!

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sbruce

New member
OK...I figured, why not?

I'm just a "newbie" but here's my list, just off the top of my head:

~ James Taylor: Hourglass
~ Alanis Morrisett: Jagged Little Pill
~ Def Leppard: Hysteria
~ DC Talk: Jesus Freak(I'm sure most of you have never heard it; but it really does have an incredible production, IMHO...perhaps a bit over-compressed; but still steller!)
~ Metallica: Black (DRUMS!!!)
~ Van Halen: For Unlawful...great drums & guitar!
~ Joe Satriani: self titled OR SBM
~ Madonna: Music
~ The Acappella company: Gospel (anyone wanting to see how to really record/mix a vocal group NEEDS to check out anything from this production company from 92-96!)

~ and of course, my lastest mixes! Just Kidding:)
 
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Chili Peppers - blood Sugar sex Magik.

One of the best mixed CD's in my whole collection.

Everything they did after that was shit in the mix.


:rolleyes:
 
Steely Dan's Aja and 2 Against Nature...
The Nightfly by Donald Fagen...
XTC's English Settlement and Black Sea...
Red Hot Chili Peppers BSSM...
 
Right on! I forgot all about that Chilli Peppers:BSSM; it's been awhile since I listened to that one; have to break it out and take a listen now that I have a bit more insight.
 
"Afro Cuban Jazz Moods" by Dizzy Gillespie and the Machito Orchestra, c. 1976 on Pablo Records.
 
Here are a couple lesser known recent recordings:

Tosca - Suzuki In Dub
Susana Baca - eco de sombras

barefoot
 
My all time favorite (in the closest thing to a "perfect" album category): Manu Dibango's "Wakafrika". Incredible musicians (with guest appearances from everyone from Peter Gabriel to Sinead O'Connor) playing superb music (Dibango is the original "Soul Makossa" man) with technically wonderful recordings and mixes. Even the cover photography is pretty amazing. Hard to beat.

In the "more well known" category: Nirvana's "Nevermind".
 
Anything by.........

Tom Lord-Alge

Does alot of hot new radio stuff...... Compresson freak.... I love him!... So smooooooooooth, yet not squashed.....

http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/apr00/articles/tomlord.htm



Mike Shipley

He's the mixer, Mutt Lange uses alot, So thats a no brainer for me to like him............

http://www.defleppardsol.com/shipley.htm



These guys have that sound I go for... That calculated, perfected sound.. Like everything was given lots of thought.... the mixes don't sound like they are luck of the draw..... Patience and Planning.

Perfect execution;)



I can see why people would like BSSM..... That raw sound... but that is the perfect example of what I don't like... Too messy sounding I guess... Well to my ears at least..

And thats just IMO (To each there own):)

Joe
 
Joni Mitchel - Turbulant Indago

Anything by Tchad Blake, particularly Suzanne Vega - Nine Objects of Desire

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

Blinder - Mienakusuru (Don't ask, you'll never find it.)

The first two Garbage Records (the newer one is good, I just haven't listened to it enough to judge it.)

Emmy Lou Harris - Wrecking Ball (a Daniel Lanois record.)

Anything by Gillian Welch, but I really like the new one - Time (the Revelator).

Joe Jackson - Heaven & Hell (a concept album that dosen't suck, who would have thought it possible.)

Amiee Mann - Whatever (which is wierd becuase I am not normally a fan of Bob Clearmountain. Hell of a record, though.)

Mostly guys who do things a little tweeked, but I like that sound. No too many who do things really perfect, but there are a few.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Some mix faves:

Harvest - Neil Young
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
Shack Man; The Dropper - Medeski Martin and Wood
Permutation; Supermodified - Amon Tobin
TNT - Tortoise
The Language of Cities - Maserati
A Data Learn the Language - Mercury Program

I suspect everyone's personal musical (and recording) tastes are coming into play on this one big time! So, though I very much love these artists, there are certainly many more that are also faves...

These are records I'm currently digging both because of the artist's material and performance (otherwise I might not spend as much time listening in the first place) and because of the mix - there's something new every time through! Zep and the Beatles and many more should obviously also be here, but I picked things I've listened to more than once within the past month. All but the first three are instrumental recordings.

I believe I've listed them in ascending order of release; the last two are from a couple of indie-instrumental acts I know, and both have come out within the past month.

ar >>|

PS : I also thought the first Boston record was fantastic back during Jr. High, and it still sounds pretty good (though not as dark as most music I've grown to love since)... I checked it out for the first time in maybe ten years the other day!
 
Nope, but I'll happily show some love for Kid A and Amnesiac, which I think is equally well mixed and much more interesting. They are definitely high up on the "best mixes" list, but not on the top.

I'll also add in "Copperopolis" by Grant Lee Buffalo. It is more well produced than well mixed though. The sound is a perfect reflection of the songs, if you will.

And: Anything by the "Cheiron gang". Yes, the songs are usually rather boring, the artists loosers, but it's hard to argue with the production handiwork. Very "efficient". Sounds good, excellent arrangement, and so on. Not groundbreaking, but good. And definitely commercial.

And the middle/later albums of ABBA. Man, listen to Dancing Queen, how smooooooth that production is. Michael B Tretow is a bloody genious, and nothing sounding as well as that came out of Swedish studios at that time.

I'd also like bring out "Twice a Man" who's mixes and productions are usually nothing short of excellent. I'm right now listening to the 1985 album "Slow Swirl" which is produced almost entirely on an Emulator II. And it sounds fantastic. Don't ask me how that works. :)

But for the grand price. The real deal. The creme de la creme. The bees knees, and the winner that takes it all:

Blue Nile: A walk across the rooftops

Can't be beat. Fantastic mixing/production/everything. Made by a bunch of anal perfectionists that take longer and longer between each album to make sure it's fucking perfect.

They succeed too. :)

 
Pink Floyd-"The Wall",I get totally lost in that album!
Metallica-"Ride the lightning"and"Master of Puppets"-I love the sound they got w/Flemming Rassmussen!
 
T.O.P., by Tower of Power (contains "Soul with a capital S"). Amazing bass, hornsm etc... The low saxophone blows my mind, is like having Lisa Simpson in your room.
 
I'm just a "newbie" but here's my list, just off the top of my head:

~ James Taylor: Hourglass
Click to expand...

sbruce,

While I think 'Hourglass' is a great recording in most respects, it's got enitrely too much bass, and that is it's only flaw.

If you like JT, grab the new one 'October Road'. Amazing recording in every respect! True reference material! It's my new favorite recording.
 
Just to show my age...

Moody Blues - anything pre-'75
Boston - Boston
Kansas - Leftoverture
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - anything pre-'80

and for something a littler more current (but still old, I guess)

King's X - Faith, Hope, Love

Darryl.....
 
DDev said:
Just to show my age...

Moody Blues - anything pre-'75
Boston - Boston
Kansas - Leftoverture
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - anything pre-'80

and for something a littler more current (but still old, I guess)

King's X - Faith, Hope, Love

Darryl.....
Click to expand...

I love em all! (The mixes, of course)

BTW I lived in Wichita KS for about half a year, actually I attended to Wichita "Heights" High School
 
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