What are some of the most "poorly engineered" albu

[Professor T]

Pure Prairie League - Bustin Out
Some harsh boosting on the top of the acoustics make it unlistenable. I might have to remaster this one for myself.

[lyman]

"world gone wrong" by dylan should be titled "levels set wrong." some songs are real crispy sounding. it's just one mic, how do you screw that up? ha ha. i love the album though, he's a great interpreter of the american songbook. it wasn't recorded in a studio, so maybe that disqualifies it from this thread. but then again, it was recorded in dylan's garage, which may be nicer than some studios so i dunno.

"roll the bones" by rush.....thin thin thin. digital recording has come a long way in 20 years.

uncle tupelo.....i don't recall what songs are on which album, but some of their stuff is kinda dodgey sounding.

"spirit of eden" by talk talk. only kidding, just wanted to see if anybody was paying attention!

[MoreSpaceEcho]

haha you totally got me. i read 'spirit of eden' and was immediately like WHAT?????

although i do have to admit that the very high end on both those talk talk records is not the friendliest thing in the world. i blame 80s converters...

[red cross]

When I was in my late teens playing in bands the very idea of making records "properly" or having them sound "hi-fidelity" was incomprehensible. We'd frequently present "Psychocandy" or "White Light / White Heat" to recording engineers as reference discs for how we wanted our stuff to sound like and would be met by blank stares. It's funny how 20 years later, I'm the one giving out blank looks. Growing old sucks, seriously.

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Oh my god. At least 75% of the albums that are receiving a thrashing here rank among the greatest sounding records of all time. Sometimes perfect engineering does not aesthetically serve the music being recorded.

I understand why engineers might cringe at some records (like Electric Ladyland), but to clarify and separate the instruments or to tone down the radical use of stereo on that record would neuter the very thing that makes that album beautiful. Before you voice your desire to "fix" Electric Ladyland ask yourself, "When was the last time I made an Electric Ladyland?"

Why would anyone want to hear dub reggae with big, clear bright bass sounds? The murky, rubbery boom is what MAKES the sound of those songs! What would be the purpose in cleaning up the sound on something like Raw Power or White Light / White Heat?

Sometimes art is about evoking a mood or a feeling or some sort of visceral reaction, which often can't be achieved without casual sloppy humanity or sonic violence. I very infrequently like to feel like my head is in the middle of a big crisp, clear drumset. I REALLY despise a "heavy" guitar or kick drum that sounds like it was meticulously sculpted.

My Bloody Valentine's Loveless has some of the most gorgeous sounds ever recorded. And it often sounds like a dub of a murky casette warbling in a player with a bad motor. The drums are thin and barely audible and it's virtually impossible to tell when they're real and when their sequenced. It's aesthetic!

In the era prior to and during Psychocandy, The Jesus & Mary Chain had to fight tooth & nail with and sometimes fire engineers for constantly "fixing" their guitar sounds or refusing to turn up the reverb on the drums.

I have had so many fights with engineers and been disappointed with mixes so many times because no one would take my ideas seriously. It's the whole reason I'm learning to record myself.

[cgarges]

Before you voice your desire to "fix" Electric Ladyland ask yourself, "When was the last time I made an Electric Ladyland?"

Electric Ladyland could have been made in its current state by anyone with keys to the studio and Jimi Hendrix. There's nothing special about the sound of that record in pure engineering terms and in fact, there's a lot to be criticized in terms of the engineering. At the time, there were MANY, MANY exceptional engineers who made great-sound records with truly great artists. Electric Ladyland is a great record, but it's not great because of the engineering. I would venture to say that it could have been an even better record with better engineering. Hendrix, given anyone competent, was capable of making great records. I guess what Eddie Kramer had going for him was his ability to listen to Hendrix's ideas because he certainly didn't do anything to make Hedrix's ideas come acorss any better or more clearly.

(Be sure to take this all with grain of salt. My distaste for Eddie Kramer's engineering and constant credit-taking is well-documented on thos board.)

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Almost every Husker Du record, which makes me sad. I still love the songs but have a really hard time listening to those records anymore.

The CD mastering from the 80s sounds awful. It DOES sound better on vinyl. It does still sound sharp and abrasive and bizarre, but especially at high volume on LP it is much more obviously a conscious aesthetic choice. It sounds like a buzzsaw.

I can't listen to those at all. I think if someone came to me and wanted that guitar sound, I'd have to turn them down.

That's exactly why I will never pay a profession engineer ever again.

[cgarges]

That's exactly why I will never pay a profession engineer ever again.

Yeah, they're all like that all the time. Scumbags.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Here's a few of mine.

Donald Fagan - The Nightfly

Bruce Springsteen - Everything from Born In The U.S.A. through Human/Lucky

XTC - Oranges & Lemons

[cgarges]

XTC - Oranges & Lemons

Really? Why? I mean, I guess it's a bit bright...

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

That's exactly why I will never pay a profession engineer ever again.

Yeah, they're all like that all the time. Scumbags.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Damn right!

By the way, I'm definitely joking here. Most of the people here fall into the pro engineer category and have all been really great and answered tons of my questions. And almost every record I like was made by one. If I could afford a good studio and a sympathetic engineer, I'd do it every time.

I've just had LOTS of run-ins with people who have this attitude.
"I'll take your money, but I won't make your album like you want it."

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

XTC - Oranges & Lemons

Really? Why? I mean, I guess it's a bit bright...

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Because I heart XTC so hard and their albums sounded so amazing from Drums & Wires through the ever-so-clean Skylarking (with the possible exception of some songs on Big Express, though I like most). To me O&L sounds neutered and sterile in a way only albums from 1987-early 1992 can. I like some acoustic performances I've heard of the material though. Not big on Wasp Star either (sound or songs).

[cgarges]

Hmmm. That's my favorite XTC album. I mean, it sounds dated, but that kind of thing doesn't bother me too much. Skylarking is a great album, but it's kind of murky in a way that I wish it wasn't. Both sound better than anything Eddie Kramer ever did, though.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[AnalogousGumdropDecoder]

Hmmm. That's my favorite XTC album. I mean, it sounds dated, but that kind of thing doesn't bother me too much. Skylarking is a great album, but it's kind of murky in a way that I wish it wasn't. Both sound better than anything Eddie Kramer ever did, though.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I definitely agree that in terms of clarity and separation and hi-fi and bla bla bla, Kramer wasn't such a good engineer. But he made several masterpieces of the Rock idiom, which have a LOT of sonic character and personality.

EDIT: Unfortunately he also did some dreadful sounding KISS stuff and... Frampton???

EDIT: Then again, I find Mono exciting.

[JGriffin]

Here's a few of mine.

Donald Fagan - The Nightfly

Really?