What song do you consider to be sonically perfect?

[seltaeb1012002]

Obviously opinions on what "sonically perfect" is will vary from person to person.. but I'm curious, what song do you think is absolute perfection from an engineering standpoint?

I'm gonna nominate "Don't Forget The Sun" by The Explorers Club.. the recording is just so crystal clear. It doesn't hurt that the composition is great as well.. but sheesh, the sound quality is outstanding.

[Lowbacca]

PLMW

[Orange Crate Art]

Surf's Up 1971 version

[the captain]

I Wish That I Could See You Soon, by Herman Dune.

[Niko]

Don't Do It from the remastered Live At The Academy tapes. Most of those songs sound amazing, but that one in particular is fantastic.

[rab2591]

Great topic!

Don't Worry Baby (2009 Stereo Mix) - The Beach Boys
      The vocals in this mix are perfectly balanced - sounds unearthly to my ears.

Dancing Queen - Abba
      Every instrument and vocal can be heard distinctly - it's like a wall of sound from the future.

More Than A Feeling - Boston
      Same as Dancing Queen - every element of the song is played to perfection and perfectly mixed.

Welcome To The Jungle - Guns n Roses
      Distorted guitars, heavy percussion, and Axl's vocals - you wouldn't think these were the makings of a sonically perfect song, but that mix is crystal clear.

This Whole World - The Beach Boys

I'm Old Fashioned - John Coltrane

[Niko]

This Whole World - The Beach Boys

I was thinking about this one too...and really any other Desper engineered song.

[Little Pad]

"Big White Cloud" by John Cale

[Ron]

Miami, My Amy - Keith Whitley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCLNMAax5mM


perfectly recorded country song


The Supremes - Back in my Arms Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSkHFc240nY

perfectly recorded Motown song


Bread - Baby I'm a Want You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCHHHAeSBvY

perfectly recorded rock song

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y

perfectly recorded Pop song

To me it's not so much about clarity but more about they couldn't have touched anything up and made it any better. 

[the captain]

A couple other things came to mind earlier today. (Both cases are more than the requested song. Sorry.)

Queen's entire catalog from Sheer Heart Attack through The Game, with only the odd off-track here and there, sounds about as good as pop music can sound to my ears. Everything from songwriting arrangement to performance to engineering to production is just right on.

Then for a left field choice, Cotton Mather's '90s gem album Kontiki, reissued a year or so ago. It wasn't even recorded in a proper studio, but it sounds fantastic, a great example of good ears (as opposed to gear and endless hours of tweaking this or that knob) being the most important part of making good-sounding music.

[Rich Panteluk]

Great thread!

Not a song but all of Big Star's first Album #1 Record is sonic bliss.  So well recorded, mixed and mastered.  Clear as a "bell".  Most kudos for this belong to Chris Bell and John Fry.  The songs are great but the production just elevates the material for me.  I love Radio City and Third but #1 Record IS sonic perfection.

[guitarfool2002]

Black Cow, by Steely Dan, lead-off track on the Aja album. That's in the analog realm, of course. I have used that song to test every set of speakers, headphones, amps, whatever other audio...because it's probably the best recording I've ever heard, and that includes the effects too. That's a great test for Black Cow - if you can't hear some of the effects trailing off and fading out at just the right moment, the system has some problems...

Digital...eh, tough call. Mastering has gotten to be so spotty in the past 15 years or so, it's just too damn loud and you lose so much. Having said that, and I surprise myself by saying this, it's hard to beat the song "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears For Fears. That song just sounds terrific on CD, synths, beats, guitar, vocals...right on the money.

Man, I could list a lot of these!

[guitarfool2002]

For 60's radio hits, two go immediately to the top. I Get Around, and Age Of Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In. I Get Around has the full range of dynamics, from full band and vocals to a single solo vocal, yet everything is balanced and delivered just right. They weren't mixing that kind of record for heavy bass, given the AM format, but even that record can rumble speakers - in a good way. It's one of the most vibrant and alive sounding records of the 60's, yet all the parts are still clear as a bell with no distortion. Brilliant.

Aquarius - what else can be said. Similar reasons, but that is a monster of a record, and even though it's not sometimes thought of as an audiophile type recording due to its popularity as a hit single, take a close listen to it. Every instrument, every effect, every vocal sounds exactly right. That deserved every single award it received, simply terrific recording, performance, editing job, and production.

[SMiLE-addict]

Queen's entire catalog from Sheer Heart Attack through The Game, with only the odd off-track here and there, sounds about as good as pop music can sound to my ears. Everything from songwriting arrangement to performance to engineering to production is just right on.

Freddy Mercury was well-known as being a perfectionist.

[RangeRoverA1]

What song do you consider to be sonically perfect?

I have plenty, but for now it's Four Seasons' "Save It for Me" in stereo. Sounds very bright, crisp, & the echo in both channels is supreme!

[halblaineisgood]

.

[JK]

Pink Floyd's "Matilda Mother" (the mono version, please). And on the BB front: "Don't Worry Baby" (ditto).

For a song to be sonically perfect in my book, the song has to be perfect in and of itself...

[JK]

Then for a left field choice, Cotton Mather's '90s gem album Kontiki, reissued a year or so ago. It wasn't even recorded in a proper studio, but it sounds fantastic, a great example of good ears (as opposed to gear and endless hours of tweaking this or that knob) being the most important part of making good-sounding music.

Thanks for the heads up on this amazing album, cap'n. :=)

[phirnis]

For me, it's Friends. Whenever I work on my own music and my ears need a break from all the repetitive playbacks and the tedious equalizing, this is the song I put on.

Lately I've been listening to lots of 70s Stevie Wonder and a couple of songs off Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale are just brilliant, sonically.

Also, some of the tracks off the Grace Jones album, Slave to the Rhythm come to mind, the title track in particular. Probably Trevor Horn's finest work.

[the captain]

Queen's entire catalog from Sheer Heart Attack through The Game, with only the odd off-track here and there, sounds about as good as pop music can sound to my ears. Everything from songwriting arrangement to performance to engineering to production is just right on.

Freddy Mercury was well-known as being a perfectionist.

He's also known for being impatient: if he felt he was on the right track, he'd chase it, but if not, move on.

A lot of the credit needs to go to the rest of the band, Roy Thomas Baker, and their studio staff too.

[Ovi]

Pretty much all of Michael Jackson's Thriller album. Even the less inspired songs from a song-writing point of view do sound great.

[Amanda Hart]

Great thread!

Not a song but all of Big Star's first Album #1 Record is sonic bliss.  So well recorded, mixed and mastered.  Clear as a "bell".  Most kudos for this belong to Chris Bell and John Fry.  The songs are great but the production just elevates the material for me.  I love Radio City and Third but #1 Record IS sonic perfection.

I just bought #1 Record this weekend, I'm really looking forward to listening for the first time!

[Rich Panteluk]

I envy you, Amanda!  Such a great record and it just gets better with age.  You will love it!

[Aum Bop Diddit]

"White Light White Heat" the LP by the Velvet Underground.  "Tyranny and Nutation" by Blue Oyster Cult.  Daniel Johnston cassettes.  You get the idea -- analog chaos soup but just right.

*Edit:

See the title says "song" so

Sister Ray
The Red and the Black
Casper the Friendly Ghost

[Lowbacca]

"Lady Grinning Soul" from Bowie's Aladdin Sane. Just listen to that sh*t.