10 Best Sounding Albums Of All Time

Feature Photo: Levin C. Handy (per http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpbh.04326), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I think it’s fair to say that, for many people in their 60s and above, their first introduction to music was either from record albums that their parents or older brothers and sisters had in the house, or quite simply from hearing a song on AM radio. When you’re 10 years old, you really don’t have the funds to buy your own music, and music isn’t always the first thing on your mind. Nonetheless, as time starts to march on, many of us begin to really discover music by hearing songs constantly on the radio. The quality of AM radio did not deliver the perfect auditory experience, but that’s not what we were listening for. Eventually, we started to buy vinyl records, and that’s where many of us first noticed that some albums simply sounded better than others. The first time I noticed incredible sound quality was when I purchased Elton John’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, and the sound of those guitars on the opening track made me think I had a better stereo system than I realized.

All of our top 10 lists are extremely subjective, and this one may be the most subjective of them all. About half of these albums came out in the mid-1970s, when I was becoming deeply aware of music and falling in love with an art form that I would make a living with for the rest of my life, so there is definitely bias here. The songs still come first, because spectacular production cannot save music you do not want to hear, but great songs combined with brilliant engineering can create an album you play hundreds of times throughout your life. For this list, I decided to judge the original vinyl or CD releases rather than remasters, Mobile Fidelity editions, or other later audiophile reissues. I also did not want to limit the list to rock or pop, because jazz recordings from the digital era played a major role in showing me what CDs could do. Every audio release is unique, and I have never believed that vinyl or CD automatically wins in every case.

# 10 – Black And Blue – The Rolling Stones

Opening this list with the Rolling Stones is interesting because the Stones were never really known for putting out polished audiophile records. That’s not what their music was about. Their recordings are dark, dirty, organic, and phenomenal. Black and Blue, released in 1976, is different because the arrangements leave so much space around the instruments while moving through funk, reggae, blues, soul, and rock. The album came out during the period when Ronnie Wood was joining the band, and he appears on three tracks.

What makes “Hot Stuff” sound so good to me is the sound of Charlie Watts’ drums and the amount of air surrounding them at the beginning of the song. If the drums do not sound good, an album has a hard time sounding great, and here they sound enormous without losing their natural character. Black and Blue may be the Stones’ sparsest album, and songs like “Hot Stuff,” “Fool to Cry,” and “Memory Motel” make it one of their most overlooked records and, for me, probably their best-sounding one. Although Hackney Diamonds does sound pretty great.

# 9 – Takin’ It To The Streets (1976) – The Doobie Brothers

As we continue with this list, we move to 1976, when the Doobie Brothers released Takin’ It to the Streets. I remember placing this album on my turntable that year and being blown away by the sound of the guitars on “Wheels of Fortune.” Almost 50 years later, it still sounds as good. Released on March 19, 1976, the album marked a major shift in the band’s sound and lineup by bringing Michael McDonald into the group on vocals and keyboards while Tom Johnston reduced his role because of health problems.

Not everyone was happy with the change, and I still hear from readers who prefer the earlier version of the band. I loved what McDonald’s voice and soulfulness brought to the Doobie Brothers while the rock and roll foundation remained intact. The songs are great, the playing is phenomenal, and Ted Templeman’s production is a major reason this album has held up so well sonically.

# 8 – Over-Nite Sensation (1973) – Frank Zappa

Over-Nite Sensation by Frank Zappa (1995-04-18)

I have my old friend John Tabacco to thank for this one. John was in my music theory class in high school, and one day he invited me over to his house, put headphones on my head, and said, “Listen to this.” Hearing Over-Nite Sensation was one of those enlightening experiences that changes how you listen to music. We became good friends and still are to this day, and John went on to become an extraordinary musical artist with a remarkable catalog of his own.

Frank Zappa was always a pioneer, and the 1973 Over-Nite Sensation is a perfect example of the detail and imagination he brought to the studio. It was also the first Zappa album released in quadraphonic sound, another sign of how seriously he took the possibilities of recording technology. There may be later Zappa releases that sound even more technically refined, but there is something special about this record that has never left me.

Read More: John Tabacco.net

# 7 – Light Years – The Chick Corea Elektric Band

This is the album that opened my eyes, and of course my ears, to the sonic possibilities that the CD offered. It was the first time I really heard how wonderful digital audio could sound, so I am probably a little biased toward this particular release. Putting that bias aside, Light Years is still a phenomenal-sounding recording, with clarity that never seems to come at the expense of warmth or feel.

Released in 1987, Light Years was the second album by Chick Corea’s Elektric Band and featured the classic lineup of Corea on keyboards, Frank Gambale on guitar, John Patitucci on bass, Dave Weckl on drums, and Eric Marienthal on saxophone. Each musician brought a staggering level of technical ability and chemistry to the sessions. Corea’s compositions combine complex rhythms, melodic layers, synthesized textures, and virtuosic improvisation in a recording that remains, for me, one of the great demonstrations of what the CD era could sound like.

Read More: 10 Essential Chick Corea Albums

# 6 – Blue Matter – John Scofield

The point I made with Black and Blue comes front and center again on John Scofield’s Blue Matter. The sound of Dennis Chambers’ drums on this recording may be the most impactful drum sound I have ever heard on an album. It is so intense and so physical that it still blows my mind every time I put the CD into the player. I bought the vinyl later, and it sounds great too, although I still prefer the original CD.

Blue Matter was recorded in September 1986 and released in 1987. Scofield was joined by Dennis Chambers on drums, Gary Grainger on bass, Mitchel Forman on keyboards, Don Alias on percussion, and Hiram Bullock on rhythm guitar on “Blue Matter,” “Now She’s Blonde,” and “Make Me.” Steve Swallow produced the album, Joe Ferla recorded and mixed it, and Bob Ludwig mastered it at Masterdisk. If you don’t have this album, you’re missing out on one of the best-sounding recordings and most exciting fusion albums ever released.

# 5 – Songs In The Key Of Life – Stevie Wonder

This is about Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life album. I am not sure there has ever been another record that felt this massive when it arrived, both artistically and culturally. Rock and roll fans at the time, including myself, were probably too young to appreciate just how brilliant the recording was. Years later, it is impossible not to hear how much imagination, musical depth, and sonic power Wonder packed into it.

Released in 1976 as a double album with the four-song A Something’s Extra EP, the project was recorded across studios in California and New York. Stevie Wonder was the creative center of the album, writing or co-writing the material, producing it, and performing many of the instrumental parts, while also bringing in a large cast that included Nathan Watts, Greg Phillinganes, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Raymond Pounds, and many others. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart, and “I Wish” and “Sir Duke” both reached number one on the Hot 100. More important for this list, the record has enormous impact without sacrificing detail, and that balance still sounds remarkable.

Read More: Top 25 Stevie Wonder Songs

# 4 – Song For My Father – Horace Silver

Choosing Song for My Father by Horace Silver to represent the iconic sound of Blue Note Records was no easy task. The label’s catalog is filled with sonically beautiful recordings, but this album stands out for its warmth, clarity, and the influence of its title track, whose opening figure helped inspire Steely Dan’s “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder at his Englewood Cliffs studio and produced by Alfred Lion, the album gives every instrument enough room to breathe without losing the intimacy of the ensemble.

The six tracks on the original LP came from two sessions. Two pieces were recorded in October 1963 with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor saxophone, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums. Four more, including the title track, were recorded in October 1964 with Carmell Jones on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Teddy Smith on bass, and Roger Humphries on drums. Silver’s piano ties the two lineups together, and Van Gelder’s engineering captures the punch, space, and natural presence that made the classic Blue Note catalog so distinctive.

# 3 – …Nothing Like The Sun – Sting

I remember the day that a friend of mine and I walked into Jimmy LaLumia’s record store in Ronkonkoma, New York, to purchase the new Sting album. Jimmy was trying to explain why …Nothing Like the Sun was not quite the kind of single or double album configuration we were used to buying, and all I really remember is taking it home and being completely blown away by the sound. There was so much separation between the bass, guitars, drums, keyboards, and horns that it felt like the musicians were playing in the room. This was brilliant production.

Released in 1987, the album credits production work to Sting, Hugh Padgham, Neil Dorfsman, and Bryan Loren. Sting was joined by Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Manu Katché, Mino Cinelu, and other major players, with guest guitarists used brilliantly across the record. Andy Summers appears on “The Lazarus Heart,” Hiram Bullock plays on “Little Wing,” and Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, and Fareed Haque all contribute to “They Dance Alone.” The album reached number one in the United Kingdom and number nine on the Billboard 200, but for me its lasting achievement is the spacious, precise sound that still makes the original CD a reference recording.

# 2 – Aja – Steely Dan

Is there anything left to say about Aja that has not already been written over the past several decades? Since it landed in record stores in 1977, musicians and audiophiles have used it as a reference point for precision, arrangement, performance, and recording quality. What I am talking about here is the original release, not one of the countless later remasters or audiophile editions. The clarity and separation are extraordinary, and Steve Gadd’s performance on the title track remains one of the great drum performances in modern music.

Aja was recorded across multiple Los Angeles and New York studios, including Village Recorders, Producer’s Workshop, Warner Bros. Recording Studios, ABC Recording Studios, Sound Labs in Hollywood, and A&R Studios in New York. Gary Katz produced the album, while the engineering team included Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner, Bill Schnee, and Al Schmitt. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker drew on an extraordinary cast that included Wayne Shorter, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Steve Khan, Joe Sample, Chuck Rainey, Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, Rick Marotta, Ed Greene, Jim Keltner, and many others. The album reached number three on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical. To this day, Aja remains one of the greatest-sounding records I have ever heard.

# 1 – Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy – Elton John

Captain Fantastic & Brown Dirt Cowboy [CD]

Many people would argue that Aja deserves the number one spot on this list, and that is a pretty strong argument. But like I said in the introduction, these top 10 lists are always subjective, and much of that subjectivity comes from personal experience. Is there any art form more personal than music?

For me, there is just something extra special about Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Released in 1975, the album was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Colorado and produced by Gus Dudgeon. Elton John has continued to describe it as one of his favorite albums, and I have written many times about how strongly I feel about this record. The opening guitar sound of “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy,” the moment Nigel Olsson and the rest of the band enter after the first verse, and the way the group explodes into “Tower of Babel” are still thrilling to hear.

I’ve worked with many great drummers, and they all talk about the sound of Nigel Olsson’s drums. It is not only the microphones, engineers, or Gus Dudgeon’s production choices; the tuning and touch of the drummer are part of the sound too. This album wins for me in so many categories, from the packaging and artwork to Bernie Taupin’s lyrics, Elton’s melodies, the performances, and the recording itself. It is easily, at least for me, the best-sounding album of all time and quite possibly my favorite recording, period. So what are yours?