what are the best 80's recordings?

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#21
The 80s were divided almost in half by the CD. LPs and cassettes dominated the first half, and CDs and cassettes dominated the second.

A lot of early CDs weren't remastered at all. In fact, some were pressed with the RIAA EQ curve still intact or pressed from the cassette master with Dolby B compression. Record companies were simply getting CDs to market as fast as they could as the CD revolution took hold. There were some exceptions however, many of which have already been mentioned in this thread.

Spyro Gyra's Alternating Currents was one of the first CDs that I bought. I still play it, and it still sounds great. MCA was one of the record companies that understood CD mastering / remastering. I have some 80s classical CDs by MCA that are excellent as well.

Another of my early CDs was Windham Hill's Sampler '86. It's another CD that I still have and play because of its excellent mastering and remastering. I also remember it being used as a demo CD in many audio shops.
 
#25
AstroZon said:
The 80s were divided almost in half by the CD. LPs and cassettes dominated the first half, and CDs and cassettes dominated the second.

A lot of early CDs weren't remastered at all. In fact, some were pressed with the RIAA EQ curve still intact or pressed from the cassette master with Dolby B compression. Record companies were simply getting CDs to market as fast as they could as the CD revolution took hold. There were some exceptions however, many of which have already been mentioned in this thread.
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I watched The rise and fall of Tower Records lately they touch on those points you bring up in it. Other locals will remember this place https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_the_Record_Man
 
#26
dischoe said:
I watched The rise and fall of Tower Records lately they touch on those points you bring up in it.
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Ah, Tower Records. Brings back fond memories. Bought most (if not all) of my vinyl from them. I was saddened when they closed the Anaheim location long before the complete closure - I could still trek up to Sunset though, but it was a hassle. We do have many small vinyl/CD places in SoCal and the Mega store Amoeba in Hollywood.
 
#29
nania said:
Huey Lewis made some great recordings too.
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Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost.

BTW I have to return some video tapes.
 
#31
infinia
Yes its true, before "Sports" the recordings were not so good. One of my reference recordings is "Plan B" so he definitely learned how to lay tracks as he went forward. The same can be said of Elvis Costello. "Punch the Clock" starts the era of hifi recordings from him. There are some bright spots before this album but Punch the Clock is a definite escalation in quality. The Queen treatment of Flash Gordon is sonically interested but the whole Bob James catalog in the 80's was great.
 
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