Introduction
Many modern CDs don't sound as good as older ones. That's not a comment on the quality of the songs themselves but on modern mastering preferences. This page is my attempt to audit a cross section of music in terms of how well it was recorded. Please read the methodology page on how the ratings work.
Album list
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1996 | CD | 60ft Dolls | The big 3 |
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1997 | CD | A | How Ace Are Buildings? |
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2002 | CD | A | Hi-Fi Serious |
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1997 | CD | Alabama 3 | Exile on Coldharbour Lane |
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2003 | CD | Alabama 3 | Last Train to Mashville Vol.2 |
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2004 | CD | Autamata | My Sanctuary |
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1996 | CD | Babybird | Ugly Beautiful |
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1989 | CD | The Beautiful South | Welcome To The Beautiful South |
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1990 | CD | The Beautiful South | Choke |
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1998 | CD | Belle and Sebastian | If you're feeling sinister |
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2006 | CD | Belle and Sebastian | The Life Pursuit |
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2010 | eMusic | Belle and Sebastian | Write About Love |
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1997 | CD | Bentley Rhythm Ace | Bentley Rhythm Ace |
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1977 | CD | Billy Joel | The Stranger |
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1993 | CD | The Boo Radleys | Giant Steps |
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1995 | CD | The Boo Radleys | Wake Up! |
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1998 | CD | The Boo Radleys | Kingsize |
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1996 | CD | Booth And The Bad Angel | Booth And The Bad Angel |
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1994 | CD | Carla Lother | 100 Lovers |
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2010 | eMusic | Darren Hayman and The Secondary Modern | Essex Arms |
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2011 | Amazon | Dear Winesburg | Light & Deft |
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2010 | CD | The Divine Comedy | Bang goes the knighthood |
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1997 | CD | Dory Previn | Mythical kings and iguanas/Reflections in a mud puddle |
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1995 | CD | Drugstore | Drugstore |
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1998 | CD | Drugstore | White Magic For Lovers |
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2001 | CD | Drugstore | Songs For The Jet Set |
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2011 | CD | Drugstore | Anatomy |
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2008 | eMusic | Edensong | The Fruit Fallen |
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2003 | CD | Electric Six | Fire |
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2009 | Bandcamp | Farriers | Coastlines EP |
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2002 | DVD | The Flaming Lips | Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (96/24 - 2 channel) |
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2002 | DVD | The Flaming Lips | Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (96/24 - 6 channel) |
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2002 | CD | The Flaming Lips | Yoshimi battles the pink robots |
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1996 | CD | Fluke | Atom Bomb |
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2006 | CD | The Fratellis | Costello Music |
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2005 | CD | Girlyman | Little Star |
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2004 | CD | The Go! Team | Thunder, Lightning, Strike |
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2007 | CD | The Go! Team | Proof of Youth |
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2009 | CD | God Help The Girl | God Help The Girl |
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2001 | CD | Gorillaz | Gorillaz |
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1994 | CD | Green Day | Basket case |
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1997 | CD | Green Day | Nimrod |
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1998 | CD | Hefner | Breaking God's heart |
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2000 | CD | Hefner | We love the city |
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2001 | CD | Hefner | Dead media |
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1997 | CD | Helen Love | Radio hits 2 |
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2009 | eMusic | Hella Cholla | You're The Kind Of Guy |
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1990 | CD | James | Gold Mother |
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1993 | CD | James | Laid |
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1997 | CD | James | Whiplash |
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1999 | CD | James | Millionaires |
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2006 | eMusic | Jarvis Cocker | Jarvis |
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2001 | CD | Jeffrey Lewis | The last time I did acid I went insane |
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2005 | CD | Jeffrey Lewis & Jack Lewis | City and Eastern songs |
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2000 | CD | John Otway and the Big Band | The set remains the same |
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2004 | CD | Johnny Boy | You are the generation that bought more shoes and you get what you deserve |
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2008 | CD | Johnny Flynn | A Larum |
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1999 | CD | Jurassic 5 | Jurassic 5 LP |
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1997 | CD | Kenickie | At the club |
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2008 | eMusic | Ladyhawke | Ladyhawke |
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2004 | CD | Ladytron | 604 |
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2000 | CD | Lemon Jelly | Lemonjelly.ky |
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2002 | CD | Lemon Jelly | Lost Horizons |
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1998 | CD | Lo-Fidelity Allstars | How to operate with a blown mind |
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2007 | eMusic | Lovers | Sleep With Heat |
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2003 | CD | MJ Hibbett and The Validators | This Is Not A Library |
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2006 | eMusic | Mando Diao | Ode To Ochrasy |
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2002 | eMusic | Noise For Pretend | Happy You Near |
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2007 | eMusic | Over The Rhine | The Trumpet Child |
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2009 | eMusic | Piney Gir | The Yearling |
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2010 | eMusic | The Piney Gir Country Roadshow | Jesus Wept |
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1996 | CD | Placebo | Placebo |
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2003 | CD | Pleasure | Pleasure |
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1994 | CD | Primal Scream | Give out but don't give up |
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1994 | CD | Pulp | His 'n' hers |
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2001 | CD | Pulp | We love life |
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2000 | CD | Queens of the Stone Age | Rated R |
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1991 | CD | Roxette | Joyride |
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1972 | CD | Roxy Music | Roxy Music |
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2009 | CD | Samson and Delilah | Samson and Delilah |
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2004 | CD | The Silent League | The orchestra, sadly, has refused |
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2007 | eMusic | Slow Club | Because We're Dead |
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2007 | eMusic | Slow Club | Me And You |
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2006 | CD | Solveig Slettahjell | Good rain |
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2003 | CD | Stellastarr* | Stellastarr* |
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2006 | CD | Stellastarr* | Harmonies For The Haunted |
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1994 | CD | Suede | Dog man star |
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2008 | CD | Sunday Driver | In the City of Dreadful Night |
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2008 | CD | Sunday Driver | The Gayatri Mantra & Rats |
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1996 | CD | Super Furry Animals | Fuzzy logic |
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1997 | CD | Super Furry Animals | Radiator |
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1987 | CD | Swing Out Sister | It's Better to Travel |
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2004 | eMusic | Swing Out Sister | Where Our Love Grows |
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1996 | CD | Tara MacLean | Silence |
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2007 | eMusic | Tara MacLean | Signs of Life |
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1994 | CD | Terrorvision | How to make friends and influence people |
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1996 | CD | Terrorvision | Regular Urban Survivors |
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1991 | CD | Tori Amos | Little Earthquakes |
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2004 | CD | Willy Mason | Where the humans eat |
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2010 | eMusic | revere | Hey! Selim |





