Question of the Week: What’s the best-produced album of all-time?

Local Spins’ Question of the Week (Feb. 16, 2022)

What’s the best-produced album of all-time?

The winner in last week’s drawing of email subscribers who responded to our question of the week was reader Paul Kissel. To be placed in a drawing for a Local Spins gift pack, sign up for email updates and the weekly newsletter here: https://localspins.com/subscribe-local-spins-mailing-list/

THE READER RESPONSES:

Mark Emery – The Best? Omg how can I answer that question? So many it hurts my brain trying to pick just one. Also how am I listening to said best-produced album? Technology has evolved as master and engineering. I can’t do it! I will say if you want a sonic treat check out TOOL “Fear Inoculum” mastering for the vinyl release. Chris Bellman nailed it.

Timmy Rodriguez – Hands down. “Abbey Road” by The Beatles. That tops every music list there is for me. But beyond that, “Emotionalism” by Avett Brothers, and I’m also a huge fan of the Jeff Lynne produced albums for Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and George Harrison.

Steve Sly – Lots of good suggestions already that I would agree with, but one that I have not seen mentioned is Steely Dan’s “Aja” album. Even today listening with headphones or on a good stereo system, it sounds amazing.

Josh Wilson – I double “Pet Sounds”/Brian Wilson

Paul Kissel – Rush, “Moving Pictures.”

Michael J Vizard – “Electric Ladyland” on headphones and something else…

Howard Wilson – “Breakfast in America”

Jim Versluis – “Voodoo”

Angel Christman – Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” album

Mike Metchikoff – “Brothers In Arms” by Dire Straits came to mind immediately.

Greg Baxter – Roxy Music’s “Avalon” has to be way up the list. It’s 40+ years old and still sounds great. Bob Clearmountain nailed it.

James Barry – Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ “Into the Great Wide Open” is my selection. Tom and the band never “sounded” better. To me, this is his” Abbey Road,” it just has a sheen to it.
Lurinda Aley – CSN&Y “Déjà Vu”

Michael Larry Hamm – The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds”

Brian Haik – Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”

Eric Brown – “Bat Out of Hell.” Produced by Todd Rundgren. Or anything else produced by him. Or Alan Parsons.

Michael J Vizard – “Electric Ladyland’ on headphones gets my vote…

Jim Starkey – “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

A.p. Van Portfliet – I’ll submit Yes: “Close To The Edge.” Eddie Offord is the man!

John Sinkevics – No. 1 on my list is Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (produced by the duo and Roy Halee), an absolutely masterfully produced and arranged collection. Also on my list: Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” (and “Wish You Were Here”), The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (producer Gus Dudgeon is so-o-o underrated), Supertramp’s “Breakfast in America.”

Jay Farquharson – All great choices John!

Jeremy Ensley – “Pet Sounds”

James Markus – “Abraxas,” Santana

Chad Michael Wedeven – “Odyssey & Oracle” by the Zombies; “It’s Heavy In Here” by Eric Matthews, “Tapestry” by Carole King

Kim Clapham – “Tapestry”
John Wenger – Well-produced albums sound even better on the DVD-Audio releases. America – “America,” and The Grateful Dead – “American Beauty” sparkle on DVD. And now, people are even remixing some of these songs in Dolby Atmos! It may be time to upgrade my home theater.

Kevin Murphy – ABC – “The Lexicon of Love,” De La Soul “3 Feet High and Rising”, Wu-Tang “36 Chambers”, and Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique” (as already mentioned by Ryan K Wilson ) were all groundbreaking and genre redefining. Ry Cooder’s work on “Buena Vista Social Club” was like George Martin and David Attenborough teaming up on an ethnomusicology concept project.

Steve Quick -‘What Up Dog’ by Was/Not Was. Don Was produced it so well, a bunch of artists had him producing their projects. Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones, etc.

Dino Mor – “Boston.” Produced, arranged and engineered seemingly perfect! I’ve yet to hear another album (especially a debut) sound this good.

Thomas Leonard Saxe – Dino Mor: Right? Guess that MIT degree paid off if you can get that out of, essentially, two guys.

Mike Metchikoff – In addition to the ones you mentioned John Sinkevics, “Brothers In Arms” by Dire Straits came to mind immediately.

Steve Kelso – “Pet Sounds” is worth a mention. “In Utero” and “OK Computer” also come to mind.

Don Bidell – “Dark Side” and “Abbey Road” are right up there

Nick Washburn – Ha, “Pet Sounds” is what I was gonna say! Or like ZZ Top, “Eliminator.” Super well-produced.

Daniel P Hudelson – “Nightfly” – Donald Fagen; “Aja” – Steely Dan; “Riding High” – Robert Palmer; “Time Goes By” – Bryan Ferry; “Twelve Dreams of Doctor Sardonicus” – Spirit

Justin Stover – Third Eye Blind’s debut. I could care less about most of the band’s later output, but I think their debut is perfect.

Rodger Bliss – I agree it was a superbly produced album and one of the best with incredibly well written songs (and definitely a personal favorite as I still have it in shuffle play), but, with the question being about the “best-produced album,” I would have to choose Yes’ “Close to the Edge” as the best. Eddie Offord and the band really pulled a rabbit out of the hat with that one.

Stephen Aldrich – “Revolver.” It’s the spring of 1966, for gawd’s sake!

Barry Bazza Crawford – Stephen Aldrich: Received my copy of “Revolver” in Cu Chi Vietnam. Gather round the close and play boys!

Wile Preston – Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”

G. Kendall Kiel – “Graceland.”

Lee Chase – Gene Clark – “No Other,” Emmylou Harris – “Luxury Liner,” and of course, “Dark Side,” “Abbey Road,” “Houses of the Holy,” more…

William Hahs – I think King Crimson’s “Discipline.” There are just too many well-produced albums to make that list. REM’s “Life’s Rich Pageant,” Joe Jackson’s “Look Sharp,” Procol Harum’s “Live in Edmonton.” Several Pink Floyd LPs.
Brad Hastings – Pink Floyd – “Animals”; Steely Dan – “Aja”; Yes – “Fragile”

Hans Voss – Neil Young’s “Tonight’s the Night”

Mike Dodge – There are plenty of classic engineered albums but production wise, I always thought Madonna’s “Immaculate Collection” was the epitome of flawless. It was always my go to for tuning in PAs.

Scott Stefanski – “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Aja,” “The Nightfly,” “Moving Pictures,” “Completion Backward Principle,” “A Night at the Opera,” “Nevermind,” “Master of Puppets.” I’m thinking in terms of sound production, mix and EQ, etc.

Phil Tower – Excellent selections, John!
Ryan K Wilson – In addition to your great picks John, I would add these: 1. Beastie Boys “Paul’s Boutique”; 2. Flaming Lips “Yoshime Battles the Pink Robots”; 3. Wilco “Sky Blue Sky”

David Winick – Gary Katz, who produced the Steely Dan album, “Aja.”

Rockford Seth – Your list is spot on, John

Matt Kerwin – “I Robot” from Alan Parsons is up there for me. “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” by Genesis. “Royal Scam” from Steely Dan. “Hemispheres” from Rush.

Don Clapham – For me, it’s a two-way tie between “Dark Side of the Moon,” produced by Pink Floyd and “Abbey Road,” produced by George Martin. Significantly, both albums were engineered by Alan Parsons.

Mark Lamm – “Eye In The Sky” – Alan Parsons

Pennie Spence – Hands down: JELLYFISH – “Spilt Milk”

Charley VanPortfliet – “Boingo” (1994) by Oingo Boingo. “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys.

Michael Van Denend – “Sgt. Pepper,” Beatles. “Born to Run,” Bruce Springsteen. Miles Davis, “Kind of Blue.”

Jim Leitch – For its time, I’d have to say “Revolver.” For something more recent, King Crimson’s “The Power to Believe” is monumental.

Pattrick Yockey – “Hotel California.”

Timmy Lee Vandyke – “Sgt.Pepper” (The Beatles), “Let it Bleed” (The Stones), “Axis Bold as Love” (Hendrix)

Thomas Leonard Saxe – I thought Todd Rundgren did a great job with XTC on “Skylarking” but it’s really difficult to vote against Alan Parsons’ work on “Dark Side of the Moon.”

Dean Madonia – “The Shaming Of The True” by Kevin Gilbert

Matt Kerwin – Joni Mitchell – “Blue”; Jethro Tull –“ Stand Up”; Steve Miller – “Fly Like An Eagle”; Stevie Wonder – “Songs in the Key of Life”; Television – “Marquee Moon”; Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”; The Clash – “London Calling”; Carole King – “Tapestry”

Vanessa Clark – Mary J Blige, “My Life”; Bjork “VESPERTINE”

Paul Wyatt – I love anything produced by Daniel Lanois. I’ll take “Oh Mercy” by Dylan.

Steve Rivers – I would throw these into the nix: Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen, Reckless by Bryan Adams, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, and Whats the Story Morning Glory by Oasis.

David Burns – “Close to the Edge,” Yes (1972)

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