Some records are better than others when it comes to finding out just how good your turntable can sound. And, obviously, some records come with better songs on them. Here we have compiled a list of vinyl albums that, to us, manage the by no means common feat of ticking both boxes: great sound, great tunes. No doubt you have your own favourites, but these albums have proved invaluable in the What Hi-Fi? listening rooms over the years when reviewing countless turntables, delivering tests of detail, timing, treble, bass and more.
Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours (1955)
A failed suicide attempt, a divorce and the messy end of his most significant extra-marital affair brought Frank Sinatra to the point where only a magnificently unhappy album about loneliness, failure, isolation and depression would do. It's possible that this is where the concept album' originated.
Lushly arranged by Nelson Riddle, In The Wee Small Hours has the sort of vocal eloquence and immediacy that can make the hair on your head stand to attention. Never has one man's loneliness and vanishing sense of self-worth sounded so compelling or so lavish, or so at odds with the vivid orchestration from which it cries.
Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Between 1950 and 1960, Charlie Mingus released at least 23 albums. But it's Mingus Ah Um -packed with compositions written for or about Mingus's musical heroes, such as Lester Young and Duke Ellington - that is the most consistently dazzling.
この記事は What Hi-Fi UK の August 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は What Hi-Fi UK の August 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
YG Acoustics Carmel 3
\"These speakers thump out low notes with real venom and a scarcely believable amount of muscle\"
SME Model 20 Mk 2/Series V
EXPENSIVE, YES. BUT YOU KNOW YOU WANT THEM
STARRING PARTNERS
Each of the elements in our selection of AV systems puts in a performance worthy of top billing
MATCH FIT
Our ten recommended hi-fi systems are guaranteed to play together beautifully
CAN MINI LED BEAT OLED IN 2024?
2024 was meant to be a big year for Mini LED TVs, but all the signs suggest OLED's dominance isn't going anywhere
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Samsung's latest foldable smartphone is a portable AV delight
JBL Live Beam 3
Fancy some buds with a difference? Try these
Triangle Capella
Neat and talented but not quite a rounded package
Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air
Sometimes little goes a long, long way
Hisense U8N (65U8N)
Hisense's latest premium Mini LED TV takes the fight to OLED with mixed results