Normally, I never post much about my personal experiences with music I listen too. Just seems music choice is a personal taste and my tastes range from AC/DC to Dave Brubeck, to Bach. But I just have to share one of those moments where the music really grabs your attention makes you thank God you can enjoy listening to music.

The other day scanning the local used record shop I came across a near mint copy of a Harry James recording on Sheffield Labs. The album was "Still Harry after all These Years". I've got a RTR copy of his King James Version album that I recorded years ago from a CD remaster so I'm familiar with his music and history. By the way I love that album, but I wasn't so sure about this one and I've never heard an LP version, just the CD version from a master tape.
Anyway, I grabbed the album and headed back to work excited to spin it later that evening.

Well that night I cranked up the TT and sat back with my AKG 240 headphones and took a listen to my new album. I have one word for it,,, Amazing!!!! Listening to an album like that really is a treat, the recording seems so natural, I felt I could close my eyes and envision exactly where the performers were. The dynamics of the music were so real that I just don't have words for it. I'm not much for Audiophile technical descriptions :)

I know most of these recording are close to 30 years old, but are there any newer Labels that produce albums with as much care as Sheffield did? Or any recommend albums that strike a chord with the listener, the kind that gives goose bumps while listening to it. Also what became of Sheffield Labs?

- Mike

Those are direct to disc LP's. AFAIK no-one's making direct to disc records at this point. Crystal Clear was another producer of outstanding quality direct to discs. As you probably know, the musical/performance quality of these unabashedly 'audiophile' LP's varied greatly :-)

Sheffield Labs survived into the digital era and was (maybe still is) well-known for test CD's of various kinds.

http://www.regnar.com/Sheffield%20Recordings.htm

Oh, yeah, "The King James Version"...I got that one when I got my 1st REAL "system" back in '77. Actually, my dad got it-he-uhh, kinda "helped" a bit, but I loved it.

Sheffield Labs

I have a direct-to-disc Lp of Harry James' Comin' From A Good Place which is the companion piece to King James Version. Both were recorded on July 29 & 30, 1976.

I haven't played the album in awhile but I do remember being very impressed with the sound quality.

I have a couple of D2D recordings. Some excellent, some are OK. Honestly the best recording I've heard this far (from a natural sound standpoint), is the Glenn Miller D2D. It sounds like the instruments are IN the room. I highly recommend it.

If you like Bluegrass, look up the SL album, Confederation, Larry McNeely. GREAT DD!