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What is the Stereo Image

This playlist is for all you audiophiles who love to hear sounds bouncing from ear to ear. You'll find songs with huge soundscapes and weird tricks that make you wonder how they did it.

Stereo imaging is the art of making music sound like it's coming from different places. It's what makes you feel like you're in the middle of a concert, surrounded by instruments and singers. Audio engineers use stereo imaging to play with your ears, by sending sounds to the left and right speakers at different volumes and angles. Sometimes they even make sounds go up and down and all around, just to mess with you.

Check out the playlist

How the Stereo Image can enhance a song:

Let's look into how some of the tracks are using stereo imaging as an effect to enhance and compliment the song.

The Flaming Lips - Race For The Prize

• Song Name: Race for the Prize
• Artist: The Flaming Lips
• Year: 1999
• Album: The Soft Bulletin

The original video is a timeless masterpiece but it's wonderful to hear the song in this live performance with The Colorado Symphony & André de Ridder. They really bring out the beauty and emotion of the music:

Race for the Prize tells the story of two scientists who are competing to find a cure for a disease but are willing to sacrifice their lives and families for the greater good. The song is within the neo-psychedelic genre and features lush orchestration and distorted drums.

The song uses stereo imaging to create a wide and dynamic soundstage, with different instruments and vocals panned across the left and right channels. The song also uses reverb and delay to add depth and surrealism to the mix. The recording complements the theme of scientific exploration and human compassion, as well as uses dynamic contrast to accentuate chaotic and serene moments.

The song is praised by critics and fans alike and was ranked as one of the best songs of the 90s by Pitchfork Media. The song is also a staple of the band's live performances, often featuring giant balloons and confetti.

Wichita Lineman (Remastered 2001)

• Song Name: Wichita Lineman
• Artist: Glen Campbell
• Year: 1968
• Album: Wichita Lineman

Wichita Lineman is a country-pop song that tells the tale of a heartbroken overworked telephone lineman who longs for his lover while fixing wires on the lonely plains of Kansas. The song was written by Jimmy Webb and produced by Al De Lory. The song features a rich orchestral arrangement and a distinctive guitar solo by Campbell.

Want to learn more about this song? Rick Beato has got you covered:

The song also uses stereo imaging to create a contrast between the sparse verses and the lush choruses, as well as to emphasize the isolation and longing of the narrator.

It was a huge hit for Campbell and is widely regarded as one of the best songs of all time, and has been covered by many artists such as Johnny Cash, R.E.M., and James Taylor.

David Bowie - Lazarus

• Song Name: Lazarus
• Artist: David Bowie
• Year: 2015
• Album: Blackstar

Lazarus is a jazz-rock song that was released as the second single from David Bowie's final studio album, Blackstar. The song was written by Bowie and produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti. The song features a haunting saxophone melody that will get stuck in your head.

This is a pretty amazing breakdown of this song. Leah Kardos goes into painstaking detail analyzing the song, the chords, and its inspirations:

The song also uses stereo imaging to create a dark and atmospheric sound, with Bowie's vocals moving from one channel to another. The dark atmosphere enhances the lyrical content and overall grim subject matter.

The song was inspired by Bowie's own impending death from cancer, and the lyrics and video of the song are seen as a self-epitaph and a farewell message to his fans.

Carpenters - Superstar

• Song Name: Superstar
• Artist: Carpenters
• Year: 1971
• Album: Carpenters

Obligatory Tommy Boy reference:

Superstar tells the story of a groupie who is in love with a rock star who has left her behind. The song is a soft rock song that was originally written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell, and popularized by The Carpenters. The song features Karen Carpenter's smooth and expressive vocals and Richard Carpenter's lush orchestral arrangement.

The song uses stereo imaging to create a warm and intimate sound, with Karen's voice panned slightly to the right and Richard's piano panned slightly to the left. The mix complements the theme of unrequited love and loneliness, as well as the contrast between the glamorous and mundane aspects of life.

The song was a huge hit for The Carpenters and is considered one of their signature songs. It has been covered by many artists such as Luther Vandross, Sonic Youth, and Usher.

Aphex Twin - Syro U473t8+E [141.98]

• Song Name: Syro U473t8+E [141.98]
• Artist: Aphex Twin
• Year: 2014
• Album: Syro

Aphex Twin is the kind of musician who makes you check under your bed before you sleep. And don't even get me started on the videos - they're nightmare fuel on steroids:

Syro U473t8+E is an electronic song that features a fast and complex rhythm and a distorted vocal sample. The song was written and produced by Richard D. James, also known as Aphex Twin. It was released as the ninth track from Syro, which was Aphex Twin's first studio album in 13 years! I remember my excitement when it came out.

The song uses stereo imaging to create a chaotic and immersive sound, with different sounds and effects panned across the left and right channels. The mix complements the implicit theme of almost all Aphex Twin music: the contrast between the organic and the synthetic elements.

The song was praised by critics and fans for its intricate and challenging sound. The song is considered one of Aphex Twin's most adventurous and creative songs, and similarly adventurous tracks from this album have been featured in some video games and TV shows.

Oneohtrix Point Never, (Sandy) Alex G - Babylon

• Song Name: Babylon
• Artist: Oneohtrix Point Never, (Sandy) Alex G
• Year: 2018
• Album: Love In The Time Of Lexapro [EP], Age Of (original version)

The entire album is worth checking out:

The song is a country ballad cover of Oneohtrix Point Never's own song that expresses a love-hate relationship with New York City, which is compared to the ancient city of Babylon. It features acoustic guitars, a soft synth melody and a whispered vocal sample by (Sandy) Alex G. The song was written and produced by Oneohtrix Point Never as a companion EP to the apocalyptic album “Age Of”.

The song uses stereo imaging to create a dreamy and nostalgic effect that is especially noteworthy in the bridge of the song. For most of the track, the synth and the voice are panned slightly to opposite channels but then the synth meanders dynamically around the stereo image during the bridge. The effect complements the theme of lost love and regret, as well as the contrast between the past nostalgia and the present loss. The bridge of the song uses the effect dramatically to take the listener to a heady dreamland.

The song was praised by critics and fans for its haunting and minimalist beauty.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand

• Song: Red Right Hand
• Artist: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Year: 1994
• Album: Let Love In

Obligatory Dumb and Dumber reference:

The song is a dark and ominous country ballad that depicts a mysterious and powerful figure who stalks the land and offers dubious deals to people. Nick Cave recorded the song with his band The Bad Seeds at Wessex Sound Studios in London, England, in 1993.

The song has a rich and immersive sonic landscape that draws the listener into its dark and mysterious world. There is a sense of space and contrast between different elements of the music, such as the low drone, the synth organ, the vocals, the drums, the guitar, the bass, and the prominent sound effects. The unique panning of these elements creates movement, contrast, depth, width, balance, and variety in the sound. The stereo imaging of the song complements the song by creating a feeling of unease, anticipation, dissonance, menace, and unpredictability that matches the mood and themes of the lyrics.

The song has been covered by various artists, such as:

• Snoop Dogg, who adopted the persona of "Snoop Shelby" and made a video inspired by the TV show Peaky Blinders, which uses the song as its theme.
• Arctic Monkeys, who performed the song live several times and recorded a studio version for their 2009 EP Crying Lightning.
• PJ Harvey, who collaborated with Nick Cave on several songs and albums and recorded the song for the fifth season of Peaky Blinders.

The Beatles - The End (Remastered 2009)

• Song: The End (Remastered 2009)
• Artist: The Beatles
• Year: 1969
• Album: Abbey Road

The song is the final track of Abbey Road and features a medley of solos from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

Jack Black and KG gave this track a whirl not too long ago. It's a pretty fun reimagining:

There are some other notable covers of The Beatles - The End, just like a lot of their tracks, some of them are from: Phil Collins and Neil Diamond.

The song uses balanced panning to create a sense of space and clarity between different elements of the music, such as the piano, guitar, vocals, drums, bass, and orchestral instruments. The stereo imaging of the song showcases the Beatles' recording techniques in this recording, such as using:

• automatic double tracking (ADT) to create a fuller and richer vocal sound.
• direct injection (DI) to record the bass guitar directly into the mixing console, bypassing the amplifier and microphone.
• tape loops and Varispeed to create the orchestral effects and timpani sounds.
• close miking and compression to capture the drum sound.
• overdubbing and editing to create a seamless transition between the solos.

Conclusion

This is a heck of a lot of music. I tried to include stuff from many different genres. Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to add the playlist on Spotify or Apple Music. I may update to include new tracks from time to time.

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