I've become infatuated lately with finding music which was recorded using unorthodox, or 'outside the box' methods, yet still proves to be commercially successful. My wife has been less than thrilled whenever I show her a new find which has blown my mind. So I thought if anybody else could appreciate these examples of stunning engineering/musicianship, it would be you guys. So here is a list of some noteworthy works and why I found them interesting. You are probably familiar with some of these.

The first is Bruce Springsteen's solo work Nebraska Many of you have probably read the story. Bruce asked to be set up with some gear at his home to record demos. A guitar tech came with a Tascam Portastudio 144, and a pair of sm57's with stands. After recording all the demos, Springsteen brought the recordings to the studio to record the songs with the E-Street Band. After the recordings with the band were finished, they didn't portray the mood and soul that Springsteen had intended. So instead, the band recordings were shelved and the home recorded demos were released. This album was recorded with no more than a simple consumer tape machine and two 57's. It's refreshing to know that content trumps all. Musicianship is everything. Engineering is truly second. Source

Next is another interesting story. This is the album Michigan by Sufjan Stevens The production of this album is rife with inexperience and genius problem solving. With the majority of the instruments played by himself (more than 12) this entire album was recorded using a couple 57's and a C1000s into a Roland digital 8 track. Exported into Pro Tools 2 tracks at a time using the 1/8 inch output and lined up by ear, then mixed on a pair of headphones! Not only that, but the entire album was recorded at 32 kHz to save space on the hard drive. And the result? Fantastic and beautiful. If we could all get off our butts and just record good music, in the end I think we'll find that the gear didn't really matter all that much. Source (Subscription is required to read full article, but the heading gives most of it away)

Fitz and The Tantrums: Songs for a Breakup: Vol 1 This EP like the others, was recorded at home with a single mic. The opening track 'Breakin the Chains of Love' was written and recorded with an organ Michael Fitzpatrick, founding member, found on the side of the road that same day. It was also recorded using Pro Tools LE 6 in the days of Pro Tools 9. More encouragement to just get off your tail and record with whatever gear you have. Source

Vintage Trouble: 1 Hopeful Rd. This album caught my eye the other day in a Reddit post of 5 tips from producer Don Was. He discussed his work with Vintage Trouble and how they were able to capture the energy and soul of the band's live performances. They did so using the classic technique of micing the room instead of the instruments. This album was recorded live using only 3 rented RCA 44's. 2 for the room and 1 for the singer. Source

This is another one I'm sure you've read about. Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago. This album almost came about accidentally. I guess unintentionally is a better word. Having a tough time in the Carolina's and going through a difficult breakup, Justin Vernon sought some isolation at a family cabin. While there, he wrote and recorded as a method of self-therapy. The results are songs filled with emotion and sincerity captured with a single 57 and an outdated version of Pro Tools. Source

This one is new. Thrill of The Arts by Vulfpeck. I don't know if I find this one encouraging or depressing, but it's impressive nonetheless. I find this one interesting because it was engineered and mixed solely by Jack Stratton, a founding member. I know it's not uncommon these days for the artist to record and mix their own projects, but I find it impressive when done by people who wouldn't even consider it their first hobby (as I'm sure most musicians wouldn't). Especially when the result is so clean and funky. All I'm saying is that this album sounds great! Maybe it's a little depressing that I don't even think I could do as well as this guy who probably isn't even interested in doing this full time. Maybe i'm making a lot a assumptions. But it sounds great. Source

To sum it up, I find these albums inspiring because they prove that the source is what matters. While I could spend all day every day reading gear reviews and planning my next purchases, the gear I have is more than adequate to produce platinum records because it's not the engineering that sells a record. Just get it right at the source! ;)

Forgive me for sounding preachy!

What are some other albums that inspire you as an engineer?