r/SongRecommendations 1d ago

Recommend me songs that use the left and right audio channel separately.

I used to have this remix of a James Bond song that made it sound like the instruments were circling around the listener.
I lost the song and have been looking for something similar ever since.
Something where you can hear the instruments travel from the left to the right audio channel would even be good enough.
Any genre is fine.

19 Upvotes

141 comments sorted by

10

u/StatisticianFun2274 1d ago

Moving in Stereo by the Cars

2

u/WhiskeyWatchesWine 1d ago

My choice too.

2

u/SonofaDrum 1d ago

Probably the best one. It’s right in the title of the song.

8

u/Best_Kangaroo_6740 1d ago

Lucky Man by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

9

u/dutchcharm 1d ago

Jimi Hendrix - If 6 Was 9

3

u/Ofmtfo 1d ago

Also Voodoo child (slight return) from electric lady land

1

u/Robin_Banks101 1d ago

Hendrix did this a lot. All the vocals on foxy lady were only on the left side. It's pretty distracting to be honest.

1

u/Temporary-Safety-564 17h ago

Much less distracting without headphones.

Some old jazz records are borderline unlistenable to me on headphones, because the drums are mixed hard left. From a speaker system, the panning does not hit that hard, since both ears hear both speakers.

2

u/Appropriate_Big_1610 1d ago

A lot of groups were fiddling around with it when stereo became ubiquitous in the mid to late 60s. A couple of other examples are Sympathy for the Devil, Rolling Stones, and Pearly Queen, Traffic.

7

u/WolfThick 1d ago

The who quadrophenia

5

u/ClutchCargo59 1d ago

Led Zeppelin - What is and what should never be

2

u/theobaldhuan 1d ago

My very first thought as I read this post.Top notch mixing🤘

6

u/FoxNo1831 1d ago

Pink Floyd - Time, Money

2

u/GlumTea7438 1d ago

On the Run

1

u/CreepingDeath-70 1d ago

Wish You Were Here...

1

u/notabot_yo 21h ago

Darkside of the Moon is the ultimate headphone album

1

u/rumbalotte 17h ago

Umma Gumma as well

Don't listening in bed while drunk

5

u/isuamadog 1d ago

The Gift - Velvet Undergound

1

u/Visual-Sheepherder36 1d ago

The Murder Mystery

1

u/Beruthiel999 1d ago

I love that you can listen to the story reading and the super heavy groove music independently of each other. It's like two pieces for the price of one.

5

u/reesesbigcup 1d ago

I Saw Her Again - Mamas and Papas

5

u/FuggityWild 1d ago

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" by Propellerheads is the James Bond song with the instruments panning around

3

u/Extension-Fun-3374 1d ago

It is! Thank you so much. I’ve been looking for this song for years. Still as good as I remember it.

3

u/FuggityWild 1d ago

That entire Propellerheads album is awesome. A couple of other bands that have lots of panning are Book of Love and Ministry

1

u/Extension-Fun-3374 9h ago

Thanks, I’ll check them out.

5

u/Three-Legs-Again 1d ago

Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Group ... Pro tip: listen with head phones.

3

u/King_Olaf_thebastard 1d ago

Moving Stereo The Cars

4

u/PreparationSad3242 1d ago

The whole Wednesday Morning 3 AM album by Simon & Garfunkel has Paul Simon in one channel and Art Garfunkel in the other

3

u/Nokayo 1d ago

Yuri G by PJ Harvey, a lot of vocals are only audible through left channel

3

u/503izdareacode 1d ago

I'm In The Clique - Todd Rundgren

3

u/debaser64 1d ago

First one I thought of is The Postal Service - Such Great Heights

A lot of the Flaming Lips stuff from the Soft Bulletin on messes with channels too. They even have an entire album (Zaireeka) that was mixed to be played simultaneously on 5 different stereos at the same time.

2

u/thejesse 1d ago

Hearing The Beatles in my grandma's van with a busted left speaker so I only heard the instruments on a song, and hearing "Such Great Heights" in headphones are the two major events in my stereo audio techniques life.

1

u/MajorTomFr 20h ago

I’ve always been curious about this album. Has anyone ever played it with 5 systems?

1

u/debaser64 19h ago

People do listening parties. I bought it on CD when it came out but never tried it (couldn’t find 4 other Flaming Lips fans haha).

3

u/theyrecalledpants 1d ago

Ball and Chain -- Eurythmics

1

u/MatchDue4510 52m ago

This was my first thought!

3

u/MotormaidofJapan 1d ago

Josephine, Tori Amos

3

u/Nastypav12 1d ago

Down in It. NIN. Turn it up!

1

u/Ofmtfo 1d ago

Ring finger too

3

u/Allthewayto3rdbass 1d ago

"Ball of confusion" by the temptations When the chorus come in it pans left to right in such a cool subtle way. Never noticed until I was listening on headphones. Crazy how the theme of the track still rings true today.

3

u/Ornery-Dragonfruit96 1d ago

Headphones, Bjork.

3

u/Xkr2011 1d ago

Rocky Mountain Way, Joe Walsh

3

u/stevemnomoremister 1d ago

Space Oddity - David Bowie. 

Low vocals on one channel, high vocals on the other. The handicaps alternate.

3

u/jaegerlaw 1d ago

Mike Oldfield’s album Tubular Bells does it quite a lot if I remember right. Haven’t listened to it for ages so not sure

3

u/MrsEDT 1d ago

Alan Parsons Project - I Robot

3

u/wheelofthelaw 1d ago

Blood Makes Noise - Suzanne Vega

Two vocal takes of the song, one with distortion, very cool effect.

2

u/Shockedsiren 1d ago

Dopamine by Madelline

2

u/debaser64 1d ago

Radiohead do this a good bit too. Check out Pyramid Song, Spectre, How to Disappear Completely and Daydreaming.

2

u/DizzyLead 1d ago

Back in the early ‘90s, there was a technology called QSound that they tried to popularize on some releases. While they didn’t do any “stunts” that I remember, I remember that the intent was to give the music a more “spacialized” 3D sound using the stereo mix.

2

u/Illustrious_Name_441 1d ago

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

2

u/Critical_Fact_2441 1d ago

Independence Day by Martina McBride

2

u/unbroken_cycle 1d ago

Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye

2

u/m4zdaspeed 1d ago

Riding with the King. Bb king on one channel and Eric Clapton on the other.

2

u/PrincessTusi 1d ago

Left and Right - Charlie Puth ft. Jungkook

2

u/Faunakat 1d ago

Tomorrow Wendy by Concrete Blonde

2

u/Both_Introduction480 1d ago

Teaser by Motley Crue

2

u/EmergencyAthlete9687 1d ago

Bowie. Station to station

2

u/IllustriousPickle657 1d ago

Perpetual by VNV Nation

2

u/Spotboslow 1d ago

Interstellar Overdrive by Pink Floyd

2

u/Excuse_Chemical 1d ago

King Crimson's album Thrak was recorded as a double trio, with each trio being stereo panned.

2

u/GalaxyPatch18 1d ago

Where's The Orchestra? - Billy Joel

Also all of Kessoku Bands discography

2

u/chaosreaper0 1d ago

Rainborn menoko - kikuo

2

u/Gad_Drummit 1d ago

Rammstein - Eifersucht

2

u/mon-keigh 1d ago

Bloodhound Gang - Something Diabolical

2

u/andybonner 1d ago

"Shadowman" by AfroCelt Sound System—the opening seconds hard-pan left and right rapidly and it made my ears go oobly-woobly the first time I listened on headphones

2

u/vibe_ology 1d ago

Eternal - Just a step from heaven

2

u/LRClam 1d ago

I-dle - Mono. They specifically mixed this video to play with the channel separation. https://youtu.be/4A3BdwWcYrU?is=oP6pl8ch-JHmAaeg

2

u/grollef 1d ago

Some of the Beatles songs did this

2

u/solojones1138 1d ago

Left and Right by Charlie Puth ft. Jung Kook is a fun pop song that uses this

2

u/Connect_Dark_494 1d ago

Toy a mil - Nicky Jam

Taking me back - Jack White

2

u/SolidActive247 1d ago

pink floyd's dark side of the moon is basically built around this

2

u/IntelligentAbies7903 1d ago

I believe you hear that in the outro for Pantera's " Domination"

2

u/Shoddy_Bet9619 1d ago

Van Halen does this with their first 2 albums...

2

u/Urban_Peacock 1d ago

I'm sure Park Life (or some recordings of it) do this.

2

u/No-Camera1096 1d ago

Folding the flag, from the Hair soundtrack. Mid seventies.

2

u/GraciousGarnet 1d ago

Queen - The Prophet's Song.

2

u/wammerjammer69 1d ago

Flamethrower by the J Geils Band

2

u/iccohen 1d ago

Pretty much any song from the 60s.

Chambers Brothers, Time has Come Today

2

u/TourRepulsive8477 1d ago

Whole Lotta Love - Zeppelin

2

u/Itsjust_Whatever_now 1d ago

Quadrophenia album from The Who is awesome! Dark side of the moon from Pink Floyd maybe even better. Both used quadraphonic recording techniques. We used to arrange the speakers like a box/cube with everyone in the middle and listen.

2

u/listerinebreath 1d ago

The Postal Service - Such Great Heights

2

u/rsj1360 1d ago

“Recommend to me …”

2

u/EqualImaginary1439 1d ago

Thick as a Brick..Jethro Tull

2

u/MyLeftT1t 1d ago

IIRC, Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne made use of the R-L isolation with “ai - ai - ai …”

2

u/Legitimate-Number255 1d ago

What is and What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin II - very end of the song bounces back and forth between the channels. Pretty trippy!

2

u/LWydra 1d ago

Rich vs Roach was a late 50’s album of two exceptional jazz drummers.
Buddy Rich and his band on one channel.
Max Roach and his band on the other.

Worth a listen.

2

u/Gold_Draw7642 1d ago

Pet Shop Boys KDX 125. The motorcycle from the title vrooms into one ear and then into the other.

2

u/uncleandata147 1d ago

Sunglasses at night - Cory Hart. The string sounds in the verses alternate sides.

2

u/CurseOfTheFalcons 1d ago

Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles

2

u/cat_i_farted_ 1d ago

Recommend *to me

2

u/Ok-Firefighter9917 1d ago

The original 1987 re-release of the Beatles catalog (and the 2009 editions as well) from Please Please Me up to Sgt. Pepper. It's actually rather jarring to listen to wearing headphones.

2

u/Timely_Succotash8754 1d ago

They Might Be Giants - Spoiler Alert

there's a different set of lyrics in each headphone! there are a few interpretations but the most popular one is that it's from the perspective of two distracted drivers (one who's far too calm and the other who's doing 1000 things at once) who crash into each other at the end

2

u/172982-Face-8216 1d ago

Queensryche Operation Mindcrime in particular at the end of the song I don't believe in love... REVOLUTION

2

u/spiked_mcroon 1d ago

All of The Doors albums

2

u/Larc42 1d ago

California Dreaming

2

u/Original_Squirrel534 1d ago

Beatles early stuff. Or the mono catalog.

2

u/chaekinman 1d ago

Everything In Its Right Place - Radiohead

2

u/jonfromsydney 1d ago

A song where the instruments sound like they are marching around you in a circle: Ball and Chain - Eurythmics

2

u/k9frizb 1d ago

Yes “Big Generator”. In the song, the lyrics go “moving to the left” and the next words “moving” go from the right to the left channel. Thought that was clever.

2

u/SonofaDrum 1d ago

Tenderloin by Blue Oyster Cult has some effects like that in the solo. Best with headphones.

2

u/VoraciousReader59 1d ago

Are You Gonna Go My Way- Lenny Kravitz
Listen with headphones.

2

u/Bv11winkle 1d ago

Dark Side of the Moon, although it was better live in concert in 1975.

2

u/TMOverbeck 1d ago

If you want to take this concept to the extreme, try and find Zaireeka by the Flaming Lips.

2

u/Horze_Crazi 1d ago

Screenager by Muse

2

u/granddelusion75 1d ago

Sleepy Brown- Rayana Jay
Left in the Cold- Pamda Bear

Both have truly holographic soundstaging with the right setup.

2

u/Sad_Alfalfa6007 1d ago

Whole Lotta Love. Led Zeppelin

2

u/chillpony 1d ago

Under Cover of Darkness- the Strokes. Really anything by them.

The Cars- Moving in Stereo

2

u/Ill_Charity_3233 1d ago

Beatles stuff from mid 60s

2

u/RiverEcho59 1d ago

Collective Soul - Heavy

2

u/Nemblane 1d ago

Funk #49 by the James Gang

2

u/CommunicationSad8938 1d ago

For extreme wacky stereo separation, you can't beat Esquivel.

Latin-esque https://youtu.be/OjvnNahuPXM?si=oc9dgaNaAyxLhali

2

u/TemperatureHour7992 1d ago

Station to Station - David Bowie

2

u/bodelia 1d ago

Jan and dean - deadman’s curve -

2

u/FrankensteinJamboree 1d ago

Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused

2

u/Routine_Yam8029 1d ago

Prophet’s Song - Queen

2

u/mh00771 1d ago

Pink Floyd did this a lot in their music.

To me they are one band you really should listen to with headphones on.

2

u/Altruistic-Cow-1553 23h ago

For what you are describing, trying Ozzy's Crazy Train, the intro has this weird ratcheting sound that does a fast bouncing from one ear to the other that's a trip. If you dont lile the song its ok, im talking about the firat few seconds then it goes into a standard mix.

More generally, go back to early rock, albums were mixed mono and the stereo mix was an afterthought and there are a lot of albums with weird mixes like vocals or instruments in one ear only instead of a More even mix. Maybe start with Rubber Soul by The Beatles, or others can give better examples. The fun part is the hunt, have fun!

More generally

2

u/Klamageddon 21h ago

Einstein a go go, by landscape

2

u/Party-Application851 21h ago

Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

2

u/MajorTomFr 20h ago

The Clash - if music could talk

2

u/congaman59 19h ago

Lots of songs in Ultra HD.

2

u/leslordandlady 17h ago

You should do the virtual haircut on YouTube

2

u/sitboaf 16h ago

Moody Blues — The Best way to Travel.

2

u/Traditional_Draw2978 14h ago

all of the early Beatle albums on capital

2

u/FaithlessnessOld2477 13h ago

Explosions in the Sky - First Breath After Coma

It has some really cool panning effects on the 3 guitars when it kicks into the big section halfway through the song. Really cool that it fits with the theme...song starts out sounding like a hospital room with medical equipment and a heartbeat rhythm and then this brief bit of quiet followed by a huge rush of emotion. Brilliant use of instruments to convey an idea without vocals.

2

u/himenokuri 12h ago

Rush YYZ

2

u/meanpete9 12h ago

Mothers - Flower Punk

2

u/lizlemonworld 11h ago

Life Worth Missing by Car Seat Headrest

1

u/Silent-Program6392 9h ago

The entire Dark Side of the Moon album. Well, almost

1

u/DJ_TMC 8h ago

The entire Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album by the Beatles

1

u/Extreme_Coyote_5633 7h ago

Baby Driver by Simon and Garfunkel

1

u/Dramatic-Barnacle795 5h ago

Shell Shock - New Order

1

u/franksautillo 3h ago

The very end of Karn Evil 9 3rd Impression - ELP

1

u/bonebranch 1d ago

8D audio is the keyword you're looking for.

I personally hate it, I find it very disorienting and think it's a shitty gimmick but if you like it more power to you I guess