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I agree. Recordings not only don't do them justice, they don't have any similarity at all to how they sound. I recall standing in a field and a P-51 went by overhead, at minimum altitude and full throttle. If one hasn't heard that, one can never understand :-)

I must admit that I'd rather like to hear a BRM V16 as well...

Agreed on the Vulcan - having watched XH558's final flight, a low-altitude slow climb opening the throttles to max, the way the Olympus engines split the atmosphere behind the aircraft isn't just something you hear, it's something you feel. Definitely can't capture it on a recording. The fact that it set off about 20 car alarms at once is testament to its power!

I've heard the Vulcan fly a few times and it sounds as if the very air itself is screaming in complaint not the plane.

That's because it is. The Vulcan howl is "just" a resonance of air in the engine intakes. When it howls you know it's passing 90% throttle. :)