Best LPs to Test Turntables

With respect, I think some of you guys are missing the point of the question.  He is auditioning turntables.  Not cartridges, not arms, not entire audio systems; turntables.  

Apart from speed constancy, which you addressed @frogman, it is hard to isolate what the turntable is doing in a system, leaving aside variables in arms and cartridges (a subject that was recently addressed in another thread about how people can ’hear’ a turntable in a ’drive by’ listening session without also taking those other variables, including the system, into account).
My go to, to start, is Janis Ian’s Between the Lines, standard issue Columbia pressing- it has female voice, real horns and strings, plus electric instruments and a range of styles, to give me a sense of sound. But, I would also use other records to compare- and none of them audiophile spectacular type albums- i'm more interested in what the front end brings out in a ’nothing special’ pressing- though some of those mentioned, like the early Vertigos of Sabbath per @atmasphere are impressive on a good system.

I completely agree that “audiophile spectacular type albums” are not always the best choice, @whart. I too often use records that might be considered average in the ear candy department, but that are great musical performances. I find that in an unfamiliar system the spectacular aspect of “sonic spectaculars” can actually be a distraction. But, I think that the impact of “speed constancy”, or lack thereof, is seriously underestimated by many. Way before the issue is perceived as obviously poor speed constancy the rhythmic feel of the performance is being impacted in a negative way.  

I was auditioning cartridges yesterday and I used the the first minute or so of "Time" from Dark Side of the Moon. You can learn a lot from all those ringing clock chimes. If I want to test a systems low end I use about the first four minutes of "Reflection" by Tool or "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" by Bela Fleck.

Obviously, your personal familiarity with an LP is key.

I've found these indispensable for setting a deck up. I'm not sure how relevant the resonance test is for overall presentation. The one time I shopped for a turntable none of the tone arms managed the resonance test very well yet a majority seemed to sound fine. Good luck with your search.

Shure TTR-101 "An Audio Obstacle Course" side 1 track 4 Blank Band anti skate adjustment. Adjustment on the fly.

Clearaudio "Azimuth optimizer Test Record" in conjunction with a Fozgometer. Adjustment on the fly.

Shure TTR-115 "An Audio Obstacle Course - Era IV" Side two BAND Five Tone Arm Resonance Test. (My Well Tempered arm sails through the entire track)

Telarc 1812 followed by Dean Martin "Dream With Dean" to subjectively dial in the VTA to my taste. Adjustment on the fly.