What are your go to LP's for evaluating new gear or new tubes?

I have a couple Japanese repressings of the Decca The Planets, performed by Mehta and the LA Phil in 1970.  The Decca version was one of HP's "Super Disks," and I've used the Japanese audiophile pressings for many years for judging components.  This work includes high-pitched massed violins, loud brass, organ pedals, big soundstage and wide dynamics, and I enjoy listening to it; as a performance it's my favorite version of The Planets.

Another classical recording I've often used is the ASMIF 1st Brandenburg Concerto on Philips.  It's revealing how different components differentiate the unison playing of the bassoon and bass and how they handle the dissonant, held notes of the French horns.

I have a Connoisseur Society LP of Ivan Moravec playing Debussy and Ravel piano pieces that I also use--it's been praised by one of the Stereophile writers as a particularly good piano recording (I agree), and acoustic piano is an excellent instrument for evaluating audio gear.

I also use US or UK pressings of DSOTM (although I prefer my MFSL Meddle) and my first pressing of Aja.

I might also use my Classic Records reissue of the first Led Zeppelin LP or the MFSL of the 2nd, or my MCA Super Vinyl of Who's Next.

Starwarrior

Are those vinyl? Totally understand the fingers and frets. Good vinyl does that. Tori Amos, Under the Pink on pink vinyl is an excellent recording. The piano sounds very real. One song is a very beat up out of tune old piano. You can hear the pedals going up and down. Another song uses the full depth of cellos. Lots of acoustic and strings. It is really a good piece of vinyl but it took me 3 copies to find one without surface noise. Maybe the pink vinyl was too soft? Don't know. Usually colored vinyl is good as it is usually virgin vinyl. I have a black copy of under the pink and the pressing is not nearly as well done as the pink versions.

In addition to some listed . . .

Supertramp “Crime of the Century “

Inna

I'll have to check Oregon out. Not familiar to me.

Wondering why you choose some that you say were not good recordings but use them as references. Seems an odd choice. 

As to brass, I have no jazz music in my collection. I have a lot of orchestra, a couple Canadian brass D2D that are really good and Fresh Aire uses a fair amount of brass as well. 

dmuso

I have many of what you list. I also have some very old RCA recordings that are pretty good. Van Cliburn and V Horowitz piano stuff. They can be surprisingly good right back into the 50's. I have a couple that are still sealed too. Kind of fun, don't know whether to break them out or not. 

As to DSOTM, I don't care for it as much as Meddle or Wish You Were Here, which I have both on Island. I think I have at least 4 or 5 copies of DSOTM but I kind of burned out on it back in the old days.