Best Sounding LPs


Well, after years of chasing a truly satisfying digital sound to little avail, I've finally taken the vinyl plunge. Boy, is it great! It's like listening to music for the first time again.

I have found, however, that LP quality varies widely and unpredictably. When they're good they're magical. When they're bad you might as well be listening to crummy redbook.

Can anyone recommend great sounding lps to search for? I listen to everything, especially rock, jazz, folk, county, acoustic music, plus symphonic and chamber music.

Recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
bsal
George Waters "Amused to Death" (nothing to compare with, #1)
Purim,Moreira "Dafos"
Pink Floyd "Final Cut" Japan
Dire Straits "Love over Gold" and "Brothers in Arms"
and a look to:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/topics/fav_e.html
Man-oh-man, don't know how I missed this thread. My mouth is watering...
About all I can add to the fabulous responses above:

Any jazz on Japanese label Three Blind Mice
Another Canadian Holly Cole LP - Romantically Hopeless, this one includes a bonus 12" 45rpm w/amazing cover of Paul Simon's "One Trick Pony"
Louis Armstrong - Satchmo Plays King Oliver reissue (45rpm or 200g CLassic Records)
Best cheap domestic folk/rock beachy,happy hour music: Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales
Cheers, Spencer
The Speakers Corner reissues of the Decca and Mercury classical catalogs is not to be missed by classical music listeners. And all are currently available. In another forum I offered my thoughts as to the best of the Speakers Corner Decca reissues. Since Sbank reactivated this thread, I thought I should come back and add those thoughts here for any who might have an interest.

First, BUY ALL OF THE SPEAKERS CORNER MERCURY CLASSICAL REISSUES.

Then, for the Speakers Corner Decca reissue series, you can literally scroll through Speakers Corner's website picking out the music you like and order that. You simply will not go wrong. But asked to chose those that I consider at the very "top of the pile" both musically and sonically, I would chose the following:

Mendelssohn, Sym 3 (Scottish), Maag/LSO, Decca SXL 2246-45rpm
...(one of the great Decca recordings - Wilkinson at his best)
...(an absolute "must buy")
Chabrier, Espana, Argenta/LSO, Decca SXL 2020
...(a beautiful Kingsway Hall recording by Gordon Parry)
Debussy, Images pour orchestra, Argenta/OrchSuisseRom, London CS 6013
Debussy, Prelude a l'apresmidi d'un faune, Monteux/LSO, Decca SXL 2312
...(a Kenneth Wilkinson, Kingsway Hall recording)
de Falla, El Amor Brujo, de Burgos/NPO, Decca SXL 6287
...(a Kenneth Wilkinson, Kingsway Hall recording)
Grieg, Piano Concerto, Boult/LSO, Curzon -pf, Decca SXL 2173
...(a Kenneth Wilkinson, Kingsway Hall recording)
Kodaly, Hary Janos Suite/Galanta Dances, Kertesz/LSO, Decca SXL 6136
...(a Kenneth Wilkinson, Kingsway Hall recording)
Prokofiev, Sym 6, Weller/LPO, Decca SXL 6777
...(a Kenneth Wilkinson, Kingsway Hall recording)
Rossini, Overtures, Gamba/LSO, Decca SXL 2266
Schubert, Sym 9, Krips/LSO, Decca SXL 2045
...(a Kenneth Wilkinson, Kingsway Hall recording)
Shostakovich, Str Qt 8, Borodin Qt, Decca SXL 6036
Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps, Solti/CSO, Decca SXL 6691
...(Kenneth Wilkinson, Medinah Temple, Chicago)
Varese, Ionisation/Integrales/Arcana, Mehta/LAPO, Decca SXL 6550

http://www.speakerscorner.de/Speakerscorner/newsite/E/index1.htm

Good luck
I will echo Rushton's sentiments and add that the Decca Mendelssohn 3rd is not only a great performance but the sonics are of demonstration quality.

The Speakers corner reissues of the Mercurys:
Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No.3 Dorati/LSO/Janis (Mercury SR90283) and Stravinsky, Firebird Ballet Dorati/LSO (Mercury SR90226) are the two I have purchased to date. Great sound to go with legendary performances. I am planning on obtaining the Janos Starker Mercury recording of the six Bach Cello Suites as well