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Best vinyl purchases based on pressing, studio production, sound quality and enjoyment.

As you all know this question has been asked a million times on a million sites BUT each time it’s asked, it can be very helpful to those trying to find great vinyl that is quiet, produced well and touches the heart each time it’s played.

I’ve only been into vinyl for 6 months now and have purchased 250 albums, 99 percent new, recent pressings, reissues. So within the last year, what are 10 of your favorite album purchases based on pressing, studio production, sound quality and pure enjoyment??? Here’s my top 20:

1. The Wonderful Sounds of Female Vocals. (Various artists, 200 gram QRP)
2. Willie Nelson- To all the Girls (Various artists 180 gram Legacy)
3. Dead Can Dance- Into the Labyrinth (180 gram Mobile Fidelity reissue)
4. Rickie Lee Jones- Rickie Lee Jones (180 HQ Pressing Warner Bros reissue)
5. Stevie Ray Vaughn- The Sky is Cryin (200 gram Analogue productions 45rpm reissue)
6. Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon (2016 reissue)
7. Renee Flemming- The Beautiful Voice (Decca 20th anniversary gatefold)
8. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong- Ella and Louis (Analogue productions Mono reissue)
9. Eva Cassidy- Nightbird (Blix Street Records 180 gram)
10. Doors- All the new reissue 45’s from Analogue Productions, 200 gram
11. Cash- The Man Comes Around (American Records, QRP, 180 gram)
12. Shelby Lynne- Just a Little Lovin (QRP, Analogue Productions, 45 rpm, 200 gram)
13. Vanessa Fernandez- When the Levee Breaks (Groove Note, 45 rpm, 180 gram)
14. Nils Lofgren- Acoustic Live (Analogue Productions, QRP, 200 gram)
15. Neil Young- Live at Massey Hall (Reprise, 180 gram reissue)
16. Tony Bennett- I Wanna Be Around (Mobile Fidelity, 180 gram reissue)
17. Linda Ronstadt- What’s New (Analogue Productions, QRP, 200 gram, reissue)
18. Cat Stevens- Tea for the Tillerman (Analogue Productions, QRP, 200 gram reissue)
19. Muddy Waters- Folk Singer (Analogue Productions, QRP, 200 gram reissue)
20. Fleetwood Mac- Tango in the Night (Rhino, 180 gram, 2017 reissue)

Ps: You can go beyond 1 year if needed.


128x128knollbrent
knollbrent's avatar
knollbrent OP
521 posts
 
@tzh21y  just ordered:

Dire Straits- Love over Gold
Faust and Carmen
I've got the Julian Bream. Excellent suggestions!


folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
@knollbrent as you asked

Here’s a good sense of what I like listening too -- some of these LPs are rare and expensive in the original versions but one of the great benefits of services like Spotify is that you can sample say the Heron and decide if it’s your cup of tea before pursuing the chase for an original

https://www.audiostream.com/content/lovely-recordings-hosted-simon-goodall

Spillane Atlantic Bridge btw is a blockbuster recording and a Fremer favorite. The Tara is slightly better than the Cooking Vinyl, but both are good.

In terms of more recent material that is on my go to test list you need to own at least one copy of Janis Ian’s "Breaking Silence". The copy to own is the original numbered AP 33 pressing which to my ears beats the newer 45RPM (although the latter is still very good)

Also have on hand a copy of Joni’s Blue -- this one is fine, although a clean original US or UK is also great and one should always keep an original as reference.

Finally if I was in Miami I would be hightailing it to this store which seems to have a very interesting selection

Enjoy!

S
knollbrent's avatar
knollbrent OP
521 posts
 
That’s hilarious @folkfreak  I didn’t even know that store existed! Over the years, all the local record stores here in Miami shut down, this was before I was even interested in vinyl so I assumed there weren’t any left! I’ll check this one out for sure.

Thanks for the record suggestions too. I’ve got that copy of Joni’s Blue and it’s fantastic. Janis Ian’s too, wonderful delivery.

I appreciate you chiming in. I enjoy seeing what others listen too. I listen to a lot on Tidal first before buying just to make sure.

I’m totally excited about visiting that record store. Going tomorrow if they’re open!
aardbear's avatar
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aardbear
4 posts
 
I will try to give you a honest view to your question,I know that I've not wasted my and time in my search for the very best available pressing to which I have purchased in the past for my analog world .For years, my quest to find the holy grail has slipped by me while I was watching, But not completely...Well here are some in my collection....Al Stewart 1976 MFSL Lp Vinyl Mobile Fidelity Pressing of the Year of the Cat,  A Tchaikovsky Spectacular - Vinyl- Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1 502 , Days of future past by the Moody Blues MFSL . Aja MFSL   Dark side MFSL  Led  Zepplin II  to Poco  all  MFSL Pressing by JVC from Japan and later in the States . I  really can say for me ,that the sound is the best Ear Candy Ever ! Bar None in my limited opinion...  Yet MFSL Lp.s,are the Best if your looking for the Best !!!! Yes they all are very pricey and more over, Super Hard to find in Mint Condition, or any Near Mint Condition due to the age of these pressings for that matter !. I do have more to mention but these are the one's off the top of my head... Besides the Box sets MFSL limited runs...  The Beatles ,The Doors .The Rolling Stones To Frank Sinatra ! Yes if you venture into this world  be patient and wise and if you see it get it.... It will not come easy, they are very hard to find...So Good Luck in your quest to find your Holy Grail  ! ! !
whart's avatar
whart
3,033 posts
 
@knollbrent -- at the risk of sounding snarky (i'm not), try to venture beyond the audiophile approved stuff.  Sure, it sounds good, but there's a lot more to music than the stuff that gets released by the small handful of labels that release (and re-release) the warhorses. Much interesting music never gets reissued or is reissued by non-audiophile labels because it doesn't have a guaranteed market. 
I hit a point some years ago where I realized that I had thousands of records that I bought over the years that were sonically impressive, but left me unmoved, musically. Once I started to search out music beyond the "safe" choices covered by the audiophile press, I learned much more about my taste and the music itself. Then you can dig down for the best sonic examples of the particular recordings you like-- in many cases, it won't be an all analog remaster done by Bernie or Kevin, but there's an awful lot of music beyond the tried and true audiophile approved playlists. 
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