where to find Pachelbel"s canon?

Pachelbel's Canon can be found playing on repeat in the darkest pits of hell. Oh, and it's being played by 10-year-old violin students.

The horror... (too many years of violin lessons for me)

Elevators.

The "audiophile" version of this piece (which includes the Gigue that follows it and brings it out of the elevator to hell mentioned by our two friends who are sick of it (not without good reason)) would be the Reference Recordings Taffelmusik disc, which sounds best in its analog splendor on 45 rpm vinyl but also is available as a two-CD remastered set with a Helicon Ensemble Bach CD (I think RR calls it Baroque Favorites or something like that--check their website). If you can't get the vinyl, or only get CDs, get the remastered version--the original CD is nothing like the vinyl, it sounds like they made a CD because they had to, but really didn't want to; the remastered version, which is probably HDCD encoded, is a lot better. Performance is good, a little fast and light, but it works. I also like the Archiv recording with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert, but its sonics aren't up to the RR standards. Other than those performances, I've long since given away my other recordings of this work; these stand out as the best I've heard, and have a good mix of other Baroque music with them.

Everywhere!

In the closet next to the rocket launcher

Agree with Rcprince's recommendation of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra performance on Reference Recordings.

Also well recorded is the Boughton/English Chamber Orchestra recording on Nimbus NI 7019, which might be another option. It is coupled with some very nice performances of Holst, Albinoni, Warlock, Grieg and Barber. The acoustic is somewhat reverberant in typical Nimbus style (which some like and others do not), but the recording and the performances otherwise are quite excellent.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000037IB/qid=1100200515/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-7073480-1512051?v=glance&s=classical
.

And for the true fan, there's this.

According to the Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide 2004, usually a reliable guide, their first choice is the version by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on Philips, recorded c. 1984-85. I have it and find it excellent. In fact I think the recordings of baroque music by this conductor and ensemble usually move to the top of the pile. The sound is fine.

Pabelson...UNCLE!

Then I suppose I shouldn't remind you of the old P.D.Q. Bach bit about a classical radio station that promised "All Pachelbel, All the Time."

At first I was going to make a cheap joke. Then I skipped it. Then I figured this abusive crew just would not resist slinging it. And I was right. You just can't give a guy a break. And I new the vinlylites would just pile on. I bet you clods don't even like Charlotte Church or Sara Brightman. Let alone that blind Italian dude. Meanies, the lot of you!

My bad. I suppose I should confess that Pachelbel was the very first classical album I ever owned. To any young 'philes out there who think classical music just isn't their thing, I say give the Canon in D a try. It started me on a wonderful road, and might just do the same to you.

Pabelson you are a rightous soul. My daughter heard my old recording and it lit a warm fire. She has gone on to play piano (just like all the rest of us audio geeks, right?)sing and collect vinyl (and CDs) and play them on an AR turntable from her grandfather with tube electronics and bi-wired speakers. Otherwise she is a neuroscience major at Chicago, which is why I go to garage sales for records now.