10 sonically best rock recordings ?

My choices, in no particular order:
Rough Mix - Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane
Pink Floyd - DSOTM, Wish You Were Here, Final Cut
Close to the Edge - Yes
Love Over Gold - Dire Straits
Reckoning - Grateful Dead (2 LP vinyl. Acoustic sets from 1980 Radio City Music Hall shows)
Dirt Silver & Gold - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Blue - Joni Mitchell
Manassas - Stephen Stills

I guess I should listen to the newer releases of Pink Floyd albums. I got most of mine in the early 90's... I think they sound great though...

I would second Fleetwood Mac Rumors. I'm not a big fan of them but I was really impressed by the quality of the recording.

Also, Joni Michell Miles of Ailes HDCD. It is a "live" recording (with audience cheering and such) but the sound quality is top notch!!

The new Dire Straits remasters sound amazing...well worth looking into...Sony SBM technology...I wonder when this will be released on SACD...you might want to wait a bit if you have a player...Floyd dsotm is scheduled to be released on March 3 on sacd...

Thanks for the Dire Straits info, Phasecorrect.

Hey Slipknot--

Which version of "Manassas" are you referring to? I have heard the original cd issue and the HDCD reissue (although not played back in HDCD) and neither one overwhelmed me sonically. (But to be fair, I have never really given this album the "critical listening" treatment.)

The music is top notch, though. To anyone who has not heard this lost masterpiece, it is a powerful reminder that at one time Stephen Stills really did have talent to burn.

Curbach,
forgot to mention that I was referring to the 180g reissues from Acoustic Sounds. These LP's really allow Stills' guitar to shine, as well as Fuzzy Samuels' bass. "Manassas"
is indeed one of those gems that went way under the radar.

The original Atlantic pressings were OK, I still own them, CD's were much worse, have not heard the HDCD copy.