How to find the good CD recordings?

Amazon is probably the least granular in terms of specific issue information and if it is a third party seller, I'm not sure how easy it is to communicate with them. I have gotten a few surprises via Amazon though- buying reissued vinyl, used and getting valuable original pressings. Crazy. The seller simply didn't know what they had.
Ebay- I have bought a lot of old vinyl over the years and almost always verify precise pressing, matrices, mastering inscriptions, etc. by communication with the seller. It also helps separate the seller who is clueless from the ones who are knowledgeable (though I've bought rare, valuable records from people who really didn't know the details but were willing to verify them for me).
Discogs is highly granular in terms of listings for each pressing and variation (to the extent it is in the database- remember it is crowd-sourced). But, I still verify. Some one will be lazy and stick their copy of whatever in the first tranche they see, and it has no correlation with the specific pressing or issue listed. If you go to Discogs, you'll see a drop down for almost every item with the various issues over the years. I use it sometimes to cross-check matrices, but even then it isn't foolproof. 
Cool that you lived there. What history! I saw the road for Parchman Farm but figured I really didn't belong there. - 

@n80  

All you need is a DAC as you no doubt already own a computer. I would expect most people here own one if not several. Take the plunge! You won’t regret it. You can get a Mytek or Benchmark on 30 day return and a trial subscription to Tidal...

@lowrider57 

I play a lot of LZ (drums) with my band. So I really like the more forward drum mix of the 2014 masters. I find a tube preamp helps a lot with the hi-hat too - must be added harmonics as the hi-hat often gets buried in the mix on most pop rock.

@shadorne , I can understand your take on the RM drums. It’s the first thing I noticed when playing the new Zep. Excellent work by Jimmy Page. I bought all the remasters on vinyl to replace my worn out records (started playing them when I was a teenager). I learned many of Bonzo’s licks when playing drums in my youth.

As my digital rig surpassed my vinyl, I went a quest to find the best quality CDs. It’s a mix of US, German, and Japanese...and the 2 Targets.
The most amazing sound comes from a LZ II pressed at Teldec.