How to find the good CD recordings?

@n80
 In order to get Tidal, you need 20 bucks a month and a streamer of some sort.  You can get one for as cheap as Google Chromecast and a couple add ons and it will work from your phone to control Tidal.  There are lots of tutorials how to do it if you don't want to spend the cash, or run it right out of your computer or phone plugged into a $25 cable in the back of your amp. The DACs on the phones and computer are not the worst things out there.  

Or you could spend $500 on Amazon and in half an hour you could be listening to quality tunes on Tidal if you buy the Bluesound Node2.  I got one this weekend and love it.  Plug it into your router and then to your amp and you are done.  It comes with all the cables as well. Download their app, get signed up for three months of free Tidal and voila.  And, the sound quality is at least as good as my CD player, and you have thousands of them to choose from instead of the 250 I have. You also get internet radio for kicks as well.  You can even have the app open on lots of devices in the same house and play rotating Dj.  Great fun. Now my wife is finally into a bit of hifi.

n80,  One way to learn about blues recordings is by reading.  Much has been written about the blues and which are the best examples of different subgenres such as delta blues, Piedmont blues, Chicago blues, Texas blues, etc. 

The thing is, many blues lovers don't care about sound quality.  Performance is considered much more important by many writers.  But there is enough writing around, both on the net and in print, that you should be able to find the cds you want to add to your collection.

Here is just one place to start for country blues:

https://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/pre-war-country-blues-ma0000011871/albums

n80-
Big fan of the Compact Disc since 1987 here. Most of the CDs produced in the 1980's are flat transfers in comparison to the LP (vinyl) counterpart.I rather enjoy these titles, especially, for Classic Rock/Hard Rock from the 60's and 70's.  In eBay listings these are referred to "original" pressings.The CDs from Japan as imports are very sweet as well.
Starting in 1994, the first major overhaul of rock/pop titles, were "remastered".  You can expect a brighter sound and presentation, better details/clarity as well. Around the year 2000 the second major overhaul of pop/rock titles were "remastered " again. You will see the term HDCD for alot of artists, bands, catalog. Also, the SACD entered the scene as early as 1997 through 1999 respectively. 2002 and 2003 were big years a key events as we music lovers received The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan on SACD respectively. Throughout the rest of the 2000's into 2010-2018, catalog after catalog, genre after genre, received another "remastered" treatment.

Referring to Led Zep the 1990 boxed set (4-CD) would be the 1st time those tracks received the remastered treatment. The LZ boxed set 2 a few years after had tracks that were remastered for the 1st time.
Pink Floyd 's "Shine On" boxed set would be the 1st remastered job for this band. I am a big RUSH fan and suggest the original Mercury "atomic" CDs from West Germany. Rod Stewart on Mercury also comes to mind.For artists/bands on the A&M label, seek out the discs that have AM+ on theback of the jewel case-The Police catalog and Bryan Adams titles are outstanding!


Barry Diament and George Marino did an excellent job for their respective works.  Have fun with your search.
Happy Listening!

Have you tried the Japanese SHM cd’s?:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/led-zeppelin-new-shm-box-from-japan.158178/

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/led-zeppelen-and-dire-straits-japanese-shm-cd-s

I’m a little confused about some previous comments: in my opinion Jimmy Page has done a great job of producing LZ; the vinyl was amazing and dynamic from the first release forward, and hearing the super deluxe dvd audio HD versions of any of the first 4 albums will make a believer out of the crustiest skeptic. Bonham’s drums have to be heard to be believed. I have Conrad Johnson tubes, Klipschorns, and a Modwright tubed oppo disc player to listen through, and the the K-horns reveal everything!
If sound quality is your thing, pure Blu-ray audio will not disappoint anything but your budget. The new Sargeant Pepper Blu-ray disc, to me, is the best jaw-dropping state-of-the-art experience out there.
It takes some searching, but Amazon typically features reviews from people like us who care about sound and remastering quality. I typically go to the “latest reviews” link (sometimes at the bottom of the first page of reviews) and nearly always find at least one comment about the remastered sound quality. Tip: look at the “format” listed....mp3 purchasers obviously will not comment on this subject.
Good luck!