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What are the treasures in your vinyl library?

They don't have to be the collector's items, necessarily. I'm just asking, what is your short list of LPs in your personal library that you prize the most (maximum 5)?

I'll start:

Diana Krall: "From This Moment On" from Classic Records, mastered on a tube cutter

Buddy Rich: "Class of '78", Direct-to-disk recording of my favorite drummer leading the best incarnation of his band

Muddy Waters: "Folk Singer", not MFSL or German pressing or original pressing or anything fancy, just a Chess/MCA 1987 reissue LP that puts you in the room with Muddy

I also have a 35mm Everest recording of Mozart woodwind sonatas that I picked up at St. Vincent DePaul for $1. It's old and a little ragged, but that 35mm mag tape really puts the players right there in the living room.
johnnyb53
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
Hear, hear, when it comes to import pressings.

I have a German pressing of Joni Mitchell's "Blue" and a Japanese pressing of Bowie's "Let's Dance." I remember paying about a buck extra for the Bowie album and it was well worth it. That thing slams!

So does "Blue," for that matter. The dynamics and "in-the-room" sensation are very strong.

OTOH, I just picked up a used Beatles' White album. The store had two: a UK pressing from 1986 and a USA one from 10-15 yrs earlier. It had an embossed title rather than printed, but no serial number on the cover. Anyway, the US pressing I bought really stomped *that* particular UK pressing, which sounded thin and threadbare.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,901 posts
 
Voyage 34 original (not the reissue!) by Porcupine Tree
'Ear' album by Global Communications
S/T Emerson Lake & Palmer, pink Island original
Vaughan Williams, Symphony #6 w/The Lark Ascending, 'half dog' EMI
Furtwangler, 4 Last Songs w/Kirsten Flagstad (78 rpm transcription) all other versions *SUCK* despite having better sound...
kmelancon
15 posts
 
Willie Nelson : Stardust/ Classic records 200g

Peter Gabriel : Passion/ Classic records 200g

Tom Waits : Mule Variations/ Regular pressing

Jack Johnson : In between dreams/ Regular pressing

White Stripes : Elephant/ Regular pressing

All of these are not only good albums but also sound exceptionally good on vinyl.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
Well, I've had a few additions since my last post. I now have Japan-EMI pressings of Rubber Soul and Revolver (opened by never played, or played once at most). Damn! It's unbelievable how well even pop/rock music was sometimes recorded over 40 years ago.

I also now have a direct-to-disk recording of Mel Torme accompanied by the Buddy Rich Big Band and a rare (I think it was distributed only in Europe) pressing of Pat Metheny's "Question and Answer" that I got from a UK vendor on eBay.

I recently discovered an antiques pavilion near where I live. A few of the vendors sell LPs, and I picked up the Sheffield D2D of Harry James' band and some Concord Jazz albums of the L.A. Four and the Woody Herman big band (all about $3 ea.). Concord Jazz has some of the most real in-the-room-sounding LPs I've ever heard.

On the same trip, my stepson made what may be the biggest score of all--a Japanese pressing of Pink Floyd's "The Wall," apparently unplayed ($10). Holy shnikes! This has got to be one of the 5 best-sounding LPs in my house, and the best pop/rock studio recording I've ever heard. The dynamic slam on kick drum on this is an order of magnitude better than any other pop studio album I have.
david12
1,454 posts
 
La Boheme Beecham recording with De Los Angeles and Bjorling, way the most important.

Strauss Der Rosankavlier, Karajan Schwarskopf

Lorna Hunt All in one Day

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook

Vaughan Williams The Lark Assending Academy of St Martins in the Fields

Pretty tough reducing it to 5. Another day it might be 5 different ones, except La Boheme
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