Extraordinary recordings on vinyl

Whart: Thanks. Thanks a lot!

This may be my last writing on the above issue here. I can hear a collective sigh of relief...(I get it)...I think the discussion I've had with Qdrone warrants a separate thread regarding something on the order of...

(1) how we've become so used to digital, we've forgotten how well recorded analog just blows digital away
(2) Re: (the above statement), this has been so engrained that we've set up our systems, altered our listening habits, and all the while changed our component selection priorities in order to suit inferior recordings
(3) let's take our heads out of the sand that the music industry has put there for us for 3 decades

One tell tale sign of the difference between a well recorded all analog lp and it's digital equal will be no matter high you turn the volume up, on the analog lp, you'll want more. You'll never, ever feel the need to cover your ears or take that lp off your platter!

I'm always thinking of the newbies to analog that are coming to this site wanting advice from us, the veterans of the analog era. I want to try and leave something substantial behind from my hobby that has and continues to bring me so much joy.

Another recommendation. This one is so well recorded and from the era of analog. While, in a perfect world, it should be the norm. Since we're having the above discussion, I feel compelled to recommend this one very highly. Wishbone Ash "No Smoke Without Fire". Mine is a MCA w/ light brown/tan label, w/ a darker brown circle close to the the outer edge. (I'll try and post a pic on my virtual system page). Wow! This record is unique in that it really features the bass guitar. You will be glad.

An interesting (to me) evaluation is:

Fleetwood Mac "Tango In The Night" vs their S/T MFSL lp.
Analog vs digital!
The TITN is clean & clear (my code phrase for digital), and it is, to me, more enjoyable than the Ric Ocasek lp (it has a complete soundstage) referenced above, still I can readily tell it's a digital recording that lacks warmth and soul. Their S/T lp is a whole different ballgame folks! Again, I can turn the volume up, up, up and never even think about changing the record. I just want more. The difference IS night & day friends.

..an encouraging statistic is that since this threads' inception, it has produced over 3200 hits!

Slaw, at the risk of stirring the pot, I just did an extensive shoot-out of Tull's Aqualung, and included first pressings, U.S. and UK, some early U.S. Reprise pressings (the sort of stuff you can find in a bin on the cheap), and most of the "audiophile" reissues, including the Mo-Fi, the DCC, the Classic Records (33, 45 Quiex and 45 Clarity). I also included the Steve Wilson remix, which was taken from the multitrack tapes, dumped to digital and remixed. It is a considerable improvement of a murky, and sonically 'uneven' album. The digital did not get in the way. I'm a dyed in the wool analog guy, I don't use any source but vinyl in my main system and I'm generally inclined--not always- to early pressings rather than remasters. But, the Wilson re-do works. And it does come from a digital master. So, I would not condemn digital as an effective tool. And in the right hands, doesn't necessarily suffer from digititis. I do think that all of this is more art than science and you really have to take it on a case by case basis.

Whart: Point taken! And I'd have to agree with you on this criteria:
(1) (The lp you referenced is not the norm!) ( I admit I haven't heard it, but I did start a thread on this particular lp because I felt that given the person (Steven Wilson) sought out by the original artist, as their choice for taking over such a seminal lp (and he's been asked to do King Crimson's as well, I was VERY interested in it!
(2) I think you'd agree that there are always instances in which digital done smartly will be enjoyable but these instances are rare and far between.

Another thorny issue:. Porcupine Tree... while these lps are very well recorded and very consistently recorded, I can tell they are not analog in analog's true sense. There, I said it! (I own all of them except for the "live" lp).