"best" version for "Toccata and Fugue D minor?


please vote for your "best" version of Toccata and Fugue in D minor, red book CD format. Thanks.
ny92
SD, the Fox recording is the one I was speaking of, and was released, I believe on the Bainbridge label, as The Digital Fox. Sound was never that great, even on the vinyl, as the organ seems quite close-miked and accordingly dry, but you're right, the digital version is not nearly as good as the vinyl.
I know you asked for CD but there is an LP version that really should be heard. E> Power Biggs has been mentioned, one particular album set he put out has him doing an organ tour of Germany and Holland, playing on organs built by APR SCHNITGER(1648-1719) organs Bach himself might have played on. The sound is quite different from modern organs, lighter, airier, higher, if you can get a hold of it and have it transferred to CD you will be quite amazed. I know I was. It is on Columbia Stereo M2S 697 or Mono M2L 297.
Sorry for the digression but it should be heard to hear what Bach wrote/composed as he would have heard it.
I have many, many recordings of this as an organist myself. The M. Murray listed above is the first that comes to mind for power and slam (great reeds, and the low D pedal entrance has the most oomph of any recording I've heard) though I agree that his performances can be somewhat boring - he does this piece OK though. The Bigg's Freiburg is my favorite though, just because it's really cool (especially if you have the 5 channel SACD version and the system to play it on) and Biggs is great. If recording quality is not an issue, hear it on the largest organ of all time, available on the Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society website, though the recording was made in the 30's or 40's (though it's still pretty good).
RCPrince: The Bainbridge LP was a re-issue of the original CrystalClear direct-to-disk. I have several copies of the D-to-D version, and have also heard the Bainbridge edition, and the original CrystalClear D-to-D LP is far superior.

There is one other version of the "D-Minor" that I also like. The CD is "One of a Kind - The Music of JSB", played by William Porter, and released on the Loft Recordings label (LRCD 1025). The organ is a new instrument built for Pacific Lutheran University (located in Tacoma, WA) by Paul Fritts & Company. Fritts builds organs in the northern German tradition, and the PLU organ -- while not a large instrument (54 stops and 80 ranks) -- has a very clear tone in a hall with a 3-4 second delay time. Porter uses very expressive old fingering practices and simple registrations, which makes his playing immediate and articulate. The CD was recorded in 24-bit digital. For more info, here's the link: http://www.gothicrecords.com/

For serious organ enthusiasts, take a look at the catalog of organ recordings available through the Organ Historical Society: http://www.organsociety.org/
Of particular interest is their re-release of the 3 Dorian recordings by Jean Guillou, priced at $17 for all 3 CD's. Here's the link: www.ohscatalog.com/guorspon3cds.html
SD--I didn't know Bainbridge also put it out on LP. It was also a CD release, which I have and includes the material from both the D to D records, though recorded digitally and edited to take out the fluffs from the original performance that went D to D. As you say, it is far inferior to the Direct to Disc, which I also have, but it certainly shows Fox's style very well. Fox was one of those organists either you loved or hated, but you can never say he was boring. I think Guillou has a bit of Virgil in him.