10 sonically best rock recordings ?

These are recordings that I enjoy and whose sound quality is excellent to superb. In no particular order:
1.) P.J. Harvey, To Bring You My Love (one of the producer Flood's best recordings, but some tracks are highly compressed)
2.) John Parish & P.J. Harvey, Dance Hall at Louse Point (winner of most explosive rock album award)
3.) Tori Amos, To Venus and Back (anything from "Martian Engineering" studios is dense and very innovative, if highly artificial)
4.) Helmet, Betty (winner of most heavy album award).
5.) Joy Division, Closer (on the "Heart and Soul" reissue)
6.) Thurston Moore, Psychic Hearts (winner of the best electric guitar and drum sound award)
7.) Radio Head, Kid A/Insomniac (some bass distortion and overload, but imaginative and eclectic)
8.) Beatles, Past Masters Vol. 2 (uneven, but contains the best recording of the Beatles: "The Inner Light")
9.) Todd Rundgren, Something, Anything (uneven, but eclectic and explicitly meant as a studio tour de force)
10.) Spooky Tooth, Its All About (the original Fontana vinyl is rare and very good, but the Edsel CD Reissue is magnificent)
BTW, in full agreement with "madisonears" about The Doors, Strange Days: the best reissue of the Doors. Overall, it is depressing how many great rock bands were recorded SO poorly and quickly.

Souporhero, Albini (over-)mikes drum kits with alot of Neumanns and constantly searches for a powerful room reverb. But too much of the dynamics of "Rid of Me" are mechanical, as if the instruments had only a few volume levels that they moved between (almost a parody of grunge-song dynamics: soft-loud-soft-very loud 2X); then, there are the thin and annoyingly harsh guitar sounds throughout; an un-natural final equalization, esp. upper bass (same story with Nirvana's "In Utero"); and a "sadistic" treatment of P.J. Harvey's voice. Albini's personality (he is a cynic with a penchant for black humor and misogny--read Courtney Love on this) interfered with P.J.'s performance. Yet that album has some of her best songs ("Rid of Me" "Rub'Til It Bleeds" "Hook" "Yuri-G" "Dry") and her best band. But the demos for "Rid of Me" make me wonder what would have happened if Albini had not been the producer. Albini's best production (he himself knows it) was on an obscure album by a Kentucky math-rock band Slint, "Spiderland": same drum sound, under-mixed almost indecipherable vocals, but very direct and immediate electric guitars, superb instrument placement and much more complex dynamics than "Rid of Me."

Here is a continuation of my previous list: ten (10) more rock recordings that have excellent to superb sonics. They may be difficult to find, since they are vinyl, "independent" (small recording companies) recordings from the 1980s ownwards. All of the pressings I refer to are non-audiophile, commericial pressings. I have given the catalogue numbers to help with the search. A few "special awards" will be given out. However, I do not give out the award for the overall best rock recording just yet.
LIST TWO
1. Chavez, "Gone Glimmering" (Matador, Ole 133). Winner of the most powerful rock recording. Turn up your volume approximately two minutes through the song "Laugh Track" and prepare yourself for the first brutal climax of this powerful and sublime rollercoaster of a recording. The follow-up recording "Ride the Fader" (Matador, Ole 200) is also very desirable.
2. Let's Active, "Big Plans for Everyone" (IRS MIRE 1011). Of the hundreds of recordings that Mitch Easter produced, this is his masterpiece of self-production with very direct electric guitars and drums.
3. Game Theory, "Lolita Nation" (Enigma/Rational Records STB 73280). The full-length 2 album set is recommended above the single album condensed version that was later released. "Lolita Nation" is the "Godfather III" of Game Theory's career: a post-modern citation of their previous recordings with hyper-real "musique concrete" cutting. Between the sound splices there is some extremely well-recorded Big Star influenced rock. Produced by Mitch Easter.
4. Sonic Youth, "Dirty" (Geffen 424 485-1). This is the biggest and best sounding Sonic Youth recording with engineering and mixing by Butch Vig. Before they went out of business MFSL should have remastered these tapes rather than "Goo." Vinyl pressings of the original master tapes have recently been re-released, and that is the pressing I am recommending. They are a little noisier than the original, but are new.
5. Comsat Angels, "Waiting for a Miracle" (Polydor Super 2383578). Winner of the best bass guitar sound. The entrance of the bass (Fender fretless) in "Independence Day" is a good subwoofer test. All three of the Comsat Angels' Polydor albums (incl. "Sleep No More", and "Fiction") as well as the Dutch compilation "Enz" are very highly recommended. Look for British Polydor Super or Dutch Polydor copies.
6. Big Star, "Big Star's 3rd/Sister Lovers" (PVC 8933). I would also recommend Big Star's "#1 Record" if I could find a better pressing than the Ace Records Direct Metal Master from Digital Tapes (ACE WIK 53), which is a little veiled and bright.
7. Pixies, "Doolittle" (4AD/Elektra 9 60856-1) Here is the birth of Nirvana's "Nevermind" and countless other alternative bands. I prefer this recording to the Steve Albini produced "Surfer Rosa" (very bad focus and EQ) although the latter has the best Pixie's songs on it. Steve Albini will have his revenge in the very next entry.
8. Slint, "Spiderland" (Touch and Go Records, lp #64). Winner of the best sounding indie rock album. This recording is the best single Steve Albini recording: the dynamics, the drums, and especially the guitars are jaw-dropping on the songs "Nosferatu Man" and "Good Morning, Captain." On the back cover of the CD it says: "This recording is meant to be listened to on vinyl"--a warning that applies to all of Albini's work.
9. Cocteau Twins, "Head Over Heals" (4AD 313). Winner of the biggest sound stage award. If the sonic space of this recording does not stretch out well past the walls of your listening room from the very first second, then you should check to see if there is not something seriously wrong with your system. Also: if there are not shivers down your spine from the song "In Our Angelhood" or "Glass Candle Grenade" onwards then you should go to a medical lab and check to see if your bone marrow is still healthy.
10. dB's "Stands for Decibels" (Albion/Line ALLP 4.00009J). I had some reservations about putting this recording on this list. All of the CD copies (with no exception) and most of the vinyl copies of this recording are atrocious and do not do justice to the quality of the master tapes. The above pressing by Albion/Line is the only one I can recommend, and even then you will have a slightly bright recording (in part due to instrumentaion and miking). However, at least the miniscule studio details of this masterpiece will be in focus, and there will be none of the extremely irritating degradations of the CDs.
That is it for now. I know these recommendations may appear obscure in comparison to the Pink Floyd, Who and other classic rock recordings that appear in some of the lists that appear above. Nevertheless, they are well worth seeking out.
Also, it is strange that there not many posts on this thread. Is audiogon dominated by equipment freaks and classical music listeners?

Megasam, I keep my turntable set-up going largely to play recordings like the ones on my two lists (and also musique concrete, avante-garde classical and free jazz). This is challenging music to track down and find on vinyl nowadays but well worth it: CDs of 80s recordings that were released simultaneous with the vinyl tend to be low quality, esp with independent labels. I fully agree with your remarks about the Big Star CD (the eary one omitted some songs from "#1 Record" by the way). Although the Ace Records remasters of Big Star are bright and a little veiled, they are leagues ahead of the CDs. I also agree with the remarks about CT. What is This Mortal Coil's first album titled?

Installment number 3 of my list of top ten. These are vinyl LP listings, with the country of origin indicated.
1. Suede, Sci-Fi Lullabies (NUDE 488851 2). British pressing. Ed buller of 140 dB knew how to record vintage guitars and tube amplifiers.
2. Lou Reed, Transformer (RCA AYL 1-3806). I was shocked to hear how good this sounds after all of these years. Simple, but effective. The vocal build-up at the end of "Satellite of Love" is breathtaking.
3. Smashing Pumpkins, Siemese Dream (Virgin Germany D 115586). Beautifully mutated guitar sounds (with vintage Mu-Tron electronics), dreamy backgrounds, a lower end that sounds like no other.
4. Sean Lennon, Into The Sun. (Grand Royal Records 7243 8459 40 22). My wife asked if I was listening to Gilbert O' Sullivan when I had this on last. Sears Sound (NYC) was always a fun place to record, but this shows that this studio is capable of high end fidelity. Highlight: "Spaceship"
5. Beck, Midnight Vultures (Geffen 4905272). Techno generation's Edgard Winter. Lightning quick pans of "Milk & Honey" is a nice soundstage test. Subwoofers beware.
6. John Lennon/Yoko One, Double Fantasy (Geffen 99131 German pressing). They finally found out how to record Lennon in the end.
7. Aerosmith, Toys In the Attic (CBS Holland 80773). The "Simply vinyl" re-release is also excellent.
8. Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy (Classic Records). Audiophiles owe a lot to Classic Records for re-mastering the Zeppelin catalogue. They are all excellent and worth buying: the only problems I have heard at times were problems with the original master tapes (esp. evident on II and III).
9. Neil Young, Neil Young (Reprise 44059 German Pressing). I am continually impressed by old Reprises, and I think that this is the best achievement from the early Neil Young: recorded in 1973.
10. The best for last. BEST ROCK RECORDING AWARD. XTC, Oranges and Lemons (Virgin V2581 West German Pressing). My reference rock recording, although I am not really an XTC fan. Mobile Fidelity put out their own remaster which is even better, but this West German pressing is superb. Other XTC recordings--Big Express (806613620), Mummer (2053383098) and English Settlement (British Pressing only, V2223)--are well worth seeking out, esp. the German or British pressings. Skylarking (207905-630) has a beautiful soundstage, but the sonics are compromised (dynamically, and harmonically) by the decision to inlude over 20 minutes of music on each side. The 2 LP Oranges and Lemons does not have this problem. Japanese pressings of the entire XTC catalogue have been recently released on CD, and I have heard that they are superb.