MUST Have Vinyl


Lately I’ve been moving back towards vinyl.  I’ve got two really great TT’s but my collection of vinyl is pretty sparse; ridiculous I know!   What are your Top Ten must have albums?  Any genre.  Thanks for your suggestions!
stickman451
Huh? You have a serious system, and you have to resort to this place for music suggestions?

Revoke this mans card!
The Who, Who’s next original copy
The doors 1st album, original copy
Boston’s first lp, also original copy
Etc etc...don't have time to compile a list of ten (bed time....)

I found all above still sealed! Paid a bit, but to me worth every penny.

I have had great luck finding mint, if not sealed copies of some great albums on both Ebay and Discogs.

Procul Harum's Shine On Brightly and A Salty Dog! Original pressings on the A & M label.  Great prog rock from 1968 and '69.
Jimi Hendrix's Axis Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland. British Track and German Reprise pressings.
David Bowie- Scary Monsters, Chuck Berry -The Great 28, Jerry Lee Lewis -All Killer No Filler, Van Morrison -A Sense of Wonder(most of Van Morrisons albums are of a high standard), Phil Manzanera- Diamond Head,XTC- Drums and Wires, War -The World is a Ghetto, Rory Gallagher- Irish Tour, Bob Marley and the Wailers- Live, John Martyn- Solid Air

Alan Parsons Project 'I Robot' MSFL Original Master Recording

Pink Floyd 'Wish You Were Here' MSFL Original Master Recording

(for both musical content and stellar recording quality)

Good recommendations!   
How about Pink Moon (Nick Drake)

Seconds Out (Genesis)

Dreaming With Dean (Dean Martin)

Days of Future Passed (Moody Blues)


Moody Blues In Search Of The Lost Chord. "Timothy Leary's Dead"! No, he's not. He's on the outside looking in!
Nick Drake: New press of Pink Moon, or Five Leaves Left...early US Antilles press. I heard the UK of the latter is better, but mucho Buckos.

Joni Mitchell: Hejira...any early press, or even the Rhino... Court and Spark... Many of hers up to high standard... For The Roses: Baby powder blue US... Ladies Of The Canyon...Early Brown Reprise

The Cars: S/T Early Elektra RED label STERLING

Eva Cassidy: Not an all analog chain, but you have to have some of her vinyl. Songbird... Nightbird....come to mind.

Pink Floyd: The Wall... One of the only Japanese pressings I swear by. Haven't heard them all, but this is a winner. No lack of bass here.

Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever... TP & The Heartbreakers: S/T Debut Backstreet promo US.

The Doors: Strange Days..early US Gold/Brown label.  LA Woman: QRP 45 rpm...

AC/DC: Back In Black: Early US Atlantic

Heart: S/T US KENDUN

Neil Young: Massey Hall... Comes A Time.. Early Brown Reprise

David Crosby: If I Could Only Remember My Name. 


Harry James: The King James Version - Sheffield Labs Direct-To-Disc. Big band jazz that will blow your roof off! A favorite demo LP at the audio store I worked at back in 1978.
OK boomers! Lotta classic rock recommendations arriving in this thread.

Among other things, I like bluegrass music.  Try Tony Rice, "Manzanita."  Or Alison Krauss, "Live" (MoFi, 3LP).
Also:

Lucinda Williams, "Essence"
Ryan Adams, "Cold Roses"
Townes Van Zandt, "The Late Great Townes Van Zandt"
Muddy Waters, "Folk Singer"
Gillian Welch, "Soul Journey"
Bob Dylan, "Love and Theft"
Wilco, "Sky Blue Sky"
Sarah Vaughan, "In Hi-Fi"

Ask 100 audiophiles and you will get mostly 1000 different suggestions. Ibuy what you like!
Ask 100 audiophiles and you will get mostly 1000 different suggestions. Buy what you like! For classical, hard to beat Living Stereo!
If you're "moving back to vinyl", then you're moving back from some other format - CDs, reel to reel, downloads, FM, whatever. Just pick some of your favorites and find them on vinyl. No one can tell you what you like, but if you're looking for the best recordings try The Absolute Sound's Super LP list.
*heavy breathing...*
"....I...I....NEED VINYL...."  (collapses on stoop, fade down....)

(in the background, through 3 walls..and the dog..) "Who! What?!"

"...just another vinylite, Cheryl....!"

(under the breathe, softly) "....poor critter..."

WNCW...88.7 after midnight.... ;)
@roberjerman beat me to it in suggesting a Sheffield direct-to-disk LP. Not for the sake of the music on any of them (that's too personal for me to predict), but to hear what is possible in the LP format. Direct-to-disk LP's (Sheffield or otherwise) are FAR better sounding than ANY tape-sourced LP ever made.
Welcome back.

Like you, I tried other sources, but came back to vinyl.

I went on a reissue buying binge. Listened, then listened to original pressings. Strive to find originals. Yes D to D LP's are the best, just not enough of them around. Happy listening.
Hoodoo Man Blues - Junior Wells Chicago Blues Band on Acoustic Sounds. This album will blow you away. Sounds like your in the room with them.
Agreed with @aewarren. Consider what you loved listening to with your previous format, then find it on vinyl. 

I usually peruse the Hoffman forums for the "best pressings" of what I'm looking for, then head to discogs to find it. 

I also find great NEW music on my Tidal and Amazon stations. Enough of the greybeard rock. 
ALL the Beatles, OBVIOUSLY, and if you wish to hear them, the Sheffield Direct-to-Disc Lincoln Mayorga albums are excellent.

Classical, any Decca is usually OK, but specific orchestras and composers depend upon your personal taste.

I happen to like Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, but many probably feel these are overdone.  Ronstadt has a wide and varied catalog and a voice second to none, although she likes Bonnie Raitt, so take your pick.

I also like some quirky stuff like the genius of Harry Nilsson, but that's just me and, of course, "RCA records and tapes."

I don't know opera, but others probably do. 

MOST important, enjoy the MUSIC!  Some forget that this is what it is all about.

Cheers!
I agree with @jimmydd and @aewarren but since you asked.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Prince - Plectrumelectrum
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb & The Joshua Tree

Orbital - Middle of Nowhere
Love and Rockets - Lift
Massive Attack - Mezzanine 
These three are kind of a spacey British psychedelic/electronica style.

Butthole Surfers - Electriclarryland
A pretty good hard rock not to mention probably their most commercial  album with just a hint of their experimental early days on a couple of the tracks

Big Black - Atomizer
Aggressive guitar, bass and drum machine rock 'n' roll. This stuff is not pretty but it will get your blood flowing better than any 5 Hour energy drink ever will. Play as loud as you can.

Shellac - Terraform
Steve Albini again but this time with a human drummer. Songs are kind of sparse and a tad on the fringe, but maybe the best recorded drums I have ever heard

The Claypool Lennon Delirium - South of Reality
John's youngest son teams up with Primus's bass player. Well crafted psychedelic/art rock. This is NOT back ground music. It demands your attention, but is worth the time.

Something I didn’t see mentioned and is still kind of an "unknown" to many is "The Trinity Session" by The Cowboy Junkies. What makes this album so special are the incredible, haunting vocals of Margot Timmons, the perfect performance of the band and that it was recorded at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto using a single microphone, so you can hear EVERYTHING presented in the most intimate and undiluted way.

If you can find it, grab the 200-gram pressing by Quality Record Pressings for Analogue Productions. I also own a RCA first pressing, but find the Analogue Productions version to be superior...dead silent backgrounds, more dynamic range and detail. Truly a record that amazes every time I listen to it...Cheers!

Arvin
I have the Analouge Productions of The Trinity Sessions; a fabulous record for sure!  Wish that I had bought an extra copy however, it’s out of print currently.
@stickman451 

" Wish that I had bought an extra copy however, it’s out of print currently."

You and me, both!

Arvin
grant green - feelin’ the spirit/pink floyd - animals/moody blues - every good boy deserves favou/rmiles davis - kind of blue/john coltrane - coltranes sound/los lobos - kiko/ horace silver - the tokyo blues/jethro tull - minstrel in the gallery/kate bush - hounds of love/tina brooks - true blue