mikeydee
My question is, how important is the recording itself?
Very important, especially the dynamic range.
If you have good dynamic range you not only have bigger differences between loudest and quietest notes but you also have space between the notes, so things don’t sound like a relentless wall of sound wearing you down.
Get the best dynamic version of what you want here. (green is good)
Stay away from red orange or even yellow unless you play it in the car/truck (loud exhaust or road noise) or use earbuds on a noisy construction site, or walking on city streets
http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=supertramp&album=Crime+of+the+Century
Cheers George