What are your go to LP's for evaluating new gear or new tubes?

Yo Yo Ma Six Evolutions

you can here his fingers tapping the fretboard. total solo performance

Edmond De Lucas Conquerors of the Ages

The highest and lowest frequencies I have ever heard on any orchestra performance. Closest to 20-20K Hz I have ever heard.

Mahavishnu Orchestra was never well recorded, nor was Bitches Brew. But since I like all that so much I do use them to test the system. But MIles's trumpet still sounds about as it should on the recording. Inner Mounting Flame, especially a few tracks, are great to evaluate the dynamics.

Oregon's bass player plays custom acoustic bass. It sounds excellent and goes low.

I have a couple Japanese repressings of the Decca The Planets, performed by Mehta and the LA Phil in 1970.  The Decca version was one of HP's "Super Disks," and I've used the Japanese audiophile pressings for many years for judging components.  This work includes high-pitched massed violins, loud brass, organ pedals, big soundstage and wide dynamics, and I enjoy listening to it; as a performance it's my favorite version of The Planets.

Another classical recording I've often used is the ASMIF 1st Brandenburg Concerto on Philips.  It's revealing how different components differentiate the unison playing of the bassoon and bass and how they handle the dissonant, held notes of the French horns.

I have a Connoisseur Society LP of Ivan Moravec playing Debussy and Ravel piano pieces that I also use--it's been praised by one of the Stereophile writers as a particularly good piano recording (I agree), and acoustic piano is an excellent instrument for evaluating audio gear.

I also use US or UK pressings of DSOTM (although I prefer my MFSL Meddle) and my first pressing of Aja.

I might also use my Classic Records reissue of the first Led Zeppelin LP or the MFSL of the 2nd, or my MCA Super Vinyl of Who's Next.

Starwarrior

Are those vinyl? Totally understand the fingers and frets. Good vinyl does that. Tori Amos, Under the Pink on pink vinyl is an excellent recording. The piano sounds very real. One song is a very beat up out of tune old piano. You can hear the pedals going up and down. Another song uses the full depth of cellos. Lots of acoustic and strings. It is really a good piece of vinyl but it took me 3 copies to find one without surface noise. Maybe the pink vinyl was too soft? Don't know. Usually colored vinyl is good as it is usually virgin vinyl. I have a black copy of under the pink and the pressing is not nearly as well done as the pink versions.

In addition to some listed . . .

Supertramp “Crime of the Century “