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Your Not-So-Obvious Best Fidelity LPs

I’ve spent over three years building up to the system I have now.  I’m really happy with it and my wife and I love sitting in our listening room spinning various vinyl most evenings.  Rather than researching and testing gear, I want to spend this year adding great recordings to our collection.

So what are the albums you have that every time you play it you're continually amazed at its fidelity?  You might have spent $80 on it or just $1 or maybe it was a hand-me-down decades ago.  Any genre really.

And if we can please avoid the most obvious choices (which are truly wonderful) such as Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Diana Krall, etc.  I’m looking for albums, (vinyl only please) that probably fly under the radar for most folks.

I'll start….

James Taylor - Dad Loves His Work - this was just given to me by a friend a couple of weeks ago as he had an extra copy.  I have plenty of JT albums but I didn’t have this one yet.  As soon as I put it on I could tell it was special.

Edie Brickell - Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars - My wife requested this one so I found a NM copy on Discogs for a reasonable price.  This kind of blew my socks off.  Sounds really wonderful and present and the music still holds up.

Counting Crows - August and Everything After - I surprised my wife with this one as it’s one of her favorite albums.  They really nailed the recording and pressing on this one.  It’s quite impressive. 

Ben Folds - What Matters Most - He’s one of our favorite songwriters but trying to find a copy of anything of his or Ben Folds Five for under $80 is nearly impossible.  This album was released just last year and they obviously paid special attention to the recording quality.  Sounds just phenomenal. 

Steely Dan - Northeast Corridor - Obviously everyone knows how amazing their studio recordings are but this album might be unknown to some as it came out just a few years ago.  I bought it on a whim knowing nothing about it.  It’s amazing.  As if they would release an album with less than stellar fidelity.  If you’re a Dan fan, this album is a no-brainer.

REM - Automatic for the People - Completely hypnotic.  Stunning recording.

OK, that’s enough from me.  

paulietunes
1happyman's avatar
1happyman
58 posts
 

ZZ Top Deguello

Another Bernie Grundman masterpiece. Turn up "Fool for your Stockings" and listen to what your system can do.

larryi
3,759 posts
 

Two more spectacular recordings that I have heard, and own, only in reissued versions:

1)  "Satchmo Plays King Oliver"--1960, Audio Fidelity (original issue), Classic Records reissue.

2)  "Alternate Blues" (Gillespie, Terry, Hubbard, Peterson)-1980, Analogue Productions reissue.

paulietunes OP
64 posts
 

I'm really loving all of these suggestions.  Please keep 'em coming!

larryi
3,759 posts
 

Great sound AND good music do not often go together in a single record.  This is an example of one record having both:

Richard and Linda Thompson:  "Shoot Out the Lights" Hannibal Records.

larryi
3,759 posts
 

If you want to immerse yourself in great controversy, google "hot stamper" or the company selling these records--Better Records   The claim is that, even within a particular issue of an album, there are certain stampers that are better than others and the resulting pressings are the ones to covet.  Some hot stampers go for thousands of dollars. 

I have not bought any of these hot stampers myself.  However, long before hot stampers became a thing, a friend played two very clean versions of a particular record--both original pressings, both with same covers, dead-wax markings, etc., yet one sounded much more alive and vibrant.  Were the two records from different pressing plants?  Was this an example of a "hot stamper" vs. an ordinary stamper?  I don't know, but, sort of thing adds more complications when hunting down versions of favorite albums.

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