The beauty and joy of collecting vinyl records lives within the experience that can be had. There are few listening experiences that can rival those moments when you hear a record you love in a way that you've never heard it before. No matter the genre, having an immersive experience with your favorite classic rock, jazz, country or blues album is undeniably magical and revealing.
While there are millions of records pressed daily, few can truly carry the music to your ear the way the artist intended and with the sound that was present in the studio. However, there are a few that come really close to achieving both. Below is our list of 100 records that do just that: deliver a magical experience. Granted, most are above average cost, out of print, and can be hard to find. However, they are out there to be found in used record bins or on sites like Discogs. You simply need to know what you are looking for.
If you are serious about hearing your favorite record in a way you may have never heard it before, or you are quite simply into trying something new, below are some of our suggestions. These titles represent what we think are some, not all, of the best "audiophile" level record pressings. These merely represent what we've had the opportunity to experience to date. Note that this is an organic list, ever changing and always being updated with more suggestions as we discover the best of what's out there from Analogue Productions, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, Audio Fidelity, Impex, Rhino, Craft Recordings, Fidelio, Sam Records, Blue Note, ORG, AudioNautes, Fidelio, the mass production labels, and more.
Have some suggestions for us and our readers to try out? Post them in our comments. You never know, they may make it on a future update to this list.
Al di Meola, McLaughlin, de Lucia - Friday Night In San Francisco - Impex - 45 RPM |
Al Green - Call Me - Speakers Corner - 33 RPM |
Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Session - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Alice in Chains - MTV unplugged - Music On Vinyl - 33 RPM |
Alison Krauss + Union Station - Live - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording - 45 RPM |
Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers - Moanin' - Music Matters SRX - 33 RPM |
Bill Evans Trio - Portrait In Jazz - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Bill Evans Trio - Sunday At The Village Vanguard - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UltraDisc One-Step - 45 RPM |
Blood Sweat And Tears - Blood Sweat And Tears - Original Recordings Group - 45 RPM |
Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UltraDisc One-Step - 45 RPM |
Boz Scaggs - Speak Low - Decca - 33 RPM |
Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else - Classic Records - 33 RPM |
Carole King - Tapestry - Original Recordings Group - 45 RPM |
Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um - Original Recordings Group - 45 RPM |
Chet Baker - Sings - Blue Note Tone Poet - 33 RPM |
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories - Sony (2013) - 33 RPM |
Dave Brubeck Quartet- Time Out - Analogue Productions - 45 rpm |
Dean Martin - Dream With Dean - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Dexter Gordon - Go! - Music Matters - 33 RPM |
Diana Krall - Live In Paris - Original Recordings Group - 45 RPM |
Dire Straits - Dire Straits - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs - 45 RPM |
Donald Fagen - The Nightfly - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UltraDisc One-Step - 45 RPM |
Duke Ellington - Ellington Indigo - Impex - 45 RPM |
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Eagles - Hotel California - Warner (2009 RTI) - 33 RPM |
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella & Louis - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Elvis Presley - From Elvis In Memphis - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording - 33 RPM |
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch - Music Matters - 33 RPM |
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (Pallas Pressing) - 45 rpm |
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra At The Sands - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording- 33 RPM |
Grant Green - Street Of Dreams - Music Matters - 45 RPM |
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage - Music Matters SRX - 33 RPM |
Holly Cole - Temptation - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Hugh Masekela - Hope - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Jeff Buckley - Grace - Original Recordings Group - 45 RPM |
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording - 45 RPM |
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold As Love - Analogue Productions UHQR - 33 RPM |
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme - Analogue Productions UHQR - 45 RPM |
John Coltrane - Blue Train - Music Matters - 33 RPM |
John Coltrane - Lush Life - Craft Recordings Small Batch 1-Step - 33 RPM |
John Lee Hooker - It Serves You Right To Suffer - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around - American Recordings/Lost Highway - 33 RPM |
Joni Mitchell - Blue - Reprise (2007)- 33 RPM |
Junior Wells - Hoodoo Man Blues - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue - Music Matters - 33 PRM |
Larry Young - Unity - Music Matters - 45 RPM |
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording - 33 RPM |
Lee Morgan - Search For The New Land - Music Matters SRX - 33 RPM |
Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder - Music Matters SRX - 33 RPM |
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On? - TAMLA UMe 50th Anniversary - 33 RPM |
Melody Gardot - My One And Only - Original Recordings Group - 45 RPM |
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording - 45 RPM |
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue - Analogue Productions UHQR - 45 RPM |
Miles Davis - Round About Midnight - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording (Super Vinyl) - 33 RPM |
Muddy Waters – Folk Singer - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Nat King - After Midnight - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Neil Young - Harvest - Reprise (Neil Young Archives) - 33 PRM |
Neil Young - Massey Hall - Reprise (Neil Young Archives) - 33 PRM |
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged - Original Recordings Group - 45 RPM |
Nirvana - Nevermind - Original Recordings Group - 33 RPM |
Patricia Barber - Companion - Impex 1-Step - 45 RPM |
Paul Simon - Graceland - Sony Legacy 25th Anniversary (RTI) - 33 RPM |
Prince - Purple Rain - Warner (RTI) - 33 RPM |
R.E.M. - Automatic - Warner (1992) - 33 RPM |
Sade - Diamond Life - Audio Fidelity - 33 RPM |
Sam Cooke - Night Beat - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Santana - Abraxas - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UltraDisc One-Step - 45 RPM |
Shelby Lynne - Just A Little Lovin' - Analogue Productions - 45 rpm |
Son House - The Legendary Son House Father of Folk Blues - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus - Analogue Productions - 33 RPM |
Stan Getz and João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto - Impex 1-Step - 45 RPM |
Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd - Jazz Samba - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Steely Dan - Aja - Analogue Productions UHQR - 45 RPM |
Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Sky Is Crying - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Supertramp - Breakfast in America - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording - 45 RPM |
The Alan Parsons Project - I Robot - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Original Master Recording - 45 RPM |
The Beatles - Magical Mystery - Apple (2014) - 33 RPM |
The Cars - The Cars - Rhino Hi-Fi - 33 RPM |
The Doors - LA Woman - Analogue Productions - 45 rpm |
The Doors - Morrison Hotel - Analogue Productions - 45 rpm |
The Doors - The Doors - DCC Compact Classics - 33 RPM |
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland - Legacy - 33 RPM |
The Thelonious Monk Quartet - Monk's Dream - Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs UltraDisc One-Step - 45 RPM |
The White Stripes - Elephant - Analogue Productions UHQR - 45 RPM |
Tom Petty - Wildflowers - Warner (2020) - 33 RPM |
Toto – IV - Speakers Corner - 33 RPM |
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman - Electra (1988) - 33 RPM |
Van Halen - Van Halen - DCC Compact Classics - 33 RPM |
Van Morrison - Moondance - Warner (2008 RTI) - 33 RPM |
Vince Guaraldi Trio - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus - Craft Recordings Small Batch 1-Step - 33 RPM |
Willie Nelson - Stardust - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Wynton Kelly Trio - Smokin' At The Half Note - Analogue Productions - 45rpm |
Yamamoto Tsuyoshi Trio - Midnight Sugar - Impex - 45 RPM |
Yamamoto Tsuyoshi Trio - Misty - Impex - 45 RPM |
Yes - The Yes Album - Analogue Productions - 45 RPM |
Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds - Craft Recordings Small Batch 1-Step - 33 RPM |
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