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By Armegeddon (however the Evangelical wet-dream is spelled) this article will be TOTALLY updated!

157 In-Print LPs You Should Own! Soon to be Updated.....Yea, sure. That's what you've been saying for more than a year....(sorry but soon, really!)

Okay, that's a ridiculous headline. It's the kind of cynical ploy you see on magazine covers to attract attention. These are really 157 LPs I do own, some of which you probably will enjoy and should own, and some of which you will probably hate. No doubt you already own some.

One of the most pathetic sights I can recall is seeing audiophiles at record conventions looking for and buying every record on Harry Pearson's Superdisc list-regardless of the music. If you don't know who he is, don't worry about it. If you do, you should know that I have the utmost respect for him and for what he has done for high quality audio, but his tastes aren't mine, nor are mine yours, or yours mine. Nonetheless, ol' HP has broadened my musical tastes and for that I am grateful. Perhaps my list will do that for you, (and even for him should he ever see it).

The list doesn't attempt balance, and so you'll find an overabundance of Miles Davis, for instance, partly because for now, Mosaic still has some Miles box sets available, all of which are worthwhile, (though perhaps only completists need apply), and partly because I like Miles. Mosaic's Miles boxes are sure to become collector's items much like original Blue Note pressings and I was astounded to see so many of them remaining in the catalog.

Not all of the titles are here because they sound good, though many do, and nothing is here because it sounds good while being musically terrible. There is a wide variet of music, including some 'free jazz' (Albert Ayler, Alan Silva) that will repulse fans of more traditional fare, and there is some hardcore, like the band Converge, which is the rock equivalent of 'free jazz.' They are to this decade, what Nirvana was to the '90s, in my opinion.

There is so much new vinyl being released it is impossible to be comprehensive. Many of the titles have been issued both as 33 1/3 single LPs and as limited edition 45rpm, two record sets (mostly from Analog Productions available through Acoustic Sounds and more recently, Groove Note). Honestly, I can recommended any and all of the Analog Productions titles for both music and sound, but there was only room to list a few. Many Classic titles originally issued as 180g have been reissued on Quiex SV-P 200g "flat' vinyl and in my experience those sound somewhat richer and smoother and are worth the price differential.

Of course there are plenty of omissions in the list. That's inevitable, so if you don't see one of your faves, that's okay. On the other hand, if you think I've neglected something that's indispensable, please email and let me know. You'll see nothing here from Simply Vinyl. I think they've done more to muddy the analog reissue waters than any other label by releasing classic albums like Van Morrison's Astral Weeks without identifying the signal source. I've asked them the specifics on some titles and they refused to tell me. Yet some of their releases such as the Nick Drakes and a few others actually sound very good and it is my understanding that releases from the EMI vaults like the Drakes (no long controlled by EMI), and John Martyn's superb Solid Air, were actually sourced from analog tape.

On the other hand, call me a hypocrite, but there are albums here that I know were sourced from original digital recordings such as Brian Wilson's Smile. But as with many hi-rez digital recordings,the LP will sound far better than the 16/44.1K CD reduction. And the Ayler and Silva 'free jazz' titles from the Italian Get Back label may also raise some eyebrows because that label does not reveal source material, much of which I'm sure is digital. The difference is, they are releasing mostly esoteric material on vinyl, much of which would not see vinyl were it not for them. Their pressing quality has improved, and the sound, for whatever reasons, on the recommended titles and onothers I've auditioned and reviewed on this site, is pretty good.

Finally, we get to the thorny issue of reissues versus original pressings. The point of this list is not to compare the relative merits of these reissues compared to originals. In many cases, sorry to say, the originals still sound best. That is inevitable for a variety of reasons, but good luck finding original clean, quiet and affordable pressings of most of the vintage titles that have been carefully reissued. The point of this list is that these albums are readily available now, beautifully packaged and pressed and sounding better than any CD issue. For instance, Cannonball Adderley's Something Else (not on the list, but it could have been), issued in both mono and stereo by Classic Records, sounds superb-until you hear an original, cut when the tape was brand new. It sounds airier and more spacious and richer. But good luck finding a clean original for a reasonable price, or finding a copy period!

Many of the recommended titles can easily be found on the websites of our advertisers and I urge you to click through from musicangle.com to find and buy them. It is important for the future success of this site that advertisers know there's a pulse out there (we derive no "click through" commission).

Some of the titles, while no longer "in print," can be found if you do a little looking, so I've included a few of those (like Dead Can Dance's Into the Labyrinth). In some cases, such as AC/DC and Creedence Clearwater Revival, both the box and individual titles are available.

I hope you take a few chances and check out some possibly unfamiliar titles like both of The Shins albums. If you like Beatles, Todd Rundgren, Nick Lowe, etc. I think you'll love The Shins, one of the most tuneful, and smartest groups to come along in years, plus the sound is very good. At the end of the list is a breakdown of titles from each category worth considering for various reasons.

So that's it. This list will remain on the site and be amended and updated regularly as new titles arrive, so check back often and your feedback is appreciated.

Classic Rock/Blues/Soul/Folk Reissues

1) AC/DC: Box Set (Epic)
2) Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (Stereo-Capitol/mono Toshiba- EMI)
3) Butterfield Blues Band: East-West (Sundazed)
4) Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (Sundazed)
5) Creedence Clearwater: Box (Analog Productions)
6) Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: Deje vu (Classic)
7) Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (mono) (Sundazed)
8) Bob Dylan: Freewheelin' (Sundazed mono)
9) Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a Man (4 Men With Beards)
10) Aretha Franklin: Live at the Fillmore (4 Men With Beards)
11) Peter Gabriel: So (Classic)
12) Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel 3 (Classic)
13) Jimi Hendrix: Axis Bold as Love (Classic mono)
14) Jimi Hendrix: Live at the Fillmore (Experience Hendrix)
15) Ian and Sylvia: Northern Journey (Cisco)
16) Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (mono) (Sundazed)
17) Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy (Classic)
18) Led Zepplin: IV (Classic)
19) John Lennon: Imagine (Mobile Fidelity)
20) John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band (Mobile Fidelity)
21) Love: Love (Sundazed)
22) Love: Forever Changes (Sundazed)
23) Aimee Mann: Lost In Space (Mobile Fidelity)
24) MC5: High Time (Sundazed)
25) MC5: Kick Out the Jams (Sundazed)
26) Willie Nelson: Stardust (Classic)
27) Roy Orbison: All Time Greatest Hits (S&P)
28) Roy Orbison: Crying (mono or stereo) (Classic)
29) Van Dyke Parks: Song Cycle (Sundazed)
30) Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (EMI)
31) Procol Harum: Whiter Shade of Pale (Classic)
32) Otis Redding: Live In Europe (Sundazed)
33) Otis Redding: Sings Soul Ballads (4 Men With Beards)
34) Otis Redding: Otis Blue (Sundazed)
35) Dusty Springfield: Dusty in Memphis (4 Men With Beards)
36) The Stooges: Fun House (Sundazed)
37) The Stooges: The Stooges (Sundazed)
38) Peter Townshend and Ronnie Lane: Rough Mix (Classic)
39) Muddy Waters: Folk Singer (Classic)
40) The Weavers: Reunion at Carnegie Hall 1963 (Analog Productions 33/Classic 45)
41) The Weavers: Traveling On (Cisco)

Jazz Reissues:

42) Cannonball Adderley: In the Land of Hi-Fi (Speakers Corner)
43) Cannonball Adderley: Somethin' Else (mono or stereo)
44) Albert Ayler: Volume 1 and 2 (Water)
45) Louis Armstrong: Plays King Oliver (Classic)
46) Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington: Together for the First Time (Classic)
47) Count Basie: E=MC2 (Classic mono or stereo)
48) Count Basie: 88 Basie Street (Analog Productions 33/45)
49) Nat King Cole: Just One of Those Things (S&P)
50) Nat King Cole: Love is the Thing (Groove Note)
51) John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (Speakers Corner)
52) John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (Speakers Corner)
53) John Coltrane Quartet: Ballads (Speakers Corner)
54) John Coltrane: Heavyweight Champion (Rhino box)
55) June Christy: Something Cool (mono) (Cisco)
56) Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (Classic)
57) Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (Classic)
58) Miles Davis: Sketches of Spain (Classic)
59) Miles Davis: The Complete Columbia Recordings with John Coltrane (Mosaic box)
60) Miles Davis: The Complete Blackhawk Sessions (Mosaic box)
61) Miles Davis: The Complete Studio Recordings of the Quintet 1965-1968 (Mosaic box)
62) Miles Davis: The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions (Mosaic box)
63) Miles Davis: The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (Mosaic Box)
64) Kenny Dorham: Afro-Cuban (Classic 200g mono LP)
65) Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby (Analog Productions)
66) Bill Evans: Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Analog Productions)
67) Bill Evans: With Tony Bennett (Analog Productions 45)
68) Ella Fitzgerald: Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Songbooks (Speakers Corner box)
69) Ella Fitzgerald: Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie! (Classic)
70) LA4: Just Friends (Groove Note 45)
71) Charles Mingus: Mingus, Mingus, Mingus (Speakers Corner)
72) Charles Mingus: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (Speakers Corner)
73) Hank Mobley: Soul Station (Classic 200g)
74) Thelonious Monk Brilliant Corners (Analog Productions 45rpm)
75) Thelonious Monk: Alone in San Francisco
76) Thelonious Monk: Misterioso
77) Wes Montgomery: Full House (Analog Productions 45rpm)
78) Oliver Nelson: The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Speakers Corner)
79) Art Pepper: Meets the Rhythm Section (Analog Productions 45/33)
80) Alan Silva: and the Celestrial Communication Orchestra (Get Back)
81) Teddy Wilson: The Complete Verve Recordings (Mosaic box)
82) 75) Sarah Vaughan: Sassy (Speakers Corner)
83) 76) Wynton Kelly Trio: Smokin' At the Half Note (Speakers Corner)

Classical New and Reissues:

84) Albeniz: Suite Espanola (Fruhbeck de Burgos/NPO) (Speakers Corner)
85) Bach: 6 Cello Suites (Starker) (Speakers Corner box)
86) Beethoven: Violin Concerto (Heifetz/CSO) (Classic)
87) Borodin: Symphony #2, #3 (Ansermet/OSR) (Speakers Corner)
88) Brahms: Violin Concerto (Heifetz/Reiner/CSO) (Classic)
89) Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Slatkin/CASO) (Cisco)
90) Bruch: Violin Concerto (Heifetz/CSO) (Classic)
91) Chabrier: Espana (Paray/DSO) (Classic)
92) Copland: Rodeo (Dorati/MSO) (Classic)
93) De Falla: The Three Cornered Hat (Ansermet/OSR) (Speakers Corner)
94) Dvorak: Violin Concerto (Milstein/Steinberg/PSO) (Cisco)
95) Gershwin: Piano Concerto (Fiedler/Wild) (Classic)
96) Gershwin: Porgy and Bess (Maazel/Cleveland Orchestra) (Speakers Corner box)
97) Gounod: Faust Ballet Music (Gibson/ROH)
98) Khatchaturian: Masquerade Suite (Kondrashin RCA VSO) (Classic)
99) Mahler: Symphony #2 (Solti/LSO)(Speakers Corner)
100) Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto (Heifetz/Munch/BSO) (Classic)
101) Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream (Maag/LSO (Speakers Corner)
102) Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Reiner/CSO) (Classic)
103) Praetorious, Widmann, Schein: The High Renaissance-Dance Music (Archive/Speaker's Corner)
104) Prokofiev: Lt. Kije (CSO/Reiner) (Classic)
105) Prokofiev: Love For Three Oranges (Dorati/LSO) (Classic)
106) Ravel: Daphnis & Chloe (Munch/BSO) (Classic)
107) Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on the Theme of Paganini (Rubinstein/CSO) (Classic)
108) Rachmaninoff: Todtentanz (Janis/Reiner/CSO) (Classic)
109) Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #3 (Janis/Dorati/LSO)(Speakers Corner)
110) Respighi: Birds & Brazilian Impressions (Dorati/LSO) (Speakers Corner)
111) Rimsky-Korsakoff: Scheherezade (Reiner/CSO) (Classic)
112) Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Heifetz/Reiner/CSO) (Classic)
113) Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Reiner/CSO) (Classic)
114) Stravinsky: The Firebird (Dorati/LSO) (Classic)
115) Stravinsky: Petrushka (Ansermet/OSR) (Speakers Corner)
116) Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (Heifetz/Reiner/CSO) (Classic)
117) Tchaikovsky: Pathetique Symphony (Monteux/BSO (Classic)
118) Various: Royal Ballet Gala Performances (Ansermet/OROH) (Classic)
119) Various: Espana (Argenta/LSO) (Speakers Corner)

"New" Vinyl: Rock, Jazz, Classical, etc. -including first time issues of older recordings, etc. Some are not "new" as in recent, but were issued on vinyl and CD simultaneously and remain in the catalog. A few have not yet been released. They are listed based on test pressings.

120) Patricia Barber: Modern Cool (Mobile Fidelity 45)
121) Bonnie "Prince" Billy: Sings Greatest Palace Music
122) Greg Brown: The Poet Game
123) Buena Vista Social Club: Buena Vista Social Club (Classic)
124) Built to Spill: Live (Up)
125) Eva Cassidy: Songbird (S&P)
126) Cat Power: You Are Free (Matador)
127) Converge: You Fail me (Epitaph)
128) Dead Can Dance: Into the Labyrinth (4AD)
129) Grey De Lisle: Homewrecker (Hummin' bird)
130) Dolly Varden: Forgiven Now (Diverse)
131) Bob Dylan: Live at Philharmonic Hall (Classic box)
132) Antonio Forcione & Sabina Sciubba: Meet Me in London (NAIM 180g)
133) Beth Gibbon & Rustin Man: Out of Season (Go Beat UK)
134) Isaac Hayes: Hits From Shaft (Analog Productions 45)
135) Jacintha: Here's to Ben (Groove Note)
136) Norah Jones: Come Away With Me (Classic)
137) Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan: In Session (Analog Productions 45)
138) Alison Krauss and Union Station: New Favorite (Diverse)
139) Jimmy D. Lane with Double Trouble: It's Time (Analog Productions)
140) John Lill: Schumann Fantasy in C Opus 17 (Green Room)
141) Low: Trust (Kranky)
142) Eleanor McEvoy: Yola (Alto 180g LP)
143) Mission of Burma: OnoffON (Matador)
144) Begona Olavide: Salterio (ma Recordings)
145) Jimmie Lee Robinson: All My Life (Analog Productions)
146) The Shins: Oh, Inverted World (Sub Pop)
147) The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop)
148) Sigur Ros: ( ) (Fat Cat)
149) Richard Thompson: The Old Kit Bag (Diverse)
150) Tortoise: TNT ( Touch and Go 2 180 LPs)
151) Bennie Wallace: Moodsville (Groove Note )
152) The Anthony Wilson Trio: Our Gang (Groove Note)
153) Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Greendale (Classic box)
154) Wilco: Yankee Foxtrot Hotel (Nonesuch/Sundazed)
155) Brian Wilson: Smile (Rhino)
156) Gary Wilson: Mary Had Brown Hair

Ten Worthwhile New Rock LPs:

121, 124, 126, 127, 128, 141, 143, 146, 148, 155

Ten Essential Rock/Folk/Blues/Soul Reissue LPs:

7, 11, 13, 16, 18, 22, 27, 29, 30, 34

Ten Essential Jazz Reissues:

45, 47, 51, 52, 53, 57, 65, 72, 78, 79

Ten Great Classical Reissues:

85, 86, 94, 96, 98, 102, 103, 105, 114, 119

Guaranteed Great Sound:

11, 13, 15, 22, 27, 29, 30, 38, 39 40, 41, 45, 49, 57, 65, 92, 94, 96, 103, 114, 125, 128, 132, 135, 138, 140, 144, 151, 153, 155